A long-overdue Bent Alaska update — October 2013

Bent News, 9/28/11: Census data on same-sex married couples

Bent Alaska tweets the news, data from the 2010 U.S. Census on same-sex married couples, a “This Gets Better” video, and more in this edition of Bent News.

Tweeting the news

• Bent Alaska has added (we think) Selective Tweets to our FB profile (as well as page), so we can share news when we’re out & about. #

Bent Alaska has added the Selective Tweets app to our Facebook profile, so we can easily share news with our Facebook friends when we’re out and about — merely by adding a simple #fb hashtag to any tweet we wish.  You can also follow us directly on Twitter @bentalaska.

But what if you’re not on Facebook or Twitter?  We’ve also added a plugin called Twitter Tools to our blog, which will automatically creates a daily post from our tweets.  And suddenly Bent News is reborn: a daily (at least when we tweet) summary of some of the interesting stuff we’ve found around the web.  As we’re able, we’ll also supplement it with other news, photos, videos, etc., to try to make it interesting & informative.  Our Bent News posts will post the day after the tweets were made.

Let us know how we’re doing!  Write to us at bentalaska [at] gmail [dot] com.

Census data on same-sex married couples

• Census Bureau reports 131,729 same-sex married couples, and 646,464 gay couples in the country overall. http://t.co/NdHUdImC #

One of our Facebook friends asked, “Was there a category for LGBTQ persons overall?”  Our answer:  Not yet. Single people couldn’t self-identify as LGBTQ on the 2010 Census, so there’s no data on how many of us live in the U.S. We’ve got to get that added for 2020!

There’s a campaign by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGTLF) to do just that, called Queer the Census (Facebook page). In its blog post about the Census Bureau’s newly released data on same-sex couples, the Task Force writes,

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force played a key role in getting the U.S. Census Bureau to report the number of married same-sex couples in the 2010 census, and continues to work with policymakers to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are included in a broad swath of federal surveys and data collection.

See the U.S. Census Bureau’s official press release on the data.

Other tweets

• Biblical arguments for LGBT equality? Yes. @LambdaLiterary reviews God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality http://t.co/nPGV8TRw #
• Right wing claims TX student’s religious freedom being violated by teacher he harassed b/c he thinks teacher is gay http://t.co/i4lAVL2H #

Shared on our Facebook wall

“All the bullies I’ve known were insensitive jerks.” — so says Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia in this video for the It Gets Better Project. Watch:

LGBT books well-represented during Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read, while simultaneously pointing out the dangers of censorship by spotlighting books challenged and often actually banned from libraries in the U.S. As usual, books challenged for LGBT content or themes are well-represented.

Choosing Alaska: Fairbanks is a good cup of coffee

We recently posted a letter from a grad student and a letter from a gay couple asking for similar advice: What is it like to live and work in Alaska as an openly-LGBT person? KHW describes his experience living in Fairbanks as a gay Asian male who recently graduated from college on the east coast.

Follies of Dollies this Saturday in Fairbanks

We invite you to please join us for a night of racy fun, as only the Haus oF Fusion, AnARoX Productions, and Cabaret Noir-Burlesque can bring together!

as we continue the annual tradition of “FOLLIES OF DOLLIES” … illusion is the fusion element of the night!  This show will benefit The Richard Welch Memorial Scholarship Fund 2012 (student application information at show).

Follies of Dollies is an “age old” tradition in Fairbanks drag/illusion, started by Rochelle DeLite & many queens that carried it through the years with style and class. It’s always meant to be a grand fun night of camp and naughtiness.

Featuring the very best of Fairbank “Club Queens & Kings” —

• Beyonca Fusion* of The Haus oF Fusion
• Shug Delmontague
• Michelle Diamond
• Jasmine MizzBarbie Davenport
• Kelly D.
• plus more being added & updated here!

Also performing are the luscious ladies of Cabaret Noir-Burlesque and the delish vocal stylings of Kelly Wade aka Helly Spade!

Haus oF Fusion continues the tradition hosting this event for the second year and hopes to honor it well, keeping the party going with a bow to the past & a “Sashay” to the future!

This is a glbtiq&a inclusive event/secured h8 free zone.  There will also be an after-party to celebrate DADT repeal!

• Date/time: Saturday, September 24, 9 PM to 1 AM
• Location: Lower LA (the private lounge downstairs from Los Amigos), 636 28th Ave, Fairbanks, AK (see map)
• Cost of admission: $10 @ door. limited $15 VIP seating available, call/text (907)322-5242 to reserve.
• Further info: see Facebook events page

The Daily Show covers the repeal of DADT

“A Few Gay Men”: Jon Stewart and Jason Jones of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show report on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Alaskans celebrate the end of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Alaskan soldiers & Senator Begich reflect on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which ended on Tuesday, and the LGBT community celebrates at two local events.

Judge rules for three gay couples in Alaska property tax case

“Alaska’s gay and lesbian couples who are senior citizens or disabled veterans pay higher property taxes than similar heterosexual couples,” E. Ross wrote last August, “because we are treated like roommates or business partners instead of couples and families.” Now the lawsuit described in that story — Bent Alaska’s first on the lawsuit by three same-sex couples against Alaska’s biased property tax — has resulted in a victory in Anchorage Superior Court, the ACLU of Alaska announced today.

Homes for Our Troops: “Money from the fundraiser was lost” (Andrew Caleb “Drew” Pritt aka Diedra)

Questions emerged over the weekend about missing funds from a fundraiser held last month to raise money for the charity Homes for Our Troops (HFOT). The fundraiser, dubbed “Home for an Alaskan Hero,” was intended to help complete building of a fully accessible home for Army Sergeant Latseen Benson of Chugiak, who lost his legs to an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq in November 2005. Latseen is the son of Alaska politician Diane Benson, an ally of the LGBT community.

Gay in AK: LGBT in Anchorage and the State — a community panel at UAA Constitution Week 2011

As part of UAA Constitution Week 2011, University of Alaska Anchorage will present a community panel Friday, September 23 which will explore the issue of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights as it relates to the Alaska and United States Constitutions. The panel will feature leaders who have advocated for equal rights in front of Alaska’s courts, the Anchorage Assembly, and the University of Alaska Board of Regents.

One Anchorage campaign to begin gathering signatures

About 50 people gathered last night in Waldron Hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Anchorage to learn about One Anchorage, the campaign by Equality Works to add sexual orientation and transgender identity to the Anchorage equal rights code through a ballot initiative. The initiative, if successful, will provide the same legal protections against discrimination already provided in Anchorage on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age, physical disability, and mental disability. The One Anchorage campaign was announced on September 1.