Articles in Pride
Coming Out at Christmas (video)
They aren’t in Alaska, and I don’t recommend coming out at big family gatherings, but this video of the London Gay Men’s Chorus singing “Coming Out at Christmas” is more entertaining then the current gay (and anti-gay) news. So here it is, around a hundred gay men singing a classic gay Christmas song:
LDS Church supports Gay Anti-Discrimination ordinance passed by Salt Lake City
Tuesday was a big day for anti-discrimination measures, as Salt Lake City, Utah approved protections for gays in housing and employment – with the support of the Mormon church – and Fort Worth, Texas added transgender protections to their anti-discrimination law.
The Salt Lake City Council unanimously passed the gay anti-discrimination ordinance after a representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offered a strong statement in support of the new law.
The ordinance represents “common sense laws that should apply to everyone,” said LDS church spokesman Michael Otterson. “The Church supports this ordinance because it is fair and reasonable and does not do violence to the institution of marriage.”
Their support for human rights does not extend to same-sex marriage. Yes, they miss the point that marriage is a basic human right, but their position is far ahead of the mobs that protested Anchorage’s anti-discrimination ordinance this summer.
Also on Tuesday evening, the Fort Worth City Council voted 6-3 to add transgender protections to its anti-discrimination ordinance, which already includes gays. The mayor supports the measure.
More than 200 people packed the council chambers and overflow rooms. Three transgender people spoke in favor of the ordinance. One man protested against the ordinance by standing on top of his Bible in front of City Hall to symbolize that he was “standing on the word of God.”
Despite a crowd of opponents, the council passed the ordinance one week after introducing it.
So Anchorage fell behind two more cities, in Utah and Texas, in our efforts to become a world class city. Even the Mormon church is more progressive than Anchorage on gay rights.
Gay & Lesbian Alaskans at the National Equality March
When Cleve Jones announced the National Equality March for LGBT Rights, he invited people to come “from Utah and California, from Maine to Hawaii, from Alaska to Florida.” Four months later, several Alaskans marched in the Washington DC rally – and people noticed.
“From as far away as Alaska, thousands of LGBT people demanding marriage, adoption and immigration rights rallied Sunday at the National Equality March,” began a Washington Blade article on the DC rally.
“The National Equality March brought participants from states across the country — some from as far away as California and Alaska — and included a strong contingent from Atlanta,” wrote Southern Voice Atlanta.
A description of the Camp Courage workshop on Saturday said, “About 200 participants from across the country including Alaska showed up learning the basic skills of telling your story in order to change hearts and minds.” [Asian Pacific Americans for Progress]
And a 365.GAY blogger was impressed by “the huge number of young activists – or would-be emerging activists – present and eager to be accounted for. Students had come from Maine, Alaska, Texas, Tennessee and California…”
The Washington Blade reporter spoke with Maureen:
“Some marchers came from as far away as Alaska. Maureen Longworth, a lesbian physician from Juneau, and member of Alaskans Together for Equality, said she wanted to join the march because she’s always been a civil rights believer.”“A plaintiff in an Alaska lawsuit that brought partner benefits to state employees, Longworth said she hoped the march would push Alaska’s delegation in Congress to act more favorably on LGBT issues.”“Two of three of our legislators are very conservative, and not always voting in our favor, she said.”
Three Alaskans, Marty, Lin and Maureen, were interviewed by This Way Out, an international gay and lesbian radio program that airs in southcentral Alaska on Wednesday evenings. The complete Equality March segment is online HERE (in audio) and the Alaskans are interviewed near the end, between NAACP chairman Julian Bond and America the Beautiful.
Reporter: “You’re coming from Alaska?”Marty: “Juneau, Alaska. That’s right.“That’s a long way. I think you win the prize for longest distance travelled to be here.”“Yes, sore wings.”“What was the impetus for your coming here?“We had the privilege of getting married in California about a year ago, and then when the vote turned it around, it just brought [to our] attention that this is something that was really great, it was a really important thing for the two of us after we’ve been together for 27 years to actually be able to celebrate this. And it’s just wrong that other people don’t get that privilege and that right.”“Is this the first march you’ve been to?”“Yep.”
Lin: “We’ve been several times…”Reporter: “How would you compare this one to previous marches?”Lin: “This isn’t as big as the ’93 but the spirit is huge, and it’s wonderful to see a lot of young people too. I had already given up hope that in our lifetime we would have equal rights. During the Bush administration, it got very discouraging and now I feel like I have optimism again. It’s really wonderful to feel like my heart is more open to our government and the government’s heart is opening and softening towards us.”Maureen: “I’m here because I believe in equality for all people and I always have. I was raised that way in Los Angeles in the 60’s and we started demonstrating for civil rights for African-Americans when I was a kid. So whoever needs the rights, I will be there for that person. That’s why I’m here today, and they happen to be for me.”
Thanks to the Alaskans who travelled so far and represented us so well at the 2009 National Equality March for LGBT Rights!
Anchorage man wins OfficeMax Diversity Award
The second post for Ally Week 2009 highlights business ally OfficeMax and local employee Christopher Oeser, who won a company-wide Diversity Award for marching in the Anchorage Pride Parade with the OfficeMax banner.
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Gays and lesbians in Anchorage have many workplace allies, from corporations with LGBT-inclusive diversity policies to small business owners who supported our efforts for a non-discrimination ordinance. One business ally is OfficeMax, a multinational office supply company with stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
“I just found out that my work made me the 2009 diversity champion,” enthused Chris Oser on August 8, three days before the Assembly passed the ordinance and nine days before the mayor vetoed it.
“There are only 3 diversity champions in the whole company… I am having dinner with the CEO in September and I get a trophy. I am way excited and wanted everyone to know. Officemax is an awesome place to shop and work for the LGBT community!”
What did Chris do to win a company-wide diversity award? And what did OfficeMax do to get such a loyal employee?
In May, Chris called the corporate office and suggested that OfficeMax support LGBT diversity for the month of June. “Our work is all about cultural diversity and working inclusively with each other, and they pride themselves on doing that,” he wrote.
And they did, as Bent reported on June 4. When Chris returned to work at the OfficeMax store in the Northway Mall, he saw a rainbow poster in the break room that read, “OfficeMax Celebrates Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Pride Month: Embracing Inclusion.”
“My company OfficeMax made this June LGBT Pride Month,” wrote Chris on the PrideFest wall. “I am so proud to work there!”
So he asked if he could march in the local pride parade with the company’s diversity banner. And they said yes. Chris and a few others marched in Anchorage PrideFest holding a colorful banner with the message “OfficeMax: Celebrating Diversity Through Inclusion.”
OfficeMax displayed their Pride Month posters in many stores and their LGBT employees marched in other pride parades. They even had a float in Chicago Pride. But they had never been represented in Anchorage PrideFest until Chris came along.
So they honored their proud employee with a company award. Just three days before the Mayor’s no-diversity-allowed Unity Dinner, the CEO of OfficeMax flew to Anchorage to present a Diversity Award to Chris.
CEO Sam Duncan, Diversity officer Caroline Brooks, the head of Retail and head of Human Resources all attended the special Diversity Lunch on September 22 at the Northway Mall OfficeMax store. Leaders of the Anchorage LGBT community came to share the moment with Chris, including Phyllis Rhodes of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, and Kevin Holtz & Miss MeMe of the Imperial Court of All Alaska.
“We had seafood dishes, King crab legs, and really good desert,” wrote Chris. “I played piano for everyone. Most people didn’t know that I could play 13 instruments.”
And that’s how OfficeMax showed their employees and the community that they Celebrate Diversity Through Inclusion. Even LGBT inclusion. Even here in Anchorage.
(Too bad the mayor wasn’t listening.)
The Personal is Political at Pride Conference & Rally
Anchorage hosted both the Alaska Pride Conference and the support rally for the National Equality March on Saturday, and queer youth were front and center at both events.
Gays and allies from Fairbanks, Juneau, Homer and the Mat-Su joined the Anchorage LGBTA community at APU for Identity’s annual Pride Conference. The morning workshops focused on providing support for young adults in the Gay-Straight Alliances, the new generation of queer and straight youth who are passionate about equal rights and excited about being on the cutting edge of political progress.
Instead of one keynote speaker for the afternoon, the Pride Conference asked a panel of leaders to speak on issues relevant to queer Alaska.
Jackie Buckley spoke on the importance of health care issues like the lack of insurance coverage for LGBT families, limited health information targeted to us, and not being included in either the medical studies or the educational campaigns. She noted outreach to the LGBT community by the local stop smoking campaign as an example of progress. Buckley is a healthcare administrator who volunteers with the Identity Advocacy Team and PFLAG Anchorage.
Rev. Susan Halvor, an ordained Lutheran pastor, said she is often asked, “Where can LGBT Alaskans go to church and be welcomed?” Rev. Halvor encouraged the LGBT community to support general human rights issues in Alaska, along with specific issues of gay equality.
Marsha Buck is an ally from Juneau, a proud PFLAG mom, and the President of Alaskans Together for Equality. She noted that many of our state House legislators are far-right republicans and that it’s time to bring the Alaska legislature back into balance by electing more progressives. She encouraged LGBT people to live honestly and open, in a respectful way, and we will get honesty and respect in return. She said that our allies are glad to speak for us, but that we also need to speak for ourselves. And she recommended that we join Alaskans Together for Equality to work for our rights here in Alaska.
Mike Mason is a young man who attended the hearings for the equal rights ordinance this summer and helped organize the rallies on the lawn. He supports activism for minority rights, to achieve legal equality in the city, state and country. He said that religion is not our enemy, ignorance is, and he suggested that we come out because change is made through personal contacts.
Verner Wilson is not the only gay Eskimo. He grew up in a small rural town where he was teased for being gay. There are no resources for LGBT kids in rural Alaska, and no support for LGBT Native Alaskans anywhere. He is concerned about Pebble Mine ruining his home waters of Bristol Bay, about the mayor’s veto of the equal rights ordinance, and about the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He also noted that his family accepts him now.
Frank Jenkins (aka Miss MeMe) is the newly-elected Empress of the Imperial Court of All Alaska, the state’s first gay organization. He grew up in supportive communities and remembers marching in a candlelight vigil following the murder of Harvey Milk. He said that opposition is often the instigation for progress because it creates a backlash against the prejudice. When people speak out for what is right and are knocked down, they become heroes. Our local allies woke up to the prejudice we faced this summer, and the homophobes will never support us. But how do we motivate those in the middle and get more LGBT youth to stay involved? Leadership development and mentoring for gay and especially trans young adults after they come out, to help them live full lives around work, relationships, spirituality, and politics.
Trevor Storrs is the director of Four A’s. He was raised in a small isolated town and even they have evolved on LGBT issues. The actual bigots are a minority, the rest fear us because they don’t know us. When they get to know us as individuals, not categories, they can accept us for who we are. Personal contact is important to help them get past their fear.
After the panel members spoke, conference chair Johnathan Jones opened the discussion to the audience. The main issues were how to develop better connections between the LGBT groups and more effective outreach to the mainstream public.
The conference participants also enjoyed a comedy hypnosis show by Jay Her, visited vender and information booths representing LGBT groups, ate lunch and breakfast provided by The Last Frontier Men’s Club, and met in person their far-flung email contacts and Facebook friends.
When the conference ended, several of us drove down 36th to the Library and joined the support rally for the National Equality March. Rally organizers Tara and Jon and the other young protestors, gay and straight, had been standing there since 10 a.m., despite the drizzle, and were happy to see us. With that kind of commitment, LGBT equality is inevitable.
Pride Conference asks "What is Important to Queer Alaskans?"
This weekend is QueerWorld Connect: the 16th annual Alaska Pride Conference! The three-day Anchorage event includes a kick-off dinner on Friday, the Saturday conference at Alaska Pacific University, and a Sunday brunch discussion on “Crossing the Generations.” (The full schedule is posted below.)
“This year for Pride Conference, instead of having one guest speaker, we will be having a panel of six community leaders,” said Johnathan Jones, Pride Conference chairperson. “Each leader has been asked to speak for five minutes on issues they consider relevant to queer Alaskans.”
The leaders on the panel include Her Imperial Majesty Ms. MeMe of the ICOAA; Trevor Stoors, Executive Director of Four A’s; Marsha Buck from Juneau, Co-President of Alaskans Together; Mike Mason, organizer for this year’s Youth Pride Prom; Rev. Susan Halvor from the ELCA (Lutherans); and Jackie Buckley from the Identity Advocacy Team.
After each leader has spoken, there will be a moderated panel discussion followed by a Q&A with the audience. “Our aim is to discuss important issues, with the opportunity for all attendees to have input in the discussion,” said Johnathan. “We invite all people to come prepared for stimulating conversations.”
The Pride Conference registration form is available online and can be dropped off at the Gay & Lesbian Community Center. QueerWorld is sponsored by Identity, Inc. and APU’s Spectrum.
The information below came from Johnathan and the October 2009 issue of NorthView, Identity’s quarterly bulletin, which is available online (linked HERE).
Pride Conference “QueerWorld Connect”
Pride Conference is a statewide gathering of queer folk and allies, with workshops, a plenary session, and a chance to socialize. The theme this year is QueerWorld Connect. When committee members brainstormed topics, we noticed that connection was the common thread, with unity as the ultimate goal. Connection within communities has to happen for unity to exist.
This year, the conference is a little different. We are broadening the scope and having a three day event focused on education, entertainment, and connection – connection with ourselves, with each other, and with community. Instead of a keynote speaker, we are having a panel on “Issues of Relevance to Queer Alaskans” which will feature community leaders from around our state.
The main day of the Pride Conference, Saturday at APU, begins with a breakfast buffet by the Last Frontier Men’s Club. There will be two sets of workshops, a vendor’s court, lunch, the panel discussion, and a hypnosis show by Jay Her.
Special effort went into making this an all ages friendly event, so feel free to bring kids to the conference or any conference function. A van will be available to transport those who need it from event to event. We do not want anyone to miss the conference because of lack of funds. If needed, Contact Johnathan for scholarship information.
To make the most of the conference, be prepared to meet new people, learn about new topics, and expect to have fun!
QueerWorld Connect Pride Conference
Friday Night – Oct. 9th – Dinner, Socializing & Entertainment
7:00 Dinner social at Organic Oasis with musical entertainment by EverReady. Please RSVP to Johnathan.
Cost: Purchase of your own food and drink.
Saturday – Oct. 10th – Conference at APU, Atwood Center
8:30 Breakfast (Included)
9:30 Welcome/Opening Remarks
10:00 Choice of workshops
11:15 Choice of workshops
12:30 Lunch (included)
1:15 Hypnosis Presentation
2:00 Plenary Session: Panel on “Issues of Relevance to Queer Alaskans”
3:00 Closing remarks/evaluation
Cost: At the door: Adults $25, Students $15. Pre-registration: Adults $20, Students $10. Scholarships available: Contact Johnathan
Saturday Night – Oct. 10th – Bowling & Social
7:00 Bowling hosted by Adam and Steve, Center Bowl on Spenard and Minnesota, RSVP required.
Cost: free for 2 hours of bowling and shoe hire, but we only have 20 spots available so RSVP to Johnathan asap.
10:00-Midnight Late night drop in at the GLCCA.
Sunday – Oct. 11th – Breakfast Program
10:30-Noon Hot Brunch and panel on “Crossing the Generations” at the YWCA next to the Community Center.
Cost: Adults $10, Seniors and Students $7.50 Pre-registration required at the GLCCA.
Johnathan Jones, Pride Conference chairperson, is a wanna be life-long Alaskan. Having grown up in Australia, he now calls Alaska home. Johnathan is passionate about working with non-profit groups and forging working relationships with all members of our communities. He is really excited about the upcoming “QueerWorld” Pride Conference and hopes you all make it!
Whale Watching Tour & Pride Chorus fundraiser
Bring your family and friends on a whale watching cruise on Sept. 12 and raise funds to send the Juneau Pride Chorus to the Sister Singers Network Festival.
Sister Singers Network is “a cooperative web of feminist choruses and ensembles, composers, arrangers, and individual singers working together to support and enrich the women’s choral movement.” The next festival is the 2010 Choral Festival in Chicago.
The Whale Watching Trip is Saturday, Sept 12, 1-4 p.m. The Allen Marine Catamaran will depart from Auke Bay Public Boat Harbor. Please be on board by 12:45, bring a warm, rainproof jacket to wear on the observation deck, and don’t forget your camera. Finger Foods will be served. Tickets are available from chorus members, or call 780-5230. $40.00 Adults, $20.00 Students (K-8), $100.00 for a family of 4. Contact SEAGLA for more information.
QueerWorld: 16th Alaska Pride Conference, Oct 10
Identity, Inc. is sponsoring QueerWorld, the 16th annual Alaska Pride Conference, at the APU Atwood Center on October 10, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. People of all ages, cultures, sexualities and professions attend the conference each year to strengthen ties with one another and build community. There will be 8 workshop sessions.
We are seeking inspiring presenters to share their knowledge, experiences and successes on diverse topics using innovative presentations. We welcome presentations that include a focus on connection, connecting with ourselves, one another and our communities. We hope to promote unity and community growth through QueerWorld.
E-mail Johnathan Jones, co-chair of QueerWorld, for the workshop proposal. The deadline for submitting proposals is September 25.
Pride Conference seeks committee members
It’s time to start planning for the annual Pride Conference in Anchorage! The Conference is sponsored by Identity and held in October on the weekend nearest to October 11, National Coming Out Day.
Johnathan Jones and Jasmine Stokes are the Pride Conference co-chairs for 2009, and they are looking for volunteers for the planning committee. “You do not need experience to help out, but any skills, connections & resources you have are welcome,” writes Jasmine.
If you’re interested, please contact Jones or contact Stokes. The first conference meeting is Thursday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Anchorage (GLCCA) on 5th Ave.
Alaskan Celebrates Gay Pride in India on Historic Ruling
India overturned its ban on gay sex last week, and Ryan from Juneau, Alaska was there to celebrate in Bangalore’s Gay Pride Parade.
The High Court in New Delhi ruled that gay sex between consenting adults is no longer a crime, overturning the 1860 anti-sodomy law, known as Section 377. “Moral indignation, howsoever strong, is not a valid basis for overriding individuals’ fundamental rights of dignity and privacy.”
Ryan is traveling in India and studying at the Visthar Center near Bangalore. In the post Welcome to Bangalore & the South India Artist Intensive, Ryan described the theater and dance workshops and his adventures in the city, then wrote about gay life in India and the historic court ruling:
Finally, it’s been a surprisingly eventful week in sexual politics in India. Last Sunday I found myself marching in Bangalore’s gay pride parade, which is a scenario I never would have envisioned. It certainly was no New York or Amsterdam pride, but it beat out Juneau’s gay pride parade—which consists of me walking down Franklin Street to get a cup of coffee. There were several hundred people and drumming and shouting—lots of people wearing masks, though, for the sake of anonymity in photo or video. That very day, the Indian High Court was reviewing section 377, which is the law used against gay people in this country (though it doesn’t refer to homosexuals verbatim). Thursday, the law was amended! Huge news. What this basically means, as someone at Visthar put it, is that homosexual lifestyles are now ‘recognized as non-crimes.’ Still not equal rights, but at least not outright discrimination. …Now this weekend, there have been counter-protests and demonstrations in some cities, some apparently violent.It will be interesting to see how this continues to unfold here. I would at least venture to say that from what I’ve seen, the divide between rural and urban here, ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative,’ seems to be HUGE. As part of our cultural context class this week, we had a session discussing sexual minorities, and Visthar invited 2 gay men and 2 lesbian women to speak. It was incredible to me that all 4 of them—none of whom could have been older than 40—had attempted suicide due to their sexuality-combined-with-social/family-situation. Two had had their partners die in double-suicide attempts that they themselves had survived. It does seem that the situation here is behind the US by a few years or decades.
Check out his photos of India, and follow Ryan’s future adventures by subscribing to his blog Forging Ahead.
– hat tip to Maia of Own The Sidewalk
