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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.

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Articles by E. Ross

E. Ross is the founder of Bent Alaska.

Alaskans Together on WAR’s Defeat

Thursday, 16 April 2009 – 6:29 PM | Comments Off on Alaskans Together on WAR’s Defeat
Alaskans Together on WAR’s Defeat

Alaskans Together for Equality applauds the legislature’s vote to reject Wayne Anthony Ross as Attorney General.

“Wayne Anthony Ross’s derogatory statements about gay Alaskans, his stance on native rights, and his views on women and domestic violence made him an incredibly polarizing and divisive figure,” wrote Tim Stallard for Alaskans Together.

“Many Alaskans joined us in our doubt that Ross could uphold the constitutional rights of ALL Alaskans without discrimination. We hope that Governor Palin will nominate someone who will earn the public’s trust and respect the constitutional rights of all Alaskans.”

Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. is the statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization in Alaska.

WAR goes down!

Thursday, 16 April 2009 – 12:48 PM | 3 Comments
WAR goes down!

Report from Mel: “23 yeas, 35 nays. Wayne Anthony Ross will NOT be Alaska’s Attorney General. We fought the good fight, people, and we WON!”

WAR’s anti-gay letter: pedophile jokes, criminals, "immoral in the eyes of anyone with intelligence"

Wednesday, 15 April 2009 – 9:59 PM | 5 Comments
WAR’s anti-gay letter: pedophile jokes, criminals, "immoral in the eyes of anyone with intelligence"

UPDATE from Mel: “23 yeas, 35 nays: WAR goes down! Wayne Anthony Ross will NOT be Alaska Attorney General. We fought the good fight, people, and we WON!”

* * *

Wayne Anthony Ross’ letter to Lawyers Against Discrimination began with a reference to gays as pedophiles: “Dear LAD: (LAD??? Intentional, on your part? Or merely a Freudian slip?)”

Three weeks ago, Bent Alaska reported that Attorney General-nominee Wayne Anthony Ross called gays “degenerates”, “immoral” and a “perversion” in a letter to the Alaska State Bar Association’s newsletter, according to the ADN. Since then, Ross has refused to answer the legislators when asked if he feels this way about gays and lesbians now, and, when pressed, compared his homophobia to hating lima beans.

We’ve learned much about Ross, on many topics, but the question remained: what did the rest of his letter say? The Legislature is scheduled to vote on Ross’ appointment Thursday at 11 a.m., and Bent obtained the letter just in time.

Ross wrote the letter to the Alaska Bar Rag in March 1993 in response to an appeal from “Lawyers Against Discrimination,” a group that fought the repeal of a non-discrimination ordinance, approved by the Anchorage Assembly, which prohibited the Municipality from employment discrimination on the basis of “sexual preference.”

“It was a big messy battle in Anchorage in late 1992/early 1993,” writes Mel Green. “The ordinance was ultimately rescinded.” Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or preference remains legal today in Anchorage and the rest of Alaska.

Ross’ full response to Lawyers Against Discrimination:

“Dear LAD: (LAD??? Intentional, on your part? Or merely a Freudian slip?)

I received your letter of 23 February 1993 regarding the Anchorage homosexual rights ordinance. While I am not surprised to see some of the names on your letterhead, I am most disappointed in other names thereon. I had more respect for some of you than I do now.

I am in favor of repeal of the measure. I see nothing involving civil rights in this matter. We all, heterosexual or homosexual, have certain rights. This bill seems to give extra rights to a group whose lifestyle was a crime only a few years ago, and whose beliefs are certainly immoral in the eyes of anyone with some semblance of intelligence and moral character.

It is a shame that you folks don’t have some causes you could become involved in that are of benefit to society in general. Instead, you support degenerates. No wonder the legal profession is treated with less respect than we wish.

If, as you apparently believe, morality is not based on long-standing God-given and God-instilled principles, but is something that changes from time to time based on public perception of right and wrong, then that is even more reason for you to allow this referendum to go to a vote of the people. After all, isn’t it your position that public morality is based upon whatever the public decides?

None of you has done anything publicly (to my knowledge) to attempt to protect the millions of lives of innocent children killed each year through abortion, yet you collectively contribute $5,000 to the cause of sexual perversion. It is quite disheartening to me to see my fellow members of our honorable profession display such a lack of proper priorities.

Wayne Anthony Ross

(from page 7 of the May-June 1993 Alaska Bar Rag)

— hat tip to Steve for obtaining Ross’ letter

Scott Turner’s Annual Bake Sale

Wednesday, 15 April 2009 – 6:28 AM | Comments Off on Scott Turner’s Annual Bake Sale
Scott Turner’s Annual Bake Sale

Scott Turner's Annual Community Bake Sale for the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A's)Update: The 2010 Community Bake Sale for Four A’s is on Sunday, May 16 from 4-6:30 p.m. at Mad Myrna’s, and includes a dessert competition.

###

Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 4 p.m.
Mad Myrna’s

Join Scott Turner for his annual bake sale and BAKE OFF on Sunday. Bring your best baked goods to raise funds for the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association. Bake off categories for Professional Bakers, Best Cakes/Pies, Best Cookies/Bars, Best Other (Trifles, Breads, etc.) Prizes awarded to the Winners. This event is a lot of fun, with delicious food baked by your friends and neighbors, food that will tempt you to buy and share for a good cause.

Until the end of April, all gifts to the Four A’s food bank (cash or in-kind) will count toward a matching grant from the Feinstein Foundation.

A No Foolin’ FUNdraiser for Four A’s

Wednesday, 15 April 2009 – 5:27 AM | Comments Off on A No Foolin’ FUNdraiser for Four A’s
A No Foolin’ FUNdraiser for Four A’s

Saturday, April 18 at 7 p.m.

 

Join us for a Mardi Gras themed fiesta with a carnival of food, cash bar, silent auction and entertainment. Tickets are $15 in advance/$20 at the door and can be purchased at Mad Myrna’s or Four A’s.
Until the end of April, all gifts to the Four A’s food bank (cash or in-kind) will count toward a matching grant from the Feinstein Foundation.

Gay Man on The Alaska Experiment

Tuesday, 14 April 2009 – 3:45 PM | Comments Off on Gay Man on The Alaska Experiment
Gay Man on The Alaska Experiment
The first episode of “Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment” airs tonight on the Discovery Channel and one of the participants is Jake Nodar, an openly gay man.
AfterElton interviewed Jake:

Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment isn’t your typical reality show. And thirty-year-old Jake Nodar isn’t your typical reality participant, especially not when it comes to those usually found on The Discovery Channel. Nodar is gay and, as hard as it is to believe, in nearly twenty-five years of operation, the network has never featured an out gay man in its programming.

That changes Tuesday night when Nodar, along with eight other participants, are dropped in the middle of the Alaskan bush and told to find their way out with minimal supplies and virtually no help. But don’t mistake this for a colder version of Survivor. There are no reward or immunity challenges, no scheming alliances and no million dollar prize.
Instead, Nodar and the eight others face only brutal weather and mile after mile of trudging through the Alaskan wilderness as they work to navigate their way back to civilization.
The series was filmed in September 2008. After a three-day crash course in basic survival skills, including how to shoot a gun, skin an animal and start a fire without matches, the volunteers were flown to interior Alaska, described by Discovery as “one of the most inhospitable terrains on earth.”
Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment” airs new episodes on Tuesdays April 14, 21 & 28 on the Discovery Channel at 9 p.m. Alaska time.

WAR compares gays to lima beans, "hates" us

Monday, 13 April 2009 – 3:28 PM | Comments Off on WAR compares gays to lima beans, "hates" us
WAR compares gays to lima beans, "hates" us

Wayne Anthony Ross, Gov. Palin’s choice for Attorney General, was asked during Friday’s confirmation hearing how he would view cases involving homosexuality, since he called gays “immoral”, “perverse” and “degenerates” in the Alaska Bar newsletter.

“Let me give you an analogy,” Ross said. “I hate lima beans. I’ve never liked lima beans. But if I was hired to represent the United Vegetable Growers, would you ask me if I liked lima beans. No. If I disliked lima beans. No. Because my job is to represent the United Vegetable Growers.”

Gays=Lima Beans. He compares publicly insulting a minority group to hating the taste of a food. He “hates” us.

Later in the hearing, a representative talked about Ross’ well-known “flamboyance” and Ross said that flamboyance is something he associates with a fancy hanky in his breast pocket, “that kind of guy,” he chuckled.

What ‘kind of guy’ is Ross? He insults gays, Native Alaskans, women, blacks, unions members, peace activists, environmentalists … he called the federal government our ‘enemy’ during last week’s hearing … he made a sexist joke in response to an ethics complaint against Palin … and he wants to be the top attorney for the State of Alaska.

Ross thinks the hypothetical Vegetable Growers would hire a lawyer who publicly declares “I hate lima beans.” The question is, will the real State of Alaska hire an Attorney General who “hates” Alaskans?

"Double drag" with Mad Myrna’s Divas

Sunday, 12 April 2009 – 6:30 AM | 3 Comments
"Double drag" with Mad Myrna’s Divas
by April Rains
My friend Larry didn’t know what to expect at April’s Follies. He, like so many others, was under the impression that it was some type of adult sex-based show and was really hesitant to go. But after it was all said and done, he was totally surprised that it was just another form of comedy. That’s what drag shows are – a unique and bizzarre blend of comedy that challenges the norms of sex, gender, and how we perceive our world and others in it.

At the Mad Myrna’s Divas Show on Friday, I tried, for the very first time, what is referred to as a “double drag.” Basically it’s a guy, dressed as a girl, dressed as a guy… or vice versa. I painted my face, did my hair, jewelry, perky 38 B’s, and still had my manicure from last weekend, but wore my typical guy t-shirt, jeans, cowboy boots and a dirty baseballl hat. The song I used was Toby Keith’s “I luv this bar,” with his deep male voice similar to mine.
At first the mic was ‘hot’ so I could talk with the audience. As the song began, I shut it off, sync’d it, then turned it on afterwards. The mix of live voice and sync creates the illusion that I can actually “sing” like Toby, with a voice identical to his, when in fact it’s just my lips moving. The attire gives a strongly mixed visual signal of gender identity, by enhancing my muscular male build with my female accessories, and heightens the words behind the song by reinforcing the theme that “anyone is welcome in this bar.” That’s what makes Mad Myrna’s such an incredible place: anyone is welcome at anytime without any judgement or prejuidice about who they are.
It was a huge stretch for me to try this, and the idea came basically at the last minute as I trounced around WalMart in drag looking for the CD, and of course, twisting people’s views of the world once again. I wanted to do something completely different, on the edge of what I’ve done in the past, and push the boundaries out a little further, as with everything I do. Diva’s is a really great show, and variety is a must if you expect folks to keep coming back. Now we have all types of folks showing up, and if for some reason I only do one song vs two, that is a good thing. We have more for folks to see. Not that doing one song is all I want to do every night…
My friend Felisha does double female drag a lot by dressing as a queen but she is actually a real female. She gives an illusion that makes one think about who and what she is. Loren [not her real name], who I thought for weeks was a real girl like Felisha, is actually an incredibly gorgeous guy, although few people could tell based on her size, hair, and other very feminine features, including her typical day attire which is very “fishy” (close to or what one would expect for the typical gender role).
One of the shows emcee’s, Daphne Do All, is very obvious when she dresses. She is very “campy” (exaggerated) in that she presents as your great aunt going to church or your Sunday School teacher in her big blonde hair, tailored business suits and mega-dollar heels. She and her counterpart Paige (a real girl or GG “genetic girl”) could rival Amelda Marcos with shoes. Ashley, Jovy, Maraquita, Raina, Sasha and others are what one would expect for drag queens: male performers accenting their female strengths like energetic dancing, killer legs, and really skimpy costumes that leave one wondering where they put it. When Kristara performs, she is in a class by herself. A vixen-ous mix of sexual energy, beauty, and an extensive wardrobe that encompasses all the great designers and more. Whether you’re male or female, straight, gay or bi, she can weave a spell around you that would leave even the most conservative leader of the Christian right following her home, despite the surpise he might get later.
Each of us is unique in our own views on life, gender, sex, and how we blend and present in the Friday night show, but yet are united in that we don’t see the world as many in the “mainstream” do. That’s the incredible thing about a drag show – it twists reality and leaves one thinking that “life” is not what we have been taught it “should be” but way more. Luckily we have that venue here in Alaska and can share it with anyone who cares to watch and listen.

MCC celebrates Easter with an interpreted service and a potluck

Saturday, 11 April 2009 – 5:56 PM | One Comment
MCC celebrates Easter with an interpreted service and a potluck
Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage is happy to announce that, beginning Easter Sunday, services will be interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer this service to our community,” said Rev. Norman Van Manen. “Our congregation and church leadership are thrilled to be able to serve God this way.”
Those who are deaf or hard of hearing and know sign language, and their friends, are welcome to be part of the worship at MCC Anchorage. Services begin at 2 p.m. in the A-Frame Chapel at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 2222 East Tudor Road.
On Sunday, MCC Anchorage is hosting a special Easter Worship Service, a time of rejoicing, celebration and worship, followed by a potluck.
“Our new place of worship is proving to be very exciting,” said Rev. Norman Van Manen. “The colorful glass windows allow light to enter. The seating causes us to sit a little closer together making the music swell. The warm welcome of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is greatly appreciated. There are exciting things happening at MCC Anchorage.” 
 – by Matthew Moak, MCC Anchorage vice-moderator

Say NO to Wayne Anthony Ross as AG

Friday, 10 April 2009 – 1:25 PM | 7 Comments
Say NO to Wayne Anthony Ross as AG

This guest post by Marsha Buck gives the contact information for testifying against Wayne Anthony Ross’ appointment as Attorney General, and includes her own testimony as an example. For more on Wayne Anthony Ross, see Public input needed on WAR and Palin’s AG pick called gays “degenerates.”

* * *

If you were not able to testify during the Senate hearing, you have another opportunity to testify on the confirmation of Wayne Anthony Ross as Attorney General of Alaska today, Friday, April 10 at 5 p.m. when the House Judiciary Committee will take public testimony, in Room 120 of the Capitol, by teleconference (1-888-295-4546), or by going to your local Legislative Information Office. I hope many of you will be able to testify.

During the Senate hearing on Wednesday, 31 people provided testimony, 14 in support of Mr. Ross and 17 in opposition. Six people testifying in opposition spoke about his record of discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Alaskans and many more voices need to be heard on this topic. Our greatest allies in opposition to Mr. Ross’ confirmation appear to be members of the Native community, many of whom spoke forcefully against the appointment because of his record on subsistence and his divisiveness.

If you cannot testify on Friday, please call or email members of the House Judiciary, or send a Public Opinion Message, and express your concerns about Mr. Ross and his statement in the state Bar Association newsletter in which he referred to GLBT Alaskans as “degenerates” and spoke of being gay as a “perversion.”

Contact information for House Judiciary members:

Rep. Jay Ramras Phone: 465-3004 Email: Representative_Jay_Ramras@legis.state.ak.us

Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom Phone: 465-3783 Email: Representative_Nancy_Dahlstrom@legis.state.ak.us

Rep. Carl Gatto Phone: 465-3743 Email: Representative_Carl_Gatto@legis.state.ak.us

Rep. Bob Lynn Phone: 465-4931 Email: Representative_Bob_Lynn@legis.state.ak.us

Rep. Max Gruenberg Phone: 465-4940 Email: Representative_Max_Gruenberg@legis.state.ak.us

Rep. Lindsey Holmes Phone: 465-4919 Email: Representative_Lindsey_Holmes@legis.state.ak.us

The entire Legislature will be voting on the confirmation of Wayne Anthony Ross on Thursday, April 16th. Please contact all legislators, including your own senator and representative, and state your opinion about the confirmation of Mr. Ross as Attorney General. The Public Opinion Message (POM) system is an excellent way to communicate with legislators briefly and easily.

Thank you for your activism in support of civil equality for ALL Alaskans!

* * *

Senate Judiciary Hearing Testimony

Wayne Anthony Ross Nomination for Attorney General

April 8, 2009

My name is Marsha Buck and I live in Juneau. I am here representing Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. which is a new statewide organization to advance the civil equality of all Alaskans with a focus on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality.

I would like to testify in opposition to the appointment of Wayne Anthony Ross as Attorney General for Alaska. Mr. Ross’ record of negative comments about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Alaskans would appear to make him biased against the citizens Alaskans Together for Equality represents and therefore make it difficult for us to imagine how he could uphold our constitutional rights fairly and without discrimination.

We need an Attorney General who respects ALL Alaskans equally, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex Alaskans. I would, therefore, ask that you oppose Mr. Ross’ nomination.

Thank you,

Marsha Buck
Board President, Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc.