E. Ross is the founder of Bent Alaska.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009 – 8:39 AM
| Comments Off on YOU in BLUE, Today at the Library
from Equality Works
The next Assembly meeting is today, Tuesday, August 11th. While there are no certainties, this very well may be the day that Assembly members get to a debate and vote on AO 64.
I know that many of you couldn’t bear to sit through the public hearings and the offensive testimony that demonized the LGBTQ community over the last couple of months. And I have been told that some of you have given up hope that your presence in the Assembly Chambers means anything.
But I assure you that it does mean something. It means something to the people who have spent time writing letters, getting petitions signed, meeting with Assembly members, and giving testimony, to feel surrounded and supported by friends and allies. And it means something to Assembly members who plan to vote for AO 64 and need to know that the citizens of Anchorage appreciate their courage.
This could be the last time to show the Assembly members that their constituents support legislation to protect people from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Over the last couple of weeks they have sat through verbal abuse and threats to vote them out of office if they dare to vote “Yes” on AO 64. They need to be reminded that they have constituents who are grateful for their vote to support equality. If we cannot be present to show them where we stand, it is more difficult for them to feel accountable to us.
One Equality Works supporter put it this way: “No matter what happens, I want them to see me when they are making their decision. I want them to look me in the eyes.” Assembly members need to know whose lives are being affected when they cast a vote for equality and whose rights are being denied if they vote “No.”
So Be There on Tuesday
You don’t have to testify, you don’t have to engage in debates with people in red shirts, all you have to do is be there to show your support for equality. If you have never come to an Assembly meeting, please consider showing up on this crucial day. The meeting starts at 5:00 pm, but as usual, you should try to be there much earlier if you want to get a seat. 4:00 would not be too early. Doors generally open at 3:00 pm. You know the drill: Blue shirts, Equality Works buttons.
Coffey’s Resolution
Assembly Member Dan Coffey plans to introduce a Resolution to establish a task force to study the extent of discrimination against LGBT people in Anchorage and whether or not such discrimination warrants protection. The proposed resolution implies that protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation would somehow infringe upon the freedoms of religion and association.
We at Equality Works believe that discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation has already been studied and proven. The State of Alaska Human Rights Commission—an unbiased agency—declared nearly twenty years ago that the State Legislature should pursue a statute banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation [Resolution 90-01]. The case has already been made. It is time for our representatives to act.
Furthermore, we believe that it is erroneous to argue that protecting LGBT people from discrimination infringes upon religious rights. How could 108 other cities and 13 states (including D.C.) have made such a “mistake” without any of the consequences that opponents of AO 64 predict? Religious freedoms are clearly and strongly protected in the U.S. Constitution. No local law could ever trump the power of the Bill of Rights.
Now is not the time for a resolution. It is time for our Assembly members to vote on AO 64.
Support S-2 version of the ordinance
We believe that this is a strong revision that acknowledges the concerns of some in the religious community by broadening the religious exemption, but does not weaken the original intention of the ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination. It includes employment protections for our entire community–including transgender individuals.
Please call or e-mail your Assembly members and tell them to put their support behind the S-2 version. We want this version of the ordinance to be debated and eventually voted upon.
Call or E-Mail Mayor Sullivan and Write a Letter to the Editor
Mayor Sullivan hasn’t publicly stated what he will do if the ordinance reaches his desk, but he needs to know that people in Anchorage support equality, he needs to know why you support equality, and he needs to hear that vetoing an ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination sends the message that he, as the Mayor of Anchorage, believes that LGBT people should be discriminated against in employment, housing, education, and public accommodations. If he doesn’t want to send that message, then he should not veto this ordinance. If you haven’t already, please call or e-mail Mayor Sullivan at mayor(at)muni(dot)org or call (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100. If you’ve already written to Mayor Sullivan, please write a Letter to the Editor. Remember to be respectful. No one responds positively to insults, accusations, or anger.
Monday, 10 August 2009 – 12:13 PM
| Comments Off on Bob Poe on the Equal Rights Ordinance and the Value of People
I support equal rights for all people. And I support banning discrimination in Anchorage due solely to someone’s sexual orientation. I support a comprehensive equal rights ordinance because it’s the right thing to do, period.
But if doing the right thing isn’t a compelling enough reason, here is an economic reason why the Assembly, Mayor and residents of Anchorage should support this ordinance: it is simply good for business.
In the best selling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida points out successful, growing communities are places accepting of gay and lesbian people. Florida, originally a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has been studying successful and unsuccessful communities throughout his career. He combined his work with that of Gary Gates from UCLA, who co-authored The Gay and Lesbian Atlas. Their combined work developed a “gay index” that was strongly correlated with economically successful and growing communities. They weren’t really looking to prove this concept; it is simply what the data showed.
They believe the more accepting a community is to new ideas, alternative life styles, new art and music, the more accepting it will be to the kind of nerds and entrepreneurial geeks who have created companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and hundreds of other businesses. Communities that are open to progressive ways of thinking are measurably more attractive to the smart, well-educated workforce necessary to build successful companies like these.
But you might say, Silicon Valley/San Francisco (gay index #1) and Seattle (gay index #2) would naturally attract high tech companies. Not really. It was Stanford University that probably had the most to do with Silicon Valley becoming a high tech center. When I was growing up in the early 70’s, Seattle was a rainy place where people stood in endless unemployment lines, freshly laid off from Boeing. Seattle only really began to fully evolve in the last 15 years, and Microsoft is primarily in Seattle because Bill Gates was from there. But critical to the success of these areas was the ability to attract a creative and talented workforce.
The research Florida and Gates did doesn’t indicate that a community decided to be open minded and then the economic progress flowed in, but it does show that progressive communities do attract talent and creativity, two things Anchorage and Alaska could use plenty more of. In contrast, Pittsburg, the home of Carnegie Mellon University, is the least gay friendly community. The city still produces smart, creative people through its many great universities, but they quickly lose these graduates to other more attractive communities. Others near the bottom include Detroit, Birmingham and Oklahoma City.
Through the Alaska Scholar’s Program, in large part, the University of Alaska is now retaining Alaska’s best and brightest, and by doing so is raising the quality of a UA degree significantly. Just this year, a UAA student became a Marshall Scholar, just one of 40 in the country. We need to be able to keep these graduates here and attract others from communities that don’t offer what Anchorage can.
Anchorage is becoming a real city, perhaps even destined to be the next great West Coast city, but it needs to guard against the attitudes that would hold us back. Anchorage would not be what it is today without the Performing Arts Center, the First Friday art gallery walk, a variety of music venues, Saturday Market, the Dena’ina Center, City Market, or even a downtown disc golf course. All of these are examples of things that make a city better, one that is growing. Being open to new ideas, different lifestyles, and new and different ways to embrace life, is important to a bright future here. But to get there, we need the right attitude first.
I support equal rights for every person because it is the right thing to do. I also support this ordinance because it can help Anchorage attract the talented people it will need to build its future as a great place to live and work for all of us.
After six public hearings this summer — and 30 years of studies and delays — Assembly member Dan Coffey wants the Assembly to appoint a task force to study discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people in Anchorage and postpone the Ordinance 64 vote for at least a year and three months: 30 days to choose the task force, 60 days to develop a plan, and a minimum of 12 months for the study. The report would not be due until just after the Nov. 2010 elections, at the earliest.
Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has already been studied and proven in Alaska. Equality Works points out:
“The State of Alaska Human Rights Commission—an unbiased agency—declared nearly twenty years ago that the State Legislature should pursue a statute banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation [Resolution 90-01]. The case has already been made. It is time for our representatives to act.”
During the 1980’s, Mel Green worked on two other reports documenting sexual orientation bias in Alaska and included the findings in her testimony to the Assembly. She posted her testimony yesterday on
Henkimaa, along with her response to Coffey’s proposed task force and her recommendation on the four versions of the ordinance. Her piece is reposted below, with permission:
* * *
Over the past couple of weeks,
Bent Alaska has been publishing some of the
testimony of people who testified to the Anchorage Assembly in favor of the Anchorage equal rights ordinance AO 2009-64, which if passed will grant equal protection from discrimination to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people who live, work, and/or visit the Municipality of Anchorage. And I realized, well, although I’ve written a fair amount on my blog
about the ordinance battle, and even posted the
full text of the letter I wrote to the Assembly in early June, I somehow hadn’t gotten around to posting the testimony I gave at the Assembly on June 16. So that became one of my tasks this evening: to find my prepared testimony, & put it online.
I couldn’t have timed it better: earlier today I learned that Assembly Member Dan Coffey — in whose district I live — has placed a resolution on the agenda for the August 11 Assembly meeting which would establish a task force to study the issue. For a year. After we’ve just been through six long nights of public testimony stretched out over the summer.
Another year?
This isn’t the first time a task force has been suggested. It came up in some of the questions Assembly members asked during the first night of public testimony way back on June 9. The idea seemed to inform the proposal by Assembly Chair Debbie Ossiander, in her S-1 version of the ordinance, to authorize the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission to track complaints of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression (even while permitting most such discrimination to continue unabated).
My testimony, given on June 16, the same meeting at which Ossiander’s version was presented, directly addressed whether a task force was needed. Here it is as I wrote it.
Thank you for hearing my testimony.
My name is Melissa Green. I am an Anchorage resident.
I was part of two major research efforts in the 1980s to document sexual orientation bias in Alaska.
One in 10: A Profile of Alaska’s Lesbian & Gay Community published in 1986 reported on the results of a statewide survey of 734 lesbian, gay, and bisexual Alaskans.
Identity Reports: Sexual Orientation Bias in Alaska was published in 1989 and included three papers, including “Closed Doors,” a survey of Anchorage employers and landlords; and “Prima Facie,” which documented 84 actual cases of violence, harassment, and discrimination due to sexual orientation bias.
Copies of both reports are now on the Internet at Henkimaa.com — that’s H-E-N-K-I-M-A-A dot com. I’ve also prepared copies on CD for all members of the Assembly, as well as hard copies of “Prima Facie,” which I will give to the clerk when I complete my testimony. Some of the relevant findings from both reports:
Of the 734 respondents to One in 10:
- 61 percent reported being victimized by violence and harassment while in Alaska because of their sexual orientation;
- 39 percent reported discrimination in employment, housing, and loans/credit; and
- 33 percent reported discrimination from services and institutions.
From the “Closed Doors” component of Identity Reports:
- 31 percent of the 191 employers in the survey said they would not hire or promote, or would fire, someone they had reason to believe was homosexual.
- 20 percent of the 178 landlords in the survey said they would not rent to, or would evict, someone they had reason to believe was homosexual.
From the “Prima Facie” component of Identity Reports:
- 84 actual instances of antigay bias, discrimination, harassment, or violence (including three murders) were recorded involving 30 men and 21 women. 64 of the cases we documented were in Anchorage.
- Victims were predominately gay men or lesbians, but also included heterosexuals who were erroneously assumed to be gay or lesbian.
It was suggested last week that we need a “study” or a “task force” to decide if we need this ordinance. The studies have been done. The testimony you’ve already heard about discrimination updates those studies and shows that sexual orientation discrimination is still going on today. And that’s not even including the people who have not testified because there’s nothing to protect them from more discrimination for just showing up and telling you their stories. Do we really need another study, or a task force, to discover again what we already know? There are at least 108 examples of other cities with similar ordinances, which not only continue to function, but do it better because their citizens do not suffer from unfair discrimination. I ask you: how much discrimination is tolerable? What is the threshold for justice? How many stories do we have to bring to you before you stop passing it on to the future, and establish protections for the people who are being discriminated against today?
Please: pass a full version of this ordinance.
No, a task force wasn’t needed then; and nearly two months later, it still isn’t. The task force proposal is just another means to delay acting in accordance with the public policy the Municipality of Anchorage purports to adhere to, as written in Anchorage Municipal Code 5.10.010:
The public policy of the municipality is declared to be equal opportunity for all persons.
Is this really the Muni’s public policy? Or is it not? Decide, and vote.
* * *
More about Dan Coffey’s task force resolution, starting with the text of the resolution itself:
Incidentally, Don Hunter’s ADN story is incorrect in stating that there are “three versions of the original sexual orientation ordinance” for consideration by the Anchorage Assembly. In fact, there are four versions: on July 23, Assembly Member Patrick Flynn announced on his blog that he had written a new draft, version S-2.
Here are all four versions of Ordinance 64:
- AO No. 2009-64. Original draft submitted on behalf of then-Acting Mayor Matt Claman, for reading May 12, 2009.
- AO No. 2009-64 (S). First substitution version submitted on behalf of then-Acting Mayor Matt Claman, for reading June 9, 2009.
- AO No. 2009-64 (S-1). Second substitution version submitted by Assembly Chair Debbie Ossiander, for reading June 16, 2009.
- AO No. 2009-64 (S-2). Third substitution version submitted by Assembly Member Patrick Flynn, for reading August 11, 2009.
I’ll be writing a post comparing the four versions over the next couple of days. I’ll just say for now that I consider Ossiander’s S-1 version the worst of the four (it permits discrimination in private employment, and permits discrimination on the basis of gender identity across the board). Flynn’s S-2 is the best, and is the one I support: it’s the most clear both in its anti-discrimination provisions and in its language about religious exemptions, and addresses specific issues some had about employees of religious organizations such as Sunday School teachers and bus drivers.
I urge you to throw your support behind S-2, too. Let your
Assembly representative(s) and Mayor Sullivan
mayor(at)muni(dot)com know which one you support.
Friday, 7 August 2009 – 2:39 PM
| Comments Off on This Week in LGBT Alaska 8/7/09
The next Ordinance 64 meeting is Tuesday August 11, and the Assembly may vote on the ordinance that evening. We need YOU in BLUE, sitting in the Assembly chambers on the first floor of Loussac Library, to show that we support them in passing the equal rights ordinance. Please attend!
This week’s events from the statewide newsletter. Subscribe to
Alaska GLBT News.
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar, downtown.
Fairbanks
Ducal Ball 2009 – A Fetish Ball 8/8, doors open at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., to elect a new monarch for Fairbanks. Pioneer Park Civic Center. Fun, food, entertainment, and fetish-friendly attire (no nudity.) $15 at the door, 18 and older. (18-21 in a separate area.)
PFLAG Booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair 8/7-8/15. Volunteer at the booth for a 2-hour shift and enter the Fair free for the whole day. Email Mike to volunteer or visit Fairbanks PFLAG for more info.
Parks Hwy
Ever Ready at the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival 8/7, 4-5 p.m. Mile 102 Parks Hwy, Talkeetna.
Mat-Su Valley
Mat-Su LGBT Community Center in Palmer is open M-F 5-8 p.m. (except 6-8 on Wed.) The social group meets Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. at Vagabond Blues.
Anchorage
Compassionate Communication Workshops for Parents and Anyone Working with Children 8/6-8/8, 6:30-9 p.m. T-F, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.
Side Street Saturdays, an informal meetup for LGBT writers, at noon in Side Street Cafe.
Friday Night Divas Variety Show benefit for The Roscoe (Pet) Fund 8/7, 9p.m. $5, followed by Karaoke with Paige. Saturday DJ Mad Mike 8/8 at 11 p.m. Both at Mad Myrna’s.
Irina Rivkin performs 3 nights in Anchorage: Organic Oasis on Saturday August 8, at 7 p.m. Midtown Studio concert on Sunday August 9, at 7:30 p.m. with an optional audience-participation live-looping piece, 6407 Brayton Drive, $5-15 sliding scale. Tap Root Café on Monday August 10, from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Sunday worship and monthly potluck with MCC Anchorage, 2 p.m.
TLFMC Potluck meeting & social 8/9, 6 p.m. at Mad Myrna’s.
Transgender Support Group, Sundays 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Assembly meeting and possible Ordinance 64 vote, Tuesday 8/11, 1st floor of Loussac Library, meeting begins at 5 p.m but come early for a seat inside. Wear blue.
Anchorage Frontrunners, Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Thursday, 6 August 2009 – 5:40 AM
| Comments Off on August 11th Assembly Meeting: YOU in BLUE
– from Equality Works
The next Assembly meeting is August 11. While the agenda hasn’t been set yet, this very well may be the day that Assembly members get to a debate and vote on AO 64.
I know that many of you couldn’t bear to sit through the public hearings and the offensive testimony that demonized the LGBTQ community. But the public hearings are over now. This is our last time to show the Assembly members that their constituents support legislation to protect people from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. You don’t have to testify, you don’t have to engage in debates with people in red shirts, all you have to do is be there to show your support for equality.
If you have never come to an Assembly meeting, please consider showing up on this crucial day. The meeting starts at 5:00 pm, but as usual, you should try to be there earlier if you want to get a seat. You know the drill: Blue shirts, Equality Works buttons.
AO 64 (S-2)
For those of you who don’t know already,
an S-2 version of the ordinance has been submitted for consideration by Patrick Flynn. We believe that this is a strong revision that acknowledges the concerns of some in the religious community by broadening the religious exemption, but does not weaken the original intention of the ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination. It includes employment protections for our entire community–including transgender individuals. Please
call or e-mail your Assembly members and tell them to put their support behind the S-2 version.
Mayor Sullivan needs to know that people in Anchorage support equality, he needs to know why you support equality, and he needs to hear that vetoing an ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination sends the message that he, as the Mayor of Anchorage, believes that LGBT people should be discriminated against. If he doesn’t want to send that message, then he should not veto this ordinance. Please
e-mail Mayor Sullivan or call him at (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100.
Thanks, and Remember: Equality Works. See you on Tuesday!
Editor’s Note: This is Kat’s testimony and post-testimony comments, exactly as she shared them. Anchorage is lucky to have eloquent young adults like Kat, willing to stand up and be counted.
* * *
i won’t take up much of your time since what i have to say will not take long. but i do thank the assembly for granting me these few moments.
i have lived in and around anchorage since i was 4 years old.
i have tremendous pride in my state and in my city and i had no intention of testifying when all of this began. indeed, i waited until i had reviewed the testimony already given in it’s entirety. what i saw was a great deal of prejudicial speech that proved exactly why these laws were needed. i also saw a great deal of pain and fear from those pleading with you, the assembly, to protect them.
i’m here today in the place of those who would otherwise have no voice. these people are silenced because the law does not protect them. basic needs like housing, employment and loans would be stripped from them for standing where i am now.
i’m extremely dismayed that our city has allowed religious leaders to dictate our laws and how our laws are written like their own personal theocracy for quite a few decades.
i think it is time for our assembly to take a stand and use their elected positions as public servants to protect all the people of our city and not give special rights of discrimination to certain groups.
i believe that rights are not just tokens to be doled out on a whim, but are the foundation for what our fore fathers delivered to us in the act of ultimate personal sacrifice.
i urge you to consider what has transpired and how it is viewed by the people.
we depend on our elected officials to protect the rights of minorities, as the majority would just as soon trample them. we depend on you to do what is just. we depend on you to protect the rights of all the citizens of Anchorage.
you have the voice.
please don’t be silenced.
* * *
At first i wondered if they would even get to my name that night. when suddenly, dozens of names were being called and no one went to speak, my heart pounded in my chest.
then my name was called.
my legal name.
and i went to the front. i waited as the gentleman before me finished speaking. supporters on both sides of me urged me forward. step after step, i approached the podium.
i set down my purse.
and i said my name.
my legal name.
for the record.
my voice wavered and tears nearly stopped me. but i knew that those supporters where behind me. i knew they were silently cheering me on.
i finished with a steady gaze into each assembly members eyes as i spoke those last few words. i wouldn’t have had the strength to do that without the energy of those behind me.
when i was through, i thanked the assembly and turned to walk away. i nearly ran. i didn’t make it all the way out before i had to sit down at the back of the chamber to catch my breath. my hands shook and my pulse choked me.
but i have never been so proud of myself.
because i will be able to tell my children and my grandchildren that my name is on that record as someone who stood on the side of a government that doesn’t kneel to the whims of religion, and of love without conditions.
Saturday, 1 August 2009 – 6:25 AM
| Comments Off on Support the New S-2 version of Ordinance 64
from Equality Works
No more public hearings! Thanks to all of you who sat through hour after hour of tiring and hurtful testimony over the last two months. As hard as it was, I think it would have been much harder to do without feeling a sense of connection with others in the room who support equality. Over the weeks, people started to recognize familiar faces and strike up friendships and other forms of political collaboration that might last for a long time. So while we might wish that we hadn’t had to sit through all the hearings, I hope that we have emerged from it with a better understanding of who makes up the LGBT community and a greater appreciation for the allies who stuck with us over the months.
As we move into August, and into a new (hopefully shorter) phase of this campaign, here are a few things you can do to bring Equality to Anchorage:
Call or E-Mail Mayor Sullivan and Write a Letter to the Editor – Mayor Sullivan needs to know that people in Anchorage support equality, he needs to know why you support equality, and he needs to hear that vetoing an ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination sends the message that he, as the Mayor of Anchorage, believes that LGBT people should be discriminated against in employment, housing, education, and public accommodations. If he doesn’t want to send that message, then he should not veto this ordinance.
Please call or e-mail Mayor Sullivan mayor(at)muni(dot)org or call (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100. Be respectful. No one responds positively to insults, accusations, or anger. And if you’ve already contacted the mayor, revise your letter accordingly and send it to the Anchorage Daily News. [Note: feel free to send a copy to Bent Alaska for posting on the blog.]
Call or E-mail your Assembly members and ask them to support the New S-2 version of the ordinance – An S-2 version of the ordinance has been submitted for consideration by Patrick Flynn. (Read the .pdf HERE.) We believe that this is a strong revision that acknowledges the concerns of some in the religious community by broadening the religious exemption, but does not weaken the original intention of the ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination. It includes employment protections for our entire community–including transgender individuals. Please call or e-mail your Assembly members and tell them to put their support behind the S-2 version.
Attend the August 11th Meeting – The next Assembly meeting is August 11th. While the agenda has not been officially set, this may be the day that Assembly members get to a debate and vote on AO 64. It would be great to have as many supporters as possible inside the Assembly Chambers so that they can see how many people care about this issue. You know the drill: Blue shirts, Equality Works buttons. We will keep you posted once the agenda is set and/or if plans change. Thanks & Remember: Equality Works!
Friday, 31 July 2009 – 12:44 PM
| Comments Off on This Week in LGBT Alaska 7/31/09
This week’s events from the statewide newsletter. Subscribe to Alaska GLBT News.
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar, downtown.
Fairbanks
BBQ to decorate the PFLAG Fair Booth 8/2, late afternoon, call 45-PFLAG for directions. The Tanana Valley State Fair is August 7-15 this year. Free admission for the day if you work a two-hour shift at the PFLAG booth. Fairbanks PFLAG.
Parks Hwy
Irina Rivkin‘s Denali concert 8/6, 10 p.m. at Panorama Pizza, Mile 224 Parks Highway on Carlo Creek.
Ever Ready at the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival 8/7, 4-5 p.m. Mile 102 Parks Hwy, Talkeetna.
Mat-Su Valley
Mat-Su LGBT Community Center in Palmer is open M-F 5-8 p.m. (except 6-8 on Wed.) The social group meets Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. at Vagabond Blues.
Anchorage
Side Street Saturdays, an informal meetup for LGBT writers, at noon in Side Street Cafe.
Yes @ Cuddy Park 8/1, 2 p.m.-1 a.m. Live Bands, DJs, Breakdancers, Outdoor Festival. Doors close at 11 p.m.
Sunday worship and monthly potluck with MCC Anchorage, 2 p.m.
Transgender Support Group, Sundays 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Anchorage Frontrunners, Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Friday, 31 July 2009 – 5:45 AM
| Comments Off on Gayle’s testimony: The Catch-22 of discrimination
“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Night after night we are lumped together with murderers, drug addicts, liars, thieves and prostitutes, and told we will be judged like them. We have to sit here and listen to bias because we must wait our turn to testify. This in itself is a form of cruel and unusual punishment. We wait our turn because we believe our civil rights need to be guaranteed with this amendment.
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are largely an invisible minority. Many who have read scripture have said that they know people who are gay and lesbian and are invisibly patting themselves on the back for being nice to a gay person and for their “conditional” love. What they do not see is that they interact with us every day. We are your bankers, teachers, doctors, bus drivers, stylists, students, social workers, artists and sales people. The next time a stranger smiles or says “hi” on the street, or your life is made easier by someone doing a good job, ask yourself “Could they be gay?” How many times have you asked a nice young man if he “had a girlfriend?” If so, your hetero is showing. Instead, how about saying, “Is there anyone special in your life?” We live, eat, play, pray, and work invisibly; and we choose to reveal ourselves only to those we trust because rejection is painful.
You have asked for specific instances of discrimination, but that in itself is a Catch-22. Because there are no protections for GLBT people as a class, there are no agencies that can take their complaints of discrimination. Because there are no cases on file, it then follows that discrimination does not exist. That is the circuitous logic of Catch-22. The claim that these are “special rights” shows the degree to which GLBT people are seen as “so out of the ordinary” that their claim to ordinary rights seems special. Last assembly meeting, you believed Chief Huen when he said that his department needed the 12 hour posting for homeless camps as a tool for his department to use. Believe me when I say we need this amended ordinance as a tool for the protection of our civil rights.
You cannot appease those that oppose this ordinance with rewrites and exemptions. Therefore, I propose that you write the amended ordinance with language that protects the entire gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community. And then vote “yes” to pass it.
And by the way, the woman who testified ahead of me (yesterday’s post), in a week and a half we will celebrate our 32nd anniversary.
First of all, I want you to know that it has been extremely painful for the GLBT community to sit through these hearings being verbally assaulted and denigrated by the religious opponents of Ordinance 64.
You may have heard what I am about to say, but it bears repeating, to get us back to the original proposal.
Misconception #1: Our opponents claim they hate the behavior, not the person. This is the first of many misconceptions the opponents cling to about my community. They do not know us. I am a Lesbian, and it’s not what I do, but who I am. My emotional, social, romantic and sexual energies are linked to women. If I were to be celibate for the rest of my life, I would still be a lesbian.
Misconception #2: That sexual orientation is a choice. Psychologists tell us that sexual orientation is formed very early in life, by complex factors of nature and nurture, and that there is little to no choice about it. Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation, but no one suggests that it is a choice.
Misconception #3: The “gay agenda.” We do have an agenda — to gain equal protection from discrimination and live healthy, happy lives.
Misconception #4: There are cures or treatments for homosexuality. Since homosexuality is not an illness or a disease, there is no need to talk about cures.
Misconception #5, the biggest misconception of all: Passing this ordinance will result in a loss of rights by those opposing it and will create special rights for the GLBT community. Neither of these premises is true. Discrimination is not a right nor a freedom, regardless of the beliefs from which it stems, so it’s not something that can be taken away. The GLBT community would gain equal rights, not special rights.
I believe in freedom of speech (and being responsible for the abuse of that right),
religious freedom (but not forcing those beliefs on others),
and the separation of church and state, or city in this case.
The religious testimony has turned these hearings into a stage for judgment rather than a fight for civil rights. Let’s get back to the basic issue here: the need for GLBTs to be in included in the anti-discrimination ordinance.
The testimony the first night of the hearings and thereafter from members of our community should have provided enough evidence to show the need for Ordinance 64, but if that isn’t enough, have you been hearing the rhetoric and messages of our opponents?
I urge you to pass Ordinance 64 with language that protects the entire GLBT community. Thank you.
