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Straight Alaskans divorce more, despite gay ban to protect marriage

Saturday, 16 January 2010 – 11:32 AM | Comments Off

Divorce rates are dropping in states that allow same sex marriages and rising in states with gay marriage bans, according to a new study – and Alaska ranks dead last on both counts, with the fastest rising divorce rate in the country and the first gay marriage ban.

The study compared divorce rates between 2003 and 2008 to the gay relationship laws in forty-three states and the years the laws were passed. The author explains the findings: (my emphasis)

Over the past decade or so, divorce has gradually become more uncommon in the United States. Since 2003, however, the decline in divorce rates has been largely confined to states which have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. These states saw their divorce rates decrease by an average of 8 percent between 2003 and 2008. States which had passed a same-sex marriage ban as of January 1, 2008, however, saw their divorce rates rise by about 1 percent over the same period.

As is somewhat visually apparent, those states which have tended to take more liberal policies toward gay marriage have tended also to have larger declines in their divorce rates. In Massachusetts, which legalized gay marriage in 2004, the divorce rate has declined by 21 percent and is the lowest in the country by some margin…

On the other hand, the seven states at the bottom of the chart all had constitutional prohibitions on same-sex marriage in place throughout 2008. The state which experienced the highest increase in its divorce rate over the period (Alaska, at 17.2 percent) also happens to be the first one to have altered its constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, in 1998.

The differences are highly statistically significant. Nevertheless, they do not necessarily imply causation. The decision to ban same-sex marriage does not occur randomly throughout the states, but instead is strongly correlated with other factors, such as religiosity and political ideology, which we have made no attempt to account for. Nor do we know in which way the causal arrow might point. It could be that voters who have more marital problems of their own are more inclined to deny the right of marriage to same-sex couples.

Interesting point. Alaska banned same sex marriage in 1998, claiming the ban would protect “the sanctity of marriage.” But Alaska’s heterosexuals are divorcing more than ever, and the state has high rates of domestic violence, rape and incest.

Maybe it wasn’t about the sanctity of marriage after all.

No Name-Calling Week, Prof. Smoke on Matthew Shepard, & the Women’s Summit

Saturday, 16 January 2010 – 8:37 AM | Comments Off

Gay AK – notes for and from LGBT Alaska

No Sticks, No Stones, No Dissing

GLSEN’s No Name-Calling Week is January 25-29, 2010, a week of educational and art activities aimed at stopping name-calling and bullying in schools. The Creative Expression Contest is an opportunity for students to submit essays, poetry, music, original artwork, or other pieces that convey their experiences and feelings about name-calling, and their ideas for putting a stop to verbal bullying in their schools and communities. Lesson plans and other resources at No Name-Calling Week.

Gale Smoke on Matthew Shepard

Professor Gale Smoke will review Judy Shepard’s book “The Meaning of Matthew, and a World Transformed” (Hudson Press, 2009) at this month’s Anchorage PFLAG meeting. Refreshments will be available and all are invited to the meeting at Immanuel Presbyterian Church on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. Anchorage PFLAG.

Alaskans Together announces new board and officers

Congratulations to the new board members: Heather Bayless, Kelli Burkinshaw, Shayle Hutchison, Miguel De Marzo, Verner Wilson, and Christopher Narvaez. For 2010, the new executive officers for the organization are as follows: Elias Rojas – Board President, Joseph Lapp II – Vice President, Kevin Kristof – Treasurer, and Miguel De Marzo – Secretary. We are happy to announce that ATE is now a member of the Equality Federation. Come and join in the fun and hard work by volunteering to serve on one of the committees, which meet monthly by conference call. There is room for you! Join Alaskans Together.

Women’s Summit: Anchorage lunch 3/17 and Juneau conference 3/18 – 3/19

It’s time to sign up for the 2010 Women’s Summit on March 17-19. The theme for this year is “Interpersonal Violence in Alaska: Why Alaska Ranks at the Top, and Strategies for Success.” The keynote speaker is Rebecca Levenson, Senior Policy Analyst with the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Come listen, learn and network with other women from around the state. Rebecca will also speak at a luncheon in Anchorage on Wednesday, March 17, 12 pm at the Sheraton Hotel downtown, $35/person. A limited number of scholarships are available for the Juneau conference (for travel, lodging and registration) and are due by March 1. For those arranging your own travel and lodging, applications are due by March 10. The Women’s Summit is organized by the Alliance for Reproductive Justice.

Tantric Wisdom for the Activities of Daily Living

Bird Trungma, Rinpoche, has moved her short essays on Tantric Wisdom to HubPages. She hopes you will keep reading them, and continue to enjoy and benefit from them. Her first essay tells her story of moving to Anchorage, almost leaving, then deciding to stay. Check out Bird’s Tantric Wisdom.

This Week in LGBT Alaska 1/15/10

Friday, 15 January 2010 – 3:11 PM | Comments Off

This week’s LGBT events from the statewide newsletter Alaska GLBT News.

Juneau

SEAGLA Social Fridays (6-8 p.m.) for GLBT people and our friends over 21, at The Imperial Bar.

Juneau Pride Chorus rehearses every Friday, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Resurrection Lutheran Church. Marsha

Fairbanks

Continuing LGBT Discussion 1/17, 11:30 p.m. at the UUFF.

Wednesday Social at 9 p.m. Email Joshua for the current location.

Mat-Su Valley

Mat-Su LGBT Community Center in Palmer is open M-F 5-8 p.m. (except 6-8 on Wed.) The social group meets Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. at Vagabond Blues.

Anchorage

Scott T. Schofield’s “Debutante Balls” 1/14-1/16 at 7:30 p.m. and 1/17 at 4 p.m. at Out North.

Prayer Vigil for Haiti 1/17, 11 a.m. at the GLCCA

Fur Rondy float planning meeting 1/17, 4 p.m. at Mad Myrna’s

Professor Gale Smoke reviews Judy Shepard’s book “The Meaning of Matthew” 1/21, 7 p.m. at Immanuel Presbyterian Church. Anchorage PFLAG.

Renown poet and author Nikki Giovanni 1/21, 7:30 p.m. A free event for Civil Rights Month at UAA.

Alaska Remembers Dan Cook (Cherresse)

Friday, 15 January 2010 – 6:47 AM | Comments Off

Dan Cook, aka Cherreese, was an active member of the Imperial Court of All Alaska for many years before retiring to Oregon. He passed away from cancer at approximately 10 p.m. Alaska time on January 7, 2010. The funeral is tomorrow in Eugene, Oregon, and on February 20 the Anchorage gay community will host a local Celebration of Life.

Mikey LaChoy, Emperor 25, wrote:

“We are going to have a memorial of sorts for Wawa… the “All About Cherreesse – Wawa Party.” We’ll meet for WaWas [Cherreesse’s favorite drink] at the Raven for an hour from 6-7pm, then parade over to Myrna’s (Crowns and Gowns) and put on a fundraiser show as she would have wanted. Dress code: everyone wear white wigs!”

Princess Felicia in Eugene is creating a memory album (leave your remembrances as comments, and I will send them to her.) LaChoy began by sharing his photos and memories:

Alaska Greives for Mama WaWa

To our brothers and sisters in Eugene,

I would like to take a few minutes to share with you some of Dan Cook’s (Empress Cherresse) accomplishments in Alaska and some of our fond memories of him. Please bear in mind that we in Alaska may not be thinking clearly as we are grieving along with all those in so many places who have been touched by Dan during his great life.

As Cherresse said in a bio written for the Imperial Court of All Alaska’s 25th Anniversary, he felt a part of Alaska and its Court from the very beginning. Cherresse was at Alaska’s first Coronation representing Eugene as their first Empress. It was in that first visit that he fell in love with the state.

We are unsure of exactly what year Dan arrived in Alaska but we are sure he began making an impact right away. As manager of the Jade Room Bar, Cherresse started Alaska’s first weekly drag show and soon knew everyone.

Years later, Cherresse was elected Empress 18 of All Alaska and served with distinction through some very rough times in Alaska. He was always a trooper who showed up for any fundraiser to tread the boards in those distinctive boas… everyone knew Cherresse was in the house from all the feathers left wherever he went!

Dan was part of and helped many other organizations in Alaska raising charity funds for many causes. Of these, Dan’s pet organization was the Mount McKinley Non-Ascent Club which was a gay organization dedicated to enjoying Alaska’s great outdoors camping, fishing, hiking, etc. Eventually, when Dan’s roommates Bob and Gene DeLoach began building the “Triangle Ranch” on a lake north of Anchorage, Dan became the defacto Den Mother for the McKinley Club, Men’s Club, and many others.

Over the years Dan welcomed, fed, looked after, cleaned up after, and nurtured hundreds of young Alaskan gay (and straight) young men and women. Many of us have Dan to thank for being that mentor who showed us all how to get along with each other and love each other even when we want to kill each other.

This, I think, is Dan’s greatest legacy: of all the people I’ve talked to and all the time I knew Dan, the worst he was ever heard him speak of others (even when he was treated very badly) was “that little shit”, shake his head, and change the subject… and he would still smile that sweet smile when he said it. I hope we can all remember that about Dan Cherresse Cook and perhaps his legacy will be a happier community of loving, caring friends.

Ever in Peace, Love, and Unity
Emperor 25 of All Alaska
Mikey Wa LaChoy

Prayer Vigil for Haiti at the Gay/Lesbian Community Center

Thursday, 14 January 2010 – 11:48 PM | Comments Off

Relief agencies are working around the clock to help the people of Haiti and are collecting donations to cover the costs of the massive rescue. Rainbow World Fund, an international relief agency based in the GLBTA community, has supported projects in Haiti since 2004 and accepts donations online or by mail.

In Anchorage, Church Life Alaska organized a prayer vigil, and responded to the un-Christian comments of Pat Robertson:

As the people of Haiti and the world struggle to comprehend the magnitude of the earthquake in Haiti, it is important for us to gather together and pray. Church Life Alaska is hosting a prayer vigil on Sunday at 11 a.m. in the Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

You may have heard the rubbish coming from Pat Robertson’s mouth about how he believes this is God’s punishment. We know that this is false, and we will pray for the people with love and understanding in our hearts, not ugly judgment. So please come and join us as we pray for a successful rescue and rebuilding effort.

The vigil will be followed by a community potluck, and donations will be collected for the relief efforts.

Contact Church Life AK for more information.

Prop 8 Trial: homophobia and the fear of transparency (days 2 & 3)

Wednesday, 13 January 2010 – 7:13 PM | 2 Comments

Today, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to forbid the public broadcast of this landmark civil rights trial, while in the courtroom, witnesses detailed the history of anti-gay discrimination in America and showed evidence of homophobia by the Prop 8 sponsors.

Days 2 and 3 of the trial focused on expert witnesses giving testimony and being cross-examined:

* Dr. Nancy Cott spoke on the history of marriage in America, including several changes in the definition of legal marriage.

* Dr. George Chauncey detailed the last 100 years of anti-gay discrimination in America.

* Dr. Letishia Peplak covered the similarities between gay and straight relationships, and why gay marriage will not harm heterosexual marriage.

* Prop 8 television ads, and letters from Prop 8 sponsors, were shown (or blocked) as evidence of the anti-gay motives of the sponsors.

Prop 8 Tracker wrote:

The proponents of Prop. 8 seek to hide and obfuscate. They did not want their own ad played in court. They did not want documents from their own strategists to become public because the documents show clearly that their entire campaign was built on the decades of prejudice and fear that we heard about in detail yesterday from Prof. Chauncey. As Ted Olson keeps saying, their arguments do not hold up in public or in court. They only win when they can manipulate the media and the public, using scare tactics.

And they do not want the public to see the truth on television. They appealed to the Supreme Court, and the majority opinion said that no live broadcast will be allowed because it will cause ‘irreparable harm’ to the homophobes. The American Foundation for Equal Rights released a statement in response to the ruling.

So it’s fine to hate on gays in television ads for months before a public vote to take away our rights, but they’re worried that the people who took away our rights will be harmed if the world sees them testifying on why they hate and fear us.

And they do fear us. At the trial, they keep arguing that they oppose our marriages because they need to ‘protect’ their children. But you don’t need protection against good or neutral things – you only feel the need to protect yourself from things you FEAR, whether or not the danger is real. Homophobia is an irrational fear or hatred of homosexuals, and their need to ‘protect’ themselves from gay people who are not harming them proves that they are afraid of us, irrationally afraid, and thus homophobic.

In one cross-examination, the marriage ban lawyers argued that anti-gay discrimination is gone because we have Barney Frank in Congress, plus the show ‘Will & Grace’ and the movie ‘Brokeback Mountain.’ (How can Brokeback be evidence that discrimination has faded? It shows anti-gay murders with no legal consequences and a gay man so afraid for his life that he never lives with the man he loves.)

The Prop 8 lawyers are pushing the same circular argument we saw in Anchorage against the equal rights ordinance: there is no anti-gay discrimination, so we should be allowed to continue discriminating against gays.

Let’s hope that Judge Walker recognizes the absurdity of the argument and comes to a conclusion based on the testimony and evidence, unlike Mayor Sullivan’s ‘popularity contest’ approach to civil rights.

Good live-blogs and daily reviews of the trial are HERE, HERE and HERE, along with updates on all your favorite queer sites and articles on mainstream news sites around the world.

Prop 8 opening arguments and testimony (Day 1)

Tuesday, 12 January 2010 – 2:01 AM | Comments Off

The first marriage equality case in federal court began Monday morning with opening arguments, testimony from the couples, and a legal twist – the Supreme Court blocked broadcast of the trial until Wed. So instead of video clips, here’s a short review based on the written reports.

Ted Olson gave a strong opening statement, saying that the Supreme Court has repeatedly described the right to marriage as “the most important relation in life” and “of fundamental importance for all individuals.” But Prop 8 took away that right for same sex couples.

Proposition 8 ended the dream of marriage, the most important relation in life, for the plaintiffs and hundreds of thousands of Californians.

Olson set out his argument against Prop 8:

First – Marriage is vitally important in American society.

Second – By denying gay men and lesbians the right to marry, Proposition 8 works a grievous harm on the plaintiffs and other gay men and lesbians throughout California, and adds yet another chapter to the long history of discrimination they have suffered.

Third – Proposition 8 perpetrates this irreparable, immeasurable, discriminatory harm for no good reason.

He explained each of the three points and concluded, “Proposition 8, and the irrational pattern of California’s regulation of marriage which it promulgates, advances no legitimate state interest. All it does is label gay and lesbian persons as different, inferior, unequal, and disfavored… It is unconstitutional.”

The opposition also made their opening statement, arguing that marriage is for procreation and, if gay marriage is legal, it will harm marriage for straight people. Nothing new here.

Each of the four plaintiffs testified: Paul Katami and Jeffrey Zarillo, a gay male couple from southern California, and Kristin Perry and Sandra Steir, a lesbian couple from northern California. They talked about the struggle to come out, their relationships, the Prop 8 campaign, why they want to marry and the second-class status of domestic partnerships. Only Katami was cross-examined.

Live-blogged day 1 testimony from the plaintiffs can be read here: Prop 8 Trial Tracker, Firedoglake, and The San Jose Mercury News. The National Center for Lesbian Rights has a good summary of the testimonies.

Near the end of the day, Professor Nancy Cott began her testimony as an expert witness on the history of marriage in America. She discussed the public and private aspects of marriage, and showed how marriage has already changed more than once. She will return to the stand Tuesday morning when the trial resumes.

Prop. 8 Trial begins in SF today video blocked

Monday, 11 January 2010 – 1:39 AM | 2 Comments

UPDATE: This morning, the US Supreme Court *blocked the public viewing of the trial* in other courthouses and on YouTube until they discuss it on Wed. The whole trial is being taped, but we may never get to see it.

In the meantime, people inside the San Francisco courtroom are keeping us informed with written updates, article links, and live twitter feeds. Some of the best: American Foundation for Equal Rights (the group bringing the case), Prop 8 Trial Tracker by the Courage Campaign, and Firedoglake. Ted Olsen’s opening statement is posted, along with testimony from the couples. Look for daily reviews on all of your favorite queer web sites.

——-

The trial challenging Prop 8 begins today in San Francisco. The case, Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, will decide whether or not California’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution.

Live broadcast of the trial will be shown only in federal courthouses in San Francisco, Pasadena, Portland, Ore., Seattle, and Brooklyn, N.Y. The rest of us can follow the updates from bloggers in those locations and wait until the end of each day for the video clips posted on the court’s YouTube channel (which will become available when the first video is posted.) In addition to the video, the court created a web site for legal updates on this case.

Legal foes Ted Olsen and David Boies have teamed up to represent the people challenging the ban. The lawyers will question two same sex couples – known collectively as Perry – experts, and other witnesses during the 2-3 weeks of the nonjury trial.

Olsen is a Republican who explained his reasons for taking the case in the article The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage: Why same-sex marriage is an American value.

Although the case says it’s versus Schwarzenegger, the governor isn’t defending Prop 8. He said he’s neutral, and the state attorney general opposes the ban. So a religious coalition of Prop 8 sponsors is defending it. The main lawyer for their side is Charles Cooper.

The suit was assigned to Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, a 1989 appointee of President George Bush, Sr. Judge Walker has a reputation as a libertarian and a maverick on the bench, and expects his ruling to be appealed to the US Supreme Court either way. But for now, all eyes are on Walker’s San Francisco courtroom.

Anchorage paper hosts legacy book for Mary Daly, Boston lesbian author

Sunday, 10 January 2010 – 8:12 PM | Comments Off

Mary Daly, radical lesbian feminist author of Gyn/Ecology and Beyond God the Father, passed away on Jan. 3, and the Anchorage Daily News opened a legacy book for the Boston professor who didn’t live in Alaska and probably never visited.

The ADN reprinted her obituary from the Associated Press, and the guest book currently has 105 entries, mostly from New England. Only 2 entries are from Alaska, although a few entries do not give locations.

Daly was a major voice in the women’s movement and a central figure in eco-feminism. Several of her books are among the classics of women’s studies courses. Her first book, The Church and the Second Sex published in 1968, argued that the Church systematically oppressed women for centuries. In later years, she considered herself “post-Christian.”

“Ever since childhood, I have been honing my skills for living the life of a Radical Feminist Pirate and cultivating the Courage to Sin,” she wrote in the opening of “Sin Big,” a 1996 autobiographical article for the New Yorker magazine. “The word ‘sin’ is derived from the Indo-European root ‘es-,’ meaning ‘to be.’ When I discovered this etymology, I intuitively understood that for a woman trapped in patriarchy, which is the religion of the entire planet, ‘to be’ in the fullest sense is ‘to sin.’ ”

Daly made headlines when she retired from Boston College (a Jesuit university where she taught for 30 years) rather than admit men to some of her advanced women’s studies classes, saying that the presence of men made the women less likely to speak. She did let men enroll in her introductory feminism courses and tutored them in the advanced subjects. Her anti-trans opinions were as controversial in the LGBT community as her anti-patriarchy stance was at Boston College.