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Repeal of DADT will improve military readiness: new ads
Gay AK: Music, Dance, Free Food & Guest Bloggers
Sara’s News Roundup 8/29/10
Meet actress Sheetal Sheth at her Alaska film premiere
Yes, it’s true! Join this hot actress for a Q&A session following her girl-gets-girl action in the Alaska premiere of two award-winning lesbian movies, I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen, playing as a double-feature at Out North on October 8 & 10. And it’s a benefit! Tickets go on sale at Metro in September.
The timing is great. It’s right before National Coming Out Day (Oct 11) and the same weekend as the annual Alaska Pride Conference (Oct 9 at APU in Anchorage) and the biannual Womyn’s Dance (Oct 9 at the Snow Goose). With the conference all day on Saturday, the dance Saturday night, and the films and Sheetal on Friday and Sunday, you’ll definitely want to Come Out and join us!
Maureen Suttman is the organizer of the premiere. She chose I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen (see the trailers below) partly because of their rich multi-cultural perspectives and the long term lesbian couple who created the films. She wrote to Bent Alaska:
They have earned over 30 international awards AND haven’t been screened here. I happened to cross emails with Sheetal and stepped out there and invited her, and she has been saying “yes” for the last 2 months about coming here. Alaska sure does help in sparking interest.
Last spring, I saw 2 films that have been gaining the attention of both lesbians and the greater GLBT community. One set in London and a romantic comedy, the other set in South Africa and a drama, they both take on multiple layers of culture without losing underlying relationship themes — and while bringing tremendous heart and thought provoking images to the screen. Looking more, I found that between the two films they have won over 30 awards from around the globe. Further research into the production house behind them showed that at its helm are 2 women who are long-term domestic partners (and moms to their boys). Shamim Sarif is an award winning novel writer turned screen writer turned director. Hanan Kattan is her partner and the films’ producer. Together they head London-based Enlightenment Productions and are gearing up additional novels to movies, music and television projects.
Thinking others here would be interested in the films and the women behind them, I found myself compelled to show them in Anchorage. I sought out permission from EP’s main office and am happy to report that on October 8th and 10th there will be a benefit screening of the films I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen at Out North. In addition, and by an incredible stroke of good luck, Sheetal Sheth — co-star of both films (and NOH8 campaign supporter!) is coming to join us and will be available for audience Q&A and after-film conversation. Tickets will go on sale at Metro Music and Books in September.
Since the films’ releases, Sheetal’s co-star Lisa Ray was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and underwent stem cell replacement treatment. Though now in remission, she was unable to work throughout treatment. Out of concern for her, there was an outpouring of fan support and a project to generate income for her was set up. The benefit film screenings will support both the Lisa Ray audio book project fund, as well as our own Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Anchorage.
“Check out Enlightenment Productions for more info on the films and the very creative gals behind them. More information on the Lisa Ray audio book project can be seen on Shamim Sarif’s blog.”
“Check out Sheetal at www.sheetalsheth.com. Her email address is there so why not leave her a message in anticipation of her visit? Personal experience suggests she will likely answer especially if you reference Alaska in the subject line.”
“Thanks and hope to see everyone there!”
Thanks to Maureen for inviting this internationally-known actress to visit Alaska with the premiere of these two great films! Let’s give Sheetal a warm Alaska welcome and fill that theater.
- Where: Out North, 3800 DeBarr Road
- When: Friday October 8 at 6:30 p.m., and Sunday October 10 at 1 p.m.
- How much: $15 for the double feature
Watch the trailer for I Can’t Think Straight:
Watch the trailer for The World Unseen:
Pentagon’s DADT spouse survey & letters from same sex partners
Dear General Ham and Mr. Johnson:
In 1990 – while working as a reference librarian at the Library of Congress — I met Joan Darrah, an active duty Naval Officer. I already knew about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” but I soon woke up to the harsh reality that loved ones of gay and lesbian family members are forced to serve in silence, too.
Over the years, Joan had adjusted to living two lives — in the closet at work and out after hours. For me, it was a bit of an adjustment as I had been fortunate to work for an employer who valued my skills and expertise and realized that my being a lesbian in no way detracted from my ability to do a great job.
I knew that Joan could be deployed at any moment. She may be away from home for two or three years. I realized that being with an active duty military officer was even more constricting than I could have possibly imagined and I worried constantly about Joan’s well being. Yet, through it all, I knew our relationship was worth the compromises. I knew we had to make it work for Joan to continue to serve our Country.
There were so many things that we had to be careful about. For example, Joan had asked that I not call her at work unless it was truly an emergency. When we were out in public if Joan saw someone from work, I learned to “disappear,” until Joan’s co-worker moved on. We didn’t dare go to nice restaurants on Valentine’s Day or even Saturday nights. We could not show any familiarity while out in public. I went to parties at colleagues’ homes alone lest a guest I didn’t know learn that Joan was in the Navy.
The events of September 11, 2001, caused us both appreciate more fully the true impact of DADT on our lives and the reality of our mutual sacrifices. At 8:30 a.m. that morning, Joan went to a meeting in the Pentagon. At 9:30 a.m., she left that meeting. At 9:37 a.m., the plane flew into the Pentagon and destroyed the exact space that Joan had left less than eight minutes earlier, killing seven of her colleagues.
In the days and weeks that followed, Joan went to several funerals and memorial services for her co-workers who had been killed. Most people attended these services with their spouses whose support was critical at this difficult time, yet Joan was forced to go alone, even though I really wanted to be with her to provide support.
As the numbness began to wear off, it hit me how incredibly alone I would have been had Joan been killed. The military is known for how it pulls together and helps people; we talk of the “military family,” which is a way of saying we always look after each other, especially in times of need. But, none of that support would have been available for me, because under DADT, I didn’t exist.
In fact, I would have been one of the last people to know had Joan been killed, because nowhere in her paperwork or emergency contact information had Joan dared to list my name.
Whenever I hear Joan recount the events of that day, I relive it and realize all over again how devastated I would have been had she been killed. I also think of the partners of service members injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are unable to get any support from the military and they must be careful about the amount of support they offer to their closeted service member loved ones.
The events of September 11th caused us to stop and reassess exactly what was most important in our lives. During that process, we realized that this discriminatory law was causing us to make a much bigger sacrifice than either of us had ever admitted.
Eight months later, in June 2002, Joan retired from the U.S. Navy, and I retired from the Library of Congress. If it wasn’t for DADT, we might both still be serving in our respective positions.
45% of Alaskans support same sex marriage
“A CNN poll this month found that a narrow majority of Americans supported same-sex marriage — the first poll to find majority support. Other poll results did not go that far, but still, on average, showed that support for gay marriage had risen to 45 percent or more (with the rest either opposed or undecided)…In 2008, the year Proposition 8 was approved, just under half of Californians supported same-sex marriage. Today, according to polls, more than half do. A similar shift has occurred in Maine, where same-sex marriage legislation was repealed by ballot measure in 2009.In both New York and New Jersey, where state legislatures in the past have defeated proposals to allow same-sex marriage, a majority now support it.And support for same-sex marriage has increased in all states, even in relatively conservative places like Wyoming and Kentucky. Only Utah is still below where national support stood in 1996.”
Sara’s News Roundup 8/22/10
Fairbanks officer discharged under DADT
Hopkins, once the fourth-ranking graduate of West Point out of 933 cadets and an officer who led three combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, was kicked out of the Army for being gay. His last day of service was Tuesday in Fairbanks, Alaska. He left behind — grudgingly — nine years of risking his life and training soldiers.“I love the Army, I’ve always loved the Army. Otherwise I wouldn’t have spent nine years depriving myself of the ability to have happy personal relationships with others,” Hopkins said on “The Rachel Maddow Show” on MSNBC.Fourteen months ago, on the same day he learned he was going to be promoted to major a year early, Hopkins was told by his battalion commander that he had been outed for being gay. After years of paranoia — he didn’t fully realize he was gay until after graduating from West Point — the fatigue of living a lie had caught up with him.“It’s a job that we risk dying doing, and yet we have to be more scared of somebody realizing we’re gay, more paranoid about that, than whether the enemy is going to blow us up,” Hopkins said, referring to the more than 14,000 gay people who have been kicked out of the military. “You have to keep that all secret and tell lots of lies.”“It’s time for the best, most powerful military in the world to allow gays to serve in the armed forces.”
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Catholics reject ceremony for Alaska’s married gay-friendly Episcopal Bishop
The consecration of Bishop-Elect Mark Andrew Lattime to the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska was set for Sept. 4 at a Catholic church in Anchorage, but the venue for ordaining the married religious leader was abruptly changed to a Methodist church.
Catholic news sites announced the event last week, focusing on Lattime’s LGBT ministry:
“Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, will ordain an Episcopal cleric from New York State as the Episcopal bishop of Alaska on September 4. The ceremony will take place at a Catholic parish in Anchorage.
“Until recently, Lattime was a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester’s Committee for Gay and Lesbian Ministry, which “seeks to further the cause of recognition and legitimization of lesbian and gay relationships within the church and in civil society.” Lattime is married and has three children.”
Oh, no — he has a wife!
Lattime’s resume for the Alaska position said he is a three-time deputy to General Convention from Rochester, NY, where he served on the diocesan council and as a dean of the southwest district and a stewardship consultant, among his many posts. He is also a certified private pilot and was a volunteer ambulance driver for the Fire Department
The Catholic news sites didn’t mention any of his qualifications, only that he was a member of a committee on Gay and Lesbian Ministry. He wasn’t the chair or founder, just a member. They didn’t say what work he did on the committee, or how long he was on it. He was involved with a gay and lesbian ministry, and that’s enough.
The consecration was to take place in the Lady of Guadalupe Church in Anchorage, but is now scheduled for First United Methodist Church. After the ceremony, a reception will be held at the church, and a no-host banquet will be held at 7 p.m. in the Sheraton Hotel — where, in a sweet coincidence, The Imperial Court’s Coronation is also being held that weekend.
Kudos to the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska on the election and consecration of Bishop Lattime, and to First United Methodist for hosting the ceremony after the Catholic church backed out.
Alaska conservative supports LGBT rights: "Their time is coming"
“why gays and lesbians are forced to fight so hard for rights the rest of us take for granted. How did we come to believe — and blindly accept — that gays and lesbians have fewer rights? How did we start being comfortable thinking of them as lesser people, second-class citizens at best?As a conservative, I wonder at those who think the Constitution takes sides, picks winners and losers. Count me among those who believe it protects us all equally; that it means what it says and exists to provide equal opportunity and freedom from an oppressive government. No one group has more rights than any other. I’ve read the Alaska Constitution, and nowhere does it say, “except for gay people or anybody different,” and I’m here to report the U.S. Constitution does not either, at least the copy I read. In no place did I find, “but not gays or people we are not particularly fond of.”Too many of us believe our prejudices somehow trump those documents; that our hatreds are somehow codified in them and therefore acceptable; that some of us, incredibly, do not deserve the same protections as others.Some believe that enshrining religious beliefs and taboos in a constitution is not only acceptable but necessary. Face it, in this country you are allowed to hate anyone — as long as you do not act on your hatred. You are allowed to think what you want, feel what you want, resent, loathe or despise anybody who strikes your fancy. You can be prejudiced. You can be a jerk. But you have no more rights than anybody else — straight or gay.Too often, too many of us forget that. We use our differences and our fear of gays and lesbians to demean them, at least constitutionally. We have no right.No matter the outcome of the ACLU lawsuit against the city and state, or the California federal court decision, gays and lesbians are here — and have been since the dawn of time. They are part of our community. Now they are demanding the rights we have denied them, and it is increasingly difficult, even for bigots, to justify denying gays and lesbians the very rights we take for granted.Their time is coming soon. Get used to the idea. We’ll all be better for it.”
