Sunday, 6 October 2013 – 5:19 PM
| Comments Off on A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013
Bent Alaska’s blog will continue in hiatus indefinitely; but the Bent Alaska Facebook Group on Facebook is thriving — join us! A long-overdue update from Bent Alaska’s editor.
Update: Mayor Sullivan VETOED Ordinance 64. Read the mayor’s statement HERE, then contact the Assembly and ask them to over-ride the veto. They have 21 days.
* * *
What is the anti-gay lobby saying about the passage of Ordinance 64? An Anchorage blogger* wrote:
[Assembly members] Chris Birch and Bill Starr said they had not been convinced that discrimination against gays and lesbians is a problem in Anchorage. “I don’t see signs that say, ‘No Gays Allowed,’. We have a tolerant and diverse community that generally gets along,” he said. Birch also bemoaned the amount of time devoted to this issue, saying he would rather have devoted the time to determine how to better deal with the homeless problem. This is a valid point, since we are not finding dead queers on our streets, but dead homeless people. [emphasis added]
Is that what it takes: “dead queers” on our streets? We don’t even know that there are no “dead queers,” since no state or city agency collects data on anti-gay discrimination. And if the 3 reported anti-gay murders and dozens of attacks and harassment incidents are not enough evidence, how many “dead queers” will be necessary before the city admits there is discrimination against gays?
Homelessness is a serious problem in Anchorage, one that deserves more attention. But there is no point in blaming ordinance supporters for the 25 long hours of testimony to the Assembly. It was the opponents’ strategy to delay the vote, by getting hundreds of church members to testify from as far away as Wasilla.
The blogger, who lists a dozen white supremacist groups on his blogroll, also calls supporters of Ordinance 64 “abusive.” He assumes that a ballot measure to repeal the ordinance, if the Mayor does not veto it by Tuesday, will pass because:
The gay-lovers may be the most vocal and the most abusive, but they are not the most numerous.
I attended the public hearings and watched in disbelief while dozens of anti-gay opponents shouted and insulted and threatened and preached hellfire at the Assembly members each night. They won the “most abusive” label, hands down.
Meanwhile, opponent Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Church is keeping up the pressure on Mayor Sullivan, using his pulpit to rally the troops and flood the city with calls and letters:
The Gay Rights Ordinance, 2009-64(s-2), is bad public policy. It will make homosexuality and transgender (which is any form of sexual perversion) an acceptable alternative lifestyle. It is ridiculous to provide special rights for people who chose to engage in immoral, unnatural, perverted sexual activity. Do they have the right to do it? Yes, but we should not be forced to condone it. Homosexuality is a diseased and depraved lifestyle. Young people do not need to be made to think it is an “ok” lifestyle.” [emphasis added]
Prevo’s June 28 sermon “Did Jesus Discriminate?” preached against the equal rights ordinance, calling gays a long list of names, saying “you can’t be both” gay and Christian, and claiming that Jesus did discriminate, sometimes violently. Part 1 of the sermon video is posted HERE, Part 2 is posted below.
“I watched it. I was amazed,” wrote Glenn, an ordinance supporter who created the poster above. “So, I started working on a series of posters ‘Jerry, In His Own Words.’ Not trying to be mean, just trying to make a point: it’s not the gospel, it’s hate speech.”
* I’m not going to link directly to his blog, but the name would usually be a GLBT name. To find it, search for our state name followed by the short name of the LGBT community’s late June Festival. Warning: this is a political blog by a white supremacist, and many posts are disturbing.
I heard that you are collecting ideas for how the city can cut the budget and save or make more money. I was thinking about that while writing a check for the second half of my property taxes, which are due on August 15, and wondered how many thousands of dollars the city has lost by allowing Anchorage Baptist Temple to keep it’s tax-exempt status while openly funding political battles through ABT’s donation site and threatening to campaign against Assembly members supported by tax-paying citizens like me, but opposed by exempt Jerry Prevo . . .
But seriously, I do have a suggestion for improving the outlook of the city during these hard economic times, a suggestion that is within your power to do:
I suggest that you let Ordinance 64 become Anchorage law.
How can an LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance help Anchorage financially?
It’s no secret that employers in Anchorage have trouble finding qualified people for certain highly skilled positions, especially in fields where the training is not available here and they must hire people from outside who are willing to relocate. Despite high unemployment and hiring freezes in the lower 48, Anchorage hospitals, for just one example, struggle to fill important medical and technical positions. Why?
Beyond the personal reasons, the public image of Anchorage and Alaska is the biggest barrier.
Most people outside think Alaska is
1. cold, dark and isolated, and
2. full of nutty yahoos and religious fanatics (thank you, Sarah Palin)
The adventure of living in a far north climate on the edge of spectacular wilderness, with a variety of outdoor sports available just outside the city (and sometimes just outside the door) makes the challenge of winter worth it for some job seekers.
But how can we improve the political and social image of Alaska? More importantly, what can we do to make sure that Anchorage is not bullied by the vocal minority of nutty yahoos and religious fanatics who do live here – like the ordinance opponents who shouted and insulted and threatened and preached hellfire at the Assembly members during the hearings?
We can support Ordinance 64.
The compromise version of the ordinance that the Assembly passed on Tuesday protects civil rights while also protecting religious freedoms. It is based on sound business practices that support a good quality of life for all residents. It shows that we value a diverse and talented workforce, but it does not burden the city or business owners with new expenses.
The Assembly created a win-win solution. Now it’s your turn to show that Alaskans are rational people who can pass reasonable laws.
What would the property tax base look like if Anchorage employers could fill more of those empty positions with skilled workers looking for good jobs, a bit of adventure – and a fair and friendly community?
Please allow Ordinance 64 to become Anchorage law.
UPDATE: Alaska Airlines has asked to be removed from the list of supportive businesses.
———–
The Anchorage business community supports the LGBT equal rights protections passed by the Assembly, Equality Works announced today, and the Alaska Native Corporation CIRI took a strong stand for equality.
The statement made by Jackie Buckley of Equality Works and supported by local business leaders reads:
“The Anchorage business community strongly supports AO 64. An open and diverse workplace fosters strong customer relations and a vibrant, expanding economy. Businesses have to recruit and retain the best and the brightest personnel. For us to succeed, Anchorage must protect everyone’s right to equal opportunity in employment, education, housing, financing, and public accommodations. We are pleased with the Assembly’s action and support including sexual orientation and gender identity in equal rights laws.”
Anchorage business leaders and small, mid-size, and large businesses joined in the statement:
Arctic Wire & Rope Supply, Cabin Fever, Circular, CIRI, Classic Woman/Portfolio, Copper Whale Inn, Credit Union One, Finite Technologies, Ginger, Middleway Café, Modern Dwellers, Quilted Raven, Snow City Café, Spenard Roadhouse, Sacks Café and Restaurant, Glenn Johnson, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Director of Finance, Alaska Airlines, and Mike Jens, owner, Hawk Consultants.
Many national businesses with locations in Anchorage understand the business benefit in ensuring lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender employees are not discriminated against. They include: Aetna, Allstate, American Airlines, Bank of America, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, BP America, Carrs-Safeway, Chevron, Chili’s Grill, Citigroup, Continental Airlines, Costco, Hilton Hotels, JC Penney Co., Merrill Lynch & Co., MetLife, Nordstrom, REI, Sears, Shell Oil Co., Staples, Starbucks, State Farm, Target, and Wells Fargo.
CIRI (Cook Inlet Region, Inc.) sent their own letter to Mayor Sullivan today, stating their support for the ordinance and asking that he allow it to become law. The CIRI letter, signed by Barbara Donatelli, Senior V.P. of Administration and Government Relations, is posted below with permission (emphasis is theirs, typing errors are mine.)
Dear Mayor Sullivan:
Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (“CIRI”) strongly supports Anchorage Ordinance 2009-64 (“AO-64”) that was recently passed by the Anchorage Assembly and encourages you to support anti-discrimination in our community by allowing the ordinance to pass.
CIRI strongly believes that all individuals deserve fair and equal employment opportunities, protection from unfair discrimination and the right to live their lives without fear. CIRI promotes fair and equal treatment within our own company through our Business Ethics and Compliance Program and our Code of Business Ethics and Compliance. Our policies provide “… equal employment to all persons regardless of ethnicity, religion, age, gender, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital and/or parental status.” These policies were developed to provide a clear and common understanding of CIRI’s values and the ethical expectations that we have for the conduct of our employees and business activities.
As a major employer in our community, CIRI takes pride in our reputation as a good corporate citizen as demonstrated by our own monetary and in-kind contributions and volunteer activities, as well as those of our many affiliated subsidiaries and non-profit entities.
As Mayor, you can take pride that AO-64 sends a clear message that our City protects the diversity we value so much and will not tolerate discrimination against individuals based upon their sexual orientation for employment, housing, education and public accommodation opportunities.
CIRI joins many other businesses and organizations in voicing our support for AO-64 and urges you to do the right thing by not exercising your veto power over AO-64.
Sincerely,
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Bent Alaska applauds their stand for equality, and appreciates their willingness to support Ordinance 64 in a public letter. Although many national companies have LGBT-inclusive policies, it is significant that an Alaska Native Corporation like CIRI recognizes anti-gay discrimination as an ethical and business issue that is important to them.
Thank you to all the businesses that value us as part of the diverse workforce of Anchorage and have encouraged the Mayor to support Ordinance 64.
Thanks to everyone who came out last night for an unexpectedly emotional debate and vote on equal rights ordinance AO-64. I am happy to report that the Anchorage Assembly voted 7-4 to pass the S-2 version, which protects LGBT people from discrimination in all aspects of public life, while providing broad protection for religious organizations to employ and serve according to their values.
Assembly Members Selkregg, Gutierrez, Claman, Johnston, Flynn, Drummond, and Gray-Jackson voted for the legislation. Assembly Members Ossiander, Starr, Birch, and Coffey voted against.
What can you do to ensure that the ordinance becomes law?
Call or E-Mail Mayor Sullivan!
The Mayor hasn’t publicly shared his stance on AO-64, butheneeds to know that people in Anchorage support equality, he needs to know why you support equality, and he needs to hear that vetoing an ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination sends the message that he, as the Mayor of Anchorage, believes that LGBT people should be discriminated against in employment, housing, education, financing and public accommodations. If he doesn’t want to send that message, then he should not veto this ordinance.
If you haven‘t already, PLEASE call Mayor Sullivan at (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100,or e-mail him at mayor@muni.org
If you fall into one of these categories, be sure to include this information when you ask him to support AO 64:
I lived in Anchorage for X years.
I grew up in Anchorage.
I am an Anchorage voter.
I am a Native Alaskan voter.
I am a business owner/leader.
Economic justice and equality are important to me.
Then please e-mail and call the Assembly members who voted for AO 64 and thank them for their time, consideration, support and bravery. The Assembly member profiles and contact information is found HERE.
The Anchorage Assembly passed Ordinance 64(S-2) tonight, voting 7-4 to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s non-discrimination policies. Coffey’s resolution to commission another study of LGBT discrimination, instead of passing the ordinance, failed.
“We are thrilled that the Assembly gave us a majority vote and passed version S-2,” said Jackie Buckley, spokesperson for Equality Works. “We are looking forward to Dan Sullivan doing the right thing and making it economically safer for our families.”
Ordinance 64(S-2) will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people against discrimination in housing, employment, finance, education and public accommodations in the Municipality of Anchorage.
Many LGBT residents and allies gave testimony to the Assembly on the need for protection, including several who risked their jobs to testify. A series of supportive testimony is posted on Bent Alaska.
The Assembly held 6 public hearings on Ordinance 64 this summer, because anti-gay leaders encouraged opponents from as far away as Wasilla to testify on the Anchorage ordinance, to delay the vote until after Mayor Sullivan took office on July 1.
Mayor Sullivan has not stated a position on the equal rights ordinance that was introduced three months ago. However, Sullivan ran on a conservative platform, took anti-gay positions as an Assembly member, and is likely to veto the ordinance.
This is the third time Anchorage has tried to pass protections for gays and lesbians. Each time, the right-wing religious groups organized against us and threatened to unseat Assembly members who voted for the protections. Mayor Sullivan’s father, then-Mayor George Sullivan, vetoed one of the ordinances.
Will Anchorage join those cities and protect its residents against anti-LGBT discrimination, or will Mayor Sullivan tell the world that Anchorage will continue to allow discrimination?
Contact Mayor Sullivan today and ask him to let Ordinance 64 become a law! Call (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100, or email him at mayor(at)muni(dot)org.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009 – 8:39 AM
| Comments Off on YOU in BLUE, Today at the Library
from Equality Works
The next Assembly meeting is today, Tuesday, August 11th. While there are no certainties, this very well may be the day that Assembly members get to a debate and vote on AO 64.
I know that many of you couldn’t bear to sit through the public hearings and the offensive testimony that demonized the LGBTQ community over the last couple of months. And I have been told that some of you have given up hope that your presence in the Assembly Chambers means anything.
But I assure you that it does mean something. It means something to the people who have spent time writing letters, getting petitions signed, meeting with Assembly members, and giving testimony, to feel surrounded and supported by friends and allies. And it means something to Assembly members who plan to vote for AO 64 and need to know that the citizens of Anchorage appreciate their courage.
This could be the last time to show the Assembly members that their constituents support legislation to protect people from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Over the last couple of weeks they have sat through verbal abuse and threats to vote them out of office if they dare to vote “Yes” on AO 64. They need to be reminded that they have constituents who are grateful for their vote to support equality. If we cannot be present to show them where we stand, it is more difficult for them to feel accountable to us.
One Equality Works supporter put it this way: “No matter what happens, I want them to see me when they are making their decision. I want them to look me in the eyes.” Assembly members need to know whose lives are being affected when they cast a vote for equality and whose rights are being denied if they vote “No.”
So Be There on Tuesday
You don’t have to testify, you don’t have to engage in debates with people in red shirts, all you have to do is be there to show your support for equality. If you have never come to an Assembly meeting, please consider showing up on this crucial day. The meeting starts at 5:00 pm, but as usual, you should try to be there much earlier if you want to get a seat. 4:00 would not be too early. Doors generally open at 3:00 pm. You know the drill: Blue shirts, Equality Works buttons.
Coffey’s Resolution
Assembly Member Dan Coffey plans to introduce a Resolution to establish a task force to study the extent of discrimination against LGBT people in Anchorage and whether or not such discrimination warrants protection. The proposed resolution implies that protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation would somehow infringe upon the freedoms of religion and association.
We at Equality Works believe that discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation has already been studied and proven. The State of Alaska Human Rights Commission—an unbiased agency—declared nearly twenty years ago that the State Legislature should pursue a statute banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation [Resolution 90-01]. The case has already been made. It is time for our representatives to act.
Furthermore, we believe that it is erroneous to argue that protecting LGBT people from discrimination infringes upon religious rights. How could 108 other cities and 13 states (including D.C.) have made such a “mistake” without any of the consequences that opponents of AO 64 predict? Religious freedoms are clearly and strongly protected in the U.S. Constitution. No local law could ever trump the power of the Bill of Rights.
Now is not the time for a resolution. It is time for our Assembly members to vote on AO 64.
Support S-2 version of the ordinance
For those of you who don’t know already, an S-2 version of the ordinance has been submitted for consideration by Patrick Flynn.
We believe that this is a strong revision that acknowledges the concerns of some in the religious community by broadening the religious exemption, but does not weaken the original intention of the ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination. It includes employment protections for our entire community–including transgender individuals. Please call or e-mail your Assembly members and tell them to put their support behind the S-2 version. We want this version of the ordinance to be debated and eventually voted upon.
Call or E-Mail Mayor Sullivan and Write a Letter to the Editor
Mayor Sullivan hasn’t publicly stated what he will do if the ordinance reaches his desk, but he needs to know that people in Anchorage support equality, he needs to know why you support equality, and he needs to hear that vetoing an ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination sends the message that he, as the Mayor of Anchorage, believes that LGBT people should be discriminated against in employment, housing, education, and public accommodations. If he doesn’t want to send that message, then he should not veto this ordinance. If you haven’t already, please call or e-mail Mayor Sullivan at mayor(at)muni(dot)org or call (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100. If you’ve already written to Mayor Sullivan, please write a Letter to the Editor. Remember to be respectful. No one responds positively to insults, accusations, or anger.
I support equal rights for all people. And I support banning discrimination in Anchorage due solely to someone’s sexual orientation. I support a comprehensive equal rights ordinance because it’s the right thing to do, period.
But if doing the right thing isn’t a compelling enough reason, here is an economic reason why the Assembly, Mayor and residents of Anchorage should support this ordinance: it is simply good for business.
In the best selling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida points out successful, growing communities are places accepting of gay and lesbian people. Florida, originally a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has been studying successful and unsuccessful communities throughout his career. He combined his work with that of Gary Gates from UCLA, who co-authored The Gay and Lesbian Atlas. Their combined work developed a “gay index” that was strongly correlated with economically successful and growing communities. They weren’t really looking to prove this concept; it is simply what the data showed.
They believe the more accepting a community is to new ideas, alternative life styles, new art and music, the more accepting it will be to the kind of nerds and entrepreneurial geeks who have created companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and hundreds of other businesses. Communities that are open to progressive ways of thinking are measurably more attractive to the smart, well-educated workforce necessary to build successful companies like these.
But you might say, Silicon Valley/San Francisco (gay index #1) and Seattle (gay index #2) would naturally attract high tech companies. Not really. It was Stanford University that probably had the most to do with Silicon Valley becoming a high tech center. When I was growing up in the early 70’s, Seattle was a rainy place where people stood in endless unemployment lines, freshly laid off from Boeing. Seattle only really began to fully evolve in the last 15 years, and Microsoft is primarily in Seattle because Bill Gates was from there. But critical to the success of these areas was the ability to attract a creative and talented workforce.
The research Florida and Gates did doesn’t indicate that a community decided to be open minded and then the economic progress flowed in, but it does show that progressive communities do attract talent and creativity, two things Anchorage and Alaska could use plenty more of. In contrast, Pittsburg, the home of Carnegie Mellon University, is the least gay friendly community. The city still produces smart, creative people through its many great universities, but they quickly lose these graduates to other more attractive communities. Others near the bottom include Detroit, Birmingham and Oklahoma City.
Through the Alaska Scholar’s Program, in large part, the University of Alaska is now retaining Alaska’s best and brightest, and by doing so is raising the quality of a UA degree significantly. Just this year, a UAA student became a Marshall Scholar, just one of 40 in the country. We need to be able to keep these graduates here and attract others from communities that don’t offer what Anchorage can.
Anchorage is becoming a real city, perhaps even destined to be the next great West Coast city, but it needs to guard against the attitudes that would hold us back. Anchorage would not be what it is today without the Performing Arts Center, the First Friday art gallery walk, a variety of music venues, Saturday Market, the Dena’ina Center, City Market, or even a downtown disc golf course. All of these are examples of things that make a city better, one that is growing. Being open to new ideas, different lifestyles, and new and different ways to embrace life, is important to a bright future here. But to get there, we need the right attitude first.
I support equal rights for every person because it is the right thing to do. I also support this ordinance because it can help Anchorage attract the talented people it will need to build its future as a great place to live and work for all of us.
After six public hearings this summer — and 30 years of studies and delays — Assembly member Dan Coffey wants the Assembly to appoint a task force to study discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people in Anchorage and postpone the Ordinance 64 vote for at least a year and three months: 30 days to choose the task force, 60 days to develop a plan, and a minimum of 12 months for the study. The report would not be due until just after the Nov. 2010 elections, at the earliest.
Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation has already been studied and proven in Alaska. Equality Works points out:
“The State of Alaska Human Rights Commission—an unbiased agency—declared nearly twenty years ago that the State Legislature should pursue a statute banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation [Resolution 90-01]. The case has already been made. It is time for our representatives to act.”
During the 1980’s, Mel Green worked on two other reports documenting sexual orientation bias in Alaska and included the findings in her testimony to the Assembly. She posted her testimony yesterday on Henkimaa, along with her response to Coffey’s proposed task force and her recommendation on the four versions of the ordinance. Her piece is reposted below, with permission:
* * *
Over the past couple of weeks, Bent Alaska has been publishing some of the testimony of people who testified to the Anchorage Assembly in favor of the Anchorage equal rights ordinance AO 2009-64, which if passed will grant equal protection from discrimination to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people who live, work, and/or visit the Municipality of Anchorage. And I realized, well, although I’ve written a fair amount on my blog about the ordinance battle, and even posted the full text of the letter I wrote to the Assembly in early June, I somehow hadn’t gotten around to posting the testimony I gave at the Assembly on June 16. So that became one of my tasks this evening: to find my prepared testimony, & put it online.
I couldn’t have timed it better: earlier today I learned that Assembly Member Dan Coffey — in whose district I live — has placed a resolution on the agenda for the August 11 Assembly meeting which would establish a task force to study the issue. For a year. After we’ve just been through six long nights of public testimony stretched out over the summer.
Another year?
This isn’t the first time a task force has been suggested. It came up in some of the questions Assembly members asked during the first night of public testimony way back on June 9. The idea seemed to inform the proposal by Assembly Chair Debbie Ossiander, in her S-1 version of the ordinance, to authorize the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission to track complaints of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression (even while permitting most such discrimination to continue unabated).
My testimony, given on June 16, the same meeting at which Ossiander’s version was presented, directly addressed whether a task force was needed. Here it is as I wrote it.
Thank you for hearing my testimony.
My name is Melissa Green. I am an Anchorage resident.
I was part of two major research efforts in the 1980s to document sexual orientation bias in Alaska. One in 10: A Profile of Alaska’s Lesbian & Gay Community published in 1986 reported on the results of a statewide survey of 734 lesbian, gay, and bisexual Alaskans. Identity Reports: Sexual Orientation Bias in Alaska was published in 1989 and included three papers, including “Closed Doors,” a survey of Anchorage employers and landlords; and “Prima Facie,” which documented 84 actual cases of violence, harassment, and discrimination due to sexual orientation bias. Copies of both reports are now on the Internet at Henkimaa.com — that’s H-E-N-K-I-M-A-A dot com. I’ve also prepared copies on CD for all members of the Assembly, as well as hard copies of “Prima Facie,” which I will give to the clerk when I complete my testimony. Some of the relevant findings from both reports:
Of the 734 respondents to One in 10:
61 percent reported being victimized by violence and harassment while in Alaska because of their sexual orientation;
39 percent reported discrimination in employment, housing, and loans/credit; and
33 percent reported discrimination from services and institutions.
From the “Closed Doors” component of Identity Reports:
31 percent of the 191 employers in the survey said they would not hire or promote, or would fire, someone they had reason to believe was homosexual.
20 percent of the 178 landlords in the survey said they would not rent to, or would evict, someone they had reason to believe was homosexual.
From the “Prima Facie” component of Identity Reports:
84 actual instances of antigay bias, discrimination, harassment, or violence (including three murders) were recorded involving 30 men and 21 women. 64 of the cases we documented were in Anchorage.
Victims were predominately gay men or lesbians, but also included heterosexuals who were erroneously assumed to be gay or lesbian.
It was suggested last week that we need a “study” or a “task force” to decide if we need this ordinance. The studies have been done. The testimony you’ve already heard about discrimination updates those studies and shows that sexual orientation discrimination is still going on today. And that’s not even including the people who have not testified because there’s nothing to protect them from more discrimination for just showing up and telling you their stories. Do we really need another study, or a task force, to discover again what we already know? There are at least 108 examples of other cities with similar ordinances, which not only continue to function, but do it better because their citizens do not suffer from unfair discrimination. I ask you: how much discrimination is tolerable? What is the threshold for justice? How many stories do we have to bring to you before you stop passing it on to the future, and establish protections for the people who are being discriminated against today?
Please: pass a full version of this ordinance.
No, a task force wasn’t needed then; and nearly two months later, it still isn’t. The task force proposal is just another means to delay acting in accordance with the public policy the Municipality of Anchorage purports to adhere to, as written in Anchorage Municipal Code 5.10.010:
The public policy of the municipality is declared to be equal opportunity for all persons.
Is this really the Muni’s public policy? Or is it not? Decide, and vote.
* * *
More about Dan Coffey’s task force resolution, starting with the text of the resolution itself:
Incidentally, Don Hunter’s ADN story is incorrect in stating that there are “three versions of the original sexual orientation ordinance” for consideration by the Anchorage Assembly. In fact, there are four versions: on July 23, Assembly Member Patrick Flynn announced on his blog that he had written a new draft, version S-2.
Here are all four versions of Ordinance 64:
AO No. 2009-64. Original draft submitted on behalf of then-Acting Mayor Matt Claman, for reading May 12, 2009.
AO No. 2009-64 (S). First substitution version submitted on behalf of then-Acting Mayor Matt Claman, for reading June 9, 2009.
AO No. 2009-64 (S-1). Second substitution version submitted by Assembly Chair Debbie Ossiander, for reading June 16, 2009.
AO No. 2009-64 (S-2). Third substitution version submitted by Assembly Member Patrick Flynn, for reading August 11, 2009.
I’ll be writing a post comparing the four versions over the next couple of days. I’ll just say for now that I consider Ossiander’s S-1 version the worst of the four (it permits discrimination in private employment, and permits discrimination on the basis of gender identity across the board). Flynn’s S-2 is the best, and is the one I support: it’s the most clear both in its anti-discrimination provisions and in its language about religious exemptions, and addresses specific issues some had about employees of religious organizations such as Sunday School teachers and bus drivers.
I urge you to throw your support behind S-2, too. Let your Assembly representative(s) and Mayor Sullivan mayor(at)muni(dot)com know which one you support.
Friday, 7 August 2009 – 2:39 PM
| Comments Off on This Week in LGBT Alaska 8/7/09
The next Ordinance 64 meeting is Tuesday August 11, and the Assembly may vote on the ordinance that evening. We need YOU in BLUE, sitting in the Assembly chambers on the first floor of Loussac Library, to show that we support them in passing the equal rights ordinance. Please attend!
This week’s events from the statewide newsletter. Subscribe to Alaska GLBT News.
Juneau
SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar, downtown.
Fairbanks
Ducal Ball 2009 – A Fetish Ball 8/8, doors open at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m., to elect a new monarch for Fairbanks. Pioneer Park Civic Center. Fun, food, entertainment, and fetish-friendly attire (no nudity.) $15 at the door, 18 and older. (18-21 in a separate area.)
PFLAG Booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair 8/7-8/15. Volunteer at the booth for a 2-hour shift and enter the Fair free for the whole day. Email Mike to volunteer or visit Fairbanks PFLAG for more info.
Parks Hwy
Ever Ready at the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival 8/7, 4-5 p.m. Mile 102 Parks Hwy, Talkeetna.
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
Compassionate Communication Workshops for Parents and Anyone Working with Children 8/6-8/8, 6:30-9 p.m. T-F, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat.
Side Street Saturdays, an informal meetup for LGBT writers, at noon in Side Street Cafe.
Friday Night Divas Variety Show benefit for The Roscoe (Pet) Fund 8/7, 9p.m. $5, followed by Karaoke with Paige. Saturday DJ Mad Mike 8/8 at 11 p.m. Both at Mad Myrna’s.
Irina Rivkin performs 3 nights in Anchorage: Organic Oasis on Saturday August 8, at 7 p.m. Midtown Studio concert on Sunday August 9, at 7:30 p.m. with an optional audience-participation live-looping piece, 6407 Brayton Drive, $5-15 sliding scale. Tap Root Café on Monday August 10, from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Sunday worship and monthly potluck with MCC Anchorage, 2 p.m.
Assembly meeting and possible Ordinance 64 vote, Tuesday 8/11, 1st floor of Loussac Library, meeting begins at 5 p.m but come early for a seat inside. Wear blue.
The very real consequences of DADT repeal; seeking survivor benefits for same-sex partner of Alaska shooting victim; waiting on SCOTUS decision about whether it will hear Prop 8 case; and other recent LGBTQ news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
In this month’s “Ask Lambda Legal” column, Lambda Legal answers a question about the federal government’s longstanding ban against donations of blood from men who have sex with men (MSM).
Alaska Pride Conference 2012 kicks off on October 5 with a First Friday showing at Tref.Punkt Studio of Love is Love, a photographic exhibit of LGBT couples from across the state.
United for marriage: Light the way to justice. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this Tuesday and Wednesday, March 26–27, in two cases about freedom to marry. Please join us on Tuesday, March 26, at the federal courthouse in Anchorage (7th & C) in a circle united for equality.
Pariah, a critically acclaimed film about a 17-year-old African-American woman embracing her lesbian identity, will screen at UAA on Friday, November 2, and will be followed by a discussion on acceptance in honor of Mya Dale. The event is free and open to the public.
Homelessness is a serious problem in Anchorage, one that deserves more attention. But there is no point in blaming ordinance supporters for the 25 long hours of testimony to the Assembly. It was the opponents’ strategy to delay the vote, by getting hundreds of church members to testify from as far away as Wasilla.
