Articles by E. Ross
E. Ross is the founder of Bent Alaska.
CA’s Prop 8 Upheld (for now)
The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage, but also ruled that gay couples who wed before the election will continue to be legally married under state law.
The decision ensures another fight at the ballot box over marriage rights. Equality supporters in California said they may ask voters to repeal the ban as early as next year, and opponents have pledged to fight that effort. Proposition 8 passed with only 52% of the vote.
Gay rights supporters will protest the decision in over 100 US cities tonight, including Anchorage.
“No civil rights movement has EVER lost. It is not a matter of IF our community will win full equal rights, including marriage. It is only a matter of WHEN. But as in all civil rights movements, we will have to fight like hell for it,” stated Robin Tyler, the lead petitioner in the case to overturn Prop 8.
In response to the decision, Alaskans Together for Equality wrote: “We believe that the option to get married is a basic human right. Gay and Lesbian Americans should have the same access to marriage and associated rights as other citizens. We are disappointed that the California Supreme Court has let a narrow majority of citizens vote to take away rights from a minority group. The State Constitution and Court System are supposed to prevent such a tyranny of the majority injustice.”
Same-sex marriage was legal in California for almost 6 months before Prop 8 passed. Gay marriages are currently legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa and Maine, and may become legal in New Hampshire and New York later this year.
Today is the Day of Decision
Today, Tuesday, May 26, at 10 a.m. pacific time, the California Supreme Court will announce its decision to either uphold or overturn Proposition 8 and the thousands of same-sex marriages performed last summer.
Will we be celebrating or protesting tonight? Cross your fingers for a civil rights victory, and check back after 9 a.m. Alaska time for the ruling.
New ICP’s focus on Families, Fundraising and Scholarships
Congratulations to Cory and Natasha, the new 17th reigining Imperial Crown Prince and Princess of the Imperial Court of All Alaska!
“I am really looking forward to this year,” wrote Natasha. “I already have a ton of ideas.”
“Congrats to one of my best friends,” wrote April Rains, the 16th ICP, about Natasha. “May her reign as Imperial Crown Princess 17 of All Alaska be spectacular! And thanks to everyone who attended the 2009 ICP Ball at Mad Myrna’s.”
I asked Natasha and Cory about their goals as Prince and Princess:
- We really want to stress the importance of family within our community, and involve the youth of our community. We call ourselves a family, therefore the families of the court and community should be involved. These children are our future voices and I want them to see the greatness we as adults see.
- We also are looking forward to working and raising money for the 4 A’s, Equality and Identity.
- Lastly we would like to emphasize the ICOAA scholarship program. Approximately $60,000 is given each year (Cory was a recipient of the scholarship previously) and we really want people to be aware of these scholarships.
Here’s to a fabulously fun and successful reign!
– photo of Natasha ICP 17, and April ICP 16
Outrage hits Anchorage for Pride Week
The controversial movie Outrage will premiere in Alaska during Pride Week, showing at The Bear Tooth on Monday, June 15 at 5:30 & 7:45 p.m. The Bear Tooth’s other Pride Week film will be Poltergay, shown on June 18.
Outrage: Do Ask, Do Tell is “a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians with appalling gay rights voting records who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Outrage boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of our nation’s most powerful policymakers.”
Poltergay is “Poltergeist meets Saturday Night Fever with a gay spin. This French horror spoof, of a young couple who unknowingly buy a mansion haunted by disco dancing homosexuals, is set to a monstrous ’70s musical score.”
Watch the Outrage trailer:
This Week in LGBT Alaska 5/22/09
BREAKING: On Tuesday, May 26, the California Supreme Court will announce its decision to either uphold or overturn Proposition 8 and the thousands of same-sex marriages performed last summer! Check back Tuesday for the ruling.
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This week’s events from the statewide newsletter. Subscribe to Alaska GLBT News.
Fairbanks
Dance Your Heart Out: Country Western 2 step lessons & dancing 5/22, 7:30 p.m. $12/drop in per class. Bovee Studio, 1845 Caribou Way, off College Rd. RSVP to Judith.
Bac’untry Bruthers at the Trapper Creek Festival 5/23, 8 p.m.
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar, downtown.
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. Harmony Choir meets at the Center on Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.
Anchorage
Side Street Saturdays for LGBT writers, Saturdays noon-3 p.m. at Side Street Cafe.
Jay Her’s Adult Comedy Hypnosis show at Mad Myrna’s 5/23, 9 p.m. $10
Sunday worship with Rev. Norman Van Manen and MCC Anchorage, Sundays 2 p.m.
Transgender Support Group, Sundays 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.
The Big Annual Memorial Day GLBT Community Picnic in front of the Kincaid Park chalet 5/25, noon-5 p.m. Sponsored by the Imperial Court (ICOAA) which sells burgers, hot dogs, chips and drinks as a fundraiser.
Gay, Joyous and Free AA Meeting, Mondays 6 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Anchorage Frontrunners, Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Share your Story of Discrimination
Opponents of the Assembly non-discrimination ordinance say that discrimination against LGBT people does not exist in Anchorage. We know that it does, and we need to share that knowledge.
Have you been the target of LGBT-based discrimination in Anchorage? Please tell your story at the June 9 public hearing, or let someone else read it into the record. LGBT people and straight allies are encouraged to contact Tiffany McClain or use the online form at Equality Works.
Examples of anti-LGBT discrimination are showing up in the articles and comments about the Municipal ordinance that would protect Anchorage’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents from discrimination.
Mel Green, who co-authored the study Identity Reports: Sexual Orientation Bias in Alaska (Anchorage, AK: Identity, Inc., 1989), recounts her personal experience of being fired from a local book store in 1984:
“It also occurred to me to wonder if maybe I’d been fired for being a lesbian. This was confirmed a couple of days later when I went in to the store to pick up my final paycheck. I talked with one of my other (former) coworkers, whose name I don’t remember — in “Prima Facie” she goes by the initial M. M was maybe two or three years younger than me, a rather innocent-seeming Mormon girl who seemed embarrassed by what she had to tell me. She said that the day before I was fired, she had seen Chris at the back of the store talking with higher-ups from downtown, including the manager. On the same day, Chris had announced to coworkers that I was gay. On the day I was fired, Chris had gone about the store singing, “Mel got fired, Mel got fired.”“I’ve never seen Chris since, but my best guess is that she resented me for complaining to our manager about her habit of taking overlong breaks, & decided to get her revenge by playing on the prejudices of higher management.”
The Anchorage Municipal Code states that discrimination “based upon race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age, or physical or mental disability… is prohibited.”
“[H]ad sexual orientation been a protected class… I would have had grounds to file a complaint with the state human rights commission & seek redress. (Like maybe getting my job back.)“But sexual orientation was not a protected class under Alaska Statutes. Nor was it under federal legislation, nor under municipal ordinance. I was, as they say, S.O.L.”
Straight allies are also discriminated against for supporting LGBT civil rights, or simply for being our friends and family members. Allies are encouraged to join us in sharing their experiences of LGBT-based discrimination at the hearing.
Ally Celtic Diva describes her experiences of supporting the previous attempt to add “sexual orientation” to the Anchorage Municipal policies, in the early 1990’s, and belonging to the band Sky Is Blu, which represented Alaska at the 1993 National March on Washington for LGBT Rights:
“As a result, I received threatening phone calls (I remember my boyfriend at the time grabbing the phone from me to deal with one of the nasty callers) and all four of my tires slashed. Another member of the band was (literally) harassed and followed down the street!“Worst of all, the only male member of the band lost the job he had been offered with, ironically, the Municipality! As a result of this, he couldn’t get hired in his field and eventually ended up moving to the lower-48 with his wife and child.”
Share your personal experiences of LGBT-based discrimination at the June 9 hearing and help to pass the ordinance. Contact Tiffany McClain or use the online form at Equality Works.
MCCA’s Pastor Van Manen Goes On The Record
– from MCC Anchorage
Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage Pastor Norman Van Manen took to the airwaves this week both on radio and television conveying a strong position in favor of GLBTQ rights.
Pastor Van Manen spent two hours with Conservative Radio Show host Eddie Burke, a self proclaimed homophobe, fielding questions from callers and his host about the Scriptures, homosexuality and equality.
The radio show will be made available for listening on the MCC Anchorage website and the KTVA television interview will be aired during the first week of June.
Pastor Van Manen is no stranger to discrimination even within his own family. “When I came out as a homosexual, my family gathered together and declared family court and made a decision to lynch me. I hid in a ditch and escaped with my life.”
Pastor Van Manen has also experienced a form of discrimination here in Anchorage when he discovered he was prohibited from publically disclosing the name of the church in which MCC Anchorage previously gathered to conduct Sunday service. Said Pastor Van Manen, “The difference between where the church was, and where we are now (St. Mary’s Episcopal Church), is that we are truly here with the blessing of the church.”
Speaking to the Scriptures and Christ, Pastor Van Manen said, “The message of the Gospel, the message of Jesus Christ is to love God, love yourself, love your neighbor and to love your enemies.”
MCC Anchorage meets at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, on the corner of Lake Otis and Tudor, for a Sunday service at 2 p.m. in the A-Frame Chapel, and for Step By Step, a Biblical Studies program, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Senator Begich Listens to Alaskans, Co-Sponsors the Matthew Shepard Act
Senator Mark Begich has become a co-sponsor of the Matthew Shepard Act, the hate crimes prevention bill currently before the Senate, despite being targeted by opponents.
Earlier this month, Alaskans Together reported that Begich was “getting lots of calls from our opponents asking him to vote against the Matthew Shepherd Act.”
“This is a time when we need to raise many, many Alaskan voices to give our senators the support they need to vote with us,” wrote Marsha Buck of Alaskans Together for Equality.
Bent Alaska posted the call to action and sent it to other Alaskan blogs that are concerned with civil rights. Sen. Begich received many supportive calls.
“He did get the message,” wrote Diane DiSanto from Senator Begich’s office. “More Alaskans called to support it, and most of the negatives were from out of state.”
The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S 909) was introduced in the Senate on April 28 “to provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes.” The House approved it last month, although Don Young voted against it. President Obama supports the measure.
Opponents argue that enforcing hate crime penalties will protect pedophiles. They use this threat to oppose all anti-discrimination and civil rights measures that include sexual orientation.
Senator Begich’s response on the Matthew Shepard Act:
“Thank you for your letter regarding federal hate crimes legislation.
“The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (LLEHCPA)/Matthew Shepard Act gives the Department of Justice (DOJ) the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence by providing the DOJ with jurisdiction over crimes of violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It does not and cannot infringe on an American’s right to free speech.
“The Act provides the DOJ with the ability to aid state and local jurisdictions either by lending assistance or, where local authorities are unwilling or unable to act, by taking the lead in investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated, violent crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury. The LLEHCPA also makes grants available to state and local communities to combat violent crimes committed by juveniles, train law enforcement officers or assist in state and local investigations and prosecutions of bias-motivated crimes. It covers only these violent crimes, not beliefs or expressions of belief.
“In addition, the Act is endorsed by over 280 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations, including: the National Sheriffs’ Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National District Attorneys Association, Presbyterian Church, Episcopal Church, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Young Women’s Christian Association and National Disability Rights Network.
“Thank you for expressing your concerns on this issue. Please contact me again with your thoughts as the 111th Congress progresses.”
Big Gay Memorial Day Picnic
The 2009 Memorial Day Community Picnic will be at Kincaid Park in front of the chalet, from noon-5 p.m. on Monday May 25.
The Memorial Day Gay Picnic is an Anchorage tradition going back more than 40 years, held in Eklutna until 2007. The Picnic is sponsored by the Imperial Court (ICOAA) and the College of Emperors and Empresses sells burgers, hot dogs, chips, and drinks as a fundraiser. All LGBT people and our allies are welcome to attend.
“It has always been at Eklutna, the least visible place, because back in the day folks wanted to not be seen. Eklutna has been sold, so we cannot use that space in the future,” explained Scott Turner about last year’s change of location to the more public space at Kincaid.
“We do fun things, the high heel race and egg toss, as well as volleyball if there is a net at Kincaid.”
RSVP on the Anchorage LGBT Meetup group, or just show up on May 25.
– photo from Memorial Day Gay Picnic 2008.
