Articles by E. Ross
E. Ross is the founder of Bent Alaska.
Where to Find GLBT Alaska – Organizations, Groups & Publications
UPDATE: Check out the updated list of LGBTA Businesses in Alaska!
Visitors, new residents and even long-time Alaskans want to know where they can find GLBT Alaska. Previously, I posted our Annual Events and Recurring Events. Here is the resource list for Alaska’s GLBT organizations, groups and publications with their current web links or email contacts.
Organizations (in alphabetical order):
- 4 A’s – Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association provides supportive services to persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families, and works to eliminate the transmission of HIV infection and its stigma. Includes Power-On Alaska, Get It On, a quarterly newsletter and the Adam & Steve young men’s group.
- Alaskans Together – formed in 2007 to fight the anti-gay advisory vote, Alaskans Together is now a permanent statewide organization that advocates for LGBT equality in Alaska.
- Equality Works – a coalition working to protect Anchorage residents from discrimination and harassment.
- GLSEN & GSA – the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network has an Anchorage chapter, and the Gay Straight Alliance has student clubs in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks.
- IAA – Interior AIDS Association is a nonprofit organization in Fairbanks that provides HIV-related prevention, case management, and other support services.
- ICOAA – The Imperial Court of All Alaska raises money for scholarships and community non-profits through participation in fundraising events, benefits, titleholder balls and other functions.
- Identity – Identity’s programs include a statewide Helpline, the NorthVIEW quarterly newsletter, Anchorage PrideFest, the Pride Conference, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Anchorage (GLCCA), the Identity Advocacy Program, and support for local youth programs.
- Mat-Su LGBT Community Center – A new Center opened in Palmer, with social groups, a blog and a library.
- MCC – Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage, an Inclusive Church: Proud, Courageous and Loving.
- PFLAG – Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays has chapters in Anchorage, Juneau, Fairbanks, and Homer.
- RAW – Radical Arts for Women presents Celebration of Change, a short story contest and scholarships for women in the arts.
- SEAGLA – The Southeast Alaska Gay and Lesbian Alliance provides a supportive social network for GLBT people in Southeast Alaska.
- TLFMC – a non-profit social club that provides bears, leathermen, cowboys, their respective admirers, and other masculine Alaskan gay and bisexual men with the opportunity to meet socially.
Groups:
- AK Community – an informal youth and family group with a discussion forum.
- Alaska Women Write – women’s writing workshop, Thursdays 6-8 p.m. Immanual Presbyterian Church
- Anchorage FrontRunners – Anchorage GLBT walking/running club affiliated with International Front Runners, meets May-Oct, Monday nights at 6 p.m. for a run/walk on the Coastal Trail.
- Anchorage LGBT Meetup Group – meet with other members and supporters of your local LGBT community.
- Juneau Pride Chorus – The Women’s Chorus is affiliated with Juneau PFLAG, and rehearses weekly from late summer through their spring concert in May.
- Men of Alaska – a social Meetup group for gay men in and around Anchorage.
- Trans Alaska Pipeline – the official site for the Transgendered Alaskans’ Social Group and source for information and support for TransPeople everywhere.
- Transgender Support Group – Sundays 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Publications:
- Alaska GLBT News – statewide email newsletter with news, announcements and upcoming events.
- Bent Alaska – blog for GLBT News and Events with a Local Alaskan Bent.
- Grrlzlist – Anchorage women’s email newsletter with news, announcements, ads and upcoming events.
- Naked Ptarmigan – creative writing journal.
- NEWS – Sara’s emails of current local, national and international LGBT news briefs.
- Quarterly newsletters – 4 A’s and Identity (linked above) print quarterly newsletters.
- Yahoo! Groups – AnchoragePride, fairbankspride and matsulgbtcc, and some organizations have members-only groups.
- Facebook – several of the organizations have Facebook pages.
Have I missed something?
Alaska Air Discounts West Coast Pride and Seattle Softball
by E. Ross
Alaska Airlines has updated their Gay Travel site, adding 10% discounts to more LGBT events.
(For more on the “gay discounts” controversy, and Alaska’s rating on the Corporate Equality Index, see Alaska Still ‘Taking Diversity to the Sky’)
Flying to Seattle in late August or early September?
As a sponsor of the 2008 Gay Softball World Series, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are pleased to offer a 10% discount on air travel to the 2008 Series. This discount is valid for travel from August 15, 2008, to September 9, 2008, between Seattle and all U.S., Canadian, and Mexico cites served by Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air. (08 Series Promotion)
Flying between Seattle or Portland and San Francisco, Los Angeles or Palm Springs in June?
It’s time to celebrate LGBT PRIDE with a trip to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle or Portland for one of the PRIDE festivals celebrating diversity: June 6-8 in West Hollywood, June 14-15 in Portland or June 27-29 in San Francisco and Seattle.To celebrate PRIDE, Alaska Airlines is offering a 10% discount for flights between Seattle or Portland and either San Francisco or Los Angeles. To top it off, we’ll even throw in flights between Seattle or Portland and Palm Springs. We are PROUD to have you on board. (08 Pride Promotion)
Blogging for LGBT Families Day: Two Moms and Two Boys DO Make a Family
by E. Ross
A Juneau lesbian couple and their two sons were included in AK Mom, the Mother’s Day program that aired on the Alaska Public Radio Network (APRN) this year.
My Two Moms: When Woodrow Wilson declared Mother’s Day in 1914, there probably weren’t many two-mom families like the one led by Martha Murray and Jenifer Shapland of Juneau. They’ve been together for almost 23 years and are raising two boys.
The six minute segment can be heard on the APRN archive (starting at 29:50 of the 48 minute podcast.)
I asked Jenifer and Martha to reflect on the show and it’s effects on their family for Blogging for LGBT Families Day.
Why did you choose to do the interview?
We chose to do the interview because we are proud of our family. We feel that having positive media coverage helps change attitudes, and offers support to other gay-parent families.
Did you like the segment?
We were happy with the show, although we would have preferred to be profiled because of some accomplishment and had a side note that we were also a two-mom family. But in the conservative state we live in, being a two-mom family is an accomplishment in and of itself.
What responses have you gotten from others?
We have received many positive comments about the show. Our friends, family, and acquaintances are all thrilled. I suppose some folks didn’t like it, but had the courtesy not to tell us.
How did this experience effect you as a family?
The effect on our family was positive. It is good for our sons to hear themselves on the radio, and to be reminded how much support there is for new family structures. We have many friends who are two-mom families, and several who are lesbian couples co-parenting with the dads of their kids.
It’s also good to hear support for families in general. In our individualistic society, it is important for kids (and adults) to remember that the family is the formative unit. It’s where we learn our values, morals, and ideals, where we learn to love.
We have the support of our friends and families, our community, our churches, our kids’ schools, their friends’ parents, their sports clubs. We really haven’t run into problems anywhere we’ve chosen to go. We avoided Boy Scouts due to their anti-gay stance, but also for their para-military structure. We avoid anti-gay religious groups, but there are many who are welcoming. We don’t work in careers that require us to be closeted, but we have our careers of choice.
Despite the spate of anti-marriage bills being legislated across the country, the state of Alaska and the state of Washington have both recognized us as a family – our kids are legally ours. We can’t get married, but we’re legally a family!
It’s great to be parents, and we’re proud of our kids.
Check out the many posts on Mombian’s Blogging for LGBT Families Day site – they make great reading!
Attorney General of Alaska Wants to Delay CA Marriage Equality
by E. Ross
Talis J. Colberg, the Attorney General of Alaska, joined nine other state attorneys general in urging the California Supreme Court to delay finalizing its ruling to legalize same-sex marriage.
The attorneys general say in court documents filed Thursday that they have an interest in the case because they would have to determine if their states would recognize the marriage of gay residents who wed in California.They want the court to stay its ruling until after the November election, when voters likely will decide whether to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage. (Associated Press)
Delaying implementation of the ruling until after the election would spare the states from “unnecessary and unduly burdensome litigation in our courts,” said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, author of the brief.
Jerry Brown, the Attorney General of California, said that postponing implementation would withhold rights from couples who are now entitled to them.
These are the ten attorneys general who filed to delay the CA ruling:
Attorney General Talis J. Colberg, Alaska
Attorney General John W. Suthers, Colorado
Attorney General Bill McCollum, Florida
Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Idaho
Attorney General Mike Cox, Michigan
Attorney General Jon Bruning, Nebraska
Attorney General Kelly A Ayotte, New Hampshire
Attorney General Henry McMaster, South Carolina
Attorney General Larry Long, South Dakota
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, Utah
On Saturday, 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.
The California high court has until June 16 to decide whether to put its ruling on hold until November.
Note: local blogger Steve at What Do I Know? commented on Alaska’s involvement:
The same week that the Alaska Attorney General joined conservative legal groups in urging the California Supreme Court to delay finalizing its ruling to legalize same-sex marriage, approximately 22,000 Alaskans spent around $2.5 million to see a married gay man and to cheer him wildly.
He includes video he took at the Elton John concert in Anchorage.
Juneau Pride Chorus Sings "Songs for the Soul"
by E. Ross
“Songs for the Soul,” the 10th Anniversary Juneau Pride Chorus Spring Concert, presents an evening of music and food at the new Juneau Arts and Culture Center on May 31, at 7:30 p.m.
The concert features Chorus and audience favorites from the past 10 years, plus new songs and Cris Williamson’s classic “Song of the Soul.” Chorus member Maureen Johnson is the featured soloist, singing “I Am Who I Am” and “Gold.” Guest artist Kevin Wood, brother of Music Director Leslie Wood, will perform a new song.
“For the first time, we have a hilarious choreographed song,” said Chorus member Juanita Reese about their version of Ann Reed’s “Power Tools – Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”
During intermission, Chorus members are providing snacks and accepting donations to Equality for All to uphold same-sex marriage in California.
The Juneau Pride Chorus is a project of PFLAG Juneau.
“We just donated several hundred dollars to the second PFLAG scholarship to graduating seniors this year,” said Reese, who takes calls for PFLAG one week a month. “Juneau PFLAG sponsors one scholarship per year, but this year there were two deserving kids, so we helped out.”
Tickets are available at the door or from Chorus members: $12 for students K-12 and those 65+, $15 for adults, and $30 for a family of any size.
This Week in GLBT Alaska
From Alaska GLBT News (subscribe):
- 5/30 Meet ACLU of Alaska Director Jeffrey Mittman at the Breakwater in Juneau, Friday morning, 7 a.m. RSVP
- 5/30-5/31 Bac’untry Bruthers play in Homer, 5/31 at Duggan’s Pub (9 p.m.), 5/31 at Kharakters Bar (10 p.m.)
- 5/31 TLFMC Last Saturday Brunch, at BirchTree Dining in Anchorage, 10:30 a.m. Road Captain
- 5/31 “Songs for the Soul” 10th annual Juneau Pride Chorus spring concert, Juneau Arts and Culture Center, 7:30 p.m. Tickets
- 5/31 The Court of Fairbanks presents the Mardi Gras Show, Carlson Center, 8:30 p.m. $15
- 6/1 More Light Sunday, a June Pride service at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Anchorage, 9:30 a.m. continental breakfast, 10 a.m. service.
- 6/4 Irina Rivkin with Inna, at Tap Root Café in Anchorage, 8 p.m. $5-10 sliding scale donation suggested, no one turned away for lack of funds.
- Anchorage PrideFest 2008 seeks high energy entertainers for the all-ages, family-friendly Pride on the Parkstrip Festival. Applications online.
- ACLU of Alaska is looking for Volunteers. Contact Matt Serres, Volunteer Coordinator mserres@akclu.org
OutMusic award winner Irina Rivkin tours Alaska with personal and political songs
by E. Ross
Irina Rivkin is bringing her “poetic vocal worldfolk live-looped harmonies and beats” back to Alaska, with performances in Anchorage on June 4 at Tap Root Cafe and June 14 at the Juneteenth Festival, and in Fairbanks on June 12 at College Coffeehouse. Her twin sister Inna will open for her and harmonize.
Irina is returning to Alaska to visit her family and to tour. Last year, she performed at the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival and an Out North Showcase in Anchorage.
Singer-songwriter Irina Rivkin has performed for 25 years, from her childhood singing Russian folk and American Jazz in a family band, to performing her own songs for the last 12 years. She expresses insightful, gutsy, vocal world-folk originals, journeying into the personal and political, with occasional travels into Russian and Spanish language lyrics. Irina layers her poetic lyrics with rich textured harmonies, swirling with vocal percussive beats, all created live on-the-spot using her loop station instrument.
Her full-length CD “upwelling” was released on Rose Street Records in 2004. The song “See Through Bush,” about George W., was chosen for the Acoustic Rainbow v.20 radio sampler.
“Ya Eyo Lublu”, Irina’s “Russian-émigré-lesbian-coming-out-love-song” about bringing the woman she loves home to meet her mother, received an OutMusic Award for Outsong of the Year and was included on the “Safe Haven” compilation, raising funds for Portland LGBTQ youth services.
Irina’s father was fired and blacklisted by the KGB for “the crime of listening to poetry” and the family came to America seeking freedom. But in 2000, Bush “steals an election” and turns the country into “his own police state.” The song “Taking Our Freedom” compares her family’s experiences with the Russian KGB to the current tactics of the FBI.
Watch a live-looped version of “Taking Our Freedom” on Irina’s MySpace page, or listen to “upwelling” on SonicBids.
Irina also founded the Rose Street House of Music, a house concert & touring musical community featuring women singer-songwriters, with a focus on poetic music of substance & depth.
“She is political, jazzy, and rhythmic…hot, harmony-rich vocals… rhythm & sound would pass as a Russian Sweet Honey in the Rock.” Angela Page, Sing Out! Summer 2004
Irina’s 2008 Alaska Tour:
- Anchorage 6/4 (Wed) at Tap Root Café, 8 p.m. (1330 E Huffman), $5-10 sliding scale donation suggested, no one turned away for lack of funds.
- Fairbanks 6/12 (Thurs) College Coffeehouse, 8 p.m. (3677 College Road Unit 4), $5-10 sliding scale donation suggested, no one turned away for lack of funds.
- Anchorage 6/14 (Sat) at the Juneteenth Festival, 7 p.m. on the Delaney Park Strip, free.
She is also available for a house concert or live-looping workshop in Anchorage or Palmer on June 15, and in the Fairbanks area June 6-8.
Juneau "Femme Fatale" Raises $3000 For Four A’s
by E. Ross
The annual Femme Fatale Drag Show was a success, raising nearly $3000 for the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s), despite the lack of electricity in Juneau and an early end to the legislative session.
“The surprise of the show this year,” said Mikey LaChoy, Emperor 25 of the Imperial Court of All Alaska (ICOAA) and coordinator of Femme Fatale, “was when we pulled four un-witting contestants from the audience and let everyone vote on which would get a drag make-over and perform in the show. This was so popular that we decided to make it part of the show from now on.”
Femme Fatale has been a tradition in Juneau for almost twenty years.
“Emperors, Empresses and other drag performers from Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau put on a two night show, grown from the original one night only,” said LaChoy, who has been involved off and on for fifteen years. “The performers and staff pay their own airfare, hotel, and expenses, so all the money raised goes to AIDS prevention, education, and client services.”
This year’s Femme Fatale performers were Miss MeMe, a past Empress of Seattle now living in Anchorage, Past Empresses Joani and Vicki, the current empress Mary Bess, and the always fun Empress Rosie Rotten. Local performers also supported the show, including Juneau personality Mikea.
Originally, the show raised money for Shante of Juneau. Then Four A’s expanded to serve most of Alaska, including Juneau, and now the money raised by Femme Fatale is donated to them.
The Four A’s was established in 1985 and provides one-on-one case management, housing assistance and other supportive services to people living with HIV/AIDS, and also provides HIV prevention and education. The main Four A’s office in Anchorage coordinates services around the state.
Four A’s in Juneau is a small two person office. The case manager, Robbi Woltring, handles the client issues such as doctor’s visits, medications, housing, food and counseling. Lee Wagner is in charge of education and outreach.
“I hand out condoms on the streets downtown and in the bars, as well as doing outreach at the Glory Hole (Homeless Shelter/ Soup Kitchen) and the Polaris House (Mental Health Facility),” said Lee, an AmeriCorps volunteer known as the “condom lady” of Juneau. “I teach HIV 101 classes for Lemon Creek Correctional Center, Gastineau Human Services, Rainforest Recovery and others.”
Juneau Four A’s also provides free HIV testing in the office and the community. They use the Oraquick rapid test, which is an oral test that requires no blood, and the results are given in twenty minutes.
As for Femme Fatale, LaChoy is already making plans for next year. “We want to have the show earlier, during the legislative session, so we can get more attendance,” he said. “Yes, some of those legislators DO attend!”
“Hopefully, they will have fixed the energy crisis down there – although the girls looked even prettier with the dim lighting.”
OUT is IN – Alaska: Anchorage PrideFest 2008
by E. Ross
The roar of the motorcycles, the dance music and cheering crowd, a river of rainbows flowing through downtown Anchorage – yes, it’s almost time for Pride!
“OUT is IN – Alaska” is the theme of Anchorage PrideFest 2008. The Celebrating Diversity Parade will be held on Saturday, June 28 at 11 a.m., followed by the Festival on the Delaney Park Strip at noon.
PrideFest t-shirts are available at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Anchorage (GLCCA) for $20. They will also be sold at the Identity Pride Booth at the Anchorage Market (formerly the Saturday Market) the weekend before the parade.
Performers, sponsors, vendors and parade groups can download applications from the PrideFest site.
Snowy Day of Silence in Alaska
by E. Ross
Students in Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage joined students all over the country on National Day of Silence to protest the name-calling and bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered students.
A record number of students and schools participated in National Day of Silence, and some school districts held official anti-bullying events. DoS was held this year in honor of Lawrence King, a California student who was shot and killed in class for being gay.
Around the country, several anti-gay groups demonstrated against Day of Silence, including a well-publicized event at Mount Si High School near Seattle. The groups advised parents to keep their teenagers home from school.
In Alaska, there were no reported protests on Day of Silence. A few weeks before DoS, a city council meeting in Fairbanks became tense because of false claims made by a local anti-gay group. In response, newspaper and TV reports in Anchorage and Fairbanks quoted school district personnel defending the students’ right to participate in events like Day of Silence.
Next year’s Day of Silence will be held on Friday, April 17, 2009. No Name-Calling Week, an anti-bullying program for grades 5-8, will be held on Jan. 26-30, 2009.
Here are the reports about the Day of Silence activities that occurred in Alaska this year.
Juneau
“We had a great day at the JDHS Day of Silence,” said Casady Herding, Juneau-Douglas High School’s GSA Advisor.
“About 210 students signed up to take the vow of silence from 8:00 a.m. until our school day ends at 1:10 p.m. Then students broke the silence together in the commons with a collective shout, and there was a follow-up activity with two guest speakers.”
“It was a mellow day, since we didn’t do a big Night of Noise or rally as we have in the past. No protests like they had in Seattle, no reported harassment. I replied to two parents who had questions about the day’s activities, but that was it. I’m hoping this “business as usual” attitude reflects an awareness of others and a safer school climate than we’ve had in the past.”
“In past years, students organized rallies. One year a group of students, staff and parents marched to the capitol and listened to speakers such as Kim Elton and JDHS students. Last year we held a Night of Noise at our local Silverbow Cafe, with performances by the Pride Chorus and student musicians, singers and speakers in an open-mic forum. That was fun!”
Anchorage
Students in the Anchorage area high schools participated in Day of Silence, and celebrated at Pride Prom that night in a late April snow storm.
“I heard from one of the faculty sponsors at Pride Prom that DoS had about 150 participants, a record. Pride Prom had around (just a guess) 30 attendees, certainly reduced because of the snow. I think it went well, nevertheless,” said Steph, a Pride Prom chaperone.
“When I left [Pride Prom] about 9:40 p.m., everyone was dancing and having a great time,” said Tim Pearson, another chaperone.
Fairbanks
Students from West Valley, Lathrop and North Pole High Schools participated.
“After the initial controversy, things got pretty quiet,” said Jeff Walters, West Valley GSA co-advisor. “It helped that the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner wrote an editorial supporting the students’ right to participate in the Day of Silence. One of our GSA students wrote a Letter to the Editor that appeared the same day as the editorial. After that, we didn’t hear anything negative from the public. Our principal was very supportive. She kept telling the media that West Valley has participated in the Day of Silence for the last five years and nothing would change this year.”
A note from Kodiak
“We have a sleeping GSA in Kodiak,” said Cid, a school staff member. “It was active, but now it’s dormant. They did Day of Silence for 3 years, but that stopped too. The person at the HS who started it left… my hope is to get it going again.”
Do you know students who participated in DoS at other Alaskan schools? Homer, Palmer? Where are the “straight but not narrow” students who can help the LGBT youth with this event next year?
