Articles tagged with: Dave Bronson
Anchorage election: Assembly and school board candidates to vote for
Anchorage voters going to the polls Tuesday will see pro-equality assembly members up for re-election in 4 districts, a supportive challenger, and 2 good school board candidates on the ballot, running against a slate of anti-gay candidates endorsed by Mayor Sullivan. Here are Bent Alaska’s recommendations.
Assembly ally challenged by doomsday letter writer
Dave Bronson, a prominent member of the anti-LGBTQ organization Alaska Family Council, is challenging incumbent Elvi Gray-Jackson for her seat on the Anchorage Assembly.
Assembly passes PrideFest resolution, shelves Bronson
The Anchorage Assembly unanimously passed a resolution supporting Alaska PrideFest at Tuesday night’s meeting! Then the Assembly scored a second Pride Week victory by voting to indefinitely postpone the appointment of Alaska Family Council chair and professional hater Dave Bronson to a school commission.
Time to thank our Assembly members – the longtime advocates, the new members who supported us, as well as the conservatives who stood up to Prevo in support of Alaska Pride.
The PrideFest resolution introduced by vice-chair Patrick Flynn welcomes Alaska PrideFest 2010, recognizes the contributions of the LGBT community to Alaska, and “encourages all residents to enjoy this celebration.” The Diversity Parade and Pride Festival is on Saturday, June 26 starting at 11 a.m.
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
AR NO. 2010–200A RESOLUTION OF THE ANCHORAGE MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY WELCOMING ALASKA PRIDEFEST AND ENCOURAGING THE RESIDENTS OF ANCHORAGE TO CELEBRATE OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY.
WHEREAS, Anchorage is richly endowed with a great diversity of people, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, and languages; and
WHEREAS, the strength of a civil society is measured by the level of outreach, participation and engagement of all its members in the social, economic, and political activities of the community; and
WHEREAS, Anchorage is a more welcoming and stronger place as a result of the inclusion and celebration of so many diverse communities within our greater municipal community; and
WHEREAS, along with others, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities have made significant contributions through active involvement in the Alaska economy, and the cultural, social and civic life unique to Alaska; and
WHEREAS, Alaska PrideFest 2010 is a 10-day celebration involving various non-profit, social, and business organizations hosting special events at venues throughout Anchorage from June 18—27, 2010; and
WHEREAS, on Saturday, June 26, 2010, Alaska PrideFest 2010 activities include the Celebrating Diversity Parade through downtown Anchorage and the PrideFest Festival featuring live entertainment, vendors, food, friends, fun and carnival activities on the Delaney Park Strip; and
WHEREAS, although residents of our community may disagree on issues, Anchorage benefits from the ongoing dialogue, awareness, and celebration that builds bridges and strengthens our interdependence as an Alaskan community;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Anchorage Municipal Assembly
WELCOMES Alaska PrideFest 2010
and encourages all residents to enjoy this celebration themed “2010 A Pride Odyssey.”
PASSED AND APPROVED by the Anchorage Assembly this (22nd) day of (June), 2010.
Good work, Anchorage Assembly. THANK YOU!
Ossiander defends position for man who threatened her *UPDATE: Bronson shelved*
UPDATE: The Assembly heard our concerns and voted to postpone Bronson’s appointment indefinitely! Only Birch and Starr voted against the postponement. Kudos to Ossiander for standing up to Prevo this time.
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Tonight, the Anchorage Assembly will vote to oppose or approve Mayor Sullivan’s appointment of Alaska Family Council chairman and ABT member Dave Bronson to a school commission. Please remind the Assembly to oppose this inappropriate choice: wwmas@muni.org.
A Bent Alaska reader wrote to the Assembly about Bronson, and forwarded a strange response from Debbie Ossiander:
Dear Assembly Members,
Please reject the nomination of Dave Bronson to any position on any board, commission, or committee in the municipality. His open letter to Debbie Ossiander (during the 2009 AO64 hearings) alone should disqualify him from consideration. He has clearly declared himself to have highly politicized and rigid views which would preclude him from working productively with the wide variety of officials and citizens of our city.
On the other hand, his resume shows that he is clearly qualified to pilot an airplane if any such municipal need should arise.
Thank you
On Friday, the reader sent an update saying, “Can you believe her? I got responses from others agreeing, one from Ernie Hall saying thank you for your letter, and this,” an odd response from Ossiander:
thanks for the note…I do want you to know that there are no qualifications listed anywhere for this advisory volunteer committee. Historically it has been filled by anyone who is interested and willing to serve. Their sole responsiblity is to write and advisory letter on the ASD budget. I believe it is a 9 member committee and still has several vacant seats.
No comment on Bronson’s inability to work productively with the Assembly, his anti-gay activism and political extremism, or his dislike of diversity – diversity that exists in the Anchorage school system and is reflected in the ASD budget.
Would Ossiander really give a city position to someone who threatened and blamed her personally for the downfall of Anchorage? Here is a quote from Bronson’s open letter to Ossiander during last summer’s battle for an equal rights ordinance:
Madam Chair, when Catholic Social Services (CSS) and Latter Day Saints Social Services cease operations because their faith compels them to adopt children to heterosexual couples only… you, personally, will be to blame. When religious schools close their doors because in obedience to their faith they simply cannot allow practicing homosexuals or transsexuals to teach their children… you, personally, will be to blame. I wonder why you think Anchorage is now such an evil city that it must undergo such a radical transformation just to assuage your guilt that someone you may know and care about is being treated terribly by someone who is simply exercising their right to be ignorant. Mind you, your ignorance, demonstrated by a vote for AO 64 will be far more harmful to many more individuals that you can imagine… and you, personally, will be to blame. Whether you intend these catastrophic consequences to happen or not is simply meaningless. The language in AO 64 is clear and it will cause exactly what I have articulated.
And she would approve him for a city position? Wow.
ACTION: Anchorage Mayor appoints homophobe to school commission during LGBT Pride Month – Contact the Assembly
UPDATE: The Assembly heard our concerns and voted on June 22 to postpone Bronson’s appointment indefinitely! Happy Pride Week to all.
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What was he thinking?! Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan appointed rabidly anti-gay Dave Bronson, founder and president of the Alaska Family Council and long time member of Anchorage Baptist Temple, to sit on the School Budget Advisory Commission – and he tried to sneak Bronson through the Assembly confirmation vote at last night’s meeting, while progressive Assembly member and PrideFest 2010 grand marshal Elvi Gray-Jackson is out of town.
Bronson is the guy who threatened then-Assembly Chair Debbie Ossiander last summer, saying the AFC would blame her personally for the failure to stop the gays if Ordinance 64 passed. He even highlights his anti-gay activities in his resume, reaching back to his role in the 1994 repeal of the previous equal rights ordinance to show why he thinks he should be on the School Budget Commission.
As for his finance background – none. His education degree – zip. His kids’ experience with the Anchorage school district – nope, they were home schooled. What are his qualifications? According to the resume he submitted for the school position, he leads a bible ministry, is a retired pilot, and has spent the past two decades being a professional homophobe.
Last night, the Assembly voted 6-4 to postpone the confirmation vote until their next meeting, on Tuesday June 22, when all members will be present. Yes, that’s right, they might confirm this hater four days before Alaska’s PrideFest!
Please contact the Assembly today and oppose Bronson’s appointment: wwmas@muni.org for the whole Assembly, and HERE for the list of assembly email addresses and phone numbers.
Also contact Mayor Sullivan and ask that he withdraw the appointment: mayor@muni.org and (907) 343-7100.
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Addendum, 6 Feb 2011: The resume submitted Bronson submitted for the position is no longer available on the Municipality of Anchorage website. However, a post at The Mudflats from 8 Jun 2010 lists the “qualifications” he presented in his resume:
- Member of the Anchorage Baptist Temple since 1992
- Founding board member and current Chairman of the Board of the Alaska Family Council
- Volunteer Coordinator for the Repeal of the Homosexual Ordinance, Municipality of Anchorage 1994
- Officer District 30, Republican Party of Alaska
- Leader AWANA Children’s Bible Ministry
- With Alaska Family Council helped lead the effort against MOA O-64 [the 2009 Anchorage equal rights ordinance]
- With Alaska Family Action, helped lead Alaskans for Parental Rights parental notification petition drive
Anti-Gay Lobby Bullies UA Regents and Students
Bent Alaska and the UA student, staff and faculty group asking the Board of Regents to add sexual orientation to the UA non-discrimination policy both got an unusual Facebook friend request the day after Thanksgiving: from Dave Bronson, of the anti-gay Alaska Family Council.
Why did Bronson ask to friend us three days before the regents meeting at UAA, when it was already public knowledge that the students would make their request again? Did he hope we wouldn’t notice that he’s an employee of the Family Council? Was he that desperate to know what else we might have planned?
Earlier in the week, the Alaska Family Council – a political lobby group unrelated to the university – sent an email blast titled “Don’t Let UA Regents Be Bullied By Homosexual Activists,” denouncing the students who are asking for the policy change (and who mostly happen to be heterosexual):
We have learned that activists in the homosexual movement are attempting to convince the University of Alaska Board of Regents to change the university non-discrimination policy so as to give special recognition to homosexuals. If successful, individuals engaging in homosexual behavior will be afforded the same recognition as members of racial and ethnic minorities.
Of course we want the same recognition as other minority groups. And if we’re asking for the same rights, then they aren’t special rights, they’re equal rights.
The Family Council told their members to email each of the 11 regents and pressure them to reject the students’ request.
Jessi Angelette, a UAF student leading the effort, did testify at the meeting, saying in part:
I am here today before you once again to urge you to amend the current non-discrimination policy and to add it to the next meeting’s agenda…
The Alaska Family Council has sent out an email stating that you the Regents are being bullied by homosexual extremists. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. We are a representation of the students you have sworn an oath to educate and protect. There are thousands of students who call the campuses home while trying to attain their education. Isn’t it their right to feel protected from being harassed and discriminated against based on their orientation or their perceived orientation where they call home?
After doing research of other college and university non-discrimination policies, we have found that many have sexual orientation included in their polices and some of the schools are in states that do not have laws protecting LBGT citizens, such as Alabama. We have also looked at Tier 4 in the school rankings where UAF is ranked and have found only 1/6 of the schools do not have sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy. These schools have shown that even though their cities and states may not have laws to protect the LBGT citizens, they have taken it upon themselves to insure the safety of their students.
UAA students John and Heather Aronno also support the policy change. In The Bully on Campus at UAA, they quote the Family Council argument that this policy would limit their freedom to insult us, then respond to Jim Minnery, who signed the email:
…Have you been to UAA Jim? The right-to-life club hands out fliers with a revolver aimed at a fetus. We’re not in any danger zone that threatens the suppression of free speech, nor is anyone impeding the free exercise of religion… Unless it’s hate speech. You’re the one asking people who are otherwise in no way affiliated with UAA to flood board member inboxes and voicemail, and if that doesn’t work, barge into a board meeting and scream bloody murder. Again.
The students also note that the Council email links to a faux-college video called “Indoctrinate U: Our Education, Their Politics” and the page only lists past screenings, not the upcoming ones (to avoid protests?) Don’t be surprised if it shows in Anchorage next year.
So, which group do you think the UA Regents should give priority: UA students and staff, or an unrelated political lobby trying to force their religious bigotry on our public university?
Please take a moment and contact the UA Regents in favor of the student request. If you are a current or former UA student, staff or faculty member, please mention your connection to the university.
And if you moderate a GLBT Alaska Facebook page, please check profiles before you accept friend requests. You never know who will want to be your “friend.”
