Articles in TV/radio/movies
Ugly Betty, Equality Mixer, ATE update
Gay AK – notes for and from LGBTQ Alaska
Justin’s Episode on “Ugly Betty”
GLESN and the creative team of “Ugly Betty” have announced that the character Justin will come to terms with his sexual identity in an April 7 episode. “Your support for GLSEN is making real storylines, just like Justin’s, possible in schools all over our country. We applaud the work you do, and hope you’ll be watching with all of us at Ugly Betty as we help our much-loved Justin take the next step in his personal coming out journey.”
Equality Works Mixer
Join Equality Works for a night of entertainment, education, and community-building, on April 10 at 7 p.m. Meet other people interested in making Anchorage safe for gay and transgender Alaskans. Test your knowledge of LGBT issues and politics in the U.S. Find out how you can help Equality Works move Alaska forward. Be there for the start of something beautiful. E-mail Tiffany McClain for address and directions or call (907) 258-0044 ext. 2006.
DADT, ENDA and AK Hate Crimes updates
Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. (ATE) continues to monitor legislation at the federal and state level. The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1283/S. 3065) is moving forward to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. In addition, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017/S. 1584) is making its way through Congress. In order for these two pieces of legislation to continue to move forward we need your help. If you haven’t already, please contact our Congressional delegation and voice your support for these two important pieces of legislation.
In Alaska, we have been monitoring Senate Bill 202 (Alaska Hate Crimes Legislation) that is making its way through the State Senate. If passed as amended it will cover crimes motivated by prejudice, bias, or hatred based on the victim’s sexual orientation as well as on other inherent characteristics. For more news, to become an ATE member or to volunteer for ATE visit Alaskans Together for Equality.
Celebration wrap-up from RAW
“Thanks for another awesome Celebration! Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers, performers, crew and committees that helped make this year’s Celebration of Change a success. Special thanks to Metro and GLCCA for selling tickets and Kodiak for hosting the after party. And thanks to all that came out and watched the show. See you next year!” Radical Arts for Women.
Emma’s Revolution in concert, Pride Chorus opens
Pat Humphries & Sandy O of Emma’s Revolution bring their music of “truth, hope and a dash of healthy irreverence” to Juneau on March 18, 7:30 p.m. at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, and Juneau Pride Chorus will open the concert with a few songs. They will also perform in Sitka and on KTOO radio.
Emma’s Revolution has traveled around the world and throughout the US spreading their message of peace and justice. As a duo, they performed at hundreds of peace and justice events over the last eight years. Their current tour is for their new CD We Came To Sing!, a collaboration with the legendary Holly Near.
Tickets can be purchased at the door, or in advance through Emma’s Revolution and are $15, or $12 for members of co-sponsoring organizations. The concert is co-sponsored by Juneau Pride Chorus, Juneau Veterans for Peace, Juneau People for Peace & Justice and Juneau Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
During their week in Alaska, Emma’s Revolution will also perform in Sitka and be live guests on KTOO radio. On Monday March 15, they will join “A Juneau Afternoon” at 3:30 p.m. Tune in to KTOO 104.3 FM or via live streaming (click “Listen Live” in the top left logo.)
On Saturday, March 20 they perform in Sitka at the Sheet’ka Kwaán Naa Kahídi Tribal Community House. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, no one turned away for lack of ability to pay. Advance tickets may be purchased at Old Harbor Books. On March 21, they will be adding music to the Sunday service at the Sitka Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. All are welcome.
Emma’s Revolution has been called “Smart, funny and informative. Like Rachel Maddow and Jon Stewart with guitars.” Don’t miss them.
Kathy Griffin looks for gays in Anchorage
Award-winning and gay-friendly comedian Kathy Griffin is performing in Anchorage on Friday March 5 at the PAC.
In addition to stand-up comedy, Griffin played a lesbian activist on a recent episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and posed for the NoH8 photo project. She also escorted Levi Johnston to the Teen Choice Awards, and joked that they are engaged and she’s carrying his baby.
“Kathy invades Alaska for one night only in March. Make sure to get your tickets early for this rare stop. In addition, Kathy will be stopping at Borders (1100 East Dimond Boulevard, Anchorage) at noon sharp for a very special book signing. Please call in advance for any special instructions the store may have: 907-344-4099.”
“Multiple HBO and Bravo specials weren’t enough! Catch double Emmy award winning Kathy Griffin live in her true element. She has more stories, more dish, more of what she shouldn’t say but you know you want to hear. Chicago native Kathy Griffin is a multi-faceted performer with a rapid fire wit. Come with an open mind and laugh until you puke . . . Just a little.”
Griffin loves “her gays” and will definitely have gay and lesbian fans at the Anchorage show. She even looked for – and found – gay soldiers when entertaining troops in Afghanistan, in this video clip from her DVD Allegedly:
Her fourth stand-up comedy DVD She’ll Cut A Bitch was released in January. Learn more at Kathy Griffin’s home page.
Tickets are $65 for the main floor and $45 for the mezzanine and balcony, and are available through the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts event page for Kathy Griffin.
k.d.lang’s queer Alaskan Valentine
k.d. lang sings – and howls – the love song Barefoot from her movie Salmonberries, which takes place in Kotzebue, Alaska. Although the video does not show her feet, she is bare from the chest up. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Mia Kirshner: From L Word to Alaska
Mia Kirshner, who played the sexy author Jenny Schecter on The L Word, just filmed a vampire movie where her character devastated the town of Barrow, Alaska. In the sequel 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, she plays the lead villain Lilith, the vampire queen responsible for the assault on Barrow that was the focus of the first 30 Days of Night.
The plot of Dark Days: After nearly a year of struggling to expose the truth about the destruction of Barrow by vampires, Stella joins a group of rogue vampire hunters in Los Angeles to seek revenge on Lilith, the powerful vampire responsible for the attack on Stella’s Alaskan hometown.
Was it filmed in AK? Was Mia here on the Last Frontier? Probably not.
OK, so it’s not news about LGBT Alaska, but it involves a co-star on a famous lesbian television series in a new role as a vampire in Alaska, and it turned up in a web search for lesbian Alaska, so here it is.
Continuing with the vampire theme, Kirshner is joining the cast of The Vampire Diaries starting on January 21.
Wasilla Gays to Levi: We’re here
Levi’s gay Wasilla homeboys (un)straighten Levi Johnson on the topic of whether there are gays in Wasilla. Yes, Levi, there are!
Gay Movie Night at the Anchorage Film Festival
“American Primitive” is this year’s gay movie at the Anchorage International Film Festival, showing at the Bear Tooth on Wednesday Dec 9 at 8 p.m. and followed by an after-party at Mad Myrna’s. Tickets are $7 for the movie, and the party is free.
American Primitive is set in Cape Cod in 1973. A widowed father relocates to Cape Cod with his teenage daughters to begin a new business and a new life, and struggles to withhold a secret that would tear the family apart. Ideas of sex and identity are questioned, topics that seemed to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the early 70s but were actually still taboo.
Here’s the trailer:
This Week in LGBT Alaska 12/4/09
The Anchorage International Film Festival begins today, and it’s also Art Walk First Friday.
This week’s LGBT events from the statewide newsletter 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
LGBTA Christmas Concert Gathering with the social group, Sunday 12/6, 4 p.m. for the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concert in the David Concert Hall, UAF. Tickets here, and email Joshua to RSVP.
UAF Gay-Straight Alliance meets Mondays at 5 p.m. in the Women’s Center (Eilson 112). Jessi.
Wednesday LGBTA Social around 9:30 p.m. Email Joshua for the current 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
Kristara is co-hosting the Friday Night Diva Variety Show 12/4, 9 p.m at Mad Myrna’s.
Comic Mike Lebovitz 12/5, 8 p.m. performs at Mad Myrna’s and part of the proceeds benefit the YWCA.
Sunday worship with MCC Anchorage at 2 p.m.
Gay, Joyous and Free AA Meeting, Mondays 6:00 p.m. at the GLCCA.
“American Primitive” showing at the Bear Tooth 12/9, 8 p.m. as this year’s Gay-La gay movie with the Anchorage International Film Festival. Followed by an after-party at Myrna’s around 10 p.m.
Sullivan’s Say ‘No’ To Bullies Month (or something like that)
“Hi, I’m Mayor Dan Sullivan. I’ve declared November as Say ‘No’ to Bullies Month. Bullying occurs far too often, and we need to stand up and say ‘no’ to this hurtful behavior.”
The Jazz Greats concert at the PAC on Friday is a benefit for a good cause: Bye Bye Bullies, an international anti-bullying organization based in Anchorage. Earlier this week, Bent heard that Mayor Sullivan supports the program and declared November Bullying Awareness Month to draw attention to the issue.
It was November 10, but there was no declaration of Bullying Awareness Month on the Mayor’s website and no mention of it in the ADN’s piece on the concert. Sure the Mayor has been busy vetoing Assembly bills, denying thousands of Anchorage voters protection against hate-based discrimination, and slashing the city’s arts and library budgets. But if he wants to draw attention to an important problem like bullying by declaring a month to raise awareness about it, you’d think that his office would send out a press release.
So I wrote to a contact person listed on the Mayor’s website, praising Bullying Awareness Month and asking for a copy of the declaration.
Then I heard the radio ad for the Jazz Greats concert with Mayor Sullivan’s part quoted above, declaring November as Say ‘No’ to Bullies Month.
Well, ok, the promoter must have written the name incorrectly, Bullying Awareness Month instead of Say ‘No’ to Bullies Month. But there wasn’t anything posted on a local Say ‘No’ to Bullies Month either, so I waited for the declaration from the Mayor’s office… and was surprised to get a declaration for Bullying Awareness Month. (Did they write it on Nov. 10 in response to my request? Or did they change the name in the radio ad after the declaration was written?)
Bullying Awareness MonthWHEREAS, we must safeguard schools for our children, and, through our recognition of the serious issues that face them each day, offer our children an environment that holds promise and security; andWHEREAS, many organizations, school districts, educators and parents have publicly expressed concern about the bullying of children; andWHEREAS, it is important that we acknowledge and heighten awareness about the serious issues and the negative effects of bullying, including the long-term damage it can cause in our youth, which may include the risks of teenage suicide; andWHEREAS, providing a safe physical and emotional environment is a significant goal and a personal responsibility of each individual; andWHEREAS, it is appropriate to speak out AGAINST bullying and FOR our children; andNOW, THEREFORE, I, Mayor Dan Sullivan, on behalf of the citizens of Anchorage do hereby proclaim the month of November 2009 asBULLYING AWARENESS MONTHin the city of Anchorage and encourage the community to acknowledge and address the important issue of bullying and work to prevent it from affecting our children.
It’s a good statement and a great cause, although I hope the Mayor will do more than just speak about it. For example, he could recommend that the Bye Bye Bullies program be taught in the Anchorage School District.
“It’s a benefit for Bye-Bye Bullies, a program to address school violence that originated in Anchorage and is now being effectively used in school districts around the country (though not here; go figure),” wrote the ADN.
Maybe he could do more to provide a ‘safe physical and emotional environment’ free from bullying for both the children and the adults who live here. Just saying…
Bye-Bye Bullies, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to protecting the integrity of individuals and preventing violence in schools and beyond. Founded by attorney Dennis Maloney, Bye-Bye Bullies organized the Violence Prevention Under the Midnight Sun conference in Anchorage, Alaska, the first national conference on bullying.
The Jazz Greats concert features Jeff Golub & Rick Braun, two excellent musicians. Go and enjoy the music for a good cause. And if anyone tries to bully your children this month, stand up and say “no.” Mayor Sullivan says so.
Outrage hits Anchorage for Pride Week
The controversial movie Outrage will premiere in Alaska during Pride Week, showing at The Bear Tooth on Monday, June 15 at 5:30 & 7:45 p.m. The Bear Tooth’s other Pride Week film will be Poltergay, shown on June 18.
Outrage: Do Ask, Do Tell is “a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians with appalling gay rights voting records who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Outrage boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of our nation’s most powerful policymakers.”
Poltergay is “Poltergeist meets Saturday Night Fever with a gay spin. This French horror spoof, of a young couple who unknowingly buy a mansion haunted by disco dancing homosexuals, is set to a monstrous ’70s musical score.”
Watch the Outrage trailer:
