Sunday, 6 October 2013 – 5:19 PM
| Comments Off on A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013
Bent Alaska’s blog will continue in hiatus indefinitely; but the Bent Alaska Facebook Group on Facebook is thriving — join us! A long-overdue update from Bent Alaska’s editor.
It’s a good news, bad news week at Bent Alaska, and it’s only Wednesday. The bad news is that Anchorage elected Sullivan to a three year term as mayor.
As a member of the Assembly, Dan
1. tried to block domestic partner benefits in Anchorage after the state Supreme Court granted them,
2. led the opposition against selling a municipal building to Out North, and
3. tried to block a PFLAG-sponsored display in the high schools.
On the Assembly, he was unsuccessful in these efforts against us. We hope that he will continue to be unsuccessful in pushing a far right social agenda in his role as mayor.
The good news
Gays and lesbians disappointed by the local news can take comfort in the great national progress on equal rights: Gay marriage is legal in Maine today, and might be legal in New Hampshire by next week.
The legislature of Maine passed a same sex marriage bill yesterday and Gov. Baldacci signed it today, the first time a governor signed a marriage equality bill without a court ruling.
The New Hampshire legislature also passed a marriage bill today. Gov. Lynch has five days to sign, veto, or ignore the bill. Will NH be the 6th state to legalize our marriages? (The current 5 are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine.)
The D.C. city council voted 12-1 to recognize same sex marriages, and Mayor Fenty is likely to sign the measure.
Marriage bills are also progressing in New York and New Jersey. New York already recognizes out-of-state same sex marriages.
On a light note, Mormon entertainer Marie Osmond told a radio talk show host that she loves her lesbian daughter and supports gay equality.
Visitors, residents and travel professionals want to know where to find LGBT-owned and LGBT-friendly Travel and Tourism Businesses in Alaska. The current list is below.
Do you want to include your Travel and Tourism Business on Bent Alaska’s free Travel Business list? Do you know a gay-owned or gay-supportive travel business that should be here? Please leave a comment below the list or contact Bent through the address in the right hand column.
Disclaimer: This list is not an endorsement or recommendation for the businesses, only a recognition that they are owned by GLBT Alaskans and our Allies.
Eric Croft or Dan Sullivan for Mayor of Anchorage? That’s easy. Croft has a record of support for LGBT issues, while Sullivan has led the fight against us on several occasions.
When Alaska GLBT News asked readers who they supported for mayor of Anchorage before the primary election, the first replies included one for each of the main progressive and moderate candidates, and half a dozen that said “anyone but Dan.”
But Croft is more than the not-Dan candidate. He’s the equality candidate:
“I believe and have always believed that people should be free to choose their life partner and have that recognized by the state,” Croft wrote in a recent email to Alaska GLBT News. “I will continue to fight for and vote for equality.”
Croft fought against and voted against the gay marriage constitutional ban in the Legislature in 1998.
“In the House debate, I compared the gay marriage ban to constitutional bans in southern states against interracial marriage, and told my colleagues that we as a state would be embarrassed by this amendment. We lost. In the decade since, I have always been proud of that vote. I am today.”
On partner benefits, he told the ADN the Supreme Court was right to allow benefits for same-sex couples.
“I don’t understand why two people expressing their love for each other affects my marriage,” said Croft in 2006. Eric and Joanna have been married for 15 years.
When asked if he thinks people choose to be gay: “I don’t care. It’s none of my business, really,” Croft said. “I grew up in an Alaska where you didn’t really inquire too much into people’s personal lives.”
“At one mayoral forum, they asked us to hold up a green or red card on gay marriage and I held up the red signifying that I knew of the constitutional amendment. I did not mean that my position had changed.”
Our friends in Juneau have more good things to say about Eric:
“Please let Anchorage know that here in Juneau Eric Croft was an outright supporter of us finally getting our state partner benefits. He offered wisdom and support on all his committees when he was a legislator. His opinions were always sound and balanced, thoughtful and well spoken. I think you can’t go wrong with Eric Croft,” wrote Maureen Longworth and Lin Davis, plaintiffs in the state domestic partner benefit case.
But what were the reasons for the “anyone but Dan” replies?
Dan tried to block implementation of domestic partnership benefits in Anchorage, against the Supreme Court ruling. (we got the benefits despite him.)
He lead the opposition against selling a municipal building to Out North as their new home. (they bought it anyway.)
He opposed the School Board over a PFLAG-sponsored display in the high schools.
He promoted a religious right-wing agenda on the Assembly.
He doesn’t have lips. (I admit that my partner sent that reply. It’s a pet peeve. How can you trust a lip-less man?)
Eric Croft for Mayor of Anchorage. Vote for Croft on Tuesday, or vote early at City Hall or Loussac Library. Bring a friend. Every Vote Counts.
“We continue to support ENDA in our statewide activities,” wrote Marsha Buck, Board President of Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. “We would be proud to join the other members of the coalition toward that end.”
ENDA, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, will add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal employment protections, currently provided based on a person’s race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability. United ENDA is a coalition of nearly 400 state, local and national LGBT organizations and allies committed to the passage of an inclusive ENDA.
Send a message of support to Congress: United ENDA
Sunday, 3 May 2009 – 10:45 PM
| Comments Off on Gay AK: Scholarships, Frontrunners, and Memorial Day
ICOAA Scholarship Applications
July 3 is the submission deadline for the Imperial Court of All Alaska’s Scholarship Program applications, available online at the ICOAA web site under “About Us.”
Femme Fatale
Photo (right) of Divas at Femme Fatale 2009, May 1-2 in Juneau, Alaska.
Just (about to be) Married
Congratulations to Chris Olson and Michelle Coen on their upcoming wedding in Iowa. They met in 1981 while living in Anchorage, Alaska but moved to Wisconsin in 1998 to be closer to their families. They plan to marry in Olsen’s Iowa hometown, so her 96-year-old mother can attend the wedding. Story and photo.
Anchorage Frontrunners, Tuesdays starting 5/5
Join Anchorage Frontrunners, a GLBT group that walks/runs/rollerblades (dogs welcome) along the Coastal Trail on Tuesdays from May-September. Meet at Westchester Lagoon at 6 p.m. in the far west parking lot near the coffee shack.
Memorial Day GLBT Community Picnic 5/25
The annual Memorial Day Community Picnic will be held at Kincaid Park again this year. The Community Picnic is a tradition going back more than 40 years, held in Eklutna until that property was sold last spring. The College of Emperors and Empresses sells burgers, hot dogs, chips, and drinks as a fundraiser for ICOAA.
Sunday, 3 May 2009 – 8:56 PM
| Comments Off on Outside LGBT News
In Iowa, same-sex couples began marrying on Thursday, following the 3 day waiting period after the first licenses were issued. The senates of both New Hampshire and Maine passed marriage equality bills last week, and the bills will go to the state houses for approval. Unfortunately, the New Hampshire senators also voted to kill a bill that would have extended housing and employment anti-discrimination protections to transgender people.
The federal Hate Crimes Act passed the House and has Pres. Obama’s support. New Mexico will now offer health care coverage to domestic partners of retired government and school workers (current workers have received benefits since 2003.)
A federal judge has awarded a former Army Special Forces commander nearly $500,000 in back pay and damages. Diane Schroer applied for a terrorism analyst job while still a man and was offered the job, but the offer was pulled after he told a library official that he was having surgery to change gender. The ruling is important because the judge recognized this as job discrimination.
The Scandinavian country of Iceland elected a lesbian Prime Minister. Johanna Sigurdardottir is the first openly gay head of a national government in modern times, and her country’s first female prime minister. She and her partner were married in 2002.
The British government has named Carol Ann Duffy as the UK’s new poet laureate. The first woman to be appointed in the 341-year history of the post, she is also the first openly gay person and the first Scot to hold the title.
Saturday, 2 May 2009 – 8:38 PM
| Comments Off on Vat Chea: 1982 – 2009
Vat “Sean” Chea died on Saturday, April 19. He was 26 years old and worked as a cab driver in Fairbanks. Vat is survived by his partner in Fairbanks and his family in California.
A private celebration of Vat’s life was held on Sunday, April 26 at Club Alaskan, with his partner, his coworkers, and his friends in Fairbanks. There was a potluck and a silent auction to help with burial expenses.
“We had a good time remembering Vat and his goofy ways,” wrote Johnmichael. “Thank you GLBT community for your thoughts and prayers in my time of grief.”
While serving in the U. S. Army, Vat was stationed at Fort Wainwright. After his Army time, he chose to remain in Alaska.
“Vat and his partner usually had to work during local GLBT functions,” wrote Terry, “but often they would take a short break to greet friends before returning to the road.”
Thursday, 30 April 2009 – 6:25 AM
| Comments Off on Juneau Highway Cleanup with Rainbow Pride
For over a decade, there have been two “PFLAG Adopt-A-Highway” signs on the Juneau public road system near Auke Bay. The signs have been vandalized and replaced more than once, but both signs can still be seen by every driver on that scenic 2 mile stretch of the Egan Highway.
PFLAG Juneau and SEAGLA need your help to fulfill their biannual cleanup duty on Saturday, May 2, from 10-noon.
Volunteers will meet at the Auke Lake parking lot. Bright yellow trash bags and sanitary gloves will be provided, along with free cookies for the cleanup crew.
“Please wear very bright colored clothing,” write Bronze of SEAGLA and Lin of PFLAG. “We want you to be safe while working near the highway, and we also want to show a very bright rainbow of colors on the road Saturday morning.”
Wednesday, 29 April 2009 – 1:01 PM
| Comments Off on Dine Out, Fight AIDS in Fairbanks
Dining Out For Life, a national event to raise money for HIV & AIDS organizations by eating at participating restaurants, takes place throughout the day on Thursday April 30 in Fairbanks and many other cities. The Fairbanks restaurants will donate a portion of their profits to Interior AIDS Association.
Dining Out For Life – Fairbanks is sponsored by Denali State Bank and Interior Graphics & Printing. The national “Dining Out For Life: Dine Out, Fight AIDS” annual event is sponsored by Subaru.
Over 50 cities throughout the United States and Canada and more than 3,000 restaurants are participating in Dining Out For Life this year. Nearly $3 million dollars is raised annually to support AIDS service organizations throughout North America.
The very real consequences of DADT repeal; seeking survivor benefits for same-sex partner of Alaska shooting victim; waiting on SCOTUS decision about whether it will hear Prop 8 case; and other recent LGBTQ news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
In this month’s “Ask Lambda Legal” column, Lambda Legal answers a question about the federal government’s longstanding ban against donations of blood from men who have sex with men (MSM).
Alaska Pride Conference 2012 kicks off on October 5 with a First Friday showing at Tref.Punkt Studio of Love is Love, a photographic exhibit of LGBT couples from across the state.
United for marriage: Light the way to justice. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this Tuesday and Wednesday, March 26–27, in two cases about freedom to marry. Please join us on Tuesday, March 26, at the federal courthouse in Anchorage (7th & C) in a circle united for equality.
Pariah, a critically acclaimed film about a 17-year-old African-American woman embracing her lesbian identity, will screen at UAA on Friday, November 2, and will be followed by a discussion on acceptance in honor of Mya Dale. The event is free and open to the public.
