Bent Alaska | Author Archives

Home » Archive by Author

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.

“Two Truths and a Lie” benefits Out North

Tuesday, 23 November 2010 – 6:00 AM | Comments Off

As we wrote last week, Out North needs our help. A national funder representing one-third of Out North’s budged has “changed direction,” and Out North need to raise money in order to keep giving us all the top-notch stuff they’ve been giving us for the past 25 years. One way you can help is to attend one, or even both, of Out North’s performances this weekend of Scott Turner Schofield’s “Two Truths and a Lie” — all proceeds of which will benefit Out North.

Sara’s News Roundup 11/22/10

Monday, 22 November 2010 – 4:25 PM | Comments Off

Recent LGBT news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.

1) Poll: Gay People Coming Out Earlier
U.K., Advocate, November 15, 2010

2) TRANS-POSITIONED
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, FORGE, Revised: 08/20/02

3) Lesbian family film “Kids” elbows into Oscar race
New York, Reuters, November 17, 2010

4) Acceptance of GW transgender basketball player a good life lesson
Sports Illustrated, November 16, 2010

5) Retired O-5 films lives of gay academy grads
Navy Times, November 22, 2010

6) Mormons Soften Language On Gays
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Tribune, November 13, 2010

7) Theologian says much of clergy is gay
Germany, Irish Times, November 22, 2010

8) Poll: Australians for Marriage Equality
Australia, Advocate, November 21, 2010

9) Transgender Candidate Wins Judicial Race
California, Advocate, November 16, 2010

10) Study: Source of Golden Rule reminder affects Christian attitudes about gay, lesbian people
Charlottesville, Virginia, Newsleader.com, October 26, 2010

11) Catholic school paper deletes student editorials on Catholic DVD, gay teens
St. Louis Park, Minn., Minnesota Public Radio, November 16, 2010

12) Navajo transgender shares story
New Mexico, Daily Lobo, November 16, 2010

13) Gates to release ‘don’t ask’ report to enable Senate hearings
Washington, Washington Post, November 22, 2010

Thanksgiving Eve in Anchorage

Monday, 22 November 2010 – 12:14 PM | Comments Off

Two free Thanksgiving Eve events in Anchorage this Wednesday evening.

Eve’s Family and Friends Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Event info on Facebook

At the Raven: 4:30-6:30 PM
At the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Anchorage (GLCCA): 5:00-7:00 PM
At Mad Myrna’s: 5:30-7:30 PM

The event is free, but donations are welcomed and will benefit the GLCCA.

More on GLCCA’s portion of the evening:

The GLCCA is thrilled to be able to offer a family friendly Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday evening, Nov. 24, from 5 – 7 pm. We will be using the space next door at the YWCA for this meal. Please join us for turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and other Thanksgiving classics. If there is anything special that you want to have on your plate feel free to bring a dish to share and place it on the table. This event is free and specially designed for families or those who prefer an alcohol free atmosphere.

336 E. 5th Avenue, (info@identityinc.org) or 929-4528

The GLCCA will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 25.

Wild Turkey Night at Bernies’ Bungalow Lounge
Event info on Facebook

Wednesday, November 24 at 9:30pm – November 25 at 12:30am

Join us and Wild Turkey in supporting the Food Bank of Alaska!

Here’s the run down: Come out on the 24th, and we’ll drink some Wild Turkey! Every $5 donation to the Food Bank of Alaska will get a chance to win a take home THANKSGIVING DINNER FROM MARX BROTHERS good for 8 PEOPLE!

Bottom line, we drink, raise money for a good cause and someone gets a (semi-) free turkey dinner without all the work!

Interior AIDS Association: Three Fairbanks events

Thursday, 18 November 2010 – 6:04 PM | Comments Off

Three upcoming events from the Interior AIDS Association!

This Friday, November 19th, join us at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge in the Binkley Room for the 2nd Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction fundraiser – sponsored by the UAF Pre-Med Society. Tickets are available at Gulliver’s Books and at IAA. You can also buy them on line on the IAA website – www.interioraids.org. See details on the Events page. Students: $15, Adults $20, Couples $35. $25 at the door.

Wednesday, December 1st is World AIDS Day. Meet at IAA for a potluck and preview of First Friday artwork from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Then, we will do our traditional candlelight walk from IAA to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor’s Center (15-20 minute walk). The program will begin at about 6:00 pm in the Theater. Our featured speaker is Dr. Elizabeth Saltonstall, MD. She is the HIV expert in Alaska!

Friday, December 3rd is IAA’s official first First Friday. Join us at 710 3rd Ave from 6-8pm. Several local artists will be displaying their work. There is also some parking in the back (709 2nd ave. – across from Gambardella’s).

“Debutante Balls” benefits Out North

Thursday, 18 November 2010 – 6:00 AM | Comments Off

Out North needs our help. A national funder representing one-third of Out North’s budged has “changed direction,” and Out North need to raise money in order to keep giving us all the top-notch stuff they’ve been giving us for the past 25 years. One way you can help is to attend this Friday’s performance of “Debutante Balls,” all proceeds of which will benefit Out North.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Wednesday, 17 November 2010 – 6:00 AM | One Comment

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved.

Tonight the University of Alaska Anchorage Women’s Studies Program will be holding a round table discussion honoring Transgender Day of Remembrance and those lives lost to violence. All are welcome.

November 17, 2010
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
UAA Consortium Library, Room 307

Candlelight vigil will follow immediately after the discussion.

Coming Out: A Work in Progress in Fairbanks this weekend

Tuesday, 16 November 2010 – 3:20 PM | Comments Off

Revive the Red Tent Productions would like to invite you to an evening in three parts:

“A Midnight Clear” by L.B. Hamilton
“Quintessential Image” by Jane Chambers
“Tree House” by Heather Warren

Sponsored by PFLAG Fairbanks and the North Star Community Foundation, this exciting night is Revive the Red Tent’s first installment of theatre dedicated to representing the LGBTQ community. Consisting of two one-act plays and a performative reading, the theme of the evening is centered upon the struggle of “coming out.” “A Midnight Clear” and “The Quintessential Image” are traditional one-act plays, in both the audience encounters characters struggling to make sense of their choices. “Tree House”, a piece written by local author, Heather Warren, is a semi-abstracted performance of a short story.

This theatrical production is primarily produced, designed, and performed by members of the local LGBTQ community. Performances will be at Dance Theatre Fairbanks on Nov. 19th and 20th at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.00 (more if you can, less if you can’t) and seating is limited. The show is not recommended for children under the age of 14.

Libby Roderick benefit for PFLAG Fairbanks

Tuesday, 16 November 2010 – 12:25 PM | Comments Off

Libby Roderick performs a benefit concert for PFLAG Fairbanks on Friday, November 19 at 8:00 PM. A limited number of tickets is available. Proceeds benefit PFLAG activities and the UU welcoming congregation. The concert will be held at the Unitarian Universalist church sanctuary (across the street from the Princess Hotel). The hall holds 150, so seating is limited. The UU is a welcoming congregation. *$32 each* cash or check only. Call 45-PFLAG pflagfairbanks@gmail.com.

URGENT: Call Sens. Begich and Murkowski on DADT now!

Monday, 15 November 2010 – 6:00 AM | Comments Off

A message from Tony Wagner of the Human Rights Campaign, who was in Alaska this past week:

Everyone,

Thank you all for your insight into the LGBT community in Alaska and the political lay of the land. It’s been a pleasure. I wanted to send an update with the latest info regarding DADT repeal and where we stand.

It looks like the leaked information about the positive outcome from the Pentagon’s implementation study is having a good effect on wavering legislators and the possibility of repealing DADT this year is gaining momentum. That said, we still have a long ways to go. Congress will return for their lame duck session starting on Monday and we want to send members, including Sen. Murkowski, a strong message that the National Defense Authorization Act should be debated and passed during the lame duck, with the repeal language intact. So we’re asking folks to call Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Begich on Monday or Tuesday THIS WEEK and deliver this message:

“Hi, my name’s [NAME] and I live in [TOWN]. I support all our servicemembers and they deserve to have the National Defense Authorization Act passed this year with funding for our troops, pay increases and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell included. I urge Sen. Murkowski/Sen. Begich to vote for cloture and final passage of this bill.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski
202-224-6665 (DC)
877-829-6030 (toll free)

Sen. Mark Begich
202-224-3004 (DC)
877-501-6275 (toll free)

With so much at stake and so little time to get the job done, this is really an all hands on deck moment. If possible, please send this message to your lists, post to your facebook pages, blogs, etc. The alert pasted below is draft text of a national alert (separated by state) HRC will be launching on Monday. With all of us pitching in and working together, we can have the impact needed to move the ball forward and repeal DADT this year.

Thank you again and I look forward to continuing our work together for advancing equality here in Alaska and around the country.

Best,

Tony Wagner

Western Regional Field Director | Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave, NW | Washington, DC 20009
202.772.3888 (o) | 202.459.3298 (c)
tony.wagner@hrc.org | www.hrc.org

Here’s the draft of the national alert being issued tomorrow, referred to in Tony’s letter:

URGENT: Calls needed on DADT now!

The push to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has reached a fever pitch. And this week could make or break it.

Years of work could boil down to what happens this week. The Senate’s “lame duck” session began yesterday – our last, best hope to end the discrimination this year.

When the new Congress shows up in January, the House will be under staunchly anti-LGBT leadership. We have no time to waste.

Today, as we launch full-page newspaper ads across the country, we need tens of thousands of supporters to back up those ads by telling every single senator to end the discrimination NOW!

Call both your senators now – Sen. Lisa Murkowski at (202) 224-6665 and Sen. Mark Begich at (202) 224-3004 – and tell them “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” must end BEFORE you leave and the new Congress takes over.

The last time the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” came up for a vote in the Senate, Sen. John McCain led Republicans in a filibuster of the national defense spending bill that contains the repeal. They blocked it from an up-or-down vote – even though nearly 8 in 10 Americans now favor repealing the law.

Before time runs out, we need Senate Democrats to bring the defense bill to the floor and we need Republicans to stop threatening to derail the entire thing – including critical military equipment and pay raises – just to keep this discriminatory law on the books.

Is it just me, or is it completely absurd that Senate Republicans would hold troops’ funding hostage, just so they can ensure that lesbian and gay soldiers have to keep lying or be fired?

The ads we’re launching today call out this hypocrisy for what it is: bigotry masked as patriotism.

It’s critical that every single senator hears from us today. Even if your senators are already with us on this issue they need to know that their constituents have their backs as they stand up for what’s right.

And no matter where your senators stand, speaking out today sends a bold message: It’s going to take a lot more than a few anti-gay leaders in Congress to make us give up this fight. As long as injustice is written into our laws, we will not rest.

Call Sen. Lisa Murkowski at (202) 224-6665 and Sen. Mark Begich at (202) 224-3004 and tell them to act this week.

Momentum for repeal is high. President Obama has called on the Senate to act during this short session – an important first step of the many needed for him to fulfill the pledge he made in the State of the Union to end this law. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and military chaplains are also speaking out.

Still, repealing this law is no easy task. But if brave men and women are willing to risk their lives while hiding who they are, we must be unafraid to fail – and always, unceasingly, unafraid to fight.

Never giving up,

Joe Solmonese