Articles in Resources
Choosing Alaska: Acceptance in non-profits and having a good attitude
We recently posted a letter from a graduate student asking for advice from openly-LGBT Alaskans. What is it like to be an out professional in Alaska?
Our readers responded, sharing their reasons for living in Alaska and their experiences as LGBT. We’re posting their stories in a new series called Choosing Alaska.
The second response was from Kris. (Read the first reply HERE.)
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Hello, Friends!
So let’s be clear: I am not actually who you wanted to hear from. I am not a born and raised LGBTetc Alaskan who studied out of state and then returned. Who I am, is an open, out, proud LGBTetc individual who was raised in New England, studied in New York and then eventually moved to Alaska to live my life the way I chose.
My name is Kris and I am a 27 year old gender-queer individual who was born female-bodied and has chosen to make my life surrounded by other gender-queers, lesbians, dykes and whatever the heck else people want to call themselves. I have a wonderful partner and although we are still building our relationship and life together, she is for sure an amazing woman whom I am openly, 100% of the time, proud to be with.
I am a Victim Advocate and have and do work with several non-profits including the YWCA Anchorage, Covenant House Alaska and Standing Together Against Rape (STAR). I have a Masters level education and consider myself to be both a role model and advocate within the professional community here in Anchorage for equality and a focus on LGBTetc issues. I volunteer with various youth initiatives, donate time to conferences and other educational causes and make a general effort to put myself out there in a positive light for the communities I exist within.
So why Alaska? Really, the question is “why not?” Sure, it’s small here. Which is ironic given the size of the state, but what does that matter, really? It doesn’t matter how large or small a locales queer community is. What matters is what you make of it, the relationships you choose to cultivate and how you portray that community to the others which you exist in. Working in the non-profit sector I find that I am generally surrounded by queer-positive people. This, of course, is not always the case for people in other professions, so I do acknowledge the slant in my perspective.
If I came here with the mindset that this was another small town (New Hampshire is full of them, I am no stranger!) and I was bound to lead a life of internalized homophobia and guilt and shame, then that is exactly what would have happened. Instead, I sought out resources, organizations and like-minded, progressive individuals. I made no attempt at masking who I am or what I believe in and I never apologized for who I am.
I have a self-made attitude that exudes, “I’m here. This is who I am. This is what I bring to the table. How can we help each other?” Would this be what happened if I had gone back to the sleepy town I grew up in? You better believe it. And for awhile, it did. And without incident. I didn’t come to Alaska to run away from a small town’s LGBTetc’s hot mess. I came to Alaska, in part, to participate in that small town community, and this just happens to be who I am.
Sincerely,
Another out, proud, educated professional in Alaska
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Thanks, Kris!
What is your experience of being LGBT in Alaska? Leave a comment below, or email us directly at Bent Alaska @ gmail .com (without the spaces), and we will include your response in a follow up post. And if you have another topic you’d like to see on Bent Alaska, please tell us about it!
It Gets Better for Native American Youth
“This is for all the LGBTQ Native youth throughout the country. From the villages in Alaska, to the Islands in Hawaii, to every corner of Indian Reservations across America… It Gets Better… we are living proof!!”
If you or someone you know is feeling alone, call the Trevor Project, they can help: 1-866-4U-TREVOR.
Watch the new It Gets Better video from the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center:
Freedom to Serve: New guide for LGBT servicemembers in a post-DADT world
It’s not a post-DADT world yet, but it will be after September 20 — and now Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has prepared a comprehensive new legal guide to laws and policies related to U.S. military service as an LGBT servicemember once Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is finally gone.
2011 ICOAA scholarship application deadline is July 31
The Imperial Court of All Alaska College of Emperors and Empresses (ICOAA) is pleased to open the 2011 ICOAA Scholarship Program. Scholarship awards are granted for the 2011/2012 academic year. Awards are based on economic need, scholastic achievement, leadership ability and contributions to the lesbian/gay community. Application is offered to Alaska residents with preference given to members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and allied (GLBTA) community.
Over the years, ICOAA’s College of Emperors and Empresses has helped numerous GLBTA Alaskan scholars to further their educations, with awards including $25,000 to 26 scholarship recipients in 2010, $48,500 to 19 recipients in 2009, and $60,000 to 25 recipients in 2008.
To qualify for an ICOAA scholarship, the applicant:
- must be an Alaska resident;
- must be fully admitted to any college, university, trade or vocational school;
- may be an incoming or continuing student;
- must meet academic/trade program’s satisfactory academic progress criteria;
- must have a cumulative GPA average of at least:
2.0 for undergraduate/trade programs or
3.0 for graduate/professional programs; and - must attend at least as a half-time student.
Complete applications must be received no later than July 31, 2011, so give yourself time to mail it in time! NO Hand Delivery! NO Exceptions! Scholarship awards will be announced September 1 at Coronation.
Download an application at the ICOAA website. Questions and clarifications may be emailed to madeline@alaskalife.net.
Good luck to all the scholarship applicants. And thank you, ICOAA, for all that you’ve done to help GLBTA students in Alaska!
Why should LGBT college students return to Alaska after graduation?
Bent Alaska received a great topic request from an Alaska-raised grad student who is studying in the lower 48: What is it like to be an openly LGBT professional in Alaska?
I’m a new reader to your blog and 18-year Alaskan. I left Alaska to go to university in 2005 and stayed for medical school. I’m currently in my seventh year. At my university there are usually about 5 or 6 kids from Alaska each year and inevitably, most are gay. In my year, only one of the kids from Alaska was not gay (and he was an awesome dude!)
It seems like a lot of young gay Alaskans get out of Alaska as soon as they can — that’s old news. What I’m interested in are those Alaskans who are gay who left, but went back.
Why did they choose to return? How have their experiences been? What is it like to be an out professional in Alaska? Rural v. urban? What kind of community awaits them? Did they return with a partner?
I’d love to read more in depth about this issue!
OK, readers — what do you think? Did you return after graduating from an out of state school? Tell us your reasons for returning, and what it’s like for you as an LGBT professional in Alaska. Leave a comment below, or email us directly at Bent Alaska @ gmail .com (without the spaces), and we will include your response in the follow up post. Help this university student and others decide where to start a career after graduation.
And if you have a topic you’d like to see on Bent Alaska, please tell us about it!
Photo: A crowd of college students at the 2007 Pittsburgh University Commencement, by Kit of Pittsburgh. Via Wikimedia Commons; used in accordance with Creative Commons licensing.
Alaska DMV refuses to put correct gender on drivers license; ACLU sues
The ACLU and the ACLU of Alaska have brought suit against the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles over DMV’s refusal to put the correct gender marker on a transgender woman’s driver’s license without proof of a surgical sex change. The brief in the case, K.L. v. State of Alaska, can be read at at the ACLU or ACLU of Alaska websites.
Here is the ACLU of Alaska’s press release:
DMV Refusal to Correct Transgender Driver’s Licenses Unconstitutional
ACLU Lawsuit Challenges Requirement that Transgender Persons Undergo Surgery for Proper Gender on License
ANCHORAGE, AK, July 18, 2011 — The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Alaska filed a brief today seeking to allow transgender individuals to correct the gender marker on their driver’s licenses without undergoing major surgery. The state’s surgery requirement places an undue burden on transgender individuals and presents a gross violation of an individual’s right to privacy.
“It is unfair and unnecessary to require that transgender people undergo prohibitively expensive and drastic surgery in order to have accurate identity documents,” said Jeffrey Mittman, executive director of the ACLU of Alaska. “No one should have to disclose sensitive personal information or be forced to make major medical decisions in order to get an accurate driver’s license.”
The lawsuit is being filed on behalf of a transgender woman, K.L., whose United States passport and work documents all identify her as a female. After initially securing a change to the gender on her driver’s license, she was told that her new license would be revoked unless she submitted proof of having surgery. The American Psychiatric Association and medical experts agree that surgery is medically necessary for some with gender identity disorder (GID), but not for everyone. Treatment for GID is individualized, and some can be effectively treated without it, making it unnecessary for the state to confirm whether or not an individual has had surgery before correcting a license. Additionally, such surgery is extremely expensive and potentially dangerous. The State Department no longer requires transgender people to have surgery before it will correct the gender marker on passports and a growing number of states have stopped requiring surgery for changing the gender marker on a driver’s license.
“Having a driver’s license that doesn’t match my appearance and identity would place me at risk of discrimination and physical harm,” said K.L., who has lived as a woman for two years.
The state supreme court has found that the Alaska Constitution’s privacy clause protects individuals’ right to self-expression and to be free from the disclosure of sensitive personal information and government intrusions on their decisions about medical care.
“The surgery requirement not only violates Alaska’s laws, it demonstrates a profound lack of understanding about what it means to be transgender,” said John Knight, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project. “The state cannot deny transgender people an accurate driver’s license based on an arbitrary and unconstitutional policy that clashes with accepted medical standards.”
The brief can be found on the ACLU websites at www.aclu.org and www.akclu.org.
Attorneys include Knight of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project, Thomas Stenson of the ACLU of Alaska Foundation, and Stephanie Boehl of Perkins Coie.
Vote July 22 to help Four A’s win a new Toyota!
Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association is One of 500 Finalists for Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Program!
Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s) is proud to announce we’ve been selected as a finalist in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program. Now we need your support! Vote for Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association at www.facebook.com/toyota on July 22, 2011.
A new Toyota would enable Four A’s to expand HIV/AIDS outreach and education beyond the urban center of Anchorage to rural communities. HIV stigma has a strong hold on rural Alaska, preventing most from knowing their HIV status or seeking services to reduce their risk. Most communities do not have free services, further limiting access. A mobile outreach vehicle would allow us to offer: 1) HIV education to schools, youth groups and anyone who wants it, 2) free HIV tests with results in 20 minutes, 3) risk reduction counseling, and 4) safer sex and harm reduction kit distribution. A new Toyota would be a critical asset in working towards reducing new HIV infections and eliminating stigma.
Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program will award 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 deserving nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public. A total of 500 finalists were selected based on their application as reviewed by an independent panel of judges who are experts in the fields of philanthropy and social responsibility. They are vying for the opportunity to win a new Toyota vehicle. Winning organizations will use the vehicles to help expand their reach and mission within the community.
Please support Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association (Four A’s) on July 22, 2011. Voting will take place at www.facebook.com/toyota.
Update: “Well, the bad news is we didn’t win a new Toyota, but the good news is SafeHouse of Shelby County (Alabama) will have a new vehicle to transport women and children survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Congratulations to SafeHouse! Thank YOU for voting and showing your support for the Four A’s!
Watch the Four A’s video:
Here are some ways you can help Four A’s spread the word:
1. Encourage your friends to “like” Four A’s on Facebook.
2. Become a Four A’s Ambassador! Ambassadors will help us promote the contest within their circle of friends, recruit other ambassadors, get folks to sign up for vote reminders, etc… Contact Four A’s and we’ll let you know what to do.
3. Sign up for a vote reminder. Here’s how:
Go to http://apps.facebook.com/carsforgood/
Go to “view contestants”,
Select “Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association”
Then, click “remind me to vote this day”.
THEN VOTE on JULY 22!
4. When we post an update about 100 Cars for Good, please “like” or “share” to spread the word.
Thanks for supporting Four A’s!!
Moving on — watching closely
The time comes when Bent Alaska must move forward bearing our sadness over James Crump’s death on June 25 and getting back to our core business of sharing information and serving as an information hub for Alaska’s LGBTA communities. But first, I’d like to share some of the information I learned about healing from grief and trauma.
A message from Identity, & talk next Wednesday on healing from trauma
A message from Identity, Inc. Board of Directors regarding the tragic accident on June 25, 2011
Drag Queen Bingo, or, how I learned I was part of something greater than myself
It’s times like these that we learn to live — Christopher Constant on Drag Queen Bingo and James Crump’s death at Pride: Everything we do should pave the way for a better world beyond the reach of our lives.
