Articles in Alaska communities
LGBT Caucus Joins Alaska Democratic Party
“The LGBT community will now have an official voice in the Alaska Democratic Party,” said Bert Mead, long time Democratic activist.
“We hope to engage the LGBT community to participate in local, state, and federal campaigns, and provide the training and knowledge to get involved politically across the state.”
“The Alaska Democratic Party welcomes the LGBT Caucus to our ranks,” said Patti Higgins, Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party.“As the Democratic Party continues to lead the fight for freedom for all, we invite other groups to join and add their strength and voice to ours. It is our expectation that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will be gone before the end of this year. We also expect that the Employment Non‐Discrimination Act will be passed.”
This Week in LGBT Alaska 5/14/10
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar.
Fairbanks
SOAP presents “Alice in the Underground” at the Empress Theater thru 5/15, at 7:30. Tickets $20 general/ $15 students, seniors, and military. Free for youth under 18.
Wednesday Social Group, contact Joshua for the location.
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.
Anchorage
“Helping Transpeople Find Their Voice” on 5/15 at 9 p.m. A great show at Mad Myrna’s to benefit TransAKtion, the Transgendered Alaskan Social Group, and the TransAlaska Pipeline website.
LipGLoss Revue returns to Kodiak Bar & Grill on 5/15 at 10 p.m.
Community Bake Sale to benefit the Four A’s on 5/16 from 4-6:30 p.m. The annual Bake Sale at Mad Myrna’s includes a dessert competition this year!
GLBT Art Show entries sought by Out North, opens 5/21
Hater Alert: Sound Aviation
God has created man to have fellowship with Him and gave man and women the desire to be fruitful and multiply—have children so that they too could enter into fellowship with God… He made sure that man knew why He had made him and gave him a book to instruct him. The Bible. This same Bible tells us that it is wrong and unnatural for men to burn with lust for other men and women to burn for other women. It is a crime against nature and the whole purpose and reason He made us. It is not loving but rather sinful. God has made a way for sinful man to be forgiven instead of being judged in the end. Since everything He asks man to submit to is right, just and loving —to do other than that is unloving and causes hurt, pain and misery to a society. The way to be forgiven is to stop sinning and submit to God’s rule of love which will bless all people you come in contact with. We are cleansed as we believe in the Lord Jesus and what He did on the cross—He came to allow a way for the law of God to be upheld and yet allow Him to forgive sinful man based on their faith in His substitutionary death on the cross–By faith in Him our pending doom can be canceled and we may begin a relationship with Him—It is really amazing to see how God deals with man–such patience with the wicked—waiting for them to turn to Him and His design for the universe. You to may enter into this amazing relationship TODAY—if you wish more information I would be happy to provide you with more. Homosexuality is NOT a civil rights issue —It is a SIN issue.
LGBT Art Show comes to Anchorage
Alice and LuLu in Fairbanks, Frontrunners in Anchorage
This Week in LGBT Alaska 5/7/10
Juneau
Annual Highway Clean-Up with PFLAG and SEAGLA on 5/8. Meet at the Auke Lake parking lot promptly at 10 a.m. wearing bright colored clothing. Bags and gloves are provided.
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar.
Fairbanks
SOAP Presents “Alice in the Underground” at the Empress Theater 5/7 thru 5/15, at 7:30. Tickets $20 general/ $15 students, seniors, and military. Free for youth under 18. On May 7, they’re hosting a First Friday event featuring youth artwork and a silent auction before the show.
Wednesday Social Group, contact Joshua for the location.
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.
Anchorage
Identity Team in the Graze to Raise fundraiser 5/7, 5:30 p.m. Start at the Dena’ina Center and walk through downtown, raise funds for the Community Center.
TLFMC Dehibernation Brown Bear Bus Run 5/8, 12-5p.m. Ages 21+ only. Tickets $20. Bus leaves The Raven (708 East 4th Ave) at noon.
LGBT Democrat Caucus: Get Our LGTB Voices Heard, meeting on 5/11 at 7p.m. at the GLCCA.
Brandi Carlile brings ‘Ghost’ to Alaska
Alaskan audiences will enjoy openly lesbian singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile in two local concerts during her Give Up the Ghost tour: July 15 at The Blue Loon in Fairbanks, and July 16 at the Discovery Theater in Anchorage.
Memorial Tonight for FKen Freedman
A Celebration of Life for FKen Freedman will be held tonight, May 6, at 7 p.m. at the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 3201 Turnagain Street. Freedman’s obituary appeared in the Anchorage Daily News today (posted below), along with a new legacy book with the correct spelling of his last name. Personal memories of Freedman can also be read in and below Bent’s first announcement of his passing.
FKen Freedman died of natural causes at his home in Anchorage on April 30, 2010. He was 68.
He was born July 12, 1941, in Newport News, Va., and grew up in California.
He was deeply spiritual and connected with his Jewish culture through the richness of ritual and the way he lived his life — as a man of action. He connected with his Gay culture through action as one of the pillars of the GLBTA movement.
FKen was an activist in every community he was a part of. His passions were GLBTA equality, photography, theater and psychotherapy. He was a grassroots community organizer, starting and implementing the first Gay and Lesbian Helpline and The NorthView out of his home.
He loved the simplicity of life, to be in nature, and to create positive changes in his circle of influence and spend time with his friends and family. He loved plain doughnuts and he never passed up the chance to eat rainbow sprinkles on his ice cream.
FKen was in private practice, specializing in individual and couples counseling. He had a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University, School of Drama (1967) and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, from Prescott College, Arizona (1998). He was a member of the Alaska Psychological Association and the American Psychological Association. Clients may call 229-9205 for referral information.
He was preceded in death by his husband, John Paul; his loving sister, Joan Carol; and his father, Donald Kenneth.
He is survived by his family of origin and family of choice. It would soothe his soul to know his friends shared their stories with his brother, adopted sons and extended family who were never able to experience the richness of his life in Anchorage while he was alive.
A celebration of life will be held at 7 p.m. today [Thursday, May 6] at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 3201 Turnagain St. A community potluck will follow.
Donations in his honor can be made to Identity Inc. at www.identityinc.org or P.O. Box 200070, Anchorage, 99520.
Immigration reform for all families: UAFA in 2010
Dear Bent Alaska,My name is Tom and I’m a member of Out4Immigration, an all-volunteer grassroots organization fighting to end discrimination against LGBT Americans in our nation’s immigration laws. We need help in Alaska with this important issue…As you may be aware, if an American citizen (or legal permanent resident) falls in love with someone from another country, they may petition for an immigration benefit to bring that person to the US (green card).If you happen to be LGBT, you are denied this basic right.Even if you get married, or enter into a civil union or domestic partnership in any of the states or other nations that allow this, you still cannot bring your spouse or partner to the US.21 other nations (most of our closest allies, Western Europe, Canada, Australia, Israel and South Africa) allow their LGBT citizens to sponsor their foreign-born partners, and most of these nations do not have marriage equality.There is a bill pending before Congress called the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, S. 424/H.R. 1024) that would end this discrimination. It would allow gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor their partner (or spouse), in the same manner that straight couples can, along with the same penalties for fraud.Over 36,000 bi-national, same-sex couples are affected by this, and almost half of them are raising children.Families are being torn apart every day – Americans are being forced to chose between heart and home – because they are not allowed to prove the validity of their relationships simply because they are LGBT.We are fighting to make sure 2010 is the year that UAFA passes, and are pushing for it to be included in the larger comprehensive immigration reform bills that are expected this year.[Please ask your readers] to call Senator Begich and Senator Murkowski about this issue, and urge the Senators to co-sponsor this bill and support LGBT inclusion in comprehensive immigration reform!I am reaching out because I know there are folks in the area affected by this, but many are too fearful to speak out.
“We are having a next steps conversation on the 14th of May where we are discussing how to integrate the immigration group into a more long term locally minded organization (to work on both national and local issues) and I would love to have you as a part of that conversation… The best way to keep LGBT issues on the immigration agenda would be to have someone in our leadership group focused on the issue!”
Contact Senator Murkowski at 202.224.6665 or via e-mail.Contact Senator Begich at 202.224.3004 or via e-mail.
F. Ken Freedman (1942-2010)
UPDATE: A Celebration of Life will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday May 6 at the Anchorage UU Church, 3201 Turnagain St. Read and sign the ADN legacy book HERE.
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F. Ken Freedman, a long-time member of the Anchorage LGBT community, passed away on Saturday, May 1, 2010.
“It is with great sadness that I let the community know about the passing yesterday of my good friend, F. Ken Freedman,” wrote Alaska Mike on Bent’s Facebook wall.
“F. Ken worked for a number of years in the psychotherapy field, specializing in folks dealing with coming out and other LGBT related issues.”
“We just had lunch on campus in late February, it’s hard to believe he is gone! He will be greatly missed by me, as well as many others who were lucky enough to know him and consider him a friend.”
Several friends left comments about Freedman’s kind and gentle manner, that he was an inspiration and a mentor, and that he was one of the first gay men they met when moving to Anchorage years ago.
“fKen started the GLBT Helpline,” wrote Phyllis of Identity, Inc. “It was answered by volunteers from his home. His legacy will live on in so many, many ways and lives.”
Others remembered Freedman’s stories of being present at the 1969 Stonewall Riots in NYC, which mark the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement.
His full name was Fredrick Kenneth Freedman, but he never used his first name, preferring F. Ken or fKen.
A service is being planned for this Thursday afternoon/evening. More details to come as they are available. Anyone with photos of Freedman are asked to share them for his Celebration of Life. Please email the photos to Victoria.
Condolences to his family and friends.
