Articles in TV/radio/movies
MCCA’s Pastor Van Manen Goes On The Record
Sen. Begich, Outrage, Jake’s Take & Carrie Prejean
News Roundup on the Non-Discrimination Ordinance
- Assemblymember Patrick Flynn blogged his reasons for supporting the measure and took a poll on the issue (still open in the right hand column.)
- The Anchorage Daily News article focused on opposition by Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Temple, and was picked up by many newspapers and web sites.
- Mel Green wrote on the introduction of the ordinance and on the reactions to the ADN piece. The pieces are posted on her personal blog Henkimaa and here on Bent Alaska, and the second piece was posted on Progressive Alaska.
- Equality Works asks us to help end legal discrimination in Anchorage by writing to our Assembly members, sharing our experiences of discrimination at the June 9 hearing, and explaining to our friends and relatives that discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people is currently legal in Alaska.
- KTVA Channel 11 interviewed Assemblymember Patrick Flynn, acting-mayor Matt Claman, Jerry Provo of ABT, and Mel Green, an ‘advocate against discrimination’ (and a Bent contributor.)
- KTUU Channel 2 interviewed gay rights supporter Diana Wolfe, opponent Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council, and Assembly member Patrick Flynn.
- The Anchorage Press article “Hello Culture War” spoke with Jeffrey Mittman of the ACLU of Alaska on the efforts to reach out to religious organizations and the problems with the ‘special rights’ argument.
- The conservative Alaska Standard posted “Anchorage residents should be free to discriminate” by Dan Fagan, and audio clips with Connor, a gay 16 year old who argues for the right to marry, and Bruce, a landlord.
- The Immoral Minority commented on the KTUU poll that asked if the Anchorage Assembly should pass an ordinance banning discrimination against homosexuals. (Results: Yes 52%, No 48%)
- Celtic Diva’s Blue Oasis remembers the harassment experienced by straight allies who fought for a similar ordinance passed by the Assembly in 1992 but overturned by a newly elected Assembly in ’93. She promises to stand by us again and hopes “that we’ve grown as a city since then.”
KTVA and KTUU cover Anchorage Equal Protection Measure
Gay Man on The Alaska Experiment
Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment isn’t your typical reality show. And thirty-year-old Jake Nodar isn’t your typical reality participant, especially not when it comes to those usually found on The Discovery Channel. Nodar is gay and, as hard as it is to believe, in nearly twenty-five years of operation, the network has never featured an out gay man in its programming.
That changes Tuesday night when Nodar, along with eight other participants, are dropped in the middle of the Alaskan bush and told to find their way out with minimal supplies and virtually no help. But don’t mistake this for a colder version of Survivor. There are no reward or immunity challenges, no scheming alliances and no million dollar prize.Instead, Nodar and the eight others face only brutal weather and mile after mile of trudging through the Alaskan wilderness as they work to navigate their way back to civilization.
MILK at the Oscars
“Milk” in Anchorage: A tale of two theaters
The movie Milk is showing at The Bear Tooth, Friday–Sunday at 7:50 p.m. and Tuesday–Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Only six showings — don’t miss it!
Milk is based on the life of Harvey Milk, an openly gay man who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.
Milk shows Harvey (played by Sean Penn) uniting the gay community under his charismatic leadership, adding ‘sexual orientation’ to the city’s non-discrimination policy, and defeating Prop 6, Anita Bryant’s crusade against gay and lesbian teachers.
He also faced the constant threat of assassination.
The issues are timely after the narrow passing of Prop 8, California’s ban on gay marriage, and relevant in Anchorage where we still do not have ‘sexual orientation’ in the non-discrimination policy of our city or state.
Milk received 8 Academy Award Nominations including best picture, best director (Gus Van Sant), best actor (Sean Penn) and best supporting actor (Josh Brolin).
The biggest crowds are expected for the Friday and Saturday shows at The Bear Tooth.
An unsuccessful opening
Milk opened in Anchorage at the Century Theater on Dec 12. A few readers saw it and sent comments, posted here along with my review. But Milk was removed from the schedule after only two weeks. It was the lowest-grossing film in the theater that month, according to a Century 16 employee.
“I was stunned and disappointed to say the least,” wrote Matt in an email to Bent Alaska. “I’m no political activist, but the news of the film’s Anchorage demise didn’t make me think too highly of the community.”
Why did Milk flop at the Century in December?
- The national LGBT community is boycotting the Century/Cinemark Theaters because the company is Mormon-owned and the CEO donated almost $10,000 to pass Prop 8. The LDS Church urged members to donate to Prop 8, preached their support from the pulpit, and may have violated their tax-exempt status as a religious organization by engaging so directly in a ballot issue. Protests have occurred outside Mormon temples, and many LGBT people refuse to support business owners who gave money to take away our civil rights.
- Alaska’s LGBT community already boycotts Mormon-owned businesses like the Century because the Utah-based Church was a main backer of Alaska’s Measure 2, banning gay marriage here in 1998.
- Milk opened at the Century in the middle of the Anchorage International Film Festival, where other gay-themed films were shown the same week.
- We knew that Milk would have a second run at The Bear Tooth, a GLBT-supportive theater.
These factors combined to make the Century opening almost a non-event. It’s no wonder that ticket sales were dismal.
The real question is why the Milk producers chose to open the film at the Century, despite the boycott. If it had opened at a Regal Theater, like Brokeback Mountain did at the Dimond, the results would have been different.
A strong second run
In contrast, The Bear Tooth is a favorite of the LGBT community, as much for the good food and progressive atmosphere as for the showing of LGBT films.
Go see Milk this weekend at The Bear Tooth. Learn how Harvey lead successful campaigns for gay rights, and prove that a gay-themed movie can be successful in Anchorage.
Got “Milk”?
Did you see Milk this weekend?
“My partner and I just returned from seeing it and it is a MUST SEE,” wrote Dee. “We did not buy from the consession stand, due to the ownership of the theater (Mormon) but would not have missed the first day of this film… I urge the community and our allies to see this movie. We’re thinking Academy Award for Penn.”
“The Prop 6 part was disturbing because it reminds me so much of Prop 8,” wrote Elias, “along with the other dozen ballot measure campaigns I’ve been in.”
I agree that Penn gave an excellent performance, and that the comparison between winning Prop 6 and barely losing Prop 8 is heart-wrenching.
Gay and lesbian history is so hidden that many young adults don’t know about the struggle for our rights. Milk opens with the police raiding a gay bar, beating the customers and dragging them off to jail, simply for being gay. The scene uses real video from the late 60’s and early 70’s. We’ve come a long way.
Then in 1978, the newly-elected Supervisors, representing minorities who had never been represented before, voted to add ‘sexual orientation’ to the non-discrimination policy of San Francisco. They knew the gay community was an ally, and they understood that job and housing protection is an important civil rights issue.
I watched this scene in a movie theater in Anchorage, Alaska, where 30 years later we do not have ‘sexual orientation’ in the city’s non-discrimination policy. It isn’t in the state policy either. Or the national policy.
We still have a long way to go.
If you haven’t seen Milk, definitely see it. Remember to take the Milk Challenge — boycott the concession stand and give a donation to Alaskans Together for Equality, to off-set the ticket profit to the Mormon-owned and Prop 8 supporting Century/Cinemark.
If you saw Milk, what did you think about it?
Milk, Dream Boy and Queer Duck: Gay movies come to Anchorage
UPDATE: Take the Milk Challenge!
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The movie Milk is opening in Anchorage on Friday, December 12 at the Century! Watch the trailer here: MILK
Unfortunately, Century/Cinemark is owned by Mormons who donated to Yes on 8. Some in the LGBT community are boycotting the Century and giving their movie dollars to supportive cinemas. Locally, we hope Milk will play at The Bear Tooth in a few months.
Others are calling for a big national turnout on the opening weekends, because record-setting attendance for Milk will make it easier to get funding for future gay-themed movies. The message of Milk is timely, and the reviews sound great.
What will you do?
1. See it this month at the Century (and not buy food or drinks, since they make most of their profit from the concession stand), or
2. Wait until The Bear Tooth shows it in the spring.
Two other gay-themed movies are showing this month at The Bear Tooth for the Anchorage International Film Festival, which runs December 5-14, 2008.
Queer Duck is an animated feature, and Dream Boy is a gay coming of age romance. For a special treat, go to The Gay-La, an after-screening party at Mad Myrna’s with James Bolton, the Portland-based director of Dream Boy.
The trailer for Dream Boy (2008):
The commercial for Queer Duck, the Movie, which came out on Logo in 2006:
MILK opens today in the Lower 48
Update 2: Take the Milk Challenge!
Update: “Milk” is opening in Anchorage on Friday, Dec 12 at the Century (a Mormon-owned theater.) For more about this controversy, see Gay Movies Come to Anchorage.
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The movie Milk, about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected politician in the U.S., opens to select audiences (not us) today, one day before the 30th anniversary of Milk’s assassination. It opens in many more cities on Dec 5, and opens everywhere else on Dec 12. It looks amazing!
If you know when and where Milk is showing in Alaska, please leave the info in the comments.
Watch the trailer:
