A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013

Gay AK: Notes from LGBT Alaska

Celebration of Change tickets are on sale now at Metro Music, and at the GLCCA on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-9 p.m. Want to be part of the show but don’t have an individual act? No worries! Join a crazy crew of fabulous females for the Celebration of Change Opening Number. This is your year to be involved in Celebration. Don’t miss it! Advertise in the Celebration 25th Anniversary program, $25 for a business size ad. Sponsored by Radical Arts for Women (RAW).

Four A’s says thank you to everyone who came out to support Femme Fatale! The event raised over $2,800 for HIV positive individuals and prevention efforts in Southeast Alaska. Thank you for helping make the event a rocking success! Photos from Femme Fatale 2009 are posted on the Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s) Facebook page.

Designer and Athletes for Gay Games 2010 

Looking for athletes, volunteers & t-shirt designers. Gay Games VIII will be held in 2010 in Cologne, Germany, and Alaskans are getting ready! Gay Games is the largest LGBT sports and culture event in the world. In 2006, Team Alaska took 20 athletes to the competition. Limited scholarships are available for 2010. We want a design for Team Alaska, and another for the International Association of Gay and Lesbian Martial Artists, which has an Alaskan coordinator. The designs will be used on t-shirts and possibly other items at Gay Games. Limited funds available for design and production. Prefer to use LGBT designer or interested persons. Anyone interested in Gay Games or in creating a design, please email Team Alaska.

Fairbanks gays are invited to join a new Yahoo list focused on hooking up and finding someone special. To join, send a message to Fairbanks Gay Personals.

June Pride events are being planned in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau this year. The Fairbanks PrideFest is Saturday June 13. Anchorage Pride week begins on June 13, the night of Celebration of Change. The Parade and Festival on the Park Strip are on Saturday June 20. Juneau’s Pride Picnic Celebration is also on Saturday June 20, at Skater’s Cabin. Awesome!

“I just called Senator Begich’s office to ask him to “Please SUPPORT THE MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT (S. 909)” which is coming up for a vote in the Senate soon,” writes Marsha Buck of Alaskans Together for Equality.

“The aide or intern who took my call said she was surprised to hear that I was asking him to *support* the bill, because they are getting lots of calls today from our opponents asking him to vote against the Matthew Shepherd Act.” 

“This is a time when we need to raise many, many Alaskan voices to give our senators the support they need to vote with us!”

The House of Representatives passed hate crimes legislation on April 29, with a vote of 249-175. The legislation adds protection for actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability to existing protected categories such as religion, race, and ethnicity. Most law enforcement and civil rights groups support it. Don Young voted against it.

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S 909) was introduced in the Senate on April 28 “to provide Federal assistance to States, local jurisdictions, and Indian tribes to prosecute hate crimes, and for other purposes.” The haters are calling it protection for pedophiles.

Judy Shepard, the mother of murdered gay college student Matthew Shepard, made a video appeal for the bill.

Please call both Senator Begich and Senator Murkowski today and ask them to SUPPORT THE MATTHEW SHEPARD ACT (S. 909): 

Senator Murkowski 202-224-6665 

Senator Begich can be contacted by email on his website, and Senator Murkowski can be reached by email on her website. Or send the same message to both senators at the same time, watch the PSA, and find out more about the Matthew Shepard Act, at the HRC Action Center’s Hate Crimes Act page.

Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. advances civil equality for all Alaskans through grass roots organizing and advocacy.

It’s a good news, bad news week at Bent Alaska, and it’s only Wednesday. The bad news is that Anchorage elected Sullivan to a three year term as mayor. 

As a member of the Assembly, Dan

1. tried to block domestic partner benefits in Anchorage after the state Supreme Court granted them, 

2. led the opposition against selling a municipal building to Out North, and 

3. tried to block a PFLAG-sponsored display in the high schools.

On the Assembly, he was unsuccessful in these efforts against us. We hope that he will continue to be unsuccessful in pushing a far right social agenda in his role as mayor.

Gays and lesbians disappointed by the local news can take comfort in the great national progress on equal rights: Gay marriage is legal in Maine today, and might be legal in New Hampshire by next week.

The legislature of Maine passed a same sex marriage bill yesterday and Gov. Baldacci signed it today, the first time a governor signed a marriage equality bill without a court ruling.

The New Hampshire legislature also passed a marriage bill today. Gov. Lynch has five days to sign, veto, or ignore the bill. Will NH be the 6th state to legalize our marriages? (The current 5 are Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and Maine.) 

The D.C. city council voted 12-1 to recognize same sex marriages, and Mayor Fenty is likely to sign the measure. 

Marriage bills are also progressing in New York and New Jersey. New York already recognizes out-of-state same sex marriages.

On a light note, Mormon entertainer Marie Osmond told a radio talk show host that she loves her lesbian daughter and supports gay equality.

Alaskans Together for Equality has joined the United ENDA coalition. 

“We continue to support ENDA in our statewide activities,” wrote Marsha Buck, Board President of Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. “We would be proud to join the other members of the coalition toward that end.” 

ENDA, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, will add sexual orientation and gender identity to federal employment protections, currently provided based on a person’s race, religion, gender, national origin, age, and disability. United ENDA is a coalition of nearly 400 state, local and national LGBT organizations and allies committed to the passage of an inclusive ENDA. 

Send a message of support to Congress: United ENDA

July 3 is the submission deadline for the Imperial Court of All Alaska’s Scholarship Program applications, available online at the ICOAA web site under “About Us.”

Photo (right) of Divas at Femme Fatale 2009, May 1-2 in Juneau, Alaska.

Congratulations to Chris Olson and Michelle Coen on their upcoming wedding in Iowa. They met in 1981 while living in Anchorage, Alaska but moved to Wisconsin in 1998 to be closer to their families. They plan to marry in Olsen’s Iowa hometown, so her 96-year-old mother can attend the wedding. Story and photo.

Join Anchorage Frontrunners, a GLBT group that walks/runs/rollerblades (dogs welcome) along the Coastal Trail on Tuesdays from May-September. Meet at Westchester Lagoon at 6 p.m. in the far west parking lot near the coffee shack.

The annual Memorial Day Community Picnic will be held at Kincaid Park again this year. The Community Picnic is a tradition going back more than 40 years, held in Eklutna until that property was sold last spring. The College of Emperors and Empresses sells burgers, hot dogs, chips, and drinks as a fundraiser for ICOAA.

In Iowa, same-sex couples began marrying on Thursday, following the 3 day waiting period after the first licenses were issued. The senates of both New Hampshire and Maine passed marriage equality bills last week, and the bills will go to the state houses for approval. Unfortunately, the New Hampshire senators also voted to kill a bill that would have extended housing and employment anti-discrimination protections to transgender people.

The federal Hate Crimes Act passed the House and has Pres. Obama’s support. New Mexico will now offer health care coverage to domestic partners of retired government and school workers (current workers have received benefits since 2003.) 

A federal judge has awarded a former Army Special Forces commander nearly $500,000 in back pay and damages. Diane Schroer applied for a terrorism analyst job while still a man and was offered the job, but the offer was pulled after he told a library official that he was having surgery to change gender. The ruling is important because the judge recognized this as job discrimination.

The Scandinavian country of Iceland elected a lesbian Prime Minister. Johanna Sigurdardottir is the first openly gay head of a national government in modern times, and her country’s first female prime minister. She and her partner were married in 2002.

The British government has named Carol Ann Duffy as the UK’s new poet laureate. The first woman to be appointed in the 341-year history of the post, she is also the first openly gay person and the first Scot to hold the title.

Vat “Sean” Chea died on Saturday, April 19. He was 26 years old and worked as a cab driver in Fairbanks. Vat is survived by his partner in Fairbanks and his family in California.

A private celebration of Vat’s life was held on Sunday, April 26 at Club Alaskan, with his partner, his coworkers, and his friends in Fairbanks. There was a potluck and a silent auction to help with burial expenses. 

“We had a good time remembering Vat and his goofy ways,” wrote Johnmichael. “Thank you GLBT community for your thoughts and prayers in my time of grief.”

While serving in the U. S. Army, Vat was stationed at Fort Wainwright. After his Army time, he chose to remain in Alaska. 

“Vat and his partner usually had to work during local GLBT functions,” wrote Terry, “but often they would take a short break to greet friends before returning to the road.” 

Friends are invited to view and sign his online Legacy Book.

Our condolences to all who knew Vat.

Vat Chea: 12/20/82 – 4/19/09

Dining Out For Life, a national event to raise money for HIV & AIDS organizations by eating at participating restaurants, takes place throughout the day on Thursday April 30 in Fairbanks and many other cities. The Fairbanks restaurants will donate a portion of their profits to Interior AIDS Association.

Participating restaurants include Lu Lu’s Bread & Bagels for breakfast, Ivory Jacks for lunch (11-5), Regency Cove for lunch, Trappers Tavern for lunch, and Lavelle’s Bistro for dinner (reservations recommended.)

Dining Out For Life – Fairbanks is sponsored by Denali State Bank and Interior Graphics & Printing. The national “Dining Out For Life: Dine Out, Fight AIDS” annual event is sponsored by Subaru.

Over 50 cities throughout the United States and Canada and more than 3,000 restaurants are participating in Dining Out For Life this year. Nearly $3 million dollars is raised annually to support AIDS service organizations throughout North America.

Read the News-Miner’s article and interview with IAA executive director Anna Nelson.

Watch the Dining Out For Life PSA with the Food Network’s Ted Allen:

Join the party and connect with others: be friends with Bent Alaska. Many LGBT Alaskans are announcing our community’s events and posting photos on Facebook pages, then sharing the links on Bent Alaska’s wall. Share your links, events, photos and ideas, and meet LGBT Alaskans and our allies. Bent Alaska on Facebook.

You are also invited to subscribe to Alaska GLBT News, the free statewide e-newsletter.

Two Four A’s fundraisers were held at Mad Myrna’s last weekend, the No Foolin’ Fiesta and Scott’s Bake Sale and Bake-Off.

“We’re so happy with the results of the Four A’s events these past two days,” writes Chrissy Bell, Director of Development at Four A’s. “Over $4,000 was raised this weekend! Thank you MJ and Scott for two awesome events and to everyone who came out to support those living with HIV and HIV prevention in Alaska.”

Scott Turner wants to thank everyone associated with the Community Bake Sale. “You all raised over $2300,” writes Scott. “Even in crazy economic times, we managed to beat last year’s total again!”

Many of our state senators and representatives voted against the confirmation of W.A. Ross last week. Please take a moment to thank them. Here is the full list, for and against.

One of the representatives who mentioned WAR’s prejudice against gays as a reason for voting ‘no’ was Rep. Les Gara from downtown Anchorage. Please remember his support of our community. 

From his e-newsletter: “Good AG’s don’t come into the job with lists of groups they dislike. They have to get along, and make rational decisions so they don’t take the state into costly “political cause” litigation. And they have to do their jobs in an even handed way. An Attorney General has to represent everyone in the state, not just his own causes. For example, while Mr. Ross is not required by anyone to hold a particular position on gay rights, he seems to dismiss gay Alaskans as equal human beings… Mr. Ross fits lots of job requirements. But his temperament is better suited for politics, party causes, and private law. In private practice you can represent a few. As the State’s top lawyer you’re supposed to represent all.”

Read WAR’s complete letter to the Alaska State Bar newsletter, where he called gays “immoral”, “perversion” and “degenerates” in opposition to the 1993 effort to add sexual orientation to the Anchorage non-discrimination code.