Articles by E. Ross
E. Ross is the founder of Bent Alaska.
Drag Queen Bingo!
Join Adam & Steve at Snow City Cafe on Thursday, June 26, 7-9 p.m for their annual fundraiser. Admission is $5 unless you come in drag or bring 5 cans of food for the Four A’s food drive. Drag Queen Bingo is an all ages event, with fabulous prizes and entertainment.
Route Change for Anchorage PrideFest 2008
The Anchorage PrideFest Parade will go down 9th Avenue this year, due to construction along the usual route and the Statehood Celebration on 4th.
The Parade will begin on E Street & 8th Avenue, move south on E for one block, then travel west along 9th from E to L. The Festival will be in the usual place on Delaney Park Strip between K & L.
Parking may be more difficult. Plan to carpool, walk, take the bus or ride your bike.
This Week in GLBT Alaska
From Alaska GLBT News (subscribe):
Fairbanks
- Irina Rivkin with Inna 6/12, 8 p.m. at College Coffeehouse, $5-10 sliding scale donation suggested.
- PFLAG Meeting 6/16, 6 p.m. at Bobby’s.
Homer
- Bac’untry Bruthers at Down East Saloon 6/12, 10 p.m.
Anchorage
- Juneteenth Festival (6/13- 6/15 from 1 p.m.-10 p.m.) with Irina Rivkin 6/14 at 7 p.m.
- Alaska Run For Women, 6/14. Online registration: http://www.akrfw.org/
- Ol’ Wild West Dinner and Show, 6/14, 7 p.m. $15.00 Mad Myrna’s.
The Pride Month Exhibit at the U. S. Courthouse and Federal Building at 8th Avenue and A Street in Anchorage is on display for the month of June.
Alaskans Together Returns and Gives Marriage Advice
Alaskans Together, the group that led the surprisingly successful fight against the April 2007 anti-gay advisory vote on same-sex partner benefits, is pleased to announce that it is re-forming as two new groups.
Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. is a non-profit that can lobby the Alaska Legislature for equal rights for LGBT Alaskans. Alaskans Together Foundation will be an educational non-profit that can receive grants and educate the Alaskan public on the need for equal treatment and civil rights for LGBT Alaskans.
There is much work to be done in Alaska!
As one of our first projects, we would like to support the new marriage freedoms in California. We ask Alaskan couples who plan to get married in California to please contact us, so we can support you and work with you in our shared goal of advancing LGBT rights in Alaska. There is also media interest in interviewing Alaskan couples traveling to California to get married.
Although Alaska’s LGBT couples deserve full marriage rights, we discourage Alaskan couples who marry in California from suing for marriage rights when they return to Alaska. Given the current constitutional ban on gay marriage in Alaska, a lawsuit demanding marriage rights in Alaska is likely to lose, and this loss could set us back even further.
Please contact us at alaskanstogether@gmail.com if you are planning to get married in California, or if you are interested in learning more about Alaskans Together.
We look forward to your future membership and involvement in our organizations.
[Editor’s Note: LGBT organizations around the country are urging couples who get married in California but reside in states with same-sex marriage bans to enjoy being married and to share news of their wedding with friends, relatives and neighbors – but not to sue their home states. They believe that the goal of national marriage equality will be set back by such law suits.]
Norway Approves Gay Marriage!
Today, the Norwegian Parliament passed a bill that makes civil marriage gender neutral, giving same-sex couples the right to marry. The law also recognizes both partners in a marriage as equal parents, and gives lesbian couples the same access to “medically assisted reproduction” as opposite-sex couples. The Church of Norway will be allowed, but not required, to bless the gay and lesbian marriages. Passage of the law makes Norway the sixth country in the world to approve same-sex marriages. Go Norway!
Juneteenth Celebrates Emancipation on the Park Strip
The annual Juneteenth Festival, celebrating freedom and diversity, will be held on the Delaney Park Strip, June 13-15 from 1p.m. to 10 p.m.
OutMusic Award Recipient Irina Rivkin plays at 7 p.m. on June 14. Irina’s Alaska Tour, and a review of her cd “upwelling,” are posted here.
(This is not a GLBT event, but Irina is ‘family’ and the event is open to all. Perhaps I need a new category, for other diversity events that the GLBT community can support.)
The 19th of June, known as “Juneteenth,” is the date when slavery ended in America.
Although rumors of freedom were widespread, the announcement of emancipation did not come to the last group of slaves until Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to read General Order No. 3, on the 19th of June, 1865.
This was more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, officially ending slavery.
The Anchorage Juneteenth Celebration started in 1993 as a 1-day celebration at the Fairview Rec Center. The celebration moved to the Park Strip in 1995 and became a 3-day event. The African American Historical Society of Alaska (AAHSA) organizes Juneteenth.
Juneteenth supporters are hopeful that the “19th of June” will finally be established as a national holiday observance in America. Senator Barack Obama has been a key sponsor of Juneteenth legislation, and a keynote speaker at the annual Juneteenth Congressional Reception.
President George W. Bush has not participated in the annual Washington Juneteenth National Holiday Observance since taking office in 2000.
LGBT Community Interest Survey
UPDATE: The survey is now available on Survey Monkey.
What is the biggest problem facing Alaska’s LGBT community?
What legal issues do you support: LGBT parenting rights, marriage and domestic partnership rights, safe schools policies, and/or nondiscrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity?
Tiffany McClain wants to know your top priorities for our community, and your top LGBT priorities for the ACLU of Alaska. The LGBT Community Interest Survey is available through e-mail, and Tiffany will also bring the survey to Anchorage PrideFest.
LGBT people and our allies all over Alaska, please complete this survey. Then ask your friends and neighbors to take the survey.
Write to Tiffany McClain, LGBT Public Policy Coordinator, ACLU of Alaska: tmcclain@akclu.org
Pride Chorus Spring Concert Touches the Soul
The women of the Juneau Pride Chorus performed a great Spring Concert!
“Songs for the Soul,” the 10th annual Juneau Pride Chorus spring concert, presented an evening of music at the new Juneau Arts and Culture Center. The Juneau Pride Chorus is part of Juneau PFLAG, and the Chorus recently donated several hundred dollars to a local PFLAG scholarship for graduating seniors. An earlier article about the concert is here.
The Juneau Pride Chorus is meeting on June 26 to vote on music for next season, and they invite interested women singers to attend. Then the Chorus takes a break for the summer and begins rehearsing again in August. Contact Marsha for the time and location of the June meeting, or check Alaska GLBT News for updates.
Jill, Linda and Paula wrote about the Spring Concert. (Thank you for letting me post your comments!)
Once again, the Juneau Pride Chorus and our fabulous audience created magic in a space that doesn’t seem at all magical! Betsy, our sound engineer, was a genius in using a light touch with amplification. I was astounded by the return of that magnificent powerful final note after we stopped singing….as if the space confirmed the power and beauty we offered. I am always amazed at the relationship we have with our audience….they always spur us on to be better, brighter, more full of life. We are fortunate to have an audience who engages with us. Thanks to all for the wonderful season full of laughter, tears, beauty. It has a been a real privilege to be a part of this phenomenon for 10 years. – Soprano 2, Jill SandlebenI, too, loved watching the performance. I was so impressed with you all, and especially of the many of you who put yourself out there to do solos, play an instrument, or sing in an ensemble! Everyone had great expressions on their faces and in their body movement. While it was fun to be in the audience and get to be entertained, I will hurry back to join you all when we get going again this fall! – Alto 1, LindaThose who weren’t there missed a wonderful, wonderful performance. I loved every minute of it and wasn’t at all ashamed of some of my tears since they were in the eyes of many around me. “Power Tools” was the biggest kick and the audience loved the “choreography.” Have a wonderful summer and I’ll see you in the fall. – Soprano 2, Paula Terrel, a Pride Chorus member on spring hiatus.
This Week in GLBT Alaska
From Alaska GLBT News (subscribe)
Events
- QueerSpace: Celebrating Thousands of Years of Gay & Lesbian Literature, 6/6-6/7, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. Out North
- Pedazos, for Out North’s First Friday art opening 6/6 Out North
- KYNT & VYXSIN in Anchorage 6/5 at Club Alano (9 p.m.) and 6/6 at Chilkoot Charlies (10 p.m.) and in Fairbanks 6/7 at the Bat Cave (9 p.m.)
Anchorage PrideFest Wants You!
Get the wheels you love to ride and join Dykes on Bikes & Friends in this year’s Pride Parade. We’re looking for all riders who wish to share the fun of riding together on this most special day. Bring your own style and let’s roar. Deb
If your group or organization wants to host a GLBT-themed EVENT during Pride week, June 20-29, contact info@anchoragepride.com. We’ll list your event on the official Anchorage PrideFest web site and in our printed schedule of events for distribution at venues across Anchorage. New events are always welcome and add variety to this annual celebration of Big Wild Gay Life in Alaska. We’re also seeking PARADE ENTRIES for the Celebrating Diversity Parade on June 28 and VENDORS for the Festival on the Park Strip that afternoon. Download parade & vendor apps at www.anchoragepride.com. Deadline: JUNE 21st.
The Geography of Same-Sex Marriage
by E. Ross
UPDATE: On June 11, the Norwegian Parliament passed a bill that allows same-sex couples to marry, making Norway the sixth country in the world to approve same-sex marriages!
Remember those geography lessons where you filled in information about states and countries on an outline map? Well, get out a new map for the current round in the fight for same-sex marriage.
The chain reaction of change and backlash came fast and furious these past few weeks.
On May 15, the California Supreme Court ruled that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry. In 2005 and again in 2006, the state legislature had voted to legalize same-sex marriage, but the Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the measures.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Canada, Spain, South Africa, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Same-sex civil unions or partnerships are legal in New Zealand, Uruguay, and fourteen European countries, including France, Germany, and the UK.
Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire offer civil unions with many of the rights and responsibilities of marriage. Oregon’s domestic partnerships also include a broad set of protections, while partnerships in Maine, Hawaii, Washington, and the District of Columbia offer limited protections for same-sex couples.
A case is pending in the Connecticut Supreme Court on whether civil unions fall short of fulfilling the equal rights of same-sex couples.
Massachusetts allows state residents to marry, but only allows an out-of-state same-sex couple to marry in Massachusetts if the marriage is legal in the couple’s home state.
On May 29, New York Gov. David Paterson told state agencies to recognize same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts, Canada and other places where they are legal. Although same-sex couples cannot get married in New York, the state respects all legal out-of-state marriages. Ditto in Rhode Island and New Mexico, although this has not been tested in New Mexico.
On May 30, Talis J. Colberg, the Attorney General of Alaska, joined several conservative anti-gay groups and the Attorneys General of Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah in urging the California Supreme Court to delay its ruling to legalize same-sex marriage in California.
On May 31, Attorney General Kelly Ayotte announced that New Hampshire was withdrawing from the request and will recognize a legal gay marriage from California as a civil union.
On June 2, an initiative that would outlaw gay marriage in California qualified for the November 4 ballot. It was funded by an evangelical billionaire from Orange County and a Colorado-based anti-gay group, Focus on the Family. It would overturn the May 15 ruling that legalizes same-sex marriage in California.
Nine states, including Alaska, have amendments that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Seventeen states, including Michigan, have constitutional amendments that prohibit any type of same-sex spousal rights. The amendments in South Dakota and Nebraska specifically prohibit civil unions and domestic partnerships.
The Michigan Supreme Court recently ruled that their broadly worded amendment prohibits public universities, state agencies and local governments from offering health insurance to partners of gay and lesbian state employees. The Alaska Supreme Court had ruled that the narrower ban requires the state to provide equal partner benefits to gay and lesbian employees.
The Iowa Supreme Court is considering whether the state’s legislative ban on same-sex marriage violates equal rights protections in the state constitution.
On June 3, the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group based in Arizona, filed a lawsuit to stop the state of New York from recognizing same-sex marriages legally performed in Massachusetts, Canada and possibly California.
On June 4, California’s highest court refused to delay its decision to legalize same-sex marriage, clearing the final hurdle for the nation’s most populous state to start marrying gay and lesbian couples on June 17. (AP)
Same-sex couples around the country have four and a half months to get legally married in California, before the California voters decide whether to stop or to continue offering same-sex marriages.
Florida will also vote on an amendment to ban gay marriage. In West Virginia, a group of Republican legislators asked the Governor to place same-sex marriage on the agenda if a special session is called, so they can start the process of a constitutional amendment to ban the marriages.
The Alaska state legislature began a special session this week to discuss the gas pipeline. Raise your hand if you think a ban on the recognition of same-sex marriages will be discussed.
That’s where same-sex marriage stands today. Keep those maps on hand and stay tuned for future updates.
