Articles in Anchorage
Bent News, 9/29/11: Andrew Caleb Pritt makes the Anchorage Daily News
The Anchorage Daily News reports on Caleb Pritt, Wal-Mart adds transgender protections, and more in this edition of Bent News.
Alaskans celebrate the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
Alaskan soldiers & Senator Begich reflect on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which ended on Tuesday, and the LGBT community celebrates at two local events.
Homes for Our Troops: “Money from the fundraiser was lost” (Andrew Caleb “Drew” Pritt aka Diedra)
Questions emerged over the weekend about missing funds from a fundraiser held last month to raise money for the charity Homes for Our Troops (HFOT). The fundraiser, dubbed “Home for an Alaskan Hero,” was intended to help complete building of a fully accessible home for Army Sergeant Latseen Benson of Chugiak, who lost his legs to an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq in November 2005. Latseen is the son of Alaska politician Diane Benson, an ally of the LGBT community.
Gay in AK: LGBT in Anchorage and the State — a community panel at UAA Constitution Week 2011
As part of UAA Constitution Week 2011, University of Alaska Anchorage will present a community panel Friday, September 23 which will explore the issue of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights as it relates to the Alaska and United States Constitutions. The panel will feature leaders who have advocated for equal rights in front of Alaska’s courts, the Anchorage Assembly, and the University of Alaska Board of Regents.
One Anchorage campaign to begin gathering signatures
About 50 people gathered last night in Waldron Hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage to learn about One Anchorage, the campaign by Equality Works to add sexual orientation and transgender identity to the Anchorage equal rights code through a ballot initiative. The initiative, if successful, will provide the same legal protections against discrimination already provided in Anchorage on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age, physical disability, and mental disability. The One Anchorage campaign was announced on September 1.
Sugarbuzz, a friend & fundraiser for Identity — Saturday in Anchorage
Following the kd lang and Wanda Sykes concerts in Anchorage Saturday, meet and greet your friends at ORSO for Sugarbuzz, a friend and fundraiser for Identity. And who knows, you might even meet kd and Wanda, who will be getting personal invitations to join us along with their crew.
University students take the lead
University students around the state are kicking into gear — with classes, but also with activities, organizing, and leadership development.
UAA celebrates DADT repeal on September 20
It’s not a post-DADT world yet, but it will be after September 20 — and University of Alaska Anchorage will be celebrating! Wear camo and join the UAA students and veterans as we celebrate the end of this discriminatory legislation. We’ll be at the Student Union with pizza and other resources.
Why September 20? It marks 60 days after the formal certification of DADT repeal by President Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — and as passed by Congress, the repeal bill required that wait before DADT could finally end.
Other celebrations will be going on around the country: check Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) for details. If you’re in the service, see SLDN’s new guide to the post-DADT military, Freedom to Serve: The Definitive Guide to LGBT Military Service.
- Date/time: Tuesday, September 20, 2011
12:00 noon to 1:00 PM8am-11am - Location: UAA Student Union, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK (see map)
- Further info: See SLDN event page
One Anchorage Community Forum to be held this Wednesday
On September 1, 2011, Equality Works launched the One Anchorage Campaign, a ballot initiative campaign to place an initiative on the April 2012 municipal ballot in Anchorage to add sexual orientation and transgender identity to Anchorage’s equal rights code. This follows on an equal rights ordinance which passed the Anchorage Assembly in 2009 by a vote of 7–4, only to be vetoed by Mayor Dan Sullivan.
The One Anchorage Campaign will hold a community form on the ballot initiative Wednesday, September 14 to speak directly with members of the LGBTQ community, answer questions, and hear suggestions.
To RSVP or if you have any questions about the Community Forum please contact Johnathan Jones at 263-2006 or jjones@oneanchorage.com.
- Date/time: Wednesday, September 14. Doors open 6:00 PM, program begins 6:30 PM
- Location: Waldron Hall, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 2222 East Tudor Rd (near the corner of Lake Otis and Tudor) (see map)
- Further info: see Equality Works website or Bent Alaska’s blog post
Tina Beltz (1979–2011)
We were saddened to learn of the death of Tina Beltz in a traffic accident in Manhattan, Montana on August 31. A celebration of her life will be held this Saturday, September 10 at 2 PM at the Covenant Church in Wasilla. We offer our condolences to her fiancée, family, friends, and all who knew her.
