Articles in Resources
A Circle of Support: Counseling for friends of James Crump at UAA Thursday evening
UAA’s Student Health & Counseling Center will offer grief counseling and information on resources for friends of James Crump and others affected by his sudden and tragic death at Pride last Saturday. Please be sure also to check other resources for psychological and spiritual support about which we posted yesterday.
Remembering James Crump; and counseling & spiritual support
This post has information about psychological counseling and spiritual support for those affected by the events of last Saturday, when our brother and friend James L. Crump tragically lost his life. There will also be a resolution introduced tonight in the Anchorage Assembly to remember and honor James, and anyone who can attend is asked to.
Pride Foundation… AND chocolate!!! What could be better?
A benefit for Pride Foundation is being hosted at Modern Dwellers Chocolate Lounge this evening in Anchorage. Come support Pride Foundation’s support of Alaska LGBTQ organizations, & have some really good chocolate too!
Bringing Netroots home to Alaska
Our fatigued reporter’s last report from Minneapolis, because by the time you read this, she’ll be on a plane on the way back to Anchorage. But she’ll have more to say about Netroots Nation and LGBT Netroots Connect and some of the stuff she learned there to benefit — at least so we hope — the LGBT community(s) of Alaska — once she’s able to decompress & unpack it.
Netroots Nation is not just one nation
A second report from Minneapolis, this time from Netroots Nation proper, as the participants of the LGBT Netroots Connect preconference mix in with the population of the more general NN11 attendance, and have a very very long day. But a day that, one hopes, gets us somewhere.
Two Spirits airs tonight on PBS, with Yupik tribe member Richard LaFortune
A Native American LGBTQ film “Two Spirits” premieres on PBS’ Independent Lens tonight, Tuesday, June 14, showing on KAKM at 9 pm Alaska time. Two Spirits tells the story of Fred Martinez, his life and violent death, and the history of multi-gendered people in many Native American cultures.
“Two Spirits interweaves the tragic story of a mother’s loss of her son with a revealing look at the largely unknown history of a time when the world wasn’t simply divided into male and female and many Native American cultures held places of honor for people of integrated genders.
Fred Martinez was nádleehí, a male-bodied person with a feminine nature, a special gift according to his ancient Navajo culture. He was one of the youngest hate-crime victims in modern history when he was brutally murdered at 16. Two Spirits explores the life and death of this boy who was also a girl, and the essentially spiritual nature of gender.
Two Spirits mourns the young Fred Martinez and the threatened disappearance of the two-spirit tradition, but it also brims with hope and the belief that we all are enriched by multi-gendered people, and that all of us — regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or cultural heritage — benefit from being free to be our truest selves.”
The concept of Two-Spirit is explained in the film by LGBTQ Native Americans, including Richard (Anguksuar) LaFortune of the Yupik tribe, director of the media project 2SPR-Two Spirit Press Room and an early organizer of the International Two Spirit Gatherings. LaFortune was born in Bethel, and is currently living in Minnesota working on reducing the suicide rate of Native youth and revitalizing Native American languages.
The American Library Association (ALA) recognized Two Spirits in its 2011 list of Notable Videos for Adults, a list of 15 outstanding films released on video within the past two years that make a significant contribution.
Watch the Two Spirits trailer:
Watch the full episode. See more Independent Lens.
The Two Spirit film blog recently highlighted the contributions and unique history of the Two-Spirit community:
“Many indigenous peoples recognized centuries ago the natural complexity of sexuality and gender, and have identified multiple genders and held an honored role for people now described as “LGBT” as ambassadors, healers, counselors, matchmakers, parents to orphaned children, artists, and medicine people who are seen as having special gifts to contribute to the society because of their Two-Spirit status.
Native American scholars are reclaiming ancient beliefs about gender and sexuality that are found in Native cosmology, traditions and ceremonies, and cultural stories. Unfortunately, the research conducted in scholarly circles rarely, if ever, reaches the general public or the media and therefore has not been a focal part of the public advocacy done on behalf of LGBT and Two-Spirit people.”
Other challenges include the lack of funding for Two-Spirit projects, geographic isolation and homophobia:
“Native Two-Spirit people are more vulnerable to homophobic violence and also to self-inflicted violence and suicide than the general LGBT population. Native LGBT teen suicide is a particularly urgent issue, and clearly a major contributing factor is that many two-spirit youth lack a sense of connection to the inherent dignity and respect that should rightly be afforded Two-Spirit traditions and values. Many Two-Spirit people live in geographic isolation from LGBT resources and/or in cultural separation from their two-spirit traditions. Native LGBT people want to be more connected to each other, and they also want to be more involved in making a difference to LGBT equality work locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.”
The Two-Spirit community hopes to build on the awareness raised by the film to address these issues:
“The leaders and activists of the Two-Spirit movement are working to shape more progressive national attitudes toward gender and sexuality with the general public and within tribal communities. Two-Spirit people are making the most of the increased awareness generated by the film Two Spirits and other resources to build the framework for long-term development and by working with public sector partners, foundations, philanthropists, and tribal leaders.”
ITVS, the co-presenter of Independent Lens, is supporting the film Two Spirits with community cinema screening events and materials in support of the national broadcast. There are dozens of public screenings around the U.S. and Canada this month, free at libraries and community centers, and supported by the local PBS stations. No screenings are scheduled in Alaska. (Who wants KAKM to host one? Contact them HERE.)
Two Spirits
KAKM – Tuesday, June 14 from 9-10 PM
If you miss it tonight, you can set your DVR for one of the later showings of Two Spirits on KAKM:
Thursday, June 16 — 2:00am
Sunday, June 19 — 2:00am
Monday, June 20 — 1:30am
Prepare for Takei Pride Month!
Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill would prohibit teachers from discussing homosexuality in classrooms below the 9th grade level. But never mind: just say “Takei” instead!
Alaska students awarded $2,500 in scholarships from Pride Foundation
Two Alaska students, Kara Carlson of Fairbanks and Colleen McNulty of Anchorage, have been awarded $2,500 in scholarships from Pride Foundation, according to a press release from Tiffany McLain, the foundation’s regional development organizer for Alaska.
Gay/lesbian youth are doing better than you think, says Ritch Savin-Williams
LGBT youth are a lot stronger and more resilient than we usually give them credit for. That’s what Dr. Ritch C. Savin-Williams of Cornell University said this past Monday as a guest on Line One: Your Health Connection on KSKA, Anchorage’s public radio station. The program can now be downloaded or listened to online.
Believe Out Loud: A Million Christians for LGBT Equality
This Mother’s Day, Believe Out Loud is inviting mothers and children everywhere to break the silence.
Determined to give voice to the millions of Christians who believe in equal rights for all, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community, Believe Out Loud is launching a campaign to get one million Christians to break the silence and join the burgeoning chorus for full LGBT equality in the church.
Progressive Christians across numerous denominations believe that Jesus’ message of justice, compassion and love compels them to be fully welcoming of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Now is the time to speak up and remind the world that it is possible to be Christian AND believe in LGBT inclusion.
Simply believing that LGBT individuals ought to be welcomed into our church communities is not enough. The time has come to break the silence. Believe Out Loud. Express your compassion by welcoming and supporting the gay and lesbian members of our communities. Join us, and raise Christian voices around LGBT issues.
How can you make your beliefs real? Be active. It can be as simple as starting a conversation. Lending a hand. Offering a seat. Kind gestures are the first step down the road to inclusion.
Watch their new video and be inspired to break the silence around LGBT equality in your church:
