A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013

Alaska Pride Conference 2011: A photo essay

Mel Green spent most of yesterday at Alaska Pride Conference 2011, held on the Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. The Alaska Pride Conference is an annual day-long event held in Anchorage filled with workshops, speakers, vendors, and great food.

Langston Hughes, poet and writer (LGBT History Month)

A celebrated poet and writer, Langston Hughes is one of the most significant voices to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance. A major contributor to American literature, his legacy includes 25 published works. Bent Alaska presents his story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Langston Hughes

“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or does it fester like a sore—and then run?”

A celebrated poet and writer, Langston Hughes (born February 1, 1902
died May 22, 1967) is one of the most significant voices to emerge from the Harlem Renaissance. A major contributor to American literature, his legacy includes 25 published works.

Hughes was born in Joplin, Missouri. After his parents divorced, he moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where his grandmother raised him until her death. By the time he was 14, he had lived in nine cities with various families.

Hughes showed impressive literary aptitude. In eighth grade, he began writing poetry, short stories and plays and was elected “class poet.” His breakthrough poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” was published shortly after he graduated from high school.

In 1921, at the urging of his father, Hughes enrolled at Colombia University to study engineering. He left after two semesters due to racial discrimination. Over the next few years, Hughes worked odd jobs while pursuing a writing career. He traveled to Africa and Europe on the crew of a shipping vessel before moving to Washington, D.C. While employed as a busboy, Hughes met poet Vachel Lindsay, who helped promote his work.

In 1926, Hughes’s first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, was published. Well received by literary critics, it earned him a reputation as the country’s leading black poet. A year later, his second book of poetry, Fine Clothes to the Jews, was published. Heavily influenced by blues and jazz, his work portrayed life in black America and addressed racism and oppression. He continued to write and publish poetry throughout his life.

In 1929, Hughes graduated from Lincoln University, a historically black university in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where Thurgood Marshall, later a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was a classmate. He later traveled to Haiti and to the Soviet Union, where he studied communist theory, but lived in Harlem as his primary home for the rest of his life.

His first novel, Not Without Laughter, about a black boy in 1920s rural Kansas, was published in 1930, and his first collection of short stories The Ways of White Folks, was published in 1934. He continued to write stories throughout his life, many of them featuring the character Jesse B. Semple, often referred to as “Simple,” a representation of the the every day black man in Harlem. He also wrote several works of nonfiction, plays and screenplays, and works for children.

In 1934, Hughes became head of the League for Negro Rights, the main African-American branch of the Communist Party. A victim of McCarthyism, he was subpoenaed to appear before the Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations in 1953.

Like most artists of his time, Hughes was not open about his sexuality. Literary scholars point to his poems “Joy,” “Desire”, “Cafe: 3 A.M.” (about police harassing “fairies”), “Waterfront Streets”, “Young Sailor”, “Trumpet Player”, “Tell Me”, “F.S.”, and some of the poems in Montage of a Dream Deferred as having gay themes; his short story “Blessed Assurance” deals with a father’s anger over his son’s effeminacy and “queerness.”

Hughes died at age 65 from prostate cancer. His ashes are memorialized in Harlem at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Langston Hughes’ poem “Weary Blues” was one of 21 poems featured in short films in the Moving Poetry Series “Rant Rave Riff” by Four Seasons Productions. “Weary Blues” is spoken in the film by author and Harvard Professor Dr. Allen Dwight Callahan. Watch:

For more about Langston Hughes, visit his pages at poets.org or the Poetry Foundation (both of which have articles and poems), his LGBT History Month page, or his Wikipedia article.

Image credit: Langston Hughes by Winold Reiss. Pastel on illustration board, 1925, 76.3 x 54.9 cm (301/6 x 215/8 in.). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of W. Tjark Reiss, in memory of his father, Winold Reiss.

Daniel Hernandez Jr., national hero (LGBT History Month)

University of Arizona student and congressional intern Daniel Hernandez Jr. garnered national recognition when he saved the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at the mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011. President Obama acknowledged him for his heroism. Bent Alaska presents his/her story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Daniel Hernandez Jr.

“I don’t think I’m a hero—the heroes are people who spend their entire lives trying to help others.”

University of Arizona student and congressional intern Daniel Hernandez Jr. (born January 25, 1990) garnered national recognition when he saved the life of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at the mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011. President Obama acknowledged him for his heroism.

Raised in Tucson, Arizona, Hernandez has two younger sisters. His mother is a Mexican immigrant and his father is a first-generation Hispanic American. Hernandez became politically energized in response to Arizona’s immigration policies and worked on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Thereafter, he began his studies in political science at the University of Arizona. While attending college, Hernandez served as a campaign manager for State Representative Steve Farley, the minority leader in the Arizona State House.

Hernandez is an openly gay member of Tuscon’s City Commission on GLBT Issues. He worked with the Arizona Students’ Association to lobby the state legislature for students to be excused on Election Day to vote.

Hernandez met Congresswoman Giffords while working on her 2008 election campaign. He began as her congressional intern shortly before Giffords and 18 other people were shot — 6 of them fatally — on January 8, 2011.

Hernandez is credited with saving the congresswoman’s life. He stepped into harm’s way and used his emergency medical training to keep Giffords alive until the paramedics arrived. In his words, “It was probably not the best idea to run toward the gunshots, but people needed help.” His actions resulted in President Obama and others calling him a national hero. He rejects the honor in the belief that any good person would have done exactly the same.

On January 12, 2011, Hernandez spoke to a crowd of more than 27,000 people and 500 media outlets at “Tucson: Together We Thrive,” the memorial event for the shooting victims, receiving at least three standing ovations during his speech:

One thing that we have learned from this great tragedy is, we have come together.  On Saturday, we all became Tucsonans. On Saturday, we all became Arizonans. And above all, we all became Americans….

…I must humbly reject the use of the word ‘hero,’ because I am not one…. The real heroes are the people who have dedicated their lives to public service…. They are the people who we should be honoring.

At the event, President Obama acknowledged Hernandez and invited him as the guest of the president and first lady to the 2011 State of the Union.

Hernandez sexual orientation and ethnicity quickly became points of interest in his story — as highlighted in the title and subtitle of a Salon piece about him, “The Giffords shooting’s gay, Hispanic hero: Daniel Hernandez helped save the congresswoman’s life — and yes, his sexuality and ethnicity matter.” A Los Angeles Times opinion article pointed out the the differences in treatment experience by Hernandez and an earlier gay hero, Oliver Sipple, whose thwarting of an assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford in 1975 was eclipsed by controversy about his sexual orientation after he was outed (reportedly with the encouragement of Harvey Milk) by a San Francisco newspaper. Huffington Post reported that “Arizona’s controversial anti-immigration law, SB 1070, those with Hispanic names — like the Mexican-American Hernandez, who is a naturalized citizen — could be asked for papers if a police officer reasonably suspects the person is in the country illegally, a determination the law largely leaves to the officer’s discretion.”

Equality Forum presented Hernandez with the 2011 National Hero Award. He resides in Tucson and plans to devote his career to public service.

Here, via PBS Newshour, is Hernandez addressing the January 12 memorial service in Tucson in honor of the victims of the January 8 mass shooting. Watch:

For more about Daniel Hernandez Jr., visit his website, LGBT History Month page, or the Time magazine articles about him.

Photo credit: Daniel Hernandez Jr. Photo by Equality Forum.

Neil Patrick Harris, actor (LGBT History Month)

Neil Patrick Harris is an award-winning television, film and stage actor. Starting at age 16, he has forged an enduring career as a performer in Hollywood and on Broadway. Bent Alaska presents his story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Neil Patrick Harris

“I am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest.”

Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an award-winning television, film and stage actor. Starting at age 16, he has forged an enduring career as a performer in Hollywood and on Broadway.

Harris grew up in Ruidoso, New Mexico, the son of two lawyers who ran a restaurant. He took up acting in the fourth grade, playing the role of Toto in “The Wizard of Oz.” When Harris was 15, the family moved to Albuquerque. That same year, he made his feature film debut in “Clara’s Heart,” for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

When he was 16, Harris landed the leading role in the television series “Doogie Howser, M.D.” in which he portrayed a genius kid who completed high school in 9 weeks, graduated from Princeton at 10, completed medical school in four years, and was a license medical doctor at 16. The series ran for four years and earned him a second Golden Globe nomination as well as a People’s Choice Award.

In 1997, Harris accepted the role of Mark in the Los Angeles production of “Rent” and received a Drama League Award for his performance. He made his Broadway debut in 2002 opposite Anne Heche in “Proof.” Thereafter, he appeared as the Emcee in “Cabaret” and as Lee Harvey Oswald in Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Assassins.”

Harris’s films include “Undercover Brother,” “The Next Best Thing,” and “Starship Troopers.” He played a fictionalized version of himself in “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” and “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.” In 2005, he joined the television series “How I Met Your Mother” as womanizer Barney Stinson. He received four consecutive Emmy Award nominations for this role.

Harris came out publicly in 2006, telling People magazine,

The public eye has always been kind to me, and until recently I have been able to live a pretty normal life. Now it seems there is speculation and interest in my private life and relationships.

So, rather than ignore those who choose to publish their opinions without actually talking to me, I am happy to dispel any rumors or misconceptions and am quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest and feel most fortunate to be working with wonderful people in the business I love.

Harris has guest starred on dozens of television series, and received an Emmy Award in 2010 for his performance on “Glee.”  In 2008 he played the title role on Joss Whedon’s web series “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” for which he won a Streamy Award (recognizing excellence in web television) for Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series. He has hosted the Academy Awards, the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Tony Awards.

In 2010, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential People by Time magazine. Later that year, Harris and his long-term partner, David Burtka, had twins, Gideon Scott and Harper Grace. Harris and his family live in Los Angeles.

Here’s Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible in Act 1 of “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” (also featuring Felicia Day as Penny and Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer). Watch:

For more about Neil Patrick Harris, follow him on Twitter or visit his LGBT History Month page or Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Neil Patrick Harris at a ceremony for Harris to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 15 Sep 2011. Photo by Angela George; used in accordance with a Creative Commons license.

Off the Page: Momentum Dance Collective at Out North this weekend & next

Momentum Dance Collective is a nonprofit contemporary dance company in Anchorage. Working with local Alaskan poets, Momentum choreographers will bring their ideas to the stage to take on a life in a three dimensional reality. This production will showcase the work of six choreographers, 13 poets and 18 dancers.

Through 13 short pieces, these poems will be expressed in a variety of ways; a theme for the movement, a mood for the soundtrack, or a visual image that defines the direction of the piece itself. A variety of poetry and dance forms will take the stage that touch on themes of recovery, circumstance, relationships, humanity, and love.

• Date/time: October 13-15 and October 20-22 at 8 PM
• Location: Out North Contemporary Art House, 3800 DeBarr Road, Anchorage, AK (see map)
• Cost of admission: $20 general $15 students/60+/military in advance via www.centertix.net. Or $25/$20 at the door.
• Further info: see Facebook events page or Momentum Dance’s website or Facebook page

Momentum Dance Collective created this reel of some of their moves — watch:

Michael Guest, diplomat (LGBT History Month)

Michael Guest is the first openly gay Senate-confirmed U.S. ambassador. He was nominated by George W. Bush. After serving for 26 years, Guest resigned from the State Department due to its discriminatory policies toward same-sex couples. Bent Alaska presents his story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Michael Guest

“Leaders are judged not only by the challenges they tackle, but by those they fail to address.”

Michael Guest (born October 26, 1957) is the first openly gay Senate-confirmed U.S. ambassador. He was nominated by George W. Bush. After serving for 26 years, Guest resigned from the State Department due to its discriminatory policies toward same-sex couples.

Born in South Carolina, Guest received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Furman University, and a master’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. In 1982, Guest joined the State Department as a Foreign Service officer. During his early career, he was part of a delegation that facilitated the reunification of Germany.

In 2001, Secretary of State Colin Powell swore in Guest as ambassador to Romania. At the ceremony, Powell recognized Guest’s life partner, Alex Nevarez. Advocates expressed hope that this would herald a more inclusive State Department attitude towards LGBT employees and their partners.

Guest’s work in Romania was characterized by condemning corruption, advocating for the rule of law and aiding preparations for Romania’s entry into NATO. When Guest’s ambassadorship ended, Romanian President Ion Iliescu presented him with the Order for Faithful Service in the Rank of Grand Cross.

Guest ended his 26-year career with the State Department in December 2007 after having sought, without success, to end the State Department’s discriminatory treatment of the partners of gay and lesbian Foreign Service Officers in foreign postings.  In his  farewell speech at his retirement ceremony, he publicly criticized Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

For the past three years, I’ve urged the Secretary and her senior management team to redress policies that discriminate against gay and lesbian employees. Absolutely nothing has resulted from this. And so I’ve felt compelled to choose between obligations to my partner, who is my family, and service to my country. That anyone should have to make that choice is a stain on the Secretary’s leadership, and a shame for this institution and our country.

Since I’m leaving over this matter, I ask that you indulge me for a moment. It’s irrational that my partner can’t be trained in how to recognize a terrorist threat, or an intelligence trap. How is that in our overseas communities’ interests, or in those of the Department? It’s unfair that, because we’re not married and indeed cannot marry, I have to pay his transportation to my assignments. It makes no sense that partners cannot sit in otherwise vacant seats to learn the informal community roles expected of them as Ambassadors’ or DCMs’ partners. Why serve in dangerous or unhealthful places, if partners’ evacuations and medevacs are at issue? And shouldn’t gay and lesbian partners have separate maintenance allowances, when employees answer the call to duty in Iraq and elsewhere? Does their service and sacrifice somehow matter less?

I’ve spoken with many, but not all, of you about this over time. To those who are hearing this for the first time, I want to make clear that this is not about gay rights. Rather, it’s about the safety and effectiveness of our communities abroad, of the people who represent America. It’s about equal treatment of all employees, all of whom have the same service requirements, the same contractual requirements. It’s as much a part of transforming diplomacy as any issue the Secretary has chosen to address. And fundamentally, it’s about principles on which our country was founded, principles that you and I are called upon to represent abroad — principles that in fact are symbolized by this flag, which ironically has been offered to my partner.

Upon Barack Obama election as President of the United States, Guest served on the State Department’s transition team. He advised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on discriminatory State Department policies, helping influence Secretary Clinton to change policies to provide equal benefits for same-sex couples. In May 2009, he, along with 23 other LGBT rights advocates, coauthored the Dallas Principles, a set of eight guiding principles for the achievement of full LGBT equality.

Guest received the Leadership Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Christian Herter Award for Constructive Dissent from the American Foreign Service Association. He also received the State Department’s Charles E. Cobb Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development, the Meritorious Honor Award, and five Superior Honor Awards.

Guest is the senior advisor and cofounder of the Council for Global Equality, which works to advance an American foreign policy inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity. He was married in 2011 by U.S. District Court Judge Joe Gale, who is the first openly gay Senate-confirmed federal judge. Guest and his husband reside in Washington, D.C.

Guest continues to be engaged in international diplomacy.  He headed the U.S. delegation to the Warsaw portion of the OSCE Review Conference in September and October 2010. OSCE — the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe — is the world’s largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization; the conference reviewed the progress made by member states in implementing commitments relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, democracy, and tolerance and non-discrimination. As the Review Conference wound down, Ambassador Guest was interviewed about the role of the OSCE, the value of such conferences, and the importance of NGO access.  Watch:

For more about Michael Guest, visit the senior staff page at the Council for Global Equality, his LGBT History Month page, or his Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Ambassador Michael Guest of the United States speaking during a session on elections at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Review Conference in Warsaw, Poland, 1 October 2010. Photo by OSCE/Curtis Budden; used in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution – No Derivative Works license.

A new editor for Bent Alaska

E. Ross started Bent Alaska on March 13, 2008. She looks back over all the changes that Bent Alaska has gone through since, as she hands responsibility over to a new editor.

Lady Gaga, singer (LGBT History Month)

Lady Gaga is a world-famous performance artist and singer. She is best known for her chart-topping singles and outrageous costumes. She has had three consecutive best-selling albums and one of the highest-grossing tours. Bent Alaska presents her story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Lady Gaga

“I’m just trying to change the world, one sequin at a time.”

Lady Gaga (born March 28, 1986) is a world-famous performance artist and singer. She is best known for her chart-topping singles and outrageous costumes. She has had three consecutive best-selling albums and one of the highest-grossing tours.

Born Stefani Germanotta, she is the first of two daughters born to working class parents in Yonkers, New York. She describes her younger self as an “artsy, musical-theatre, nerdy girl who got good grades, who learned the tricks of self-reinvention, and [had] a look that veered between a bit too sexy and a bit strange.” Raised Roman Catholic, she graduated from Convent of the Sacred Heart School before attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She left the school after two years to work on her musical career. In 2005, she was signed by Def Jam Recording and worked as a songwriter for Britney Spears and The Pussycat Dolls.

Lady Gaga’s persona is derived from her unique, androgynous, vintage-themed fashion sense and constructing her own costumes. In 2008, Gaga produced her first album, The Fame. The album has two international hits, “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.” The Fame Ball Tour premiered Lady Gaga’s innovative use of performance art and glam rock to form a multimedia party.

Her second album, The Fame Monster, received critical acclaim. The hit song “Bad Romance” earned Lady Gaga two Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video. Her third album, Born This Way, topped the charts within days of its release. She has sold 15 million albums and 51 million singles.

Lady Gaga has won five Grammy Awards and holds two Guinness World Records. She was named 2010 Artist of the Year and the top-selling artist of 2010 by Billboard. In 2010, Time magazine named her Most Influential Artist, and in 2011, Forbes listed her among its World’s Most Powerful.

Openly bisexual, Lady Gaga is an outspoken LGBT equality advocate. She spoke at the 2009 National Equality March in Washington, D.C., calling it “the single most important event” of her career. She was a leading activist for the repeal of  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Through her music, concerts and demonstrations, she continues to fight for LGBT rights.

Here’s Lady Gaga’s speech at the National Equality March on October 11, 2009.  Watch:

For more about Lady Gaga, visit her website, LGBT History Month page, or Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Lady Gaga speaking at the National Equality March, 11 Oct 2009. Photo by Ryan J. Reilly (ryanjreilly on Flickr), cropped by DynaBlast; used in accordance with Creative Commons license.

Denise L. Eger, rabbi (LGBT History Month)

One of the first openly gay rabbis, Denise Eger served as rabbi for the world’s first gay and lesbian synagogue. She is the first female and the first openly gay president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. Bent Alaska presents her story as part of our celebration of LGBT History Month 2011, with thanks to the Equality Forum.

Denise L. Eger

“I believe God made me just as I am. That is all I need to know, that I am exactly who God created me to be!”

One of the first openly gay rabbis, Denise Eger (born March 14, 1960) served as rabbi for the world’s first gay and lesbian synagogue. She is the first female and the first openly gay president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

Eger was raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Active in her synagogue, she taught religious school from the time she was 12. She studied opera as a teen, intending to be a voice major in college.

Eger received a bachelor’s degree in religion from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree from Hebrew Union College (HUC) – Jewish Institute of Religion. In 1988, she was ordained a Reform rabbi.

Following ordination, she served as the first full-time rabbi at Congregation Beth Chayim Chadashim, the first gay and lesbian synagogue. In 1991, Rabbi Eger cofounded West Hollywood’s LGBT-welcoming Congregation Kol Ami, which means “all my people.”

Rabbi Eger was the founding president of the Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Interfaith Clergy Association. She worked with the Central Conference of American Rabbis to pass the resolution that allowed Reform rabbis to officiate at same-sex commitment ceremonies.

A noted speaker on Judaism, spirituality and LGBT and family issues, Rabbi Eger is a frequent commentator on radio and television. She has written extensively for periodicals, including the Los Angeles Times, The Advocate, Huffington Post and The Jewish Journal. She has also contributed to a number of books, among them Twice Blessed: On being Lesbian, gay, and Jewish, Positively Gay: New Approaches to Gay and Lesbian Life, and Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation.

In 2008, Rabbi Eger officiated at the first legal wedding of a lesbian couple in California. The National Women’s Political Caucus named her one of its 12 Remarkable Women in 2010. The Human Rights Campaign presented her with the Community Equality Award in 2011.

Rabbi Eger lives with her son in Los Angeles.

In 2010, Rabbi Eger recorded a video for the It Gets Better Project. Watch:

For more about Denise Eger, visit her page at the Congregation Kol Ami website, LGBT History Month page, or Wikipedia article.

Photo credit: Rabbi Denise Eger at Meet in the Middle for Equality, Fresno, California, 30 May 2009. Photo by Paul Schreiber; used in accordance with Creative Commons license.

Occupy Wall Street movement spreads to Anchorage and Fairbanks

Bent Alaska’s news tweets over the past few days included a few about the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has now spread to cities nationwide — including Anchorage and Fairbanks. “Occupy” demonstrations were held in Anchorage last Wednesday, and in both Anchorage and Fairbanks on Saturday.