Articles tagged with: Alaska State Legislature
Speak out for the hate crimes bill
Nobody should have to go through what happened to Cody: coming out gay only to be rejected, bullied and even assaulted – which is bad enough – and then the police let the attacker go free after only one night in jail, with no further investigation or charges, free to attack again.
Senator Bettye Davis introduced a state hate crimes law this year that includes LGBT Alaskans. It was considered and approved by the Judiciary Committee, and sent to Finance. But a second hearing was not scheduled, although all of the documents that were requested were delivered.
It’s time for the Finance Committee to hold a hearing on SB 11, the Alaska Hate Crimes bill. How do we get them to schedule a hearing and vote? You know the answer to that: We contact them. All of us.
Fred Traber of Anchorage wrote to the legislators in support of SB 11. He told the Finance Committee:
“With less than three weeks left in the session, thousands of constituents around the state are concerned about the fate of SB 11, the Hate Crimes Bill.
Two weeks ago in Geneva, Switzerland, the United Nations Human Rights Council issued a joint statement co-sponsored by 85 countries – YES – 85 countries – calling for “Ending Acts of Violence and Related Human Rights Violations Based On Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.”
And SB 11, the Alaska Hate Crimes Bill, has been held in the Senate Finance Committee since February 28.
Is there support for SB 11? Are your fellow legislators so much busier than the delegates from those 85 countries that they can’t find time for SB 11? Or don’t they care? Or maybe issues like the personalized pro-life license plates and designating the pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 caliber .30-06 caliber rifle as Alaska’s state gun are just more popular issues. Or is there another agenda here?”
Go, Fred!
Traber also notes that “SB 11 is one of the least complicated, non-financial issues before the legislature this year.”
Senator Ellis is the only committee member who replied:
“I am a cosponsor and have requested movement on the bill, as has the prime sponsor [Senator Davis]. I will continue to push. More Alaskans need to speak out for hate crimes bills to pass.” [emphasis mine]
It’s your turn to speak out.
Please contact the senators today and tell them to approve SB 11, the Alaska Hate Crimes bill.
Don’t let what happened to Cody – or worse – happen to other LGBT Alaskans.
– Thanks to Fred for being an active citizen and sharing his letter with us.
Alaskans Together brings Why Marriage Matters to AK
State laws, senator support, UA policies and new campaigns: Alaskans Together has been busy! Their spring newsletter updates us on the recent successes they contributed to and their current efforts, including the Why Marriage Matters project. Here’s the message from Board President Elias Rojas:
Your statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization – Alaskans Together for Equality Inc. — has been hard at work the last several months promoting civil equality throughout the state. It has definitely been a whirlwind of LGBT initiatives in Alaska and across the country over the last several months.
The highlights of our successful involvement and support of ATE over the last several months include:
- The repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law with both Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Begich voting in favor of the repeal.
- The University of Alaska Regents passing a non-discrimination policy change that now includes sexual orientation as a protected class.
- The introduction of the Alaska Hate Crimes bill (SB 11 – Davis) and its successful passage through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The introduction of a statewide non-discrimination bill (HB 165 – Kerttula) that would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in our existing state non-discrimination laws.
The last few months have been great in terms of progress towards civil equality for LGBT Alaskans. In addition, ATE is at the tail end of a very successful membership drive and renewal campaign. Your membership keeps us going. If you have yet to become an ATE member for 2011 you can still do so by clicking here. For those of you who became members…thank you…thank you…thank you.
All these successes and continuing efforts could not have been done without your activism and financial support. Our board thanks you for all your support.
ATE is looking forward to continuing to provide you with the latest news and updates that can help you be informed and active in your community and state. As always, if you have any suggestions or would like to get involved please email us at alaskanstogether@gmail.com.
Recently, the ATE board voted to become a partner of the Freedom to Marry national campaign in support of marriage, called “Why Marriage Matters.” It’s a public education campaign that will talk about our rights and tell the story of why gays and lesbians want to get married – to share love and commitment with the person they love. Stay tuned and visit Alaskans Together as we begin rolling out this campaign in the coming months.
Check out Freedom to Marry, and watch the intro clip on Why Marriage Matters:
Alaska Hate Crimes Bill stalled: Action needed
SB 11, the Alaska Hate Crimes Act, passed the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee on February 25, and was referred to Senate Finance. Nearly two weeks later, where’s it at? The answer: it’s nowhere. It’s stalled, and Senate Finance hasn’t even scheduled it for a hearing. But with the legislative session ending on April 17, there’s little time to lose to get action on this bill.
Alaska Hate Crimes Act: My letter in support of SB11
Hate crimes: They can happey anytime, anywhere.Today the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee is hearing testimony on Senate Bill 11, the the Alaska Hate Crimes Act. In spite of the fact that the bill addresses hate crimes based on a number of personal characteristics, the factually incorrect “action alert” sent by Jim Minnery of Alaska Family Council to his supporters yesterday focused exclusively on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Alaska Hate Crimes Bill: Jim Minnery v. reality…again
Editor’s note: Today the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on Senate Bill 11, the the Alaska Hate Crimes Bill, “An Act relating to the commission of a crime when the defendant directed the conduct constituting the crime at the victim based on the victim’s race, sex, color, creed, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, or national origin” [click for full text]. We posted previously about SB11 on February 15. Testimony will be heard at 1:30 PM today in Juneau, BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) and by teleconference through your local legislative information office. Please testify or write to members of the Judiciary committee.
Today’s hearing has been the topic of an action alert by the national anti-LGBT Family Policy Council (“action” arm of the Family Research Council). The local Alaska Action Council, “action” arm of the equally anti-LGBT Alaska Family Council, has also sent out an action alert, authored by AFC president Jim Minnery. John Aronno of the Alaska Commons takes it apart. Thanks, John!
Jim Minnery v. reality… again
Jim Minnery is freaking out again.
I know, it doesn’t take much. In the past year, the head of the Alaska Family Council (which works against both Alaskans and families) has taken on topics ranging from Planned Parenthood to public education to the Girl Scouts of America. But nothing seems to get his soul patch flaring like “the gay.”
His latest manufactured controversy, sent out today through his “Alaska Family Action Alert” email blast, surrounds Alaska Senate Bill 11; a piece of legislation aimed at adding sexual orientation and gender identity to our state’s existing hate crimes policy, sponsored by Democratic Senators Bettye Davis, Hollis French, and Johnny Ellis. Tomorrow afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee will take on the topic, so naturally Minnery is encouraging his network to flood the committee members’ inboxes and answering machines, and, as per usual, is supplying them with talking points that must have been grown in a special, air tight lab, where there was no possible exposure to that pesky pollutant we call reality.
Let’s take a look at what our state Senators have no doubt been hearing, ad nauseum, these past few days:
Claim 1: SB11 Is Unnecessary. All violent crimes are hate crimes and it’s already against the law to commit a violent attack against another person or his/her property. However, “hate crimes” take the law one step further, adding a separate penalty for the thoughts that allegedly motivated the action.
All violent crimes are hateful. But that is entirely different from each individual offense qualifying as a “hate crime,” defined – at the federal level – in the Hate Crimes Statistics Act as “crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, including where appropriate the crimes of murder, non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; aggravated assault, simple assault, intimidation; arson; and destruction, damage or vandalism of property.”
The plain truth is that most violent crimes are ambivalent, in respect to the victims. The “step further” that Minnery is so offended by only applied, in 2009, to just under .005% of all violent crimes in the United States, being that they were carried out in reaction to specific characteristics of the individual they were inflicted upon. Within that sliver of a percentage point, 18.5% resulted from sexual orientation bias. Meaning that people targeted people for being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or even straight.
Does Jim Minnery and the Alaska Family Council believe that this is an acceptable number? That we shouldn’t single out individuals that enact violent crimes against people specifically because of their gender identity or sexual orientation? This is not a free speech issue, as he is attempting to frame it. This is an “acting violently” issue.
Or maybe he’s just feeling all soap-boxy because he already has his protection. The 19.7 percent of hate crimes in 2009 which resulted from religious bias – 1.5% higher than sexual orientation and gender identity offenses – are already protected.
(Someone wants to have their sky cake and eat it too.)
Claim 2: SB11 Would make people unequal under the law. A person who assaults a homosexual will be given a harsher penalty than if that same assault was perpetrated on, for example, an elderly person. This creates a two-tiered justice system with second-class victims. All human life should be valued the same regardless of a person’s race, religion, national origin, etc.
This goes back to the paper thin “special rights” argument that permeated the Assembly Chambers in the Loussac Library during the Summer of Hate surrounding AO-64. Minnery is essentially lobbying for a “fair tax” judicial approach; one uniform prescription for all violent crimes. But, just as stealing a can of soda from a grocery store is different from stealing a delivery truck carrying palettes of soda cans, so is the case with a random violent act versus one motivated by personal prejudice.
As explained by former Supreme Court Justice William Renquist, in the unanimous 1993 decision regarding Wisconsin v. Mitchell, penalty-enhancement hate crime laws exist because hate crimes are ”thought to inflict greater individual and societal harm…. bias-motivated crimes are more likely to provoke retaliatory crimes, inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and incite community unrest.”
What the Alaska Family Council works tirelessly to fail to understand is that random acts of violence are just that: random. And, because of that, they are largely isolated. How does one exact revenge randomly? Mostly, they don’t. There is no explicit direction for the anger to go. Whereas, with hate crimes, we tend to see a really, really bad snowball effect; “the Other.” The manufactured message that wires us with a need to protect ourselves from that other person with those other beliefs with that other skin tone or that other accent, and all these attributes that differ in nature from what we recognize as familiar are inherently nefarious in nature. We should not find common ground, but instead lock the door.
Unfortunately, “the Other” is how the Alaska Family Council frames virtually every debate it puts forth, and it works against a civil society rather than towards one.
Claim 3: SB11 Paves the way for religious persecution. Virtually everywhere “hate crimes” laws have passed, arrests for speech have followed. In Sweden, Canada and Great Britain “hate crimes” laws have been used to prosecute Christians speaking their disapproval of homosexual behavior, posing a serious threat to religious liberty and free speech.
So, what’s behind the bumper sticker allegation that “hate crimes” legislation universally leads to an assault on free speech? Minnery warns that the current legislation on the table will “muzzle” Christians, and cites Sweden, Canada, and Great Britain as evidence of that; invoking the ubiquitous far-right “We’re America, not Europe!” mantra.
Key differences, however, separate the condition of free speech in those countries from the US, actually agreeing with their point, but not in a way that they would necessarily endorse.
Britain is in flux; it’s constitution is based on the precedent of law; there is no backbone document akin to our founding documents. Thus, there are neither initial restrictions or protections regarding free speech and expression. The UK is fairly obviously used, by Minnery, not in substance, but in rhetoric; following the same exhaustive dialog we heard in the health care debate which framed European countries (which Canada found itself interwoven into, because of their relationship to the crown, I guess?) very much as “the Other”.
On one hand, there is America. On the other, there is everyone else. And they have the Muslims.
Canada, in contrast, has “Hate Propaganda” laws, which prohibit the expression of hatred for certain protected groups. That is a far cry from what Minnery is arguing against; the action of anger against certain protected groups, including religious groups.
In fairness, Minnery, and his ilk, have chronic problems with linking words with their consequences.
Sweden, in 2002, approved a constitutional amendment that sought to protect groups from “unfavorable speech,” winning them my personal award-of-the-century for “Ambiguous to a Fault.” In the United States, we’ve kept up a passionate argument for 235 years over what “general welfare of the public” means. And Sweden somehow thought that “unfavorable speech” would suffice, criminalizing not only actual threats of violence, but also “expressed disdain.”
Honestly, “unfavorable speech with expressed disdain” sounds like how NPR would describe the crap that comes out of Dr. Laura’s face. Not exactly a rock solid foundation for the basis of law.
The truth is that Sweden doesn’t have freedom of speech like we are afforded (at least as it pertains to this issue). Their idea of free expression is not even in the same ballpark.
Specifically, in the case of Sweden, Minnery warns readers about Pastor Ake Green, who was arrested for delivering a clearly anti-gay sermon in 2003. And if you live in Alaska and occasionally go outdoors or turn on a television, you’ve heard it before: Genesis, Deuteronomy, cancer on society, abnormal, perverse, will lead to disaster and the spread of aids, blah blah blah. It’s been carbon copied and put on display across America one hundred times over, including in Jim Minnery’s emails, Jerry Prevo’s weekly tangents, and Dan Fagan’s radio show (now only available in scarred memories). Last I checked, we haven’t made any arrests. Nor should we. The Westboro Baptist Church (I linked their Wiki page, because I’m not throwing any traffic their way if I can help it) gets to bounce around the map like deranged gummy bears with inarticulate chips on their shoulders. By the same token, our own reality deficient, eccentric characters should be afforded the same rights.
That doesn’t mean we should accept the message as credible; it’s laughable. But they should get to scream down the same vacant hallway that houses Sarah Palin’s presidential aspirations.
Back in the real world where Jim Minnery’s emails can’t hurt you, Green was acquitted by the Swedish Supreme Court, which cited Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, stressing the international right to freedom of expression (anyone want to guess what nation Europe got that idea from?).
More smoke and mirrors to justify an irrational adversity to equal protection under the law from the Alaska Family Council, which again I will point out has nothing to do with working towards the betterment of Alaska or her families.
The good news is that Jim Minnery and the openly closed-minded organization that pays him a lot of money to concoct controversies “in His name!” is not ultimately responsible for making sure SB11 passes. He is only in charge of orchestrating an online and telephonic misrepresentation of Alaska.
About an hour ago, I was talking to a friend of mine – himself a full catalog of standing up against adversity – who reminded me that, at the end of the day, we are all confronted with a simple, albeit blunt, choice: Be a friend or be a dick. Either we make tough choices to stand up and fight for community, or we allow ourselves and those we care about to get screwed, bullied, and ignored; left to fend for themselves. Or we can stand up and say a lot more than “It gets better.”
We can demand that it does.
Friday, at 1:30pm, the Senate Judiciary Committee will address SB11. They’re going to hear from the Alaska Family Council. I implore you to do your part in ensuring that they also hear from the Rational Alaska Community, and I ask you to speak up in defense of our community; our Alaska.
The committee includes Senators Hollis French, Bill Wielechowski, Joe Paskvan, Lesil McGuire, and John Coghill.
Clicky clicky. And kindly pass the word.
Alaska Hate Crimes Bill: Testify this Wednesday
An action alert from Alaskans Together for Equality —
Dear Members and Supporters of Alaskans Together For Equality Inc.,
Senate Bill (SB) 11, the Alaska Hate Crimes Bill, has been scheduled for its first hearing, before the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 16th. The full text of the bill can be found at:
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=SB%20%2011&session=27
The Judiciary Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. and has several bills scheduled to be heard so testimony could be taken on SB 11 anytime between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. We invite you to provide short testimony in support of SB 11 as written which includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Testimony can be given in person in Room 105 of the new Thomas Stewart Building adjacent to the Capitol, by teleconference from your local Legislative Information Office (see http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/misc/lios.php for the location of your LIO) or by calling toll free 877.763.5073.
If you are not able to testify on Wednesday, February 16th, please send a message to your own state senator and ask them to co-sponsor the bill and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee plus the bill’s sponsor, Senator Davis.
The legislators are:
Senator Hollis French – Co-Sponsor
Senator_Hollis_French@legis.state.ak.us
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us
Senator Joe Paskvan
Senator_Joe_Paskvan@legis.state.ak.us
Senator Lesil McGuire
Senator_Lesil_McGuire@legis.state.ak.us
Senator John Coghill
Senator_John_Coghill@legis.state.ak.us
Senator Bettye Davis – Sponsor
Senator_Bettye_Davis@legis.state.ak.us
If you are not able to send an email message, then your third option is a Public Opinion Message or POM, a short and easy-to-send 50 word message that should be addressed specifically to the Senators listed in the previous paragraph. Your POM could say something like: “I strongly support SB 11. Please pass this bill as written out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.” To send a POM go to: http://www.legis.state.ak.us/poms/
The following talking points are provided for your use in writing testimony or sending a message to legislators regarding SB 11.
We look forward to hearing your testimony on Wednesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at alaskanstogether@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Alaskans Together for Equality Inc.
Don’t forget the legislature, the key to Alaska’s future
— another great guest post by Caleb Pritt
You’ve heard about Ethan and Sean, Diane and Mead, Harry and Don. Joe and Lisa and Scott too. But do you recall… the most important election in Alaska of all. Sorry, having some fun with the nearing of Christmas. But the clever use of the old Rudoph the Red Nose Reindeer song is meant to remind you that besides the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Governor, there is one other VERY important race for many of you in Alaska… the State Legislature.
From the State Legislature comes so many laws that affect everyday life. And there are some pitched battles for legislative races that I thought I would highlight in brevity the ones that are the key to Alaska’s lock on the future.
The State Senate is split 10 Democrats to 11 Republican-Coalition members.
STATE SENATE DISTRICT J – Recommendation: BILL WIELECHOWSKI
State Senator Bill Wielechowski (D), a progressive young Democrat, is seeking re-election against Ron Slepecki (R). You can listen online to the debate between the two. But what should concern you in this year of odd & crazy elections in Alaska is that Mr. Slepecki is a minister at the Anchorage Baptist Temple (yes, the lair of Jerry Prevo himself.) Yet Slepecki fails to point out that profession or the fact that he is one who helps those who have fallen prey to the cults of the New Age, Hinduism, or Bhuddism. And on Amazon.com, Rev. Slepecki compares President Obama’s education plan to the THIRD REICH! Honestly, Bill Wielechowski has worked hard to be re-elected. He is one of the leaders working to end violence against women and children in Alaska. He has fought for seniors, to lower their prescription drug prices, and he’s an all around good guy. Vote for Bill Wielechowski.
STATE SENATE DISTRICT P – Recommendation: JANET REISER
Those in State Senate District P have a choice between Janet Reiser (D), Catherine Giessell (R), and Phil Dzubinski (I). Ms. Giessell is very proud of her Tea Party roots. In fact, she proudly declares about civil rights that “I support strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and Alaska Constitution.” Has anyone bothered to tell her, and all these other Sharon Angle clones, that had there been a “strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution” then they as women would not have the right to vote, much less run for office? More importantly, Giessell was the individual that Joe Miller propped up to attempt to oust Randy Ruedrich as Chairman of the Alaska Republican Party, an unsuccessful attempt that saw Miller improperly use the property of the Borough Government in Fairbanks to promote Giessell. [And Giessel wants to take away partner benefits.] Dzubinski is a conservative like the outgoing member, Con Bunde, who all three hope to succeed. He has outspent the two female candidates and has Andrew Halcro advising his campaign. Reiser is a pro-business, pro-oil development candidate who calls herself a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. She likely will appeal to the considerable number of moderate Republicans in the district as well as her own Democratic base. Vote for Janet Reiser.
MEANWHILE… in the State House, but for a handful of seats, the House could tilt Democrat. Can you imagine a Speaker of the House Les Gara??? It can happen with a few of these House seats flipping.
HOUSE DISTRICT 7 – Recommendation: BOB MILLER
A shout-out to all my Fairbanks friends. Here is your chance to vote for the right Miller. Vote for Bob Miller for State House and rid Alaska of Mike Kelly. Other races I view the pros and cons of who is running but Mike Kelly is one individual who gives Alaska politics a bad name. Rep. Mike Kelly co-sponsored the $1.2 million advisory vote bill to block same sex employee benefits granted by the Alaska Supreme Court. I refer you to this article on why to vote against Mike Kelly. [There’s a newer article HERE.] Meanwhile, during the Pub Crawl for Coronation Weekend, Miller joined the group at Spenard Roadhouse. He’s open minded and one who sat down with Empress 37, MeMe Jenkins, to listen for over a half an hour about what matters to the community. BOB MILLER cares and BOB MILLER will get results for Alaska, because he believes ALL Alaskans deserve a seat at the table of state government. Vote for Bob Miller.
HOUSE DISTRICT 31 – Recommendation: LUPE MARROQUIN
This features a race between Bob Lynn (R), a Republican politician who was elected in California and now elected in Alaska, and a small yet very effective Democrat named Lupe Marroquin. One thing about Mr. Lynn is one of his top contributors is Joe Miller. But Lynn learned to be stealthy at an early age as a Republican in California. So he plays up labor money and endorsements and has a fiscally liberal voting record. Marroquin meanwhile is a social progressive and fiscal conservative who is working hard to go door to door and earn the votes. In the end, it’s about who is genuine and there’s only one candidate. Vote for Lupe Marroquin.
Be sure to remember (3) other Democrats who need our vote: Jodie Dominguez is an advocate who needs support. Martin Lindeke is a veteran out in Eagle River who needs support. Lynn Zaugg has experience in office and is running. She has a wonderful plan to modernize voting so that Alaskans can vote by mail or online.
There are other legislative races. Look into the candidates and let’s paint Alaska blue in 2010. It’s time for a meaningful change… an ALL-ALASKA Change on November 2nd.
