Articles in Politics
One Anchorage Community Forum to be held this Wednesday
On September 1, 2011, Equality Works launched the One Anchorage Campaign, a ballot initiative campaign to place an initiative on the April 2012 municipal ballot in Anchorage to add sexual orientation and transgender identity to Anchorage’s equal rights code. This follows on an equal rights ordinance which passed the Anchorage Assembly in 2009 by a vote of 7–4, only to be vetoed by Mayor Dan Sullivan.
The One Anchorage Campaign will hold a community form on the ballot initiative Wednesday, September 14 to speak directly with members of the LGBTQ community, answer questions, and hear suggestions.
To RSVP or if you have any questions about the Community Forum please contact Johnathan Jones at 263-2006 or jjones@oneanchorage.com.
- Date/time: Wednesday, September 14. Doors open 6:00 PM, program begins 6:30 PM
- Location: Waldron Hall, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 2222 East Tudor Rd (near the corner of Lake Otis and Tudor) (see map)
- Further info: see Equality Works website or Bent Alaska’s blog post
Equality Works launches One Anchorage Campaign ballot initiative
Equality Works has launched the One Anchorage Campaign, a ballot initiative campaign to place an initiative on the April 2012 municipal ballot in Anchorage to add sexual orientation and transgender identity to Anchorage’s equal rights code. This follows on an equal rights ordinance which passed the Anchorage Assembly in 2009 by a vote of 7–4, only to be vetoed by Mayor Dan Sullivan.
Equality Works Community Advisory Council to meet September 6
Equality Works recently announced changes to its structure “to achieve a higher level of accountability and transparency” including creation of a EW Community Advisory Council to work with the EW Campaign Leadership Team chaired by Trevor Storrs. The first meeting of the EW Advisory Council will take place next Tuesday, September 6, at the YWCA, 324 E. 5th Avenue.
Here is the announcement as presented by EW.
Dear All,
We have set the first meeting of the EW Community Advisory Council for Tuesday Sept. 6th, from 6:00pm- location to be confirmed. Update: location has been confirmed as the YWCA, 324 E. 5th Avenue.
The EW Campaign Leadership Team would like to present to the group and receive feedback on how we can move forward.
An agenda will be compiled and disseminated closer to the date.
Please send this invite to folks who you think would be interested in attending.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Johnathan Jones
Equality Project Manager
Equality Works
907.263.2006
Equality Works announces changes
Last Wednesday, August 17, saw the first meeting of the Anchorage LGBTQA Town Hall to discuss “the best means and methods for advancing LGBTQ equality in Anchorage.” Equality Works, which led the campaign for the passage of Anchorage equal rights ordinance AO-64 in 2009 (later vetoed by Mayor Dan Sullivan) presents the following open letter to the community about how it is restructuring itself in preparation for a new positive campaign toward LGBTQ equality in the Anchorage municipality.
Dear LGBTQA Community,
After the recent Town Hall meeting, Equality Works felt the community gave strong support for a positive campaign for LGBTQ equality in Anchorage (either through a ballot initiative or municipal ordinance). Equality Works met the following Sunday and discussed how to move forward, be more accountable to and work more closely with the LGBTQA community.
Equality Works is a coalition of organizations working to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents of Anchorage from discrimination and unfair treatment, focusing on five key areas:
- Housing
- Employment
- Public Accommodation
- Finance
- Education
To achieve a higher level of accountability and transparency, Equality Works implemented a more formal structure. This structure will allow us to act more strategically and ensure accurate community representation, while at the same time supporting robust community dialogue, including easy avenues for input and guidance. This new structure includes two components: (1) Community Advisory Council, and (2) Campaign Leadership Team.
The Community Advisory Council will be made up of LBGTQA organizational and individual stakeholders. Our goal is to have as broad and deep representation as possible. Membership in the Community Advisory Council is based on a commitment to:
- Support the mission of Equality Works
- Send representatives to attend meetings
- Volunteer time
- Assist in fundraising efforts
- Assist in spreading the message of Equality Works
To become a member, contact Johnathan Jones at jjones@akclu.org or (907) 263-2006. In addition, we will be actively recruiting stakeholders to join the Community Advisory Council. All members will be listed on the Equality Works’ website.
The second component is the Campaign Leadership Team. This team will work in conjunction with a professional Campaign Manager to ensure the campaign is run in the best interest of the LGBTQA community and will succeed by April 2012.
Trevor Storrs will be chairing the Campaign Leadership Team, the Community Advisory Council will select its’ chair and Johnathan Jones will continue to volunteer as support staff to both.
Equality Works will be hosting a community outreach forum very soon to share greater detail on the new structure and the campaign plan. If you have any comments, concerns or ideas please contact us. We truly desire open and honest communications with our stakeholders and community. You can contact Johnathan Jones at: jjones@akclu.org or (907) 263-2006.
Johnathan Jones
Equality Project Manager
Equality Works
907.263.2006
Sara’s News Roundup 8/22/11
Recent LGBT news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
1) The Innovators: Great Gay Moments in 20th-Century Dance
Advocate, August 20, 2011
2) Discharged gay troops ready to re-enlist
Washington Blade, Washington D.C., August 11, 2011
3) Homosexual zebra finches form long-term bond
Berkeley, Calif., BBC News, August 15, 2011
4) Tough for gay members to return to US military
San Diego, MSNBC, August 13, 2011
5) Hundreds rally in Nepal for sexual rights
Narayanghat, Nepal, Associated Press, August 14, 2011
6) Bachmann says she isn’t running to judge gays
Yahoo News, August 15, 2011
7) Rev. Mychal Judge, Gay ‘9/11 Saint,’ To Be Honored By N.Y. Catholic Church
Syracuse, N.Y., Huffington Post, August 10, 2011
8) Lesbian-themed K-drama ‘Daughters of Club Bilitis’ causes stir
Korea, OMG, August 11, 2011
9) ‘Faith and Pride’ concert at Seattle cathedral marks singer-songwriter’s return
Seattle, Episcopal News Service, August 18, 2011
10) Krieger: Tips for dating trans guys
365Gay.com, June 6, 2011
11) Areleh Harel: The Orthodox Rabbi Helping Gay Men Marry Lesbians
Jerusalem, Israel, Time, August 16, 2011
12) Gays Are Us ~ Why LGBT Equality Is Not a “White” Issue
National Black Justice Coalition, August 17, 2011
13) My Life as an Intersexual
PBS, Nova, October 30, 2001
14) Some Deportations Halted for Gay Immigrants
Washington, Advocate, August 20, 2011
Equality in Anchorage: What’s it mean? Who gets to decide?
What does “equality” for LGBTQ people in Anchorage mean? Who are the “stakeholders” and “allies” in the process of trying to gain it? These are some of the questions guest blogger Maxine Doogan is asking about the Anchorage LGBTQA Town Hall meeting to be held Wednesday evening in Anchorage.
Anchorage LGBTQA Town Hall meeting to be held Wednesday evening
What are the best means and methods for advancing LGBTQ equality in Anchorage? A ballot initiative or ordinance effort? Boots on the ground organizing? Working with the faith community, businesses, etc.? A combination of strategies? These are some of the topics to be discussed at an LGBTQA town hall meeting Wednesday evening in Anchorage.
The meeting has been publicized widely within the LGBTQA community on Facebook and in email, including in Bent Alaska’s Facebook profile. One of the meeting’s organizers is Bent Alaska coadministrator Mel Green — which account for her relative silence on our blog recently.
This meeting is ONLY for people — LGBTQ and allies — who have a commitment to advancing equality for lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans/queer/questioning people in the Municipality of Anchorage.
If you are a stakeholder in this process, whether you are an LGBTQ individual, a representative of an organization, an elected official, a non-LGBTQ ally with friends, family, coworkers you care about — we invite you to attend and participate in collaborative decisionmaking about how to advance our common cause.
This is a private event. We ask that people who are members of the media — bloggers as well as as regular press — attend only if you can attend as an individual stakeholder, not in your job capacity.
The meeting will be facilitated by Deacon Sara Gavit of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.
- Time/date: Wednesday, August 17. Doors open 6:00 PM; meeting begins 6:30 PM.
- Location: A Street Event Hall, 637 A Street (see map)
- Further info: Anchorage LGBTQA Town Hall group on Facebook, or contact Mel or Carolyn at lgbtqapartnership @ gmail.com. (Remove spaces in email address.)
Sara’s News Roundup 8/15/11
Recent LGBT news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
1) Bringing Pride to Alaska’s largest parade
Alaska, Pride Foundation, August 2, 2011
2) Supporting LGBTQ youth in foster care
Washington Blade, July 28, 2011
3) Inmate Right to Hormone Treatment, Surgery Upheld
Wisconsin, Gay City, August 10, 2011
4) Conservatives and the LGBT community
Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage Press, July 27, 2011
5) First Marriage, Now Taxes
New York, Gay City News, August 3, 2011
6) Cuba transgender wedding shows shifting attitudes
Havana, Cuba, Associated Press, August 13, 2011
7) Ghana church to set up centers for gay “cures”
Ghana, 365Gay.com, August 10, 2011
8) Suquamish Tribe approves same-sex marriage
Suquamish, Wash., Kitsap Sun, August 1, 2011
Sara’s News Roundup 8/7/11
Recent LGBT news selected by Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.
1) Prop 8 trial returns Sept. 6
California, 365Gay.com, August 1, 2011
2) Liberals push for end to sex change sterilisation
Sweden, The Local, August 11, 2011
3) Dolly Parton Apologizes for Gay T-Shirt Incident at Dollywood Splash Country
Knoxville, TN, ABC News, July 29, 2011
4) Gay marriage: awkward issue for some GOP hopefuls
New York, 365Gay.com, August 1, 2011
5) New Book Explores Coco Chanel’s Bisexual Romances
Advocate, August 01, 2011
6) Single people relegated to second-class status
Washington Blade, August 4, 2011
7) Gender Neutrality: Could Facebook Be Next?
Advocate, August 1, 2011
8) Two minority groups with a lot in common
Washington Blade, July 28, 2011
9) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Gay Community
AboutDeafness.com, June 27, 2011
10) Adam Lambert Is Proud of Being Gay
Advocate, August 4, 2011
11) Lucille Ball Found Gay Rights “Perfectly All Right”
Advocate, August 6, 2011
NAACP’s first LGBT Town Hall: Gay Rights are Civil Rights
Comedian Wanda Sykes, who is performing in Anchorage next month, and CNN reporter Don Lemon headlined the NAACP‘s first ever LGBT Town Hall at the annual convention in Los Angeles last week, supporting same sex marriage and using humor to explain why ‘praying away the gay’ doesn’t work.
Julian Bond, former NAACP chair and veteran civil rights activist, gave a strong opening speech on the panel theme “Our Collective Responsibility: Overcoming Homophobia.”
He explained that the LGBT Task Force was formed in 2009 with the National Black Justice Coalition, and described the NAACP’s three-point mission to increase acceptance of black LGBT people in the African American community:
- strengthen the NAACP’s knowledge of LGBT issues and policies,
- build alliances with LGBT organizations, and
- advance awareness of LGBT issues as they relate to the programs and interests of the NAACP.
He also addressed several areas where conflict exists between the LGBT and the African American communities.
We know that black lesbians, black gay men, black bisexual people and black transgender people suffer a level of discrimination and harassment far beyond the level felt by straight black women and men.
If you disagree, or if your Bible tells you that gay people ought not be married in your church, don’t tell them they can’t be married at City Hall. Marriage is a civil rite as well as a civil right, and we can’t allow religious bigotry to close the door to justice for anyone….
For some people, comparisons between the African American Civil Rights movement and the movement for gay and lesbian rights seems to diminish the long, black historical struggle with all it’s suffering, sacrifices and endless toil. People of color, however, ought to be flattered that our Movement has provided so much inspiration for others, that it has been so widely imitated, and that our tactics, heroes, heroines and methods, even our songs, have been appropriated as models for others….
People of color carry the badge of who we are on our faces. But we are far from the only people suffering from discrimination…. They deserve the laws, protections and civil rights, too.
(Thanks to Metro Weekly for the partial transcript.)
There were several moments of controversy during the 2 hour discussion. NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous joined the panel and was asked why the organization has an anti-gay preacher, Keith Ratliff, on its board. Ratliff claimed in March that gay rights activists have “hijacked” the Civil Rights movement.
Jealous responded, “He did not say it in the name of the NAACP…. We have board members who hold all sorts of divergent views.”
The last speaker, transgender audience member Ashley Love, pointed out the importance of including transgender people in the discussion:
“The NAACP was founded because black people were being excluded from having a seat at the table,” she said. “So why would we as an LGBT black coalition exclude transsexual and transgender people, who are the most vulnerable, the most marginalized, the most endangered in the entire coalition?”
Other critics of the Convention noted that there were neither transgender nor bisexual members of the panel.
But the people at the town hall, and many of the news reports, agree that the first NAACP LGBT panel was a good start for the veteran civil rights organization, and could have a positive effect on the regional branches and thousands of members nationwide.
