Articles in News
Assembly PASSES Ordinance 64!
The Anchorage Assembly passed Ordinance 64(S-2) tonight, voting 7-4 to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the city’s non-discrimination policies. Coffey’s resolution to commission another study of LGBT discrimination, instead of passing the ordinance, failed.
“We are thrilled that the Assembly gave us a majority vote and passed version S-2,” said Jackie Buckley, spokesperson for Equality Works. “We are looking forward to Dan Sullivan doing the right thing and making it economically safer for our families.”
Ordinance 64(S-2) will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people against discrimination in housing, employment, finance, education and public accommodations in the Municipality of Anchorage.
Many LGBT residents and allies gave testimony to the Assembly on the need for protection, including several who risked their jobs to testify. A series of supportive testimony is posted on Bent Alaska.
The Assembly held 6 public hearings on Ordinance 64 this summer, because anti-gay leaders encouraged opponents from as far away as Wasilla to testify on the Anchorage ordinance, to delay the vote until after Mayor Sullivan took office on July 1.
Mayor Sullivan has not stated a position on the equal rights ordinance that was introduced three months ago. However, Sullivan ran on a conservative platform, took anti-gay positions as an Assembly member, and is likely to veto the ordinance.
This is the third time Anchorage has tried to pass protections for gays and lesbians. Each time, the right-wing religious groups organized against us and threatened to unseat Assembly members who voted for the protections. Mayor Sullivan’s father, then-Mayor George Sullivan, vetoed one of the ordinances.
At least 108 cities have trans-inclusive non-discrimination laws, including El Paso, TX, Kansas City, MO, Gainesville, FL, and Columbia, SC. In addition, 13 states and Washington, D.C. have LGBT non-discrimination laws.
Will Anchorage join those cities and protect its residents against anti-LGBT discrimination, or will Mayor Sullivan tell the world that Anchorage will continue to allow discrimination?
Contact Mayor Sullivan today and ask him to let Ordinance 64 become a law! Call (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100, or email him at mayor(at)muni(dot)org.
Bob Poe on the Equal Rights Ordinance and the Value of People
by Bob Poe, Candidate for Governor
I support equal rights for all people. And I support banning discrimination in Anchorage due solely to someone’s sexual orientation. I support a comprehensive equal rights ordinance because it’s the right thing to do, period.
But if doing the right thing isn’t a compelling enough reason, here is an economic reason why the Assembly, Mayor and residents of Anchorage should support this ordinance: it is simply good for business.
In the best selling book, The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida points out successful, growing communities are places accepting of gay and lesbian people. Florida, originally a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, has been studying successful and unsuccessful communities throughout his career. He combined his work with that of Gary Gates from UCLA, who co-authored The Gay and Lesbian Atlas. Their combined work developed a “gay index” that was strongly correlated with economically successful and growing communities. They weren’t really looking to prove this concept; it is simply what the data showed.
They believe the more accepting a community is to new ideas, alternative life styles, new art and music, the more accepting it will be to the kind of nerds and entrepreneurial geeks who have created companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and hundreds of other businesses. Communities that are open to progressive ways of thinking are measurably more attractive to the smart, well-educated workforce necessary to build successful companies like these.
But you might say, Silicon Valley/San Francisco (gay index #1) and Seattle (gay index #2) would naturally attract high tech companies. Not really. It was Stanford University that probably had the most to do with Silicon Valley becoming a high tech center. When I was growing up in the early 70’s, Seattle was a rainy place where people stood in endless unemployment lines, freshly laid off from Boeing. Seattle only really began to fully evolve in the last 15 years, and Microsoft is primarily in Seattle because Bill Gates was from there. But critical to the success of these areas was the ability to attract a creative and talented workforce.
The research Florida and Gates did doesn’t indicate that a community decided to be open minded and then the economic progress flowed in, but it does show that progressive communities do attract talent and creativity, two things Anchorage and Alaska could use plenty more of. In contrast, Pittsburg, the home of Carnegie Mellon University, is the least gay friendly community. The city still produces smart, creative people through its many great universities, but they quickly lose these graduates to other more attractive communities. Others near the bottom include Detroit, Birmingham and Oklahoma City.
Through the Alaska Scholar’s Program, in large part, the University of Alaska is now retaining Alaska’s best and brightest, and by doing so is raising the quality of a UA degree significantly. Just this year, a UAA student became a Marshall Scholar, just one of 40 in the country. We need to be able to keep these graduates here and attract others from communities that don’t offer what Anchorage can.
Anchorage is becoming a real city, perhaps even destined to be the next great West Coast city, but it needs to guard against the attitudes that would hold us back. Anchorage would not be what it is today without the Performing Arts Center, the First Friday art gallery walk, a variety of music venues, Saturday Market, the Dena’ina Center, City Market, or even a downtown disc golf course. All of these are examples of things that make a city better, one that is growing. Being open to new ideas, different lifestyles, and new and different ways to embrace life, is important to a bright future here. But to get there, we need the right attitude first.
I support equal rights for every person because it is the right thing to do. I also support this ordinance because it can help Anchorage attract the talented people it will need to build its future as a great place to live and work for all of us.
August 11th Assembly Meeting: YOU in BLUE
– from Equality Works
The next Assembly meeting is August 11. While the agenda hasn’t been set yet, this very well may be the day that Assembly members get to a debate and vote on AO 64.
I know that many of you couldn’t bear to sit through the public hearings and the offensive testimony that demonized the LGBTQ community. But the public hearings are over now. This is our last time to show the Assembly members that their constituents support legislation to protect people from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation. You don’t have to testify, you don’t have to engage in debates with people in red shirts, all you have to do is be there to show your support for equality.
If you have never come to an Assembly meeting, please consider showing up on this crucial day. The meeting starts at 5:00 pm, but as usual, you should try to be there earlier if you want to get a seat. You know the drill: Blue shirts, Equality Works buttons.
AO 64 (S-2)
For those of you who don’t know already, an S-2 version of the ordinance has been submitted for consideration by Patrick Flynn. We believe that this is a strong revision that acknowledges the concerns of some in the religious community by broadening the religious exemption, but does not weaken the original intention of the ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination. It includes employment protections for our entire community–including transgender individuals. Please call or e-mail your Assembly members and tell them to put their support behind the S-2 version.
Mayor Sullivan needs to know that people in Anchorage support equality, he needs to know why you support equality, and he needs to hear that vetoing an ordinance to protect LGBT people from discrimination sends the message that he, as the Mayor of Anchorage, believes that LGBT people should be discriminated against. If he doesn’t want to send that message, then he should not veto this ordinance. Please e-mail Mayor Sullivan or call him at (907) 343-7170 or (907) 343-7100.
Thanks, and Remember: Equality Works. See you on Tuesday!
Irina’s tour, Frank’s podcast, LGBT Bowling, ATE thanks Senators, Newsletter seeks Helper
Gay AK – Notes from LGBT Alaska
Ordinance Update
A new version of the equal rights ordinance was released today. Check it out, ask Mayor Sullivan to support it, and write a supportive letter to the ADN. Then come to Loussac Library on August 11 for the Assembly debate and possible vote.
LGBT News seeks Co-editor
Alaska GLBT News, the statewide weekly email newsletter, is looking for one or two people to help collect events and news from the local LGBT web sites for posting in the newsletter. Email Alaska GLBT News to volunteer.
Alaskans Together on passage of Matthew Shepard Act
“Alaskans Together for Equality is grateful to our Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich for voting in support of the Matthew Sheppard Hate Crimes Prevention Act,” writes ATE spokesperson Tim Stallard. “Many Alaskans called in to both Senators’ offices to request this support, which resulted in Senator Begich becoming a co-sponsor of the bill. This act will help enable gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Americans to live happy, productive lives without fear of violence.”
Northern Exposure Bowling League
Northern Exposure, the gay and lesbian bowling league in Anchorage, is getting ready to start the 2009/2010 bowling season. We will have our first league meeting on Saturday, August 29, 4 p.m. at Park Lanes, and we’ll cover signup, registration and league setup. Our first day of bowling is the first Sunday after Coronation, Sept 13, and we will bowl every Sunday after that, barring holidays and League tournaments. For more info, email Stephen.
5 minute Frank
Frank Tano, formerly of Anchorage, makes a podcast called 5 minute Frank. “He frequently mentions Alaska and Alaskans,” writes Lisa. “It’s stream of consciousness, out gay humor. Very Frank. Listen to the later ones.” Listen to 5 Minute Frank here or use the iTunes link on Frank’s myspace page.
Irina Rivkin tours Alaska
OutMusic Awardee live-looping folk-world-harmony artist (and out lesbian) Irina Rivkin is on tour in Alaska. She is available for back-yard concerts, house concerts, festivals, summer camps, & live-looping workshops. (Contact Rose Street booking.) Listen to her music here and here (includes live concert video).
Irina’s Alaska tour dates so far:
7/25/2009, 8pm, McCarthy, playing a birthday party at BMAC’s.
7/27/2009, 6:30pm, McCarthy, Wrangell Mountain Center & Hardware store, concert plus audience-participation live-looping jam $5-15 sliding scale donation.
8/01/2009, 8pm, Fairbanks, House Concert, 1202 Heath Ave.
8/06/2009, 10pm, Denali, Panorama Pizza, Mile 224 Parks Highway on Carlo Creek.
8/8 or 8/7 – seeking concert in or near Denali or Talkeetna.
8/10/2009, 8pm, Anchorage, Tap Root Café, 1330 E Huffman (btwn Old and New Seward, across from Wells Fargo, look for the prayer flags.)
8/9 or 8/11, Anchorage area (Palmer to Girdwood) concert TBA.
Public Testimony Closed on Anchorage Equal Rights Ordinance
The Anchorage Assembly voted to end testimony on the equal rights ordinance at 11:15 p.m. Tuesday night, after everyone on the speakers list either testified or failed to respond when their name was called. The Assembly has held 6 public hearings on the ordinance since it was proposed on May 12, and over 600 people signed up to testify.
On August 11, Assembly members will debate the ordinance without public input, and will vote on the ordinance when the debate ends, possibly on the same night.
Please write a letter to Mayor Sullivan and the ADN in support of the ordinance, and plan to attend the Assembly meeting on August 11.
Tuesday’s testimony represented a mix of arguments for and against the ordinance. Many opponents spent three minutes displaying their ignorance and fear of homosexuals, sometimes in pornographic detail, then said they were not homophobic.
Supporters spoke of families and friends, discrimination and inequality, history and progress. Chrissy said, “I, like the majority of Anchorage heterosexuals, support this ordinance.” The tolerant majority has spoken.
Bent Alaska would like to thank the many brave supporters who testified during the weeks of hearings, as well as those who attended the hearings and wrote about the ordinance. Your words give us hope and your attendance shows that this is a community effort.
To share that hope, several of the ordinance testimonies will be posted on the blog, along with letters to the Mayor and the newspaper. If you want your letter posted, please send it to Bent Alaska.
Ordinance Hearing #6 on Tuesday, July 21
We need YOU at the public hearing on Tuesday to show Assembly members that people in our town want lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Alaskans to be protected from discrimination. If you haven’t already testified, now is the time to sign up. Don’t let opponents of equality have the last word!
The hearings are at Loussac Library (36th & Denali) in the Assembly Chambers on the 1st Floor. The meetings run from 5-11 p.m, but the Assembly does other business first and gets to the equal rights ordinance around 6 or later.
Wear blue—the color of peace and unity—and your Equality Works button.
Beware false information
At the last hearing on July 7, one of the security guards told people dressed in blue that the ordinance had already gone to a public vote and there was no reason for us to be there. This is false – the Assembly has not voted on the ordinance yet and is allowing more people to sign up and give testimony. As a security guard on duty at the Assembly meeting, it was unprofessional of him to give false information on the ordinance and try to limit our freedom of speech at a public hearing. Do not be deceived by wrong information about the ordinance and hearings, even if it comes from a library or Assembly employee.
Words of encouragement from our allies
Our allies on Alaska Commons and the pro-ordinance site SOS Anchorage.NET have written thoughtful and inspiring new posts for this hearing. Heather explains why she, a straight woman, is fighting for the rights of her friends and the community of Anchorage. She describes how she became involved in gay issues, and why she is involved this time:
I and they know that this ordinance won’t make hatred and discrimination go away, but it will give them somewhere to turn when they are harassed because of who they are. I will stand and fight with them, and with you, to make this community the place that it should be.He [Jerry Prevo] has built his career out of hatred, and I am not willing to let him win this time. He is a pitiable man and a bully, but he does not dictate the behavior of the Anchorage community.
John reports on the hearings and why the ordinance is important for the future of Alaska:
I’ve heard and learned a staggering amount during these hearings. Some words have left me in absolute awe of the intelligence, bravery, and perseverance on display. Other words are harder to drink away.For now, the fate of Ordinance 64 rests with the Assembly. We need to keep showing up, and keep reminding the Assembly that we won’t go away.Hate, in no way, results in the betterment of a society. And we are foolish if we pretend that Anchorage is somehow immune.
Visit their blogs to read the posts, plus transcripts from the hearings and guest posts by Tonei Glavinic. They will live-blog today’s hearing, as will other local bloggers. Bent Alaska will add updates from the hearing on the Facebook wall and below this post.
If you are in Anchorage, please join us at the equal rights ordinance hearing, Tuesday at Loussac Library. Wear blue!
Hate Crimes Passed, Inclusive Episcopals, Eagle River, Top 4 & Better Communication
Gay AK – Notes from LGBT Alaska
BREAKING: Hate Crimes Amendment Passes
The US Senate voted 63-28 Thursday night to include the Hate Crimes Act as an amendment to the must-pass defense spending bill. The added measure will “provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes.” Both Begich and Murkowski voted in favor, and Begich is a co-sponsor of the original bill. The House passed a stand-alone hate crimes act in April, and President Obama supports it.
Episcopal Church passes LGBT measure co-authored by Alaskan
The Episcopal Church Convention approved two gay-positive resolutions: to open the ordination process to all individuals (D025), and to start the process of developing rites for blessing same-sex marriages (C056). Resolution D025 is a response to the restraint passed in 2006 on the election of gay and lesbian bishops in committed same-sex relationships. In the vote by orders, D025 passed the lay and clergy orders in the Diocese of AK, but not without dissent. Rebecca Snow, senior lay deputy from Alaska, co-authored the original version of D025 and was interviewed before the vote. Mary Ellen Harris, an alternate delegate member, describes the day the Convention passed D025 on the Alaska delegation’s blog. The national Integrity (LGBT Episcopal) blog has a news roundup on both measures.
Eagle River/Chugiak Ordinance meeting
We believe that the LGBT community has more support for the equal rights ordinance in Eagle River/Chugiak than most people assume, but we need your help to make sure that the voices of those who support equality are heard. Please join us for an organizing and strategizing meeting in the community room of Jitters Coffee House in Eagle River, 11401 Old Glenn Hwy, on Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 pm and help us create and execute an action plan to let Debbie Ossiander know that she has constituents who support LGBT equality. Invite supportive friends, neighbors, and family members to attend this meeting and learn how they can get involved. Thank you. Equality Works.
Top 4 on Bent Alaska
A big “thank you” to everyone who contributed writing, quotes, links and/or photos for these popular recent articles on Bent Alaska: Sarah Palin’s Top 10 Anti-LGBT Moments, Alaskan Celebrates Gay Pride in India (picked up by the ADN newsreader), Palin and Gays Make the Queerest July 4th Ever, and the top post of the month Kelly’s Story: A Transgender Christian Woman.
Self-Healing & Compassionate Communication Workshop
Are you in need of healing after the marathon of public hearings that have taken place this summer? Are you looking for effective ways to speak and hear compassionately in difficult circumstances? An evening introduction to Nonviolent Communication (NVC) offers practical tools that help you to generate empathy for self and others, identify what’s at the heart of people’s behaviors, and create simple, profound shifts in awareness and speaking habits. NVC can be used in any kind of interpersonal interaction. Interactive learning invites participants to use their own real-life situations to experience the NVC process. Facilitated by NVC practitioner and teacher Louise Baquero Deerfield. The LGBT Workshop is Monday, July 27, 6:00-8:30 pm, 1057 W. Fireweed, Suite 102, United Way Conference Room. Please pre-register if possible. E-mail: Tiffany McClain.
Golden Days, MPower, IAA, Irina Rivkin & Coronation
Gay AK – Notes from LGBT Alaska 7/11/09
PFLAG in the Golden Days Parade
Fairbanks PFLAG invites the LGBTA community to walk together in the Golden Days Grand Parade on July 25, starting at the Carlson Center and carrying the large rainbow flag from Key West. Let’s show Fairbanks our pride! PFLAG will also have a booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair in August.
Adam & Steve seeks Program Assistant
Adam N Steve, an Mpowerment Program in Anchorage, is seeking a Program Assistant to help coordinate a multi-level intervention HIV prevention program aimed at men who have sex with men, with an emphasis on community building and empowerment activities among gay and bisexual men ages 18-29. Read the job description and email Alex Barros, Director of Prevention at The Four A’s in Anchorage.
Interior AIDS (IAA) Raffle
Enter the Raffle to support Interior AIDS Association, drawing on August 8, 2009. Only 250 tickets sold, $100 each, with a grand prize of $11,000 and other prizes.
Irina Rivkin returns to Alaska
World-folk live-looping harmony singer-songwriter Irina Rivkin will be back on tour in Alaska July 23-August 11 with new songs. If you would like to host or produce a concert (including a house concert or yard concert) or a live-looping workshop in Anchorage, Fairbanks or elsewhere, please contact Irina.
Coronation Schedule & Program Ads
The Imperial Court of All Alaska requests the Honor of Your Presence at CORONATION XXXVII – “GOLD, FUR, AND FEATHERS” CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF STATEHOOD, on Sept. 3-7, 2009. The preliminary schedule is posted. Share your business with hundreds of people! Sponsorship Ads for this year’s Coronation Ball program are a great way to advertise your business and support the Scholarship fund. Ads must be received (in JPG or PDF and “camera ready”) and paid in full by August 7. The Imperial Court.
Palin and Gays Make the Queerest July 4th Ever
Gay Alaskans planned the queerest July 4th in years, with openly LGBT contingents in three Independence Day parades around the state. Then Gov. Palin announced her resignation on Friday, ensuring that all Alaskans – gay and straight – would have a downright queer 4th of July.
That’s So Palin
Palin’s resignation speech gave no real reason for quitting in the middle of her first term as governor, so Alaskans spent the holiday weekend speculating on why she did it. When bloggers wrote about rumors of investigations, Palin’s lawyer issued a statement warning reporters not to investigate and threatened legal action against Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore. Threatening freedom of speech and freedom of the press, on Independence Day? That’s so… Palin.
Meanwhile, LGBT Alaskans in Homer, Anchorage and Ester added a festive touch of queerness to our local Independence Day parades.
Anchorage Something Fierce
Two floats brought LGBT creativity to Alaska’s biggest Independence Day Parade. ‘The Starship Something Fierce’ hovered around the Delaney Park Strip with the Queer Trek crew on the bridge, hosted by the Imperial Court’s Duke & Duchess of Anchorage. Youth 14-19 rode their own float, ‘Let Our Colors Bloom, Youth for Equality’ which was covered with rainbow flags and balloons.
Making History in Homer
The new Homer PFLAG chapter painted a rainbow skiff for the July 4th parade, cut ALASKA rainbow toe-socks from Safeway into colorful arm and leg warmers, added a hula-hooper in the truck, and paraded down Pioneer Avenue carrying signs saying “support”, “advocacy”, “respect”, “peace” and “equality” for LGBTQ people, their families and friends.
“We were received very warmly,” said PFLAG board member and hooper Catriona Lowe. “It felt like people saw us there, understood what we were about, and really appreciated what we were doing.”
This was the first time in Homer’s history that LGBTQ community members, and their friends and allies, marched in a local parade as an openly-gay contingent. Over 20 adults, 6 children, and 3 dogs marched with the float, making it one of the largest groups in attendance.
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) burst onto the Homer scene a few months ago, sponsoring a booth at the health fair and the movie MILK at the Homer Family Theatre. The group decided to further increase its visibility by marching in the 4th of July Parade. Alaska also has chapters of PFLAG in Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage.
Ester Dyke on Bike
Dykes on Bikes (a.k.a. the Thursday Women’s Motorcycle Group) planned to ride in the irreverent Ester Fourth of July Parade, where it’s traditional to bribe the judges.
“This year there was only one Dyke on Bike,” writes Jeanne, coordinator of the women’s ride night, “but with an appropriate bribe (I gave a bottle of Gnarly Head red zinfandel to the judges) I, on behalf of all Dykes on Bikes, won the Most Colorful award.” A dyke giving the judges gnarly head?
And that wraps up our Queerest July 4th Ever!
Photos:
The crew of ‘The Starship Something Fierce’
‘The Starship Something Fierce’ float and truck
Youth float, ‘Let Our Colors Bloom, Youth for Equality’
Anchorage Youth float contingent
PFLAG marching group in the Homer July 4th parade
Homer PFLAG’s rainbow skiff float
Hula-hooper, Catriona Lowe
Dyke on Bike in Ester’s July 4th Parade
Bingo, Cruises, Scholarships, and Raffle with a Twist
Gay AK – Notes from LGBT Alaska
Four A’s at PrideFest, Testing Day, and Drag Queen Bingo
A record breaking 200 people attended Drag Queen Bingo this year! The standing room only event won Best Non-Bar Event for Pride Week and raised over $2,800 for the Adam and Steve HIV Prevention program.
Four A’s marched for equality in the Pride Parade, showing that ABT equals “Anything But Tolerant” (photo below.) Mayor Matt Claman got tested on June 27, National HIV Testing Day, as one of 85 Mayors nationwide getting tested in the national campaign.
Pride Foundation’s Raffle With A Twist
An Alaskan non-profit will win $1,000 from Pride Foundation again this year, and another could win the grand prize. What’s the twist?
If your name is drawn on September 15, 2009, they will make a $2,500 donation in your name to your favorite nonprofit. They will also give $1,000 to each of the most named organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Winning nonprofits must have a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. There is no cost to enter the raffle, and no donation required. Enter the raffle here.
ICOAA Applications for Emperor/Empress and Scholarship Program
The application for Emperor and Empress of the ICOAA is due on July 12. Applicants must submit the completed form, required documents, fees, and photo no later than 4 p.m. on 7/12 to the board meeting at Mad Myrna’s. Applications are available online and at Mad Myrna’s or The Raven. The application for the 2009 Scholarship Program is also available for download. The Scholarship application is due on July 31.
Gay Cruises Visit Juneau
SEAGLA posted this summer’s schedule of gay and lesbian cruise groups visiting Juneau:
- 07/14/2009 RFamily tour group visits Juneau aboard the MV Norweigan Star, 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- 08/16/2009 Pied Piper tour group visits Juneau 8 a.m.- 9 p.m. on the M/V Celebrity Millennium. SEAGLA Reception at a local venue, 5-7 p.m. Plan to be there!
- 08/26/2009 RSVP Vacations visits Juneau aboard the MS Westerdam, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- 09/22/2009 Olivia Cruises visits Juneau aboard the MS Veendam, 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- 09/27/2009 Aquafest Gay tour group visits Juneau aboard the MS Zaandam, noon to 10:30 p.m.
