Bent Alaska | Alaska's LGBTQA blog

Gay and Lesbian Couples Say "I DO" in California

Tuesday, 17 June 2008 – 1:23 PM | Comments Off

Del Martin, left, places a ring on her partner Phyllis Lyon, right, during their wedding ceremony officiated by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, center, at City Hall in San Francisco, Monday, June 16, 2008. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, Pool)

On Monday, California became the second state in the U.S. to grant full marriage equality to gay and lesbian couples. After waiting for more than half a century for legal recognition of their relationship, lesbian community leaders Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon became one of the first same-sex couples in California to legally marry.

County clerk offices opened their doors Tuesday morning to hundreds of gay and lesbian couples with appointments to exchange vows on the first full day that same-sex marriages are legal throughout California.

Drag Queen Bingo!

Sunday, 15 June 2008 – 9:07 AM | Comments Off

Join Adam & Steve at Snow City Cafe on Thursday, June 26, 7-9 p.m for their annual fundraiser. Admission is $5 unless you come in drag or bring 5 cans of food for the Four A’s food drive. Drag Queen Bingo is an all ages event, with fabulous prizes and entertainment.

Route Change for Anchorage PrideFest 2008

Saturday, 14 June 2008 – 8:30 AM | Comments Off

The Anchorage PrideFest Parade will go down 9th Avenue this year, due to construction along the usual route and the Statehood Celebration on 4th.

The Parade will begin on E Street & 8th Avenue, move south on E for one block, then travel west along 9th from E to L. The Festival will be in the usual place on Delaney Park Strip between K & L.

Parking may be more difficult. Plan to carpool, walk, take the bus or ride your bike.

This Week in GLBT Alaska

Thursday, 12 June 2008 – 12:13 PM | Comments Off

From Alaska GLBT News (subscribe):

Fairbanks

Irina Rivkin with Inna 6/12, 8 p.m. at College Coffeehouse, $5-10 sliding scale donation suggested.
PFLAG Meeting 6/16, 6 p.m. at Bobby’s.

Homer

Bac’untry Bruthers at Down East Saloon 6/12, 10 p.m.

Anchorage

Juneteenth Festival (6/13- 6/15 from 1 p.m.-10 p.m.) with Irina Rivkin 6/14 at 7 p.m.
Alaska Run For Women, 6/14. Online registration: http://www.akrfw.org/
Ol’ Wild West Dinner and Show, 6/14, 7 p.m. $15.00 Mad Myrna’s.

The Pride Month Exhibit at the U. S. Courthouse and Federal Building at 8th Avenue and A Street in Anchorage is on display for the month of June.

Alaskans Together Returns and Gives Marriage Advice

Thursday, 12 June 2008 – 8:21 AM | Comments Off

Alaskans Together, the group that led the surprisingly successful fight against the April 2007 anti-gay advisory vote on same-sex partner benefits, is pleased to announce that it is re-forming as two new groups.

Alaskans Together for Equality, Inc. is a non-profit that can lobby the Alaska Legislature for equal rights for LGBT Alaskans. Alaskans Together Foundation will be an educational non-profit that can receive grants and educate the Alaskan public on the need for equal treatment and civil rights for LGBT Alaskans.

There is much work to be done in Alaska!

As one of our first projects, we would like to support the new marriage freedoms in California. We ask Alaskan couples who plan to get married in California to please contact us, so we can support you and work with you in our shared goal of advancing LGBT rights in Alaska. There is also media interest in interviewing Alaskan couples traveling to California to get married.

Although Alaska’s LGBT couples deserve full marriage rights, we discourage Alaskan couples who marry in California from suing for marriage rights when they return to Alaska. Given the current constitutional ban on gay marriage in Alaska, a lawsuit demanding marriage rights in Alaska is likely to lose, and this loss could set us back even further.

Please contact us at alaskanstogether@gmail.com if you are planning to get married in California, or if you are interested in learning more about Alaskans Together.

We look forward to your future membership and involvement in our organizations.

[Editor’s Note: LGBT organizations around the country are urging couples who get married in California but reside in states with same-sex marriage bans to enjoy being married and to share news of their wedding with friends, relatives and neighbors – but not to sue their home states. They believe that the goal of national marriage equality will be set back by such law suits.]

Norway Approves Gay Marriage!

Wednesday, 11 June 2008 – 2:00 PM | Comments Off

Today, the Norwegian Parliament passed a bill that makes civil marriage gender neutral, giving same-sex couples the right to marry. The law also recognizes both partners in a marriage as equal parents, and gives lesbian couples the same access to “medically assisted reproduction” as opposite-sex couples. The Church of Norway will be allowed, but not required, to bless the gay and lesbian marriages. Passage of the law makes Norway the sixth country in the world to approve same-sex marriages. Go Norway!

Juneteenth Celebrates Emancipation on the Park Strip

Wednesday, 11 June 2008 – 9:59 AM | One Comment

The annual Juneteenth Festival, celebrating freedom and diversity, will be held on the Delaney Park Strip, June 13-15 from 1p.m. to 10 p.m.

OutMusic Award Recipient Irina Rivkin plays at 7 p.m. on June 14. Irina’s Alaska Tour, and a review of her cd “upwelling,” are posted here.

(This is not a GLBT event, but Irina is ‘family’ and the event is open to all. Perhaps I need a new category, for other diversity events that the GLBT community can support.)

The 19th of June, known as “Juneteenth,” is the date when slavery ended in America.

Although rumors of freedom were widespread, the announcement of emancipation did not come to the last group of slaves until Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to read General Order No. 3, on the 19th of June, 1865.

This was more than two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, officially ending slavery.

The Anchorage Juneteenth Celebration started in 1993 as a 1-day celebration at the Fairview Rec Center. The celebration moved to the Park Strip in 1995 and became a 3-day event. The African American Historical Society of Alaska (AAHSA) organizes Juneteenth.

Juneteenth supporters are hopeful that the “19th of June” will finally be established as a national holiday observance in America. Senator Barack Obama has been a key sponsor of Juneteenth legislation, and a keynote speaker at the annual Juneteenth Congressional Reception.

President George W. Bush has not participated in the annual Washington Juneteenth National Holiday Observance since taking office in 2000.

LGBT Community Interest Survey

Tuesday, 10 June 2008 – 4:12 PM | Comments Off

UPDATE: The survey is now available on Survey Monkey.

What is the biggest problem facing Alaska’s LGBT community?

What legal issues do you support: LGBT parenting rights, marriage and domestic partnership rights, safe schools policies, and/or nondiscrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity?

Tiffany McClain wants to know your top priorities for our community, and your top LGBT priorities for the ACLU of Alaska. The LGBT Community Interest Survey is available through e-mail, and Tiffany will also bring the survey to Anchorage PrideFest.

LGBT people and our allies all over Alaska, please complete this survey. Then ask your friends and neighbors to take the survey.

Write to Tiffany McClain, LGBT Public Policy Coordinator, ACLU of Alaska: tmcclain@akclu.org

Pride Chorus Spring Concert Touches the Soul

Monday, 9 June 2008 – 9:19 AM | Comments Off

The women of the Juneau Pride Chorus performed a great Spring Concert!

“Songs for the Soul,” the 10th annual Juneau Pride Chorus spring concert, presented an evening of music at the new Juneau Arts and Culture Center. The Juneau Pride Chorus is part of Juneau PFLAG, and the Chorus recently donated several hundred dollars to a local PFLAG scholarship for graduating seniors. An earlier article about the concert is here.

The Juneau Pride Chorus is meeting on June 26 to vote on music for next season, and they invite interested women singers to attend. Then the Chorus takes a break for the summer and begins rehearsing again in August. Contact Marsha for the time and location of the June meeting, or check Alaska GLBT News for updates.

Jill, Linda and Paula wrote about the Spring Concert. (Thank you for letting me post your comments!)

Once again, the Juneau Pride Chorus and our fabulous audience created magic in a space that doesn’t seem at all magical! Betsy, our sound engineer, was a genius in using a light touch with amplification. I was astounded by the return of that magnificent powerful final note after we stopped singing….as if the space confirmed the power and beauty we offered. I am always amazed at the relationship we have with our audience….they always spur us on to be better, brighter, more full of life. We are fortunate to have an audience who engages with us. Thanks to all for the wonderful season full of laughter, tears, beauty. It has a been a real privilege to be a part of this phenomenon for 10 years. – Soprano 2, Jill Sandleben

I, too, loved watching the performance. I was so impressed with you all, and especially of the many of you who put yourself out there to do solos, play an instrument, or sing in an ensemble! Everyone had great expressions on their faces and in their body movement. While it was fun to be in the audience and get to be entertained, I will hurry back to join you all when we get going again this fall! – Alto 1, Linda

Those who weren’t there missed a wonderful, wonderful performance. I loved every minute of it and wasn’t at all ashamed of some of my tears since they were in the eyes of many around me. “Power Tools” was the biggest kick and the audience loved the “choreography.” Have a wonderful summer and I’ll see you in the fall. – Soprano 2, Paula Terrel, a Pride Chorus member on spring hiatus.

This Week in GLBT Alaska

Friday, 6 June 2008 – 9:41 AM | Comments Off

From Alaska GLBT News (subscribe)

Events

QueerSpace: Celebrating Thousands of Years of Gay & Lesbian Literature, 6/6-6/7, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. Out North
Pedazos, for Out North’s First Friday art opening 6/6 Out North
KYNT & VYXSIN in Anchorage 6/5 at Club Alano (9 p.m.) and 6/6 at Chilkoot Charlies (10 p.m.) and in Fairbanks 6/7 at the Bat Cave (9 p.m.)

Anchorage PrideFest Wants You!

Get the wheels you love to ride and join Dykes on Bikes & Friends in this year’s Pride Parade. We’re looking for all riders who wish to share the fun of riding together on this most special day. Bring your own style and let’s roar. Deb

If your group or organization wants to host a GLBT-themed EVENT during Pride week, June 20-29, contact info@anchoragepride.com. We’ll list your event on the official Anchorage PrideFest web site and in our printed schedule of events for distribution at venues across Anchorage. New events are always welcome and add variety to this annual celebration of Big Wild Gay Life in Alaska. We’re also seeking PARADE ENTRIES for the Celebrating Diversity Parade on June 28 and VENDORS for the Festival on the Park Strip that afternoon. Download parade & vendor apps at www.anchoragepride.com. Deadline: JUNE 21st.