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.
Wednesday, 15 October 2008 – 11:49 AM
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KJ Martin-Albright, Director of the Wasilla Library, announced that the library will sell the donated copies of Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roommate through its Friends group. Gay and lesbian citizens donated the children’s books to the library after hearing that in 1996 then-mayor Sarah Palin repeatedly asked then-library director Mary Jane Emmons (now Baker) about banning books.
During that time, members of Palin’s church pressured stores to remove certain books, including Palmer author Howard Bess’ Pastor, I Am Gay, which disappeared from the Wasilla Library shelves and was not replaced.
Library Journal interviewed Wasilla Library Director KJ Martin-Albright recently. Her comments on the donated kids books and the Bess book are instructive for others who donate LGBT books to public libraries:
You had already stated that one reason that Heather Has Two Mommies isn’t in the library is that a book has to earn its real estate.
The library strives to achieve a balanced collection of materials in the major information categories, as well as a fiction collection calculated to satisfy the widest possible variety of tastes. All viewpoints and opinions on controversial subjects are represented whenever possible. Wasilla Public Library’s collection development states that materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation and that the library should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
In the past, Wasilla Public Library held both Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roommate, although the books are no longer on the library’s shelves. Wasilla outgrew the size of its library about 20 years ago. Library collections are dynamic, and anything on the book shelves has to earn its real estate. If it is not circulating, it does not stay. This is not the ideal, but it is the reality. The books were removed as part of on-going collection development and not due to the subject matter presented in the books. Wasilla Public Library holds many titles that deal with the same subject matter, including the popular And Tango Makes Three.
All one has to do is look at the books in question next to Tango, or any other well-made picture book, to see that Heather and Daddy’s Roommate are poorly constructed, lack engaging illustrations, and have too many words on the page to be useful to young readers. The books are poorly manufactured; they are insubstantial paperbacks that would not withstand repeated use. Moreover, the books are dated in illustrational style and content. Since they were published, several better-made books which are more appealing to children that deal with the same subject matter have been released. Wasilla Public Library houses quite a few of these titles on its shelves.
While the library agrees that Heather and Daddy’s Roommate are important books because they were ground-breaking and because of the controversy and discussions that have occurred in the 15-plus years since they were published, there are better choices for a dynamic, current, and appealing children’s collection. The donated materials, in accordance with our Donations Policy, will be given to the Friends of Wasilla Library for its annual book sale. You are the first reporter who has asked since the decision was made, so I guess this will be our first public announcement.
I understand that copies of Pastor, I Am Gay were in the library once but disappeared. Do you know when the library last had copies?
In regard to Pastor, I am Gay, by Howard Bess, the Wasilla Public Library does not have a copy; however, there are three libraries in the Mat-Su Library Network that do. Since the network provides intralibrary courier service, these copies are available to any library patron. I don’t know when the library last had copies—even if our library automation kept information on deleted materials, which it doesn’t, we migrated from Dynix to Sirsi in August 2004, so there’s no way to mine that data.
When I first became active in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, I went to great lengths to discreetly indicate my sexual orientation to those I worked with. I didn’t join the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) during my first year in my 7-12 high school because I feared others would think I was gay. Four years later, I look back at my flawed seventh-grade reasoning and realize my work will someday create a world where such a thought would never have occurred to me—a world that sees people for who they are, not who they love.
I am fortunate to live in a community where LGBT people are commonly accepted. My experience in Anchorage, Alaska is not a place where funerals are protested or marchers are harassed during Pride Parades. Instead, it is a place where the Gay and Lesbian Community Center is open daily thanks to donors and volunteers. I attend a school where the GSA meets sporadically—not because the students don’t care, but because there is no blatant anti-LGBT harassment. While a younger student will occasionally use “that’s so gay” in a negative manner, I have never heard of someone being verbally or physically harassed for any reason, including sexual orientation or gender identity. It’s certainly not perfect, but I realize that being an ally is much easier for me than it is for others.
Still, like other allied students, I have had some difficult experiences. I have had “faggot” yelled at me from the open window of a passing school bus. Friends become exasperated with me for being offended at the saying “that’s so gay.” Other GSA members have asked, “How can you be so active with the GSA and still be straight?” But I know that these few things pale in comparison to the harassment and prejudice some of my friends face in their schools and communities.
Anti-LGBT harassment hurts everyone, not just the offender and the harassed. Environments of teasing, bullying, and harassment discourage learning and cause LGBT students and allies to feel alienated in places where they should be safe. Allowing it to continue fosters hate and intolerance, and has severe effects on those it is directed to and any witnesses as well. It also discourages students from attending class and participating.
I know that even as an ally, every time I hear hurtful and harassing words I feel as if I have been personally attacked. I feel hurt for my LGBT friends and angry that the offender would do/say something like that. If it’s on TV or in a non-personal setting, I feel angry that the broadcaster would allow such things, and that whoever watching (because it isn’t me) will watch that. In certain situations, even I sometimes feel helpless to stop it. It often ruins my day.
At times, it can seem like an exercise in futility. Some days it seems as if I am the only straight male who fights for the rights LGBT people. But every time I meet a member of the LGBT community, I am reminded of why I am an ally—because nobody deserves to be oppressed. Anti-LGBT harassment in any environment creates an unsafe place for a person to live, work or learn. Until all schools are safe spaces for all students, regardless of identity, I will remain an ally to my friends and all other members of the LGBT community.
Tony Glavinic Regional Student Organizer 2006-2007 National Student Leadership Team
Do you have an ally story? Send a message to GLSEN’s Student Organizing Department at info@dayofsilence.org.
Sunday, 12 October 2008 – 5:44 PM
| Comments Off on The 10th Anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s Murder
The Juneau Empire printed an editorial by current Juneau resident and former Wyoming resident Leslie Wood about Matthew Shepard’s murder and anti-gay hate crimes today, ten years after Shepard was killed.
It was October 1998, and I was new to Juneau. I had grown up in Wyoming, and for a week my attention was squarely on my old Wyoming community. It was as though the world was turned upside down. Word broke that a student from my former school, the University of Wyoming in Laramie, had been brutally murdered. He had been beaten, tied to a split rail fence, pistol-whipped, and left to die in near freezing temperatures.
It was shocking, it was sickening, and it left people wondering, “Why?”
For six days I watched the news and prayed for his recovery, but on Oct. 12, 1998, Matthew Shepard’s body finally gave out and he died. During that week, we discovered the reason that Shepard was beaten and left to die: He was gay.
Shepard’s brutal murder had a chilling affect on everyone, but it struck really close for some of us. How could someone hate this kid, just for being who he was? I wanted desperately to believe Wyoming was better than this. Surely the world was better than this? Shepard was the victim of this crime, but because this type of ugly hatred reared its head in our community, many of us were left with emotional scars that may never heal.
It has been 10 years since he was killed. Although I had moved to Juneau before he was killed, I had deep roots in the Wyoming community. Juneau is my home, it’s where I live, work, and with my partner raise our two little girls. Yet, as I compare the world then to the world now, it saddens me to realize that so little has changed. Today, we see little alarm or public outpouring to stop this type of bias-motivated crime, often these crimes making no more than the local evening news. Have we grown immune in the 10 years since Shepard was killed?
Anti-gay and anti-transgender hate crimes are still pervasive in our country: On Feb. 12, a 15-year-old boy in Oxnard, Calif., Lawrence “Larry” King, admitted to classmates that his innocent Valentine crush was directed toward a male classmate. The next day, the boy Larry had a crush on came to school and shot Larry in the back of the head. Larry was killed because he was gay.
In July of this year, 18-year-old Angie Zapata returned to her home in Greeley, Colo., to find a man who she had previously dated waiting for her. According to that man’s story, he became enraged when he found out Angie was transgender, and beat her to death with a fire extinguisher. In September, police reported that the murderer said, “All gay things should die.”
And we are not immune in Alaska: Young gay, lesbian, bi and transgender Alaskans have to ask themselves every day whether it’s safe to be honest about who they are. As lesbian mothers, my partner and I have to worry about how safe the community is for our daughters. Will they be targeted for harassment or worse simply for who their parents are?
It was wrong for Shepard to be so brutally murdered, and it is wrong for kids like Larry and Angie to still be subject to this type of crime today!
In 1998, I hoped the horror and shock of Shepard’s murder would help stop this type of anti-gay crime. To this day, the image of a split rail fence sends chills down my spine, as I think of Shepard spending some of his last hours, alone, tied to one in the Wyoming countryside. As we remember him, now a decade later, I call upon my fellow Alaskans to join me. As part of a new organization, Alaskans Together for Equality can make sure that we no longer tolerate this type of anti-gay bias. Alaskans Together, we can make this world a better place for all our children.
Saturday, 11 October 2008 – 7:05 AM
| Comments Off on National Coming Out Day: October 11, 2008
Every Oct. 11, thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and allies celebrate National Coming Out Day. We hold workshops, speak-outs, rallies and other kinds of events all aimed at showing the public that GLBT people are everywhere.
Come Out to Family, Friends and Co-Workers
Make a commitment to be honest about your sexual orientation or gender identity to those who know you. Polls continue to show that people who know someone gay are more likely to support full equality.
Come Out to Your Elected Officials and Local Newspapers
Write letters to your members of Congress, governor, state and city representatives, and to your local newspapers in support of GLBT-friendly legislation.
Attend the Pride Conference in Anchorage
Identity, Inc. is sponsoring the 14th annual Alaska Pride Conference on Saturday, October 11, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. People of all ages, cultures, sexualities and professions attend the conference each year to strengthen ties with one another and build community.
Why October 11?
On Oct. 11, 1987, 500,000 people attended the March on Washington for Lesbian & Gay Rights. This was the second such demonstration in DC, and the first display of the NAMES Project Quilt, remembering those who died from AIDS. Four months after the march, more than 100 LGBT activists from around the nation met near Washington, D.C. Recognizing that the GLBT community often reacted defensively to anti-gay actions, they came up with the idea of a national day to celebrate coming out, to be held on the anniversary of the second march on Washington.
Friday, 10 October 2008 – 12:11 PM
| Comments Off on Dear Governor Palin,
When your gay friend(s) came out to you, it was their sign of faith and hope for you as a caring and understanding person. It was their way to reach out for closer friendship, and deeper mutual respect.
Please show the same friendship and trust to all lesbian, gay, bi and trans Alaskans and sign the National Coming Out Day Proclamation.
We come out to be more honest, to be better friends, to be closer family members. Those are our family values – which your gay friends showed to you, and we hope you can now show them and all of us in return.
Wednesday, 8 October 2008 – 8:15 AM
| Comments Off on Out is In – Alaska Pride Conference 2008
Identity, Inc. is sponsoring the 14th annual Alaska Pride Conference at the UAA University Center Mall (36th Ave. and Old Seward Hwy) on Saturday, October 11, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
People of all ages, cultures, sexualities and professions attend the conference each year to strengthen ties with one another and build community.
Alaska Pride Conference 2008 offers the following workshops:
Welcome by Dr. Fran Ulmer, Chancellor, UAA
High School GSA Discussion Group
Sexy 60’s – A Preview of Coming Attractions!
GLBTQ Youth Suicide: The Facts
Safe Spaces for Transgenders: Roundtable Discussion
Identifying & Coping with the Impact of Religion on Gay Youth
OOP, I Forgot to Have Children
Hypnosis: Fun, Facts, Fiction and Practice
Film – But Words Do Hurt: Stories of GLBT Youth
Lunch with Performance artist Krista Bell
Knowledge = Power = Equality: Promoting Your Rights at School
Early Detection = Best Prevention – Breast & Cervical Cancer Awareness
Registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, and admission to all workshops. Pre-registration: $20 adult/$10 student (download a registration form.) Register at the door: $25 adult/ $15 student.
Sunday, 5 October 2008 – 7:20 AM
| Comments Off on PFLAG Juneau wins $1,000 in Pride Foundation Raffle
Over 2,500 people entered the Raffle With a Twist, telling Pride Foundation which non-profit organization is their favorite and hoping to win some money for them. Here are the winners of the 2008 Raffle:
Rainbow Center of Tacoma is the grand prize winner of $2,500!
In addition, the most nominated organization from each of our five states will receive $1,000 for their work. The following received the most nominations for their state:
Friday, 3 October 2008 – 9:59 AM
| Comments Off on This Week in GLBT Alaska – 10/3/08
Check out this week’s events from Alaska GLBT News.
For full listings, news briefs and up-coming events, subscribe to AGN.
Juneau
Jump the Broom: in Solidarity and Celebration of Love and Marriage 10/5, 3:30-7:30 p.m. Juneau Arts & Cultural Center. All proceeds go to Equality for All.
Fairbanks
Harvest Ball 10/3, door at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. $15 at the Pioneer Park Civic Center. ICOAA
Disco/Funk Party with DJ Double D 10/4, 9 p.m.-? 21 and over. Jeff’s house.
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.
