Articles in Fairbanks
Five candidates run for Emperor & Empress 38
This Week (and next) in LGBT Alaska 7/9/10
Juneau
“Life’s a Drag” show and flogger making party 7/9, 8:30 p.m. at the Rendezvous Bar, $10 benefit for Four A’s & the ICOAA.
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Jaded Lounge.
SEAGLA and PFLAG Annual Pride Picnic, 7/17, 4-8 p.m. at Skater’s Cabin.
Fairbanks
Brandi Carlile concert at The Blue Loon, Thursday 7/15, 8 p.m. Tickets HERE.
Angry, Young & Poor 2010, 7/17 noon-midnight, a (gay-friendly) music event at Ester Community Park.
ICOAA Ducal Ball XVIII: The Duck Awards, Pioneer Park, 7/17, doors at 7 p.m. show at 8. $15 for food and show.
Mat-Su Valley
Coyote Gardens Open Garden 7/17 from 10-5 and 7/18 from noon-4, garden tours by Les and Jerry to raise funds for The Alaska Rock Garden Society and the Willow Garden Club.
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.
Anchorage
EverReady plays the Bear Paw Festival in Eagle River, 7/10, 1:00p.m.
Comedy Hypnosis (Summer Hump) Show 7/10, 9-10:30 p.m. at Mad Myrna’s. Tickets HERE.
Seven Deadly Sins 3.0, on 7/11 at 5:30p.m., Mad Myrna’s. Tickets $25 in advance for the 7 course meal and entertainment. Proceeds to benefit NE2010 and Identity Inc. Tickets HERE.
Ray Boltz Concert at MCCA, 7/11 from 7:15-9 p.m. Register HERE for FREE tickets.
LGBT Caucus of the Alaska Democratic Party meeting 7/13, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at ADP headquarters, 2602 Fairbanks Street in Anchorage.
Operaoke! 7/13, 9-10:30 p.m. at Myrna’s.
Identity & PFLAG Volunteer Appreciation Picnic, 7/15, 6 p.m. at Goose Lake Park.
Brandi Carlile concert at The Discovery Theater 7/16, 7:30 p.m. SOLD OUT.
Glitter Parade & Pride Picnic in Fairbanks
My oh my, can we have fun with that! Come out and join us all you Queens, Kings, and Princesses. Bring your tiaras and your glittery best. Tell your friends and anyone else who’ll be interested, and let’s show Fairbanks our Pride!
This year’s Fairbanks Pride Picnic will be held July 24th at Growden Park directly after the Golden Days Parade. Join us for BBQ, performances, booths, and games galore! The fun starts around 1pm and they don’t kick us out until 8pm. Bring your friends, your family, and your need to have a good time.Want to get involved and help your local community? We are looking for organizations and groups who would like to share their information, performers who don’t need a real stage, and anyone else who may want to lend a hand.
Denali Moose Scat Race benefits Interior AIDS
ARAMARK parks and resorts is kicking off their season with the annual Moose Scat Scoot Race. Thanks to the community’s previous donations and assistance, our staff can continue to bring various recreational and social events to Denali. The goal of this event is to raise funds for the Interior Alaska AIDS Association.This year’s Moose Scat Scoot will take place on Saturday, June 26, 2010 inside Denali Park. The race consists of a half marathon bike/run, 5k run/walk, and a 1/2 mile fun run/walk. There will be an entry fee of $25 for each runner, with sponsorships to raise money for the Alaskan Interior AIDS Association.We hope that you will consider donating items to provide us assistance with prizes and merchandise that will go toward participants and winners, as well as helping provide friendly benefits for the community. Your contributions will be one huge asset to the race and any donation will go directly to the Interior Alaska AIDS Association.For further consideration, any business which is able to provide prizes and items in the amount of $200.00 or more will have the benefit of displaying their business’ name screen-printed on the back of the event T-shirt.
Santaland responds to anti-gay incident
Dear Sir,I appreciate your invitation to respond to the allegation that we evicted a guest of Santaland RV Park based on sexual orientation.With regard to this particular incident, there were a number of things that were considered when we made our decision to ask this guest to leave our park. For privacy reasons I will not go into these factors, but I can assure you that sexual orientation was never even considered in the course of our decision to evict the guest, and certainly never came up in our discussions with this particular guest.We have had tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of happy guests through our park over the years. We have always, and will continue to welcome everyone to our park, regardless of sexual orientation or any other factor.Sincerely,Santaland RV ParkWhere Santa Spends His Summers!125 St. Nicholas Drive, North Pole, AK 997051.907.488.9123 / Toll Free 1.888.488.9123www.SantalandRV.com / info@SantalandRV.com
Praise his name! Its time we take HIS campgrounds back.
LaMex for Four A’s, DoB at Pride, Softball, HIV testing & AYP in Fairbanks
Anti-gay incident at SantaLand
A well-respected member of the North Pole community and his partner were recently asked to leave Santa’s RV because they are gay. Santa’s RV is owned by the same people who own the Santa Claus House. Use of other campgrounds in Fairbanks or North Pole are suggested for anyone who despises this kind of discrimination. Thanks!
All I know is that they were told they had been reported as too loud and when they questioned that, they were told that the fact they were gay was the deciding factor.
Fairbanks soldier investigated for “future gay terrorist” video
A Fairbanks soldier is under investigation for posting on Facebook a video titled “future gay terrorist!” with two Iraqi children being taunted about being homosexuals and terrorists, and writing, “I was bored in Iraq. So I kept myself entertained.”
The young boys don’t understand the soldier’s insults about being gay and liking gay sex, so they nod and smile. When he asks if they will grow up to be terrorists, at first they return his thumbs up, then the older boy realizes the soldier is not being friendly.
Robert Rodriguez, stationed at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, made his Facebook page private a week after posting the clip, and his wall and videos are no longer visible to the public. However, a second Alaska-based soldier shared the video, and concerned friends in North Carolina contacted a local television station, which posted this video and the article quoted below:
The 30-second clip shows the two boys standing side by side on a dusty road, and the photographer asks them if they’re gay and engage in homosexual acts. The boys smile and nod, but it’s unclear whether they understand English.
“Are you going to grow up to be a terrorist? Yeah! All right! Cool! Yeah, terrorists! Woo!” the photographer says.
The boys smile and give a thumbs-up signal.
“Are you going to plant IEDs?” the photographer asks. “Yeah, awesome!”
The older boy apparently realizes at this point that they are being mocked, and he holds down the younger boy’s arm.
The video was posted May 14 on the Facebook page of Robert Rodriguez and titled “future gay terrorists.”
Rodriguez describes himself on Facebook as a soldier living in Fairbanks, Alaska. An Army spokesman said a Spc. Robert Rodriguez is stationed at Fort Wainwright, outside of Fairbanks.
It’s unclear whose voice is heard on the video, but in posting the video to Facebook, Rodriguez wrote, “I was bored in Iraq. So I kept myself entertained.”
A North Carolina soldier who also is based in Alaska subsequently shared the video with friends on his Facebook page, and a concerned area resident alerted WRAL News.
“The conduct portrayed in video is disgraceful and clearly inconsistent with the high standards we expect of every Soldier. The incident is currently under investigation. The Army will take appropriate action based on the findings of the investigation,” Maj. Bill Coppernoll, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Army in Alaska, said in a statement Friday.
Coronation, 2nd Celebration for F. Ken, Leaders & Cleaners
Gay AK – Notes from LGBT Alaska
Coronation 38, Labor Day weekend
Alaska Coronation 38 — “Kickin’ it old School…Back to our Roots” Labor Day weekend in Anchorage, Sept. 2-6, 2010! Call the Sheraton for reservations (907) 276-8700, mention ‘ICOAA’ for the special rate. Visit Imperial Court of All Alaska for updates throughout the summer.
2nd Celebration of Life in August for F Ken Freedman
F. Ken Freedman, a long-time member of the Anchorage LGBT community, a licensed professional counselor, Queer Activist and loving presence in the world, passed away on Saturday, May 1, 2010. Many calls and e-mails came in after the Celebration of Life was held on May 6th saying “But I did not know”, “Can we have a second service?” We decided to do so. Please send your name to Victoria if you would like to be kept in the loop about this service. His brother, who was very close to F Ken, spoke to him daily on the phone would love to meet all of F Ken’s Alaskan family. They are planning a second Celebration of Life in August 2010 to allow the greater community to mourn with them. More details to follow as they are planned. Please sign his guest book and share your memories with F Ken’s family of origin and family of choice.
Judge Lack wins Harvard fellowship
Judge Jonathon Lack, appointed in 2007, serves as the Superior Court Master and District Court Magistrate in the Alaska Court System, and he is one of ten LGBT leaders to win a Harvard fellowship this summer from The Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute. Congratulations!
New leader for the UAF Gay-Straight Alliance
Jessi Angelette, president of the UAF Gay-Straight Alliance and the student spokesperson for the effort to add gays to the UA non-discrimination policy, is moving out of state this summer. Lauren Tibbitts-Travis, current pres. of the GSA at Juneau Douglas High School, is graduating and moving to UAF where she will be their new GSA president and will continue working for the UA policy change. The Regents agreed to deal with it this year, their next meeting is June 3-4 in Anchorage, and Lauren will speak at the meeting. Thanks, Lauren! Congratulations to Jessi on the pregnancy, and good luck in your next state!
PFLAG thanks Mary Parker
The Anchorage PFLAG Board of Directors has accepted, with gratitude and thanks, the resignation of Board member Mary Parker. Mary has been a board member for the past 14 years, among many other things she has been our primary contact person with all aspects of Anchorage youth and UAA during that entire time. She plans to continue her work as a point of contact for both youth and UAA, but she wants to eliminate Board meetings from her busy schedule. The Board thanks Mary for her many years of valuable service and we hope her future schedule has a little more flexibility. Thank you very much for your time and efforts Mary, your wisdom will be missed!
Thanks to the Fabulous Nine
A great big Thank You to the Fabulous 9 people who showed up at 10 a.m. on Saturday and worked so hard to clean the highway for PFLAG Juneau. There were 4 men and 5 women who worked really hard! We collected 12-15 bags of garbage and quite a bit of recyclables. The sunshine was glorious, the lake was beautiful, and we got several waves and gratitude honks from passers by. That was community service you can see and feel good about, SEAGLA and PFLAG working together on improving the community in which we all live… Thanks!
Alice and LuLu in Fairbanks, Frontrunners in Anchorage
