A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013

Bent News, 10/22/11: Michigan bill would void local nondiscrimination measures

A proposed bill in Michigan would negate local LGBT non-discrimination ordinances in several Michigan cities; October 20th celebration of Spirit Day against bullying; and more in this edition of Bent News.

Based on @bentalaska tweets and Facebook shares from October 21, with supplementation.  We apologize for neglecting the news lately: Bent’s editor is overwhelmed with a whole lotta stuff at the moment, & is working to catch up.

Michigan bill aims to negate local nondiscrimination ordinances

• Michigan bill would negate cities’ LGBT non-discrimination laws, including Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo. http://t.co/ezOGARLr #

A proposed bill in Michigan would negate cities’ LGBT non-discrimination laws, including Lansing, Grand Rapids, & Kalamazoo, whose One Kalamazoo campaign has been an inspiration for the One Anchorage campaign. Anti-LGBT legislators in Tennessee succeeded with a similar ploy in May, negating Nashville’s local antidiscrimination law.

Bent Alaska has been told that provisions in Alaska law would prevent social conservatives in the Alaska Legislature from pulling the same thing on Anchorage should the One Anchorage campaign succeeds. One Anchorage is currently collecting signatures to place a ballot measure on the Anchorage municipal ballot in April 2012. If successful, it would add sexual orientation and transgender identity to Anchorage’s equal rights code.

Spirit Day against bullying

• Bent Alaska & friends weren’t the only ones to go purple against bullying for #SpiritDay – so did lots of celebs. http://t.co/rs0w2lFS #
• … but #SpiritDay ended w/ Senate committee FAIL on addressing bullying in education bill. What did Lisa do? http://t.co/iIMLyO53 #

October 20 was Spirit Day, which asks people to wear the color purple to show support for LGBT young people who are victims of bullying. Purple is the color representing spirit on the Rainbow flag. Spirit Day was first celebrated in 2010, created by Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives, and is now publicized by GLAAD.  Bent Alaska’s Facebook wall turned positively purple with spirit on Thursday, with friends tagging Bent on their purple pictures. Even the White House took part.

Unforunately, the Senate Health, Education, Education & Pensions (HELP) Committee failed to even consider the antibullying Student Non-Discrimination Act or Safe Schools Improvement Act on Thursday as it passed the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) bill by a vote of 15 to 7.  Senator Lisa Murkowski sits on the HELP Committee, and Bent had been urging Alaskans to call her to urge her to support the antibullying measures.

Other news tweets

• LA Times: # of gay/lesbian couples who adopt tripled over last decade despite some states discrimination. http://t.co/oykPClgI #
• The @glsen Respect Awards are tonight! Follow #RespectLA for livetweets or visit http://t.co/og60raET for a list of honorees.#

One Anchorage Boot Camp to be held Nov. 4–6

The One Anchorage Campaign to add LGBT equality to Anchorage’s equal rights code through an April 2012 ballot measure will hold a three-day Boot Camp on November 4–6 for committed One Anchorage volunteers.

The focus of the training will be on how to run a successful campaign, and will be led by the nationally respected L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s Leadership LAB. The training will be held from November 4–6 (Friday evening and during the day Saturday and Sunday), and is intended for anyone totally committed to One Anchorage and the success of this important equal rights campaign. One Anchorage needs you to attend all sessions, and become a super volunteer for the Campaign.  The registration form is available on the Equality Works website.

There is no cost. One Anchorage will provide food and beverages. Please join in and help make One Anchorage a successful campaign!

• Date/time: Friday, November 4, 5:30 to 9:30 PM; Saturday, November 5, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM; Sunday, November 6, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
• Location: 1057 W. Fireweed Lane, Anchorage, AK (see map)
• Register: fill out the registration form and email or fax to Johnathan Jones at jjones@oneanchorage.com or 907.258.0288
• Further info: Equality Works website, One Anchorage website, or One Anchorage’s page on Facebook

Dave Kopay, athlete (LGBT History Month)

Dave Kopay made headlines in 1975 when he became the first NFL player and one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay. His autobiography, now in its fifth printing, was a New York Times best seller. Bent Alaska presents his story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Victoria Kolakowski, judge (LGBT History Month)

Victoria Kolakowski is the first openly transgender person to be elected a trial judge in the United States. Bent Alaska presents her story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Victoria Kolakowski

“I have been very fortunate to have a successful career as a public servant, and I feel an obligation to serve my community as a role model as well.”

Victoria Kolakowski (born August 29, 1961) is the first openly transgender person to be elected a trial judge in the United States.

Born in Queens, New York, Kolakowski graduated from Stuyvesant High School. She was the first person in her family to attend college. Kolakowski earned master’s degrees in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, public administration and divinity. She received a law degree from Louisiana State University.

In 1990, Kolakowski moved to Berkeley, California. She served on the Oakland Budget Advisory Committee and was an administrative law judge for the California Public Utilities Commission.

In 1994, the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic Club named her Woman of the Year. In 1995, she received the Outstanding Woman of Berkeley Award.

In 2010, Kolakowski campaigned for a judgeship on the Superior Court of Alameda County, California. She won by 10,000 votes. Her victory was significant, not only for the transgender community, but also for women, who occupy a small percentage of judgeships. She received Equality California’s Equality and Justice Award.

Kolakowski co-chaired the Transgender Law Center, an organization dedicated to the well-being and protection of transgender individuals. She serves on the California Council of Churches and is a volunteer clergy member at the New Spirit Community Church.

In 2004, Kolakowski married Cynthia Laird, editor for the Bay Area Reporter. The couple lives in Oakland, California.

In 2010, while a candidate for the Alameda County Superior Court judgeship she later won, Victoria Kolakowski appeared on Comcast’s Newsmakers show. Watch:

For more about Victoria Kolakowski, visit her biography at Smart Voter, LGBT History Month page, or Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Victoria Kolakowski. Photo copyright Jane Philomen Cleland; used by license through the Equality Forum (LGBT History Month).

Providence Hospital offers LGBT-inclusive course on cross-cultural communication

Providence Alaska Learning Institute is presenting a course this coming Monday on Courage, Compassion and Cross Cultural Communication, particularly in the medical setting. This course specifically includes the LGBT community.

Need more info? Contact Chaplain Susan M. Halvor, Senior Chaplain at Providence Alaska Medical Center and a member of the LGBT clergy of our community. She can be reached at 212-2993 or by email at susan.halvor@providence.org.

The course is aimed at nurses, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists and therapy assistants, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, radiology technicians, physicians, patient care technicians, certified nurse assistants, spiritual care, psychologists, social services — in short, anyone who works or interacts with people.

Three panel discussions, with opportunities to visit table displays from different community members, will include representation from Hmong, Japanese, Polynesian, Islamic, Russian Orthodox, Hispanic, Alaska Native (Inupiat), Navajo, military, and gay/lesbian communities.

Keynote speakers include:

• Fr. Michael Oleksa, talking about the basics of Cross Cultural Communication
• Barb Jacobs, Alaska Immigration Justice Project, talking about Interpreting Skills
• Karen Ferguson, Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services at Catholic Social Services, presenting “Refugees 101”

The course is approved for continuing education credit in nursing. To obtain full contact hour credit for this activity you must sign the roster; attend 100% of the presentation; complete the Assessment of Learning and the course evaluation form.

• Date/time: Monday, October 24, 2011, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• Location: East Auditorium, Providence Alaska Medical Center, 3200
• Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK (see map)
• Cost of admission: registration $50.00
• Further info: see the Course registration form, or contact Rev. Susan Halvor at 212-2993 or by email at susan.halvor@providence.org

Michael Kirby, Supreme Court Justice (LGBT History Month)

Michael Kirby is a former justice of the High Court of Australia. He is the world’s first openly gay justice of a national supreme court. When he retired, he was Australia’s longest-serving judge. Bent Alaska presents his/her story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Michael Kirby

“If every gay person in Australia stood up and said this is me, get over it, the whole shabby charade would be finished.”

Michael Kirby (born March 18, 1939) is a former justice of the High Court of Australia. He is the world’s first openly gay justice of a national supreme court. When he retired, he was Australia’s longest-serving judge.

Kirby was born in Sydney, Australia. He attended Fort Street High School, which is renowned for the accomplishments of its graduates. He earned three bachelor’s degrees and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Sydney.

Kirby practiced law for 13 years. In 1975, he was named deputy director of the Australian Conciliation & Arbitration Commission. Subsequently, he served as judge of the Federal Court of Australia, chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission and as president of the New South Wales Court. In 1996, he was appointed to the High Court.

A pioneering AIDS activist, Kirby served on the World Health Organization’s Global Commission on AIDS and the United Nations Global Commission on HIV and the Law.

In 1991, Kirby received the Companion of the Order of Australia, the nation’s highest civil
honor, and the Australian Human Rights Medal.

In 2008, fellow judge Michael McHugh told The Australian about how he first learned about Kirby’s longterm partner, Johan van Vloten, in late 1997:

There were Court of Appeal Christmas parties held at his place and there was never any sign of Johan. I was at a wedding and (the late solicitor) John Marsden was there and came up and started talking about Michael and he said, ‘He’s had this partner for 30 years’. Frankly, I didn’t believe it.

When McHugh next talked with Kirby, Kirby told him he had been reading a book about coming out, and in succeeding months came out to his fellow judges before coming out publicly in 1999 by naming his Johan van Vloten as his partner in his listing in Who’s Who in Australia. The couple had been together since 1969.

Kirby came under attack in March 2002 by Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan, who used parliamentary privilege to make a speech in which he accused Kirby of making improper use of Commonwealth cars “trawling” for underage male prostitutes. However, the document Heffernan produced in support of his claims— a driver’s log book turned in to New South Wales police by a Commonwealth driver two years previously, on Heffernan’s advice — proved to have been fabricated. The disgraced Heffernan was censured by the Senate for abusing parliamentary privilege, and later offered an unqualified apology to Justice Kirby, who accepted the apology in a written statement:

I accept Senator Heffernan’s apology and reach out my hand in a spirit of reconciliation.

I hope my ordeal will show the wrongs that hate of homosexuals can lead to.

In 2010, Kirby received the Gruber Justice Prize for his work on sexual orientation discrimination and international human rights law, including laws relating to privacy and HIV/AIDS. In 2011, his biography, Michael Kirby: Paradoxes and Principles by A.J. Brown, was published.

Kirby lives with his partner in Sydney, where he advocates for LGBT equality and for people with HIV and AIDS.

In 2011, one of the 10 questions asked Kirby by The Australian‘s Greg Callaghan was about his decision to come out publicly in 1999:

You came out as gay in 1999, by naming Johan van Vloten as your partner in your Who’s Who entry. Is it true you “sounded out” other members of the High Court first?

It is not true. Such a personal matter had to be decided by Johan and me alone. The idea of having a personal discussion with judicial colleagues on such a matter was unthinkable. In any case, I would’ve had a pretty fair idea about what the different justices would have thought. Some, a minority, were always a bit uncomfortable with my sexuality. I believe that my openness was a good thing for us, for my family, for the court and for the Australian community.

On May 22, 2010, Judge Kirby participated in TEDxSydney at CarriageWorks in Sydney, which featured a selection of Australia’s leading visionaries and storytellers sharing “Ideas Worth Spreading” in the tradition of TED Talks. Judge Kirby asks religious leaders & God botherers to change their messages.” Watch:

For more about Michael Kirby, visit his website, LGBT History Month page, or Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Michael Kirby, 22 May 2010 at TEDxSydney in Sydney Australia. Photo by TEDxSydney / Enzo Amato; used in accordance with Creative Commons License.

David Kato, activist (LGBT History Month)

David Kato was the founder of Uganda’s LGBT civil rights movement.  He was an outspoken advocate for equality in a country with some of the harshest anti-gay laws. His murder in January 2011 brought global attention to the plight of LGBT people in Uganda and Africa. Bent Alaska presents his story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

David Kato

“What they’re doing now is to make it more harsh on people, anyone promoting homosexuality is being criminalized.”

David Kato (born February 13, 1964, died January 26, 2011) was the founder of Uganda’s LGBT civil rights movement.  He was an outspoken advocate for equality in a country with some of the harshest anti-gay laws. His murder this past January brought global attention to the plight of LGBT people in Uganda and Africa.

Kato and his twin brother were raised in a conservative family in a small Ugandan village.  He recalled being brainwashed to believe “it was wrong to be in love with a man.” He attended some of Uganda’s best schools before moving to South Africa in the mid-1990’s to pursue a teaching career.  Inspired by South Africa’s LGBT civil rights movement, Kato became an activist.

In 1998, intent on dismantling the homophobia, Kato returned to Uganda, where homosexuality is a crime punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment. Uganda’s minister of ethics and integrity stated, “Homosexuals can forget about human rights.”

Despite the risks, Kato held a televised news conference pressing for LGBT civil rights.  As a result, he suffered several arrests and beatings.

Undeterred but cautious, Kato continued to lead the movement while supporting himself as a teacher. In 2004, he cofounded Sexual Minorities Uganda Group (SMUG), Uganda’s first LGBT civil rights organization.

In 2009, the Ugandan legislature proposed a bill designating the death penalty for homosexuality. The following year, a Ugandan national newspaper published the names and photographs of gay rights activists, including Kato. It explicitly called for homosexuals to be executed by hanging.

Four months later, Kato was bludgeoned to death in his home. Local authorities claim his death had nothing to do with his sexual orientation. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both called for an in-depth and impartial investigation into his murder.

In response to Kato’s death, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “This crime is a reminder of the heroic generosity of the people who advocate for and defend human rights on behalf of the rest of us—and the sacrifices they make.”  In commemoration of his life, an annual award, the David Kato Vision & Voice Award will be awarded annually on Human Rights Day, December 10, to

an individual who demonstrates courage and outstanding leadership in advocating for the sexual rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, particularly in environments where these individuals face continued rejection, marginalization, isolation and persecution.

In a February 2011 broadcast, Rachel Maddow linked Kato’s murder to the climate of hatred in Uganda promoted in part by American anti-LGBT religious right activists Scott Lively of Abiding Truth Ministries (classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center) and a staffer for “conversion therapy” advocate Richard Cohen, who went to Uganda as supposed “experts” to spread the message that homosexuals were out to recruit children and spread disease. Watch:

For more about David Kato, visit his website, his obituary at BBC, his LGBT History Month page, or the Wikipedia article about him.

Photo credit: David Kato. Associated Press; used by license through the Equality Forum (LGBT History Month).

The circle turns

by Lauren Tibbits. Alaska Pride Conference was about drawing the younger and older generations together to better serve the LGBT community in Alaska — a wonderful experience, but coupled with grief for the passing of a beloved mentor, Alison McKenna of Juneau, who died unexpectedly on Saturday. The important thing, I’ve discovered, is to be part of the living legacy Alison has left behind.

Alaska Pride Conference 2011: Welcome by Doug Frank

Doug Frank was a cofounder of the Alaska Pride Conference, first held in 1994, and is well-known for his decades of service to Alaska’s LGBTQA community. Doug provided Bent Alaska with a copy of the remarks with which he welcomed us to Alaska Pride Conference 2011, held this past Saturday at Alaska Pacific University. Thank you, Doug!

Frida Kahlo, artist (LGBT History Month)

Frida Kahlo is a renowned Mexican painter, noted for her vibrant colors as well as nationalist and feminist themes. Her paintings have commanded higher prices than any other female artist. Bent Alaska presents her story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Frida Kahlo

“Painting completed my life.”

Frida Kahlo de Rivera (born July 6, 1907, died July 13, 1954) is a renowned Mexican painter, noted for her vibrant colors as well as nationalist and feminist themes. Her paintings have commanded higher prices than any other female artist.

Born in Mexico and named Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón was the third of Matilda and Guillermo’s four daughters. When she was 15, she was sent to the most prestigious national preparatory school.

At age 18, she was in a trolley accident that left her with permanent pain and health problems. This accident crippled her, led to over 30 surgeries, and rendered her unable to bear children. Kahlo’s pain is reflected in her works.

In 1929, she married the famous painter and communist Diego Rivera. Twenty years her senior and a noted muralist, Rivera’s relationship with Kahlo was a mixture of passion and strife. While they had much in common, Rivera was frequently unfaithful. Kahlo had a series of affairs with men and women. They divorced in early 1940, but remarried later that year.

Her genius as an artist went unrecognized until she was offered a show in New York. It was wildly successful and led to shows in Paris and other international cities.

Her work is celebrated for its Mexican folk art traditions, use of vivid colors, and its subject matter, including self-portraits. Her work has been associated with surrealism, though Kahlo herself renounced the genre saying, “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.”

In 1944, her health began to rapidly deteriorate. In 1950, she was hospitalized for a year. When Kahlo finally received her first solo show in Mexico, she had to be carried to the opening in bed.

After her death, her work continued to grow in popularity. Kahlo’s paintings have been displayed in prestigious international shows, including a solo exhibit that celebrated the 100th anniversary of her birth. In 2001, her face graced a U.S. postage stamp. In 2002, her life was made into the Academy Award-winning movie “Frida”, based upon Hayden Herrera influential biography of her, Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo.

YouTube user brendaofohio has compiled a slideshow of Frida Kahlo’s works set to the song “La Llorona.” Watch:

For more about Frida Kahlo, visit her website, LGBT History Month page, or Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Frida Kahlo, Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, Nikolas Muray Collection, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin. It is believed this image is used in accordance with Fair Use under U.S. copyright law.