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Articles by E. Ross

E. Ross is the founder of Bent Alaska.

45% of Alaskans support same sex marriage

Monday, 23 August 2010 – 9:00 PM | One Comment

Approximately 45% of Alaskans support same sex marriage, according to data from recent polls, and that puts Alaska squarely in the center among the 50 states on our opinion of marriage equality.

When Congress debated and passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1994-6, only 25% of Americans – and 23% of Alaskans – said that gay and lesbian couples should have the right to marry. New polls show a 20% increase of support nationally, while local support has risen 22% in the last 15 years.

The New York Times gathered the information from several polls, created the graph in this post showing the increase of support state by state, and highlighted the main points of progress:

“A CNN poll this month found that a narrow majority of Americans supported same-sex marriage — the first poll to find majority support. Other poll results did not go that far, but still, on average, showed that support for gay marriage had risen to 45 percent or more (with the rest either opposed or undecided)…

In 2008, the year Proposition 8 was approved, just under half of Californians supported same-sex marriage. Today, according to polls, more than half do. A similar shift has occurred in Maine, where same-sex marriage legislation was repealed by ballot measure in 2009.

In both New York and New Jersey, where state legislatures in the past have defeated proposals to allow same-sex marriage, a majority now support it.

And support for same-sex marriage has increased in all states, even in relatively conservative places like Wyoming and Kentucky. Only Utah is still below where national support stood in 1996.”

Alaska is a “relatively conservative place” with an independent streak. The opponents to last summer’s job and housing ordinance scared a few assembly members into thinking that Anchorage isn’t ready for gay rights. But polls like these show that a shrinking percent of Alaskans oppose LGBT equality, even on marriage.

The polls also show that people under age 30 in all regions support marriage equality more than older adults do, so the trend towards equality will continue, in Alaska and across the nation. We’ve reached the tipping point!

Coronation 2010 – Kickin’ it Old School!

Saturday, 21 August 2010 – 6:03 AM | Comments Off

It’s almost Labor Day weekend and you know what that means – Coronation!

Please join The Imperial Court of All Alaska, Emperor 37 Kevin Holtz, and Empress 37 Miss MeMe Jenkins for

“Coronation XXXVIII: Kickin’ it OLD SCHOOL: Back to Our Roots – A Trip Down Memory Lane”

on September 2-6, 2010 in Anchorage, Alaska.

EVENTS:

Thursday, September 2 at 5 PM:

SUNSHINE OVER SIBERIA

Annual meet-n-greet hosted by Empress 31, Sister Mary Sunshine

WHERE: Sub Zero Lounge, 6th Avenue & F Street in downtown Anchorage

(no cover)

Thursday, September 2 when we’re done with Sunshine Over Siberia

THE ROAST OF THEIR MOSTS

An irreverant look back at Kevin & MeMe’s year, brought to you by Duke & Duchess 9 of Anchorage, Mikel Wiles and Colleen Crinklaw. Please be prepared to skewer Their Most Imperial Majesties one last time!

WHERE: Either Sub Zero or Mad Myrna’s – we haven’t decided yet.

(no cover)

Friday, September 3 at 9 PM; Doors at 8 PM

THE IN-STATE SHOW

The best of the Alaskan Court Members will entertain you for hours! The worst of them will just get you drunk! Hosted by Their Most Imperial Majesties, Kevin & MeMe!

WHERE: Mad Myrna’s

($10)

Saturday, September 4 at NOON

THE BROWN BEAR BUS RUN

Whatever you do – don’t wear jeans with holes in them. Jus’ sayin… Meet at The Raven Bar to board the busses no later than 11:30. Don’t be late, or we’ll leave you in the parking lot. Hosted by the Candidates for Emperor and Empress!

WHERE: The Raven Bar (didn’t you just read that?)

($20)

Saturday, September 4 at 9 PM; Doors at 8 PM

THE OUT-OF-STATE SHOW

Visiting Monarchs dazzle us with their talents! Hosted by SoFonda Peters and Sister Mary Sunshine

WHERE: Mad Myrna’s

($10)

Sunday, September 5 at 6 PM SHARP! Doors at 5 PM

CORONATION CEREMONIES XXXVIII

We highlight the 2010 College of Emperors and Empresses Scholarship Recipients, honor our stepping-down monarchs, and crown the newest leaders of the ICOAA.

WHERE: The Sheraton Anchorage Hotel

($40)

Monday, September 6 at NOON

VICTORY BRUNCH

Eat, cry, eat some more, applaud, drink, and cry! The BEST brunch on the circuit!

WHERE: Mad Myrna’s

($30)

Visit ICOAA Coronation for updates and to purchase tickets for all Coronation events.

Fairbanks officer discharged under DADT

Friday, 20 August 2010 – 5:47 AM | 3 Comments

West Point graduate and Former Army Capt. Jonathan Hopkins was stationed in Fairbanks until last Tuesday when he was discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the military’s ban against openly-gay service members.

Hopkins lived in Alaska for several years between combat missions to the Middle East. He was outed early last summer, and continued to work on the base in Fairbanks throughout the investigation. His boyfriend of ten months, Finely Bock, of Ninilchik, Alaska, said the soldiers Hopkins led in Alaska were “very accepting” toward him and his relationship with Hopkins after it was revealed, according to the Seattle Times.

Hopkins, once the fourth-ranking graduate of West Point out of 933 cadets and an officer who led three combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, was kicked out of the Army for being gay. His last day of service was Tuesday in Fairbanks, Alaska. He left behind — grudgingly — nine years of risking his life and training soldiers.

“I love the Army, I’ve always loved the Army. Otherwise I wouldn’t have spent nine years depriving myself of the ability to have happy personal relationships with others,” Hopkins said on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC.

Fourteen months ago, on the same day he learned he was going to be promoted to major a year early, Hopkins was told by his battalion commander that he had been outed for being gay. After years of paranoia — he didn’t fully realize he was gay until after graduating from West Point — the fatigue of living a lie had caught up with him.

“It’s a job that we risk dying doing, and yet we have to be more scared of somebody realizing we’re gay, more paranoid about that, than whether the enemy is going to blow us up,” Hopkins said, referring to the more than 14,000 gay people who have been kicked out of the military. “You have to keep that all secret and tell lots of lies.”

“It’s time for the best, most powerful military in the world to allow gays to serve in the armed forces.”

Hopkins and Bock are moving to Washington D.C. where Hopkins will attend graduate school this fall at Georgetown University.

Watch Rachel Maddow interview Captain Jonathan Hopkins about being fired from the U.S. Army under DADT:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Catholics reject ceremony for Alaska’s married gay-friendly Episcopal Bishop

Thursday, 19 August 2010 – 5:38 AM | 3 Comments

The consecration of Bishop-Elect Mark Andrew Lattime to the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska was set for Sept. 4 at a Catholic church in Anchorage, but the venue for ordaining the married religious leader was abruptly changed to a Methodist church.

Catholic news sites announced the event last week, focusing on Lattime’s LGBT ministry:

“Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will ordain an Episcopal cleric from New York State as the Episcopal bishop of Alaska on September 4. The ceremony will take place at a Catholic parish in Anchorage.

“Until recently, Lattime was a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester’s Committee for Gay and Lesbian Ministry, which “seeks to further the cause of recognition and legitimization of lesbian and gay relationships within the church and in civil society.” Lattime is married and has three children.”

Oh, no — he has a wife!

Lattime’s resume for the Alaska position said he is a three-time deputy to General Convention from Rochester, NY, where he served on the diocesan council and as a dean of the southwest district and a stewardship consultant, among his many posts. He is also a certified private pilot and was a volunteer ambulance driver for the Fire Department

The Catholic news sites didn’t mention any of his qualifications, only that he was a member of a committee on Gay and Lesbian Ministry. He wasn’t the chair or founder, just a member. They didn’t say what work he did on the committee, or how long he was on it. He was involved with a gay and lesbian ministry, and that’s enough.

The consecration was to take place in the Lady of Guadalupe Church in Anchorage, but is now scheduled for First United Methodist Church. After the ceremony, a reception will be held at the church, and a no-host banquet will be held at 7 p.m. in the Sheraton Hotel — where, in a sweet coincidence, The Imperial Court’s Coronation is also being held that weekend.

Kudos to the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska on the election and consecration of Bishop Lattime, and to First United Methodist for hosting the ceremony after the Catholic church backed out.

Protesting 101: How to make fun of anti-gay bigots

Wednesday, 18 August 2010 – 7:54 AM | 2 Comments

The Westboro Baptist wackos are threatening to protest Wednesday’s memorial service for Senator Ted Stevens held at Anchorage Baptist Temple. Most likely, they won’t come – they announced several Alaska protests over the years but only showed up once, protesting Anchorage PrideFest in 2003.

Many state and national dignitaries are attending the ABT memorial for Stevens, the iconic senator of Alaska who died in a plane crash last week with four others. Stevens was respected by Alaskans of all stripes, and a protest against him will not win points with anyone, not even with locals who support WBC’s anti-gay message.

But the irony of America’s most anti-gay, media-craving, batsh*t crazies protesting at the home of Anchorage’s most anti-gay, media-craving, batsh*t crazies is not lost on Alaskans.

Last summer, ABTers held Homos are going to Hell protests against the equal rights non-discrimination ordinance, which was passed by the assembly but vetoed by the mayor. Their mass produced signs with large block lettering on primary colored backgrounds, similar to Westboro’s ‘God Hates Fags’ signs, were designed more to get media attention than to get assembly votes.

The LGBT community of Anchorage and our allies held Equality Rallies outside the assembly chambers, focusing on positive messages in favor of the ordinance. The signs were creative, clever and individually made.

But our LGBT friends and allies in the lower 48 have dealt with years of anti-gay protests. They honed the counter-protesting of anti-gay bigots into an art form, bringing signs that turn the protest on it’s head by making fun of the haters.

Next time ABT and the local bigots hold an anti-gay protest, we can take our cue from the signs in this video and respond to their idiocy with humor:

Alaska conservative supports LGBT rights: "Their time is coming"

Tuesday, 17 August 2010 – 3:52 PM | Comments Off

On Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals extended the hold on same sex marriages until they review the Prop 8 case in December. The waiting couples will have to wait longer, but the case is being fast-tracked and the Prop 8 supporters will have to prove their right to appeal, which is still in doubt.

One side effect of this slow but inevitable progress toward marriage equality in the U.S. is that the issue is splitting the GOP, even in Alaska.

While the culture war conservatives are raising holy heck about Prop 8 being overturned and proposing a Constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage, the mainstream GOP is trying to avoid the issue, and big name conservatives are coming out in favor of marriage equality.

For example: Arnold Swartzenegger, the Republican governor of California, will not appeal Judge Walker’s decision and asked the court to allow the marriages to resume. Attorney Ted Olson is co-counsel on the case representing the gay couples and touts the conservative arguments in favor of same sex marriage. Republicans like Cindy and Meghan McCain are vocal supporters of marriage equality. Fox contributor Margaret Hoover wrote an editorial last week encouraging the GOP to listen to young conservatives and be on the right side of civil rights history. Even Glen Beck said that he doesn’t care if gay and lesbian couples get married.

But did you know that some Alaska conservatives are in favor of same sex marriage? Conservative ADN contributor Paul Jenkins wrote a strong piece on LGBT equality. Jenkins wonders

“why gays and lesbians are forced to fight so hard for rights the rest of us take for granted. How did we come to believe — and blindly accept — that gays and lesbians have fewer rights? How did we start being comfortable thinking of them as lesser people, second-class citizens at best?

As a conservative, I wonder at those who think the Constitution takes sides, picks winners and losers. Count me among those who believe it protects us all equally; that it means what it says and exists to provide equal opportunity and freedom from an oppressive government. No one group has more rights than any other. I’ve read the Alaska Constitution, and nowhere does it say, “except for gay people or anybody different,” and I’m here to report the U.S. Constitution does not either, at least the copy I read. In no place did I find, “but not gays or people we are not particularly fond of.”

Too many of us believe our prejudices somehow trump those documents; that our hatreds are somehow codified in them and therefore acceptable; that some of us, incredibly, do not deserve the same protections as others.

Some believe that enshrining religious beliefs and taboos in a constitution is not only acceptable but necessary. Face it, in this country you are allowed to hate anyone — as long as you do not act on your hatred. You are allowed to think what you want, feel what you want, resent, loathe or despise anybody who strikes your fancy. You can be prejudiced. You can be a jerk. But you have no more rights than anybody else — straight or gay.

Too often, too many of us forget that. We use our differences and our fear of gays and lesbians to demean them, at least constitutionally. We have no right.

No matter the outcome of the ACLU lawsuit against the city and state, or the California federal court decision, gays and lesbians are here — and have been since the dawn of time. They are part of our community. Now they are demanding the rights we have denied them, and it is increasingly difficult, even for bigots, to justify denying gays and lesbians the very rights we take for granted.

Their time is coming soon. Get used to the idea. We’ll all be better for it.”

Wow, great piece. So why are conservatives, even in Alaska, writing articles in support of gay rights?

Conservatives see the writing on the wall – gay rights are coming, and they might as well get their base ready for it. The GOP doesn’t want a war over this because they know they will lose, they have more important issues, and the youth overwhelmingly support LGBT equality.

Besides, gay rights is a great opportunity for the fiscal conservatives to take back control of their party and put the bigots back on the fringe where they belong.

Making marriage equality a bipartisan issue is good news for mainstream conservatives, and excellent news for gays. It’s also good for Democrats who have supported us all along and celebrated our victories. They know that once LGBT’s have equal rights, we can focus our political skills on other issues that are important to us and our allies.

The only losers are the bigots who continue to push an agenda of hate and fear after everyone else has seen the light.

Our time is indeed coming.

PFLAG wins best themed booth at Alaska fair

Saturday, 14 August 2010 – 7:16 AM | Comments Off

This year’s Tanana Valley State Fair is themed “Barn in the USA” and Fairbanks PFLAG won Best Theme Decorated Booth for their barn display with a red-white-and-blue picket fence and same sex pairs of barnyard animals partner dancing at a barn dance, including two cartoon steers, two male pigs, two female geese, two stuffed animal hens nesting in the hay loft over the dance floor, and an emcee rooster in drag.

Fairbanks Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) posted a Facebook message on Friday announcing the result:

“PFLAG Fairbanks won “Best Theme Decorated Booth” at the Tanana Valley State Fair! The booth has received many positive comments, gentrifying the Borealis Pavilion in the fair’s main showcase for non-profits, vendors and (this year) politicians. Congratulations to Jenn and Beverly for all their preparation and to the volunteers (especially to Kerry, who recruited volunteers) who have made the booth a success with young and old alike.”

Pete of PFLAG added:

“Besides thanking Beverly for the hard work on constructing the booth and Jenn for painting the animals, including the Rave Rooster, PFLAG also wanted to thank the Imperial Court of All Alaska for their support in helping underwrite the costs, and Alaskans Together for their support as well. It is a community project, with over 50 volunteers, several new members, and everyone providing their own touch in making an impact in community. Good job.”

“I hope the booth helped gain recognition for PFLAG,” wrote Beverly. “I hope the Fair gives us a good theme next year so we can rise to it.”

She’s also thinking of names for the two stuffed animal hens that watch over the booth 24 hours a day from the hay loft shelf, and wants your suggestions.

The Tanana Valley State Fair ends Saturday night, August 14th. If you’re going to the Fair, be sure to stop by the PFLAG booth.

Congratulations to PFLAG Fairbanks!

– Above: Shayle and Nancy staff the 2010 PFLAG booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks, Alaska. Photos by Chris.

One year after the Assembly passed Ordinance 64

Friday, 13 August 2010 – 12:14 PM | One Comment

Shelby Carpenter, the ACLU of Alaska’s LGBT director, wrote a guest editorial “Discrimination puts all Alaskans at risk” in this week’s Anchorage Press. She looks at the effects of Mayor Sullivan’s veto of the equal rights ordinance passed by the Assembly on August 11 one year ago, and looks ahead to the ACLU’s tax discrimination case. She concludes:

“In an age when gay couples are constantly in the media, when we watch “Will and Grace” on TV and see “Brokeback Mountain” in the movie theatre, it can be easy to forget that lesbian, gay, and transgender equality is about livelihoods rather than lifestyles. Because of discrimination, gay and transgender Alaskans suffer economically. Supporting equal rights is as simple as supporting the right of all Alaskans to earn a living and provide for their families.

“In this economy, no one should lose a job for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance. We know that Anchorage is better than this.

“Alaska’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community and allies encourage the Anchorage Assembly to act once more to make the fair treatment of all Alaskans the law. As a community we can and must move forward.”

Read the full editorial HERE.

Prop 8 stay denied: Marriages resume on August 18

Thursday, 12 August 2010 – 12:24 PM | Comments Off

U.S. District Judge Walker denied a permanent stay on the ruling that overturned Prop 8 last week, but issued a temporary hold until August 18 before same sex marriages can resume in California.

Couples waiting at the city halls hoping to marry today were initially excited by news of the denied stay, then disappointed by the six day delay.

A permanent stay is fairly rare, only used when direct harm would result from applying a ruling and having it overturned on appeal. Supporters of the marriage ban could not show a direct harm to the state, and did not present any valid arguments or credible witnesses during the trial. Their chance of winning an appeal seems slim, according to today’s ruling, and the appeals court might not take the case.

When Judge Walker overturned Prop 8 last week, the ban proponents had already filed a pre-emptive appeal. However, they may not have the legal standing to appeal the decision without the primary defendant, the state of California.

In a surprise move, Governor Arnold Swartzeneger and Attorney General Jerry Brown joined the plaintiffs in asking the court to remove the stay and allow the marriages to resume, signaling that they might not appeal the case. With no clear path to appeal, and little chance of winning, there was no reason to delay the ruling permanently.

Next, the state of California decides if it will appeal, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decides if it will issue a stay, which could be appealed to the Supreme Court. Justice Kennedy handles appeals for the 9th Circuit and can rule on the stay himself or refer it to a 3-judge panel. If a stay is not granted at a higher level, then couples may marry starting at 5 PM on August 18.

Lambda Legal stated that Judge Walker “applied the standard legal tests in the standard way and reached the only logical conclusions given the overwhelming evidence produced at trial: nobody is harmed – especially not the backers of Prop 8 – by restoring equality in marriage to California’s same-sex couples. Nobody suffers when everyone is treated equally. There’s enough equality to go around.

“To maintain the stay, the Ninth Circuit will have to find that Prop 8’s proponents are likely to win on appeal or will suffer irreparable harm if same-sex couples again are allowed to marry. But at this point, the truth is crystal clear, as last week’s decision explains: the only people suffering harm are lesbian and gay couples whose constitutional rights are violated every day that Prop 8 remains in force, and who simply seek the same rights everyone else already enjoys.”

Protest signs: NOM vs. Love

Thursday, 12 August 2010 – 5:43 AM | Comments Off

The video below compares signs recently seen at anti-gay marriage rallies around the country and reminds me of the signs at last summer’s Ordinance 64 rallies in Anchorage: mass produced signs of bigotry from the Prevo/Burke anti-gay mob vs. creative individually made rainbow posters about equality and love held by LGBT people and our allies.

The video below is good, but it leaves out the most infamous hate sign from this summer’s anti-gay NOM rallies. That sign calls for gays to be lynched. This is what hate looks like:

Intro to the video

In 2010 the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) launched a nationwide tour to “protect marriage.” At each stop they were met with meager supporters and large protests against NOM’s message of hate and intolerance.

NOM complained that the protests were violent, intimidating, and hateful, which they weren’t. But it’s ironic because gays have been facing real hate and real intimidation for years and years.

This is a slideshow from protests I attended during Massachusett’s marriage equality fight, as well as from around the country.

Watch: