Articles in Anchorage
This Week in LGBT Alaska 5/22/09
Fairbanks
Dance Your Heart Out: Country Western 2 step lessons & dancing 5/22, 7:30 p.m. $12/drop in per class. Bovee Studio, 1845 Caribou Way, off College Rd. RSVP to Judith.
Bac’untry Bruthers at the Trapper Creek Festival 5/23, 8 p.m.
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar, downtown.
Mat-Su Valley
Mat-Su LGBT Community Center in Palmer is open M-F 5-8 p.m. (except 6-8 on Wed.) The social group meets Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. at Vagabond Blues. Harmony Choir meets at the Center on Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.
Anchorage
Side Street Saturdays for LGBT writers, Saturdays noon-3 p.m. at Side Street Cafe.
Jay Her’s Adult Comedy Hypnosis show at Mad Myrna’s 5/23, 9 p.m. $10
Sunday worship with Rev. Norman Van Manen and MCC Anchorage, Sundays 2 p.m.
Transgender Support Group, Sundays 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.
The Big Annual Memorial Day GLBT Community Picnic in front of the Kincaid Park chalet 5/25, noon-5 p.m. Sponsored by the Imperial Court (ICOAA) which sells burgers, hot dogs, chips and drinks as a fundraiser.
Gay, Joyous and Free AA Meeting, Mondays 6 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Anchorage Frontrunners, Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Share your Story of Discrimination
“It also occurred to me to wonder if maybe I’d been fired for being a lesbian. This was confirmed a couple of days later when I went in to the store to pick up my final paycheck. I talked with one of my other (former) coworkers, whose name I don’t remember — in “Prima Facie” she goes by the initial M. M was maybe two or three years younger than me, a rather innocent-seeming Mormon girl who seemed embarrassed by what she had to tell me. She said that the day before I was fired, she had seen Chris at the back of the store talking with higher-ups from downtown, including the manager. On the same day, Chris had announced to coworkers that I was gay. On the day I was fired, Chris had gone about the store singing, “Mel got fired, Mel got fired.”“I’ve never seen Chris since, but my best guess is that she resented me for complaining to our manager about her habit of taking overlong breaks, & decided to get her revenge by playing on the prejudices of higher management.”
“[H]ad sexual orientation been a protected class… I would have had grounds to file a complaint with the state human rights commission & seek redress. (Like maybe getting my job back.)“But sexual orientation was not a protected class under Alaska Statutes. Nor was it under federal legislation, nor under municipal ordinance. I was, as they say, S.O.L.”
“As a result, I received threatening phone calls (I remember my boyfriend at the time grabbing the phone from me to deal with one of the nasty callers) and all four of my tires slashed. Another member of the band was (literally) harassed and followed down the street!“Worst of all, the only male member of the band lost the job he had been offered with, ironically, the Municipality! As a result of this, he couldn’t get hired in his field and eventually ended up moving to the lower-48 with his wife and child.”
MCCA’s Pastor Van Manen Goes On The Record
Big Gay Memorial Day Picnic
Sen. Begich, Outrage, Jake’s Take & Carrie Prejean
8 Ways You Can Help Pass the Ordinance
- Learn about it. Read the text of Ordinance AO No. 2009-64(S), an ordinance news roundup (and a more recent roundup) and the goals of Equality Works.
- Call and Write to the Mayor and Assembly members, and send letters to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News, with messages of support for the ordinance. Talking Points, suggestions for writing an effective message, and links to Assembly email addresses are posted here.
- Show your support for the ordinance by wearing an “Equality Works” button and donating to Equality Works.
- Attend the public hearings on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers, on the ground floor of Loussac Library. Come early to get a seat in the room (doors open at 4 p.m.), or bring equality signs if you’re supporting from outside the building. Wear blue!
- Share your personal experiences of GLBT-based discrimination at the hearing. Email Tiffany McClain or use the online form. Stories from LGBT people and straight allies are needed. If you have an experience but don’t want to testify at the hearing, someone else can read it for you.
- Explain to others that discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people is currently legal in Alaska, that many GLBT people, and our allies, have been harmed by discrimination, and that this amendment will improve the lives of Anchorage residents.
- Blog in support of the ordinance and spread the word on social networks, link to Equality Works and become a Facebook fan, send your link to Bent Alaska or share it on Bent’s Facebook wall.
- Send this post to your friends and relatives, and ask them to do these 8 things to end legal discrimination against GLBT people in Anchorage.
This Week in LGBT Alaska 5/15/09
Bethel
Social reception for Alaskans Together for Equality 5/15, 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Bethel Community Services Building.
Fairbanks
Country Western 2 step lessons & dancing, three Fridays 5/15, 5/22, 5/29, at 7:30-8:30 p.m. $30 for the series, $12/drop in per class. Bovee Studio, 1845 Caribou Way, off College Rd. RSVP to Judith.
Pajama Party drag & variety show 5/16, doors open at 7 p.m. show at 8, at the Pioneer Party (Alaskaland) Civic Center.
Fairbanks PFLAG meeting 5/17, 4 p.m.
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar, downtown.
Palmer
Mat-Su LGBT Community Center in Palmer is open M-F 5-8 p.m. (except 6-8 on Wed.) The social group meets Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. at Vagabond Blues. Harmony Choir meets at the Center on Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.
Anchorage
Equality Works BBQ Party & Fun-Raiser 5/15, 6:30 p.m. private home, please RSVP for directions.
De-HiBearnation Brown Bear Bus Run 5/16, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. meet at The Raven Bar (4th & Gambell) the bus leaves promptly at NOON! The Last Frontier Men’s Club.
Side Street Saturdays, an informal meetup for LGBT writers, 5/16 at noon in Side Street Cafe.
“Homosexuality, Christianity & The Clobber Scriptures” used by traditional Christian Churches to promote anti-gay messages, this week’s sermon at the Sunday service with MCC Anchorage, 5/17, 2 p.m.
Patio Potluck Picnic at Mad Myrna’s 5/17, 3 p.m.
Transgender Support Group, Sundays 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.
Anchorage Frontrunners, Tuesdays, 6 p.m.
Check the Anchorage LGBT Meetup group and the Men of Anchorage, Alaska Meetup group for informal gatherings.
News Roundup on the Non-Discrimination Ordinance
- Assemblymember Patrick Flynn blogged his reasons for supporting the measure and took a poll on the issue (still open in the right hand column.)
- The Anchorage Daily News article focused on opposition by Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Temple, and was picked up by many newspapers and web sites.
- Mel Green wrote on the introduction of the ordinance and on the reactions to the ADN piece. The pieces are posted on her personal blog Henkimaa and here on Bent Alaska, and the second piece was posted on Progressive Alaska.
- Equality Works asks us to help end legal discrimination in Anchorage by writing to our Assembly members, sharing our experiences of discrimination at the June 9 hearing, and explaining to our friends and relatives that discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people is currently legal in Alaska.
- KTVA Channel 11 interviewed Assemblymember Patrick Flynn, acting-mayor Matt Claman, Jerry Provo of ABT, and Mel Green, an ‘advocate against discrimination’ (and a Bent contributor.)
- KTUU Channel 2 interviewed gay rights supporter Diana Wolfe, opponent Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council, and Assembly member Patrick Flynn.
- The Anchorage Press article “Hello Culture War” spoke with Jeffrey Mittman of the ACLU of Alaska on the efforts to reach out to religious organizations and the problems with the ‘special rights’ argument.
- The conservative Alaska Standard posted “Anchorage residents should be free to discriminate” by Dan Fagan, and audio clips with Connor, a gay 16 year old who argues for the right to marry, and Bruce, a landlord.
- The Immoral Minority commented on the KTUU poll that asked if the Anchorage Assembly should pass an ordinance banning discrimination against homosexuals. (Results: Yes 52%, No 48%)
- Celtic Diva’s Blue Oasis remembers the harassment experienced by straight allies who fought for a similar ordinance passed by the Assembly in 1992 but overturned by a newly elected Assembly in ’93. She promises to stand by us again and hopes “that we’ve grown as a city since then.”
KTVA and KTUU cover Anchorage Equal Protection Measure
Help us end legal discrimination in Anchorage
by Tiffany McClain of Equality Works
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Anchorage Municipal Assembly, Acting Mayor Matt Claman introduced an ordinance that will protect Anchorage’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, financial services, and Municipal business.
The Anchorage Municipal Assembly voted to hold a public hearing on June 9 and we need YOU to be there to show Assembly members that people in our town care about this issue.
There are plenty of things you can do TODAY to support this ordinance:
1) E-mail or Write to your Assembly Members
Our Assembly Members need to know where we stand. They will likely be bombarded with letters from those who believe that LGBT people should not be protected from discrimination, and it is important that we make our voices heard. By letting them know why you believe Equality Works, you are moving them one step closer to a vote to support equality. If you don’t know who your Assembly member is, this map should help you. Once you’ve found your Assembly person, find their contact information here. If you live in a district with two Assembly members, please send a copy to them both.
Suggestions for increasing your effectiveness:
- Be respectful. We believe that it is possible to passionately express your opinion without disrespecting elected officials or other people in our community who may disagree with you.
- Personalize it. When it comes to LGBT equality, it is true that the “personal is political.” There are countless examples of elected officials being moved to support our cause after having an opportunity to read the letters or even to speak one-on-one with people who are personally affected by discrimination.
- Be Clear. Tell them exactly how you want them to vote on this ordinance — Vote “Yes!”
- Use the Talking Points. If you’re at loss for what to say or just need a jumping off point, we encourage you to focus on our talking points. 1) Anchorage workers deserve to be judged solely on their qualifications and the merits of their work. 2) All Alaskans deserve protection from discrimination and harassment. 3) No Alaskan should have to deny who they are in order to keep a job or an apartment. Go here for more details.
- Be Brief. The most effective letters are no longer than one page.
2) Share Your Story
“Discrimination? There is no discrimination in this town!” At least, that is what some objectors are saying to defeat this ordinance. It is very possible that the decision to support or oppose this ordinance will come down to whether or not Assembly members believe that they are improving peoples’ lives by supporting it.
Are you an LGBT person who believes that you have been discriminated against by an employer, landlord, or business? Have you ever been told to stay closeted on the job? Are you a straight ally or family member who has felt the sting of public harassment or discrimination because of your friends or relatives, or because you were perceived as being “too masculine” or “too feminine”?
These are all examples of discrimination that could be addressed by the Equal Rights Commission if this ordinance is passed. There is no better time than at the public hearing on June 9 to share these stories with the people in a position to make a difference. If you would like to participate, please e-mail me today or call 907-258-0044 ext. 101.
3) Tell People
You will be surprised by the number of people who believe that LGBT people are already protected from discrimination by state or federal law. In many cases, they are supporters of equality who simply aren’t aware that it is completely legal to discriminate in Alaska. Make sure your friends and family members know the facts, and bring them with you to the public hearing on June 9. Also, link this post on your social networking pages and forward this post to two friends — NOW is the time to expand our support.
Remember, Equality Works!
