Articles by E. Ross
E. Ross is the founder of Bent Alaska.
This Week in GLBT Alaska 9/26/08
Kenai Peninsula
“It Goes Without Saying” 9/26 & 9/27 at 8 p.m., 9/28 at 4 p.m. Bill Bowers performs at the Bunnell Street Gallery in Homer. $25 general/$22 gallery members, youth 8-18 pay half price.
Bac’untry Bruthers at the Seward Music Festival on Saturday 9/27 at 1 p.m.
Party with the New Emperor and Empress 9/27, doors at 8 p.m. show at 9 p.m. Investitures of the 36th Reign, $15 at Mad Myrna’s.
Last Sunday Brunch 9/28, 10:30 a.m. with The Last Frontier Men’s Club
Second-class citizens: Gay Alaskans report legal and social discrimination
The ACLU of Alaska released the preliminary results of their 2008 LGBT Community Interest Survey today:
Discrimination a Persistent Problem for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Alaskans, says American Civil Liberties Union
ANCHORAGE, AK, September 24, 2008 – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska released a report today revealing that many of the state’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) residents still live in fear of discrimination. The report shares the initial findings of an on-going survey of LGBT Alaskans.
A majority of respondents agree that discrimination is the largest problem they have personally faced as LGBT people living in Alaska. Some report having been harassed on the job, even fired, because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. But unlike other minorities who have been historically discriminated against, there are no significant state or local laws to shield them from such prejudice.
“The survey shows that LGBT people want the same thing as most other Americans. They want to be able to provide for themselves and their families without worrying about being refused or fired from a job because of who they share their lives with,” said Tiffany McClain, the ACLU of Alaska’s LGBT Public Policy Coordinator. “But in the state of Alaska they have no legal recourse if they suspect unfair treatment from an employer, landlord, or creditor.”
Responses to the survey have been collected via e-mail, online, and in person and include participants from Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks. So far, 26% of respondents report having experienced discrimination or harassment in the workplace and an additional 18% have faced these obstacles outside of work. When the lack of legal recognition of their partnerships and families is counted as a form of discrimination, the proportion of LGBT people who have suffered the consequences of discrimination is even higher.
“We know that Americans are fair and favor equal treatment and ending discrimination,” said Jeffrey Mittman, Executive Director of the ACLU of Alaska. “As Alaskans hear about the families of their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friends, neighbors, colleagues and relatives, they will want to see an end to workplace discrimination, and will support the right to visit a sick loved one in the hospital, or to protect the needs of children in LGBT families.” The initial survey findings can be found at http://www.akclu.org/AKCLU_LGBTresults.pdf
We would like to invite anyone who doesn’t feel as if their voices are being adequately represented to complete a survey and encourage their friends to complete one as well.
This work is supported by generous grants from the Pride Foundation and the Tide Foundation’s State Equality Fund, a philanthropic partnership that includes the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr Fund, the Gill Foundation, and other anonymous donors.
— Tiffany McClain, LGBT Public Policy Coordinator
— Jeffrey Mittman, Executive Director
Palin’s Hometown Paper Grapples with Gay Books and Library Censorship
Being Gay in Wasilla
“It’s mostly lack of awareness, which could be chalked up to not being exposed to gayness,” says the Manhattan-based writer [Ryan Quinn], who came out to family and friends in Wasilla after his freshman year away at college, and even brought a boyfriend to visit. “The reaction was overwhelmingly positive from the people I heard from, and certainly from the people who know me on a personal basis,” he says. “I’ve never encountered homophobia in Alaska.”
Stielstra, 29, was born in Anchorage and soon afterward his family moved to Wasilla, about 40 miles north, where he lived until he was 19. Despite the influential presence of Evangelical Christian churches, and the absence of any detectable gay community, he says he felt welcome when he came out at 18.
“It’s not the kind of place where I’d feel comfortable walking hand-in-hand with my partner,” she [Christensen] says. “But you do see a decent number of rainbow stickers on cars.”
Donated “Heather” and “Daddy’s Roommate” Will Be Accepted or Sold by Wasilla Library
UPDATE: Wasilla Library Rejects “Heather” and “Daddy’s Roommate”
Two popular gay-themed children’s books, “Heather Has Two Mommies” and “Daddy’s Roommate,” were donated to the Wasilla Public Library in Alaska, where Sarah Palin was mayor, by gay and lesbian Americans concerned with attempted censorship.
The full press release was posted earlier: Gay Americans Donate Children’s Books to Wasilla Library, On Eve of Banned Books Week.
I called the Wasilla Public Library when they opened today.
“We received the books,” said KJ Martin-Albright, Library Administrator at the Wasilla Public Library, “and we sent a copy of our library donation policy and a receipt to Mr. Petrelis.”
“Karen Davis, the youth services librarian, will decide if the books will be accepted and placed on the shelves, or be given to the Friends of the Library and sold at a book faire.”
“Rest assured that we are not dodging him,” said Ms. Martin-Albright. “He should be hearing from us soon.”
Bent Alaska thanks Mr. Petrelis for this generous donation, and encourages Ms. Davis to accept these wonderful children’s books. We look forward to seeing “Heather Has Two Mommies” and “Daddy’s Roommate” on the shelves of the Wasilla Public Library.
Wasilla Library Gets Gay Children’s Books
UPDATE: Wasilla Library Rejects “Heather Has Two Mommies” and “Daddy’s Roommate”
* * *
Gay Americans Donate Children’s Books to Wasilla Library, On Eve of Banned Books Week
Gay and lesbian Americans concerned with attempted censorship at public libraries recently donated copies of “Heather Has Two Mommies” and “Daddy’s Roommate” to the Wasilla, Alaska, public library. This show of support for diversity and First Amendment rights is a pro-active direct response to reports that former mayor and now GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin may have tried to remove the children’s books from the shelves in the 1990s.
The two gay-themed books were given to the library to guarantee they were available for the Wasilla community to read and enjoy. The donation was made in anticipation of Banned Books Week, which begins on September 27.Ultimately, the gay and lesbian citizens would like to place copies of “Daddy’s Roommate” and another gay-themed children’s book, “And Tango Makes Three,” on the shelves of Alaska’s one-hundred-and-one public libraries. (“Heather” is out of print, which is why “Tango” was chosen.)
San Francisco activist Michael Petrelis and his longtime partner Mike Merrigan gave the books not only to insure local kids would have access to them, but also to strengthen diversity in Alaska.
“When we first became aware of this story concerning Palin’s possible call for literary censorship, it dismayed us,” said Petrelis, who blogs at PetrelisFiles.com. “If Palin’s attitude towards literary freedom, not to mention her respect for diversity, have not changed since the 1990s, then her qualifications for vice president are certainly to be called into question.” Local gay support for the donation came from E. Ross of BentAlaska.com, a gay news and activities service web site based in Anchorage.
“Giving gay books to the Wasilla public library is a wonderful, pro-active way to foster communication and encourage reading. Many libraries and schools have been pressured to ban ‘Heather Has Two Mommies’ and ‘Daddy’s Roommate’ over the years, proving that citizens against diversity and tolerance pose a danger to education and unity everywhere. These two titles are prime examples of books that should have a secure place on many public and school library shelves,” said Ross.
Ross will be contacting the Wasilla librarian after the donation, to confirm that the library will place the books on the shelves, and will write a follow-up report on BentAlaska.com.The director of the Wasilla library, KJ Martin-Albright, last week posted a note to the Publisher’s Weekly blog regarding these issues:
At one point, ‘Heather Has Two Mommies’ was challenged at the Wasilla Public Library and it was decided to keep it on the shelf. So, why is it no longer there? Well, Wasilla out grew the size of its library about twenty years ago . . . Along with the fact that library collections are dynamic and not static, anything on the bookshelves has to earn its real estate. If it isn’t circulating, it doesn’t stay. I know this is not the ideal, but it is our reality. The library no longer has ‘Heather’, but we do our best to offer materials encompassing all different points of view and presenting every side to an argument.
For approximately $2,300, the gay activists, in collaboration with the Lambda Rising gay book store in Washington, DC, will purchase and ship two gay children’s books to every one of the state’s public libraries.
When Sarah Palin returns to being the full-time governor of Alaska on November 5, we’d like for her to find her public library system has welcomed these gay-themed children’s book as a gesture of respect for equality and diversity, which is a true American value.
This Week in GLBT Alaska 9/18/08
Resources on the “ex-gay” movement
The gay community held an all-day vigil to counter the “ex-gay” conference in Anchorage last weekend, plus a seminar with gay-affirming clergy and mental health professionals, and presentations by Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out.
Parents, friends and family members who have questions about “reparative therapy” and the ex-gay movement are invited to join PFLAG‘s support meeting, Thursday Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.
Learn about “ex-gays” and the “ex-gay” movement from those who know it best:
- Beyond Ex-Gay – an online community for those who have survived ex-gay experiences
- Ex-Gay Watch – dedicated to monitoring the ex-gay movement
- Truth Wins Out – fighting right wing lies and the “ex-gay” fraud
These civil rights groups have information on the ex-gay movement and tools to help local communities deal with the ex-gay events in their towns (links go to ex-gay pages):
- PFLAG – Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
- GLAAD – Gay & Lesbian Alliance against Defamation
- Soulforce – Freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious & political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance
- Southern Poverty Law Center – Advocates for Justice and Equality
These LGBT blogs have vast archives on the ex-gays and Focus on the Family:
- Good As You – gay and lesbian activism with a sense of humor
- Box Turtle Bulletin – news, analysis and fact-checking of anti-gay rhetoric
- Pam’s House Blend – … always steamin’
Anchorage Press covers the “ex-gay” conference
The cover story for this week’s Anchorage Press shows the truth behind the ex-gay conference that recently came to town, and includes the gay-affirming events also held that weekend. From Straight Talk? —
And now the culture wars are raging in Anchorage, too, with Love Won Out descending on the town and the opposition it sparked evident both outside on the sidewalk and in a gay-friendly church that last week hosted speakers who were outraged by this promotion of ex-gay ministries.
and:
“[The ex-gay movement] is just a smokescreen for political action, to elect right-wing politicians and to pass anti-gay laws. Nothing more, nothing less,” says Besen [from Truth Wins Out].
Read the full story and thank the Anchorage Press for this great article.
Our kids don’t need changing, part 2: Local news coverage
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight allies gathered in Anchorage on Saturday to protest the ex-gay conference. Their message of LGBT equality was echoed by the many cars who honked in support. See the photos and story: Our Kids Don’t Need Changing (part 1).
The local television news picked up the story:
