Bent Alaska | Alaska's LGBTQA blog

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.

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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.

Sara’s News Roundup 1/10/10

Sunday, 10 January 2010 – 2:35 PM | Comments Off

This week’s LGBT news roundup from Sara Boesser in Juneau, Alaska.

1) A Gay-Marriage Lawsuit Dares to Make Its Case

California, Time, January 5, 2009

2) Houston mayor calls swearing-in a gay milestone

Houston, Associated Press, January 4, 2010

3) “Cut Homophobia” film campaign

Jerusalem, Israel, Jerusalem Post, December 13, 2009

4) Portuguese govt aims to permit gay marriage

Lisbon, Portugal, Associated Press, December 17, 2009

5) Poll: Americans Split on Same-Sex Marriage

United States, Angus Reid Global Monitor, December 18, 2009

6) Hill Republicans join fight against D.C. gay marriage

Washington D.C., Washington Post, January 7, 2010

7) Mary Daly, a Leader in Feminist Theology, Dies at 81

Gardner, Mass., New York Times, January 6, 2010

8) Task Force: Federal jobs Web site change to include gender identity is step in right direction

Washington, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, January 06, 2010

9) RI lawmakers back funeral rights for gays

Providence, Rhode Island, 365Gay.com, January 6, 2009

10) Opponents hope to challenge N. H.’s gay marriage law

Concord, N.H., New Haven Register, January 5, 2010

11) New Jersey Senate Defeats Gay Marriage Bill

Trenton, N.J., New York Times, January 7, 2010

12) Corvino: Fighting gay dehumanization

365Gay.com, January 8, 2009

13) Lesbian Utah legislator carrying baby for gay couple

Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Tribune, January 8, 2010

14) High-stakes gay marriage trial to begin in Calif.

San Francisco, 365Gay.com, January 8, 2010

Two Great LGBT Scholarships

Sunday, 10 January 2010 – 6:53 AM | Comments Off

Alaska’s LGBT students have two more scholarship opportunities to help with the high costs of continuing their education: the Pride Foundation assists queer and ally students in the Northwest attending a wide variety of programs. The Point Foundation is a national LGBT fund for university students. Both applications are completed online, and the deadlines are approaching.

Pride education scholarships: deadline 1/31

Each year, Pride Foundation provides educational scholarships to current and future lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight-ally leaders and role models from Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington. Pride Foundation offers 50 different scholarship funds, with only one application to complete. Scholarships cover accredited post-secondary school, including community colleges, 4-year public or private colleges and universities, trade or vocational training, creative studies programs, certificate programs, medical or law schools, or other accredited degree programs. The application is completed online and the deadline is January 31, 2010.

Point university scholarships: deadline 2/12

Point scholarships are provided to LGBT students to help them meet the costs of higher education at an accredited four-year university. In addition to financial support, students gain a network of fellow students and leaders to assist them in their career path. Point Foundation: The National LGBT Scholarship Fund provides financial support, mentoring, leadership training and hope to meritorious students who are marginalized due to sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The deadline for online applications is February 12, 2010.

“Debutante Balls”: A transgender one-man-show at Out North

Saturday, 9 January 2010 – 6:27 AM | Comments Off

Scott T. Schofield, an award-winning trans performer, returns to Anchorage this week with Debutante Balls, about his years as a debutante in the deep south.

Out North describes Debutante Balls as a “theatrical stand-up comedy dance through the fascinating culture of the Southern Debutante Ball. Schofield’s wicked sense of self-aware humor and poetic sensibility guide us gently (or is that genteel-ly?) through the many ways he “came out” into Southern Society: as a lesbian, radical feminist, and finally, as a transgender man.”

Schofield is an award-winning writer, performer, and educator creating theater about gender and sexuality. He tours internationally with his solo shows, and acts and writes for theater and film.

He was previously at Out North in March 2008 to perform Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps.

See Debutante Balls at Out North: Jan. 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20, available online or at the door.

Here’s a video clip of Debutante Balls from Schofield’s YouTube channel, undergroundtrans:

This Week in LGBT Alaska 1/8/10

Friday, 8 January 2010 – 2:53 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

Greek Gods and Goddess: Toga Party 1/9, 7 p.m. An Imperial Court all-ages event with food, fun, fashion show, dancing and live entertainment. $12 in costume, $15 in street clothes, at the Carlson Center.

LGBT Call for Action with guest speaker Harriet Drummond on 1/10, service at 10:30 a.m., conversation at 12:30 p.m. at the UUFF.

PFLAG Meeting 1/10, 4 p.m.

Wednesday LGBTA Social at 9:30 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

Friday Divas Variety Show, 9 p.m. at Mad Myrna’s.

Sunday worship with MCC Anchorage, 2 p.m.

Gay, Joyous and Free AA Meeting on Mondays, 6 p.m. at the GLCCA.

Pride Festival 2010 Planning Meeting 1/13, 5:30 p.m. at the GLCCA.

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.

Anchorage Assembly’s Drummond brings LGBT Call for Action to Fairbanks

Friday, 8 January 2010 – 6:51 AM | Comments Off

Harriet Drummond, a member of the Anchorage Assembly and a supporter of the recent attempt to pass an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance, will be a guest speaker at the Fairbanks Unitarian Church on Sunday, Jan. 10 for the program “The Anchorage Gay Rights Ordinance: Lessons Learned and a Call for Action.”

After the service, there will be a Community Conversation on Fairbanks GLBT Issues and Developing an Action Agenda, at 12:30 p.m. A light lunch will be provided, and potluck items are appreciated.

The Unitarian Universalist fellowship of Fairbanks is welcoming, open and affirming to all. UUFF is located at 4448 Pikes Landing Road, across from the Princess Hotel.

Other Fairbanks LGBT events this weekend:

The Imperial Court’s Greek Gods and Goddess Toga Party, 7 p.m. at the Carlson Center. Food, fun, fashion show, dancing and live entertainment at an all-ages event. $12 in costume, $15 in street clothes.

Fairbanks PFLAG is holding their first meeting of 2010 on Sunday, Jan. 10 at 4 p.m. Please RSVP.

Memorials for Nicole Blizzard, tonight & Jan 31

Thursday, 7 January 2010 – 4:44 PM | One Comment

Nicole Blizzard of Anchorage passed away on Dec. 30, and a memorial service is being held tonight, Thursday Jan. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in Providence Hospital’s West Auditorium. Blizzard was an RN in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Providence.

The queer community is planning a second memorial later this month at Mad Myrna’s. Blizzard asked for a party instead of a funeral, so her friends are throwing a Birthday Party Celebration of Nicole’s Life at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 31, which would have been her 52nd birthday.

In December, she was dealing with health problems and developed complications. Her close friends were with her when she passed away. They will spread her ashes in Cook Inlet this spring, as she requested.

Blizzard founded The Naked Ptarmigan, an LGBT literary journal for Alaska. She was a former editor of The NorthView, a former board member of Identity, and a co-host of RAW’s Celebration of Change.

She loved music, photography and writing, wrote online book and music reviews, and contributed to the web site TechnoDyke. A new book of her writings, Love and Other Mishaps: An Accidental Anthology, was published in early December, and autographed copies are available in the Local Interest section of Border’s Bookstore in Anchorage.

RAW is considering a last issue of The Naked Ptarmigan in honor of Nicole, and may set up a scholarship named for her. Details will be announced on March 27 at Celebration of Change.

Condolences to her friends and family. She was well-known and will be missed.