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.
Saturday, 9 January 2010 – 6:27 AM
| Comments Off on “Debutante Balls”: A transgender one-man-show at Out North
Scott T. Schofield, an award-winning trans performer, returns to Anchorage this week with Debutante Balls, about his years as a debutante in the deep south.
Out North describes Debutante Balls as a “theatrical stand-up comedy dance through the fascinating culture of the Southern Debutante Ball. Schofield’s wicked sense of self-aware humor and poetic sensibility guide us gently (or is that genteel-ly?) through the many ways he “came out” into Southern Society: as a lesbian, radical feminist, and finally, as a transgender man.”
Schofield is an award-winning writer, performer, and educator creating theater about gender and sexuality. He tours internationally with his solo shows, and acts and writes for theater and film.
Nicole Blizzard of Anchorage passed away on Dec. 30, and a memorial service is being held tonight, Thursday Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in Providence Hospital’s West Auditorium. Blizzard was an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Providence.
The queer community is planning a second memorial later this month at Mad Myrna’s. Blizzard asked for a party instead of a funeral, so her friends are throwing a Birthday Party Celebration of Nicole’s Life at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 31, which would have been her 52nd birthday.
In December, she was dealing with health problems and developed complications. Her close friends were with her when she passed away. They will spread her ashes in Cook Inlet this spring, as she requested.
Blizzard founded The Naked Ptarmigan, an LGBT literary journal for Alaska. She was a former editor of The NorthView, a former board member of Identity, and a co-host of RAW’s Celebration of Change.
She loved music, photography and writing, wrote online book and music reviews, and contributed to the web site TechnoDyke. A new book of her writings, Love and Other Mishaps: An Accidental Anthology, was published in early December, and autographed copies are available in the Local Interest section of Border’s Bookstore in Anchorage.
RAW is considering a last issue of The Naked Ptarmigan in honor of Nicole, and may set up a scholarship named for her. Details will be announced on March 27 at Celebration of Change.
Condolences to her friends and family. She was well-known and will be missed.
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
Integrity, the Episcopal GLBT group, meets 11/20, 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church the third Friday of the month. Potluck, fellowship and worship. All are welcome.
The Rocky Horror Show, 11/20-11/21, Fri & Sat 7 p.m., and Sat also at 10 p.m. $20 at Mad Myrna’s.
Candlelight Vigil Against Hate Crimes, in memory of Jason Mattison Jr and Jorge Steven Mercado 11/22, 3-4 p.m. along the Park Strip at 9th and L St, in front of the American Flag. Bring a candle.
Miss MeMe’s Gospel Show 11/22, 4 p.m. at Mad Myrna’s, a fundraiser for MCC and ICOAA.
Thursday, 19 November 2009 – 9:58 AM
| Comments Off on Transgender Day of Remembrance, Nov 20
Friday is the 11th International Transgender Day of Remembrance and memorial events are held all over the world to recognize those who were killed during the previous year because of anti-transgender hate and violence.
Since last year’s event, 18 people are known to have been murdered because of their gender identity or gender expression. Many other transgender murders go unreported, and journalists often use the gender listed on police reports, based on biology instead of dress, personal letters or testimony from friends and family, which might tell a more complete story.
Although Transgender Day of Remembrance focuses on people who were murdered for having a non-traditional gender identity, it also brings to light a related tragedy: the high rate of suicide among transgender people.
Alaska has a large number of transgender men and women, and unfortunately we have known several community members who took their own lives, including two in Anchorage this summer.
Everyone is invited to join the Metropolitan Community Church Anchorage at the Sunday worship service on Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. to commemorate the lives of our transgender brothers and sisters who have been tragically lost at the hands of intolerance and hatred.
Tuesday, 10 November 2009 – 11:55 PM
| Comments Off on LDS Church supports Gay Anti-Discrimination ordinance passed by Salt Lake City
Tuesday was a big day for anti-discrimination measures, as Salt Lake City, Utah approved protections for gays in housing and employment – with the support of the Mormon church – and Fort Worth, Texas added transgender protections to their anti-discrimination law.
The ordinance represents “common sense laws that should apply to everyone,” said LDS church spokesman Michael Otterson. “The Church supports this ordinance because it is fair and reasonable and does not do violence to the institution of marriage.”
Their support for human rights does not extend to same-sex marriage. Yes, they miss the point that marriage is a basic human right, but their position is far ahead of the mobs that protested Anchorage’s anti-discrimination ordinance this summer.
More than 200 people packed the council chambers and overflow rooms. Three transgender people spoke in favor of the ordinance. One man protested against the ordinance by standing on top of his Bible in front of City Hall to symbolize that he was “standing on the word of God.”
Despite a crowd of opponents, the council passed the ordinance one week after introducing it.
So Anchorage fell behind two more cities, in Utah and Texas, in our efforts to become a world class city. Even the Mormon church is more progressive than Anchorage on gay rights.
Saturday, 7 November 2009 – 2:56 PM
| Comments Off on Top Forty, UAA & VA support, MCC helps Covenant House, and the Uniting Families petition
Gay AK – notes for and about LGBT Alaska
Lesbian Journalist and Identity recognized
Congratulations to Julia O’Malley for being named one of “Alaska’s Top Forty Under 40” this year! And congratulations to Identity, Inc. for being #10 on the list of Alaska’s Largest Nonprofit Organizations, ranked by number of volunteers, according to The Alaska Journal of Commerce.
UAA’s GLBTQA Support Group
OUT: a support group for the GLBTQA in all of us (formerly known as The Family) is meeting every Sunday at noon in the Student Union. Come Out and be a part of equality on campus!
Transgendered Veterans Support Group
The VA Mental Health Clinic in Anchorage holds a support group for Transgendered Veterans on Thursdays from 4-5 p.m. on the second floor, facilitated by Sue Ellen May LCSW and Dr. Camilla Madden PHD. If you are interested in attending, please call them at 257-4846 or 257-4857.
MCC holiday fundraiser for Covenant House
Each year, MCCA serves the community in Anchorage by raising money and needed items for those organizations which directly impact our community at large. Covenant House Alaska (CHA) provides shelter and other services to homeless, runaway and at-risk youth. Donations are tax deductible and can be made online at MCCA or sent to: Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage, 2222 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99507. Please note your gift as “Covenant House 2009” and send by December 16, 2009.
The Uniting American Families Act
The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) will provide gay and lesbian U.S. citizens and permanent residents the right to sponsor their partners for immigration. It includes the same process and penalties as applied in heterosexual sponsorship applications. Read the letter and sign the petition for passing UAFA.
Dan Sullivan was sworn in as the new Mayor of Anchorage on July 1, two days before Gov. Palin resigned. Mayor Sullivan has not yet stated where he stands on the issue of LGBT equality, or how he will respond to the equal rights ordinance. Please email Mayor Sullivan and respectfully explain why he should support an ordinance that will help to protect all Anchorage residents from discrimination.
I wanted to write and thank you for keeping an open mind concerning the debate that is taking place before the Assembly concerning the rights of LGBT people. My name is Kelly and I split my time between Alaska and Kentucky and overseas. I own rental property in both Eagle River and Wasilla, and work for one of your largest employers in the city/state. Finally, I am a Christian, and I am transgendered.
Although it is my desire to have the Assembly grant us equal protection as afforded to us under the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, it is not the purpose of my letter. Rather, my hope is to assist you in understanding Gender Dysphoria. I write to you because I am deeply saddened by the misinformation that has come from some of the local churches. As a Christian, it hurts to see these false accusations come from an institution that is to represent the One who came to save us.
Transgender individuals do not just wake up one day and wish to change genders. It is a condition that was caused in utero, when the Androgen receptors were blocked from receiving the proper amount of hormones to mirror that of the one’s anatomy. Contrary to the information that was published on SOSAnchorage.org, there is scientific and medical data that backs this argument. Studies done from the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research have found the Bed of Nucleus Stri Terminalis (BSTc – part of the brain that identifies who one is) of a transgendered woman mirrors that of a genetic woman and vice versa for that of a transgender male. Another study, done by the Prince Henry Institute in Melbourne, Australia, found a genetic variation of the human genome that is believe to cause the disruption of the Androgen Receptors in utero. Studies done on drugs such as PCP, DDT, and Diethylstilbestrol (DES) have also found a link to the cause of Gender Dysphoria.
I refer you to a blog post that I wrote, along with the letter I sent to my Municipal Representative, Ms. Debbie Ossiander. It answers many of the questions concerning the cause of Gender Identity, in hopes that someday people will recognize this was not something we created, but something we were born with. Should you have any questions, or wish to learn more about people such as me, you may reach me via this letter.
I recognize the enormous responsibility you have to represent all the citizens of this great city and want you to know, you are in my prayers.
Monday, 8 June 2009 – 7:11 PM
| Comments Off on Revised Ordinance Exempts Small Businesses, Religious Groups, and Bathrooms. Prevo still opposes it.
A revised version of the ordinance that removes “veteran’s status” and strengthens the religious and business exemptions was released on Friday. The revision, AO 2009-64(S), also states that the ordinance “does not apply to discrimination because of one’s biological gender in matters such as access to restrooms…”
“We feel that excluding transgender people from the right to use the restroom in which they feel most safe and comfortable is not only unnecessary, but an irresponsible public policy choice that endangers lives… We sincerely hope [for] an ordinance that respects everyone’s right to safe use of public restrooms and is based on facts rather than fiction and fear.”
But opponents to the ordinance fill their collection plates by pedaling fiction and fear. The response from Jerry Prevo’s site was immediate:
“NEW!!! A revised version of the sexual orientation ordinance has been released by the acting Mayor. Supposedly, it is to prevent some of the problems we have raised. However, the term “sexual orientation” is not acceptable in any discrimination ordinance. The first ordinance shows what the homosexual movement really wants. We must say NO to the inclusion of homosexuality in any discrimination ordinance. Please encourage the Assembly to vote NO on this ordinance and do not amend Anchorage’s discrimination ordinance to include homosexuality as an acceptable alternative lifestyle. This will eventually lead to homosexuals wanting to make homosexual marriages legal in Alaska.”
To Ivan Moore and others who thought that an ordinance limited to sexual orientation would be acceptable to Prevo and his followers, the message is clear: they will not accept anything that gives us civil rights, in any form. The equal rights ordinance cannot be made acceptable to Rev. Prevo, because gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered human beings are not acceptable to him:
“I can’t minister to these people. I can’t tell them that Jesus Christ died for them and will forgive them just like He will an adulterer or a murderer…”
We cannot compromise with him because he is not bargaining in good faith. He is simply using the media attention to gain money and fame.
Prevo’s real goal is to increase his power over our city’s laws and politics. He admitted to ADN reporter Julia O’Malley that he will force a recall vote if the Assembly passes any version of equal protections for gays. He also admitted that he will use his pulpit to ruin the careers of politicians who resist his control of the city.
The choice clear for us, our allies, and anyone who thinks that Anchorage should not be run by a fundamentalist minister. We must support an inclusive ordinance, stand firm against Prevo and take back our city.
Laura O’Lacy wrote the following letter to the Anchorage Assembly in support of a trans-inclusive ordinance, describing the harassment and discrimination she has faced as a transgender woman trying to get a job in her field of training.
Sunday, 7 June 2009 – 1:55 PM
| Comments Off on Sex is between the legs, Gender is between the ears
[Editor’s Note: April wrote this “modest proposal” essay in response to Ivan Moore’s suggestion that we take protections for transgender people out of the ordinance. See In Support of a Transgender-inclusive Ordinance.]
You don’t wake up one morning and out of the blue decide that this is the day that your life has ended as the gender you were born as, and you now want to be known from here forward as the opposite sex, whether it be a male to female or a female to male. To begin to comprehend the concepts and defintions of “cross dresser”, “transvestite”, “transexual” and “transgender” is to push the contemporary limits and understanding of a host of social sciences, theories, definitions, and medical studies. Even among the minute collection of specialists in gender based areas, there is very little cohesion as to the cause and effect of who these groups of people come to be, and are, let alone how to “label” them within the common societal classifications we have come to know. While heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, androgynous, and transsexual are commonly refered too, where and how do we fit those who cross all over these aspects of sex and gender?
For eons and throughout cultures world wide, those who spanned the boundaries of gender were seen as ones who were granted special powers and status by the powers, gods, or beliefs held by those groups. They were seen as encompassing in some ways both genders, rather then one or the other, giving them the ability to comprehend life beyond the clearly defined boundaries of being either a male or female. The foundation of almost all creation myths, including the bible, refer back to an undefinable time when man and woman were one single entity and through some act, were seperated into two. Both Occidental and Oriental societies, symbolisms, and beliefs consistently refer back to this concept of one being, eventually divided into two. So why is it then so difficult and perverse for modern society to accept that what was held as something special then should be any different now? Do we not all come into this world as the result of a joining of a male and female, and is it so far reaching to believe that there are those who contain not one or the other, but both within the very core of who they may be genetically, physically, spiritually, socially and culturally?
Is it fear bred from ignorance, hatred, bigotry, or just a lack of coming to accept that a unique group of people does exist in society. That by recognizing that they not only exist now, and have always existed, that it will throw the entire dualistic nature of our society and beliefs into chaos? Or is it the sex, advertising, and porno industries who have saturated us so much with imagery of “chicks with dicks”, large hairy men in stretched out lacey women’s underwear, or male prostitutes dressed up as woman, that we can only conclude that anyone who dresses or acts as the opposite sex is strictly doing it for money, sexual deviance and/or perversion? Or as in Anchorage with the Ordinance, is it the voices of a handfull of fanatics, and their need for fame, spotlight and acknowledgement by opposing the nature of reality as it really is in order to fill their coffers, congregations, and advance their hidden political agendas?
Or does it come down to the most simple yet complex issue of our understanding of “normal” and what it is? That those fanatics who see their own worlds and perspectives as “normal” are in fact the “abnormal” ones. Should we accept their own twisted views of what their “normal” is rather than truly celebrating and protecting the stunningly incredible beauty and endless diversity of the people we all share this planet with? How long shall we allow or acknowledge anyone who fights to limit, define, and destroy anyone or anything that alludes to the truth? That we are all born as equals and will all die as equals, and that what we should be striving for is to treat and protect each other as equals during our lifetime regardless of our own individual uniqueness.
To the same degree, the issue of whether anyone should remove the “T” from “LGBTA” in order to make the Ordinance pass easier is another disturbing aspect of being transgendered. To someone who is openly transgendered and a noted supporter and advocate of the entire acroynm of “LGBTA” and more, those who support such a move show as much ignorance and bigotry as those who oppose the ordinance. It comes across as “cleansing” to get rid of the “freaks” rather then an effort to understand those of us who are the “T”, as much as the “GL” ask those who are opposed to homosexuality to understand them.
If some are set on allowing the ordinance to protect just the “LGB”, then they need to cleanse the Bisexuals from it as well, because they already have protection when they are with the opposite sex, or can pretend to be. Also get rid of the drag queens because most gay men prefer men, not men dressed or acting as women, and they can allude to money, sex, and perversion. Get rid of the Bears and Leather crowd because that can be seen as another act of perversion as well and will not make the ordinance “pure.” As for the gays and lesbians, in order to truly help this ordinace pass as purely as possible, you need to start verifying that every single person who uses “G” or “L” is such and has never had a relationship with the opposite sex. Get notarized statements from everyone in their lives all the way back to the day of birth to fully confirm that those who are “G” and “L” have never had a thought of being sexual with, or in a relationship with, the opposite sex or gender. If it’s purity you want from the ordinance, then start cleansing everyone who is not of pure homosexual blood from day one. In fact, require they have a “pride flag” tatoo on their body so you can identify them as pure “G & L” blood. Perhaps then, the Ordinance will pass with little fight, and you can finally live totally free of discrimination in Anchorage, while the rest of the unpure “LBGTA” family is led away, me and the transgendered people, where we are eventually denied our rights to housing, jobs and a happy life, and in turn, loaded onto buses, trains or driven off to other places so we don’t disrupt the new-found “equality” under the Ordinance. Sound far-fetched? Maybe so …
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.
Nicole Blizzard of Anchorage passed away on Dec. 30, and a memorial service is being held tonight, Thursday Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in Providence Hospital’s West Auditorium. Blizzard was an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Providence.
