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Another Letter of Support

Saturday, 30 May 2009 – 8:47 AM | Comments Off

The ADN is printing a steady stream of letters to the editor about the Assembly’s non-discrimination ordinance, including this letter from Laura Muller of Anchorage posted on Wednesday:

Stop bearing false witness

I’d read about the proposed nondiscrimination ordinance but hadn’t thought much about it until I ran across a recent press release from Anchorage Baptist Temple that implied homosexuals, pedophiles and pornographers are all cut from the same cloth.

If protecting kids is their aim, they’re probably after the wrong rabbit — most molesters are straight men.

As a Catholic wife and mother, I don’t feel I ought to be spending much time pondering what other people do in the privacy of their homes. Jerry Prevo taught me more about necrophilia and bestiality today than I ever knew existed!

The most disturbing part, though, is this assumption that homosexual people aren’t quite human and can’t be expected to live by the same societal rules as the rest of us. That’s dangerous and irresponsible.

It doesn’t matter if you repeat it or shout it or tattoo it on your forehead — that doesn’t make it true.

Fact isn’t an opinion or subject to religion. Please stop bearing false witness. It isn’t right, and it isn’t Christian.

Churches have ‘special’ rights, gays don’t

Thursday, 28 May 2009 – 7:52 AM | 4 Comments

Elise Patkotak wrote another great ADN column in support of the Anchorage non-discrimination ordinance, Unlike gays, church has its ‘special’ rights:

According to Jerry Prevo’s letter to the editor in Sunday’s paper, his main problem with the city’s proposed ordinance protecting homosexuals’ civil rights is that it would allow men to dress as women for work. Hmm … isn’t that what Milton Berle did on his TV show in the ’50s? And didn’t Tom Hanks get his start as a cross-dresser in a sitcom? Then, of course, we have J. Edgar Hoover — there was a man who knew how to make a dress pop.

I erupted in laughter upon realizing his main objection to this ordinance is his belief that if passed, gay men would blanket the workplace with skirts, heels and makeup. He also apparently believes it authorizes gays to be sexually promiscuous with pornography during work hours. Tough luck for all those straight guys out there who found their company blocked access to porn on their work computers. If this ordinance passes, they’ll apparently have to find a gay friend who is willing to share his screen.

In all seriousness, am I the only one who read that relatively bizarre letter and thought, as the Bard so eloquently once wrote, “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

Fear mongering under any guise is a hateful and nasty way to try to hurt someone who is different from you. The Nazis did it with the Jews. America did it after 9/11 with Muslims. The confederate states did it with blacks — it wasn’t all that long ago that a black man looking at a white woman was given a death sentence in many parts of the American south. And now some people are trying to use it on gays in Anchorage under the guise of Christianity.

Most mail I received in response to last week’s column supported my position, though some did so with clear limits and reservations. Many stated that Jerry Prevo simply did not really represent Christianity. A lot of people said that while they didn’t understand how someone could be gay, and maybe could never support the concept of gay marriage, they didn’t hate gays and felt their civil rights should be protected. All in all, most letters were thoughtful ruminations on what is clearly a difficult issue for many people.

But as always, there were the haters. They were the ones who substituted “ph” for “f” in the spelling of some words in order to get it by any obscenity filter I may have on my e-mail account. Many were little more than rants that made it clear I’d be going to hell to spend eternity with all the gays I was protecting. They quoted the Bible to ensure I understood they were speaking with authority. After reading those letters, I think hell would be a much safer option for me.

Jerry Prevo is entitled to his opinion because this is America. And Jerry Prevo and his following have the right to keep gays out of their church, again because this is America.

For his followers who wrote me in a rage because I support “special” rights for gays and they want to know where their special rights are, I suggest they look at the tax exemptions their church has — not only for the church building itself, but for just about any property it owns. They should check into how this ordinance specifically allows them to follow their beliefs and discriminate against gays if they wish. That’s a special privilege. In fact, probably the greatest specially protected entity in this whole country is its churches. They don’t pay taxes and they won’t have to follow this ordinance.

Contrary to Prevo’s fears, most gay men are not standing in their doorways dressed in drag waiting for the moment they can go to court and try a case in a lovely skirt and blouse ensemble. Most have families, bills and pets and live a stable life. And the more flamboyant part of the gay population no more represents the majority than the drunks, druggies and prostitutes you read about every day in the paper represent typical Alaskans.

This world is already filled with groups who hate each other. Why would anyone claiming to be Christian want to add to that?

The Antichrist is Coming – and He’s Gay!

Wednesday, 27 May 2009 – 11:21 AM | 9 Comments

While Prevo tries to stir up fears about clothing and collects tax-deductible donations for his anti-gay political agenda, Pastor Ron Hamman from Wasilla isn’t afraid to tell us what he really thinks about gays in his article “Will the Antichrist be a homosexual?”:

“But will the Antichrist be a homosexual? Having seen what the Bible says of sodomy, we have no further to look than the book of Daniel, chapter 11 to find our answer. It says, ‘Neither shall he [Antichrist] regard… the desire of women….'”

He gives a long definition of sodomy, charges that creating words based on scientific evidence is “historical revisionism,” and calls “mankind’s desire of women” the “glue” of Christianity. He decides that “the one called ‘that Wicked’ by Paul” will indeed be a gay man.

He doesn’t stop there. Adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination policies of Anchorage, Alaska is proof that the Antichrist is coming!

“The time is ripe for such a leader. Indeed, it should not be surprising that the one who is against everything Biblical and Christian should be a partaker of so great a sin; there is no greater way to reject the Creator than to reject your gender and his design for it. And at what other time have we seen such perversion come out of the closets onto our streets, threatening violence if we do not accept their ways?

Is it any wonder that Revelation 13 says that this same Antichrist will make war with the saints of the tribulation, and overcome them? Are they not now readying themselves to make it illegal to “offend” them in any way, calling it hatred to preach against their sin? Is it because they love us? The time is ripe for such a man.”

Share your Story of Discrimination

Thursday, 21 May 2009 – 4:12 PM | Comments Off

Opponents of the Assembly non-discrimination ordinance say that discrimination against LGBT people does not exist in Anchorage. We know that it does, and we need to share that knowledge.

Have you been the target of LGBT-based discrimination in Anchorage? Please tell your story at the June 9 public hearing, or let someone else read it into the record. LGBT people and straight allies are encouraged to contact Tiffany McClain or use the online form at Equality Works.

Examples of anti-LGBT discrimination are showing up in the articles and comments about the Municipal ordinance that would protect Anchorage’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents from discrimination.

Mel Green, who co-authored the study Identity Reports: Sexual Orientation Bias in Alaska (Anchorage, AK: Identity, Inc., 1989), recounts her personal experience of being fired from a local book store in 1984:

“It also occurred to me to wonder if maybe I’d been fired for being a lesbian. This was confirmed a couple of days later when I went in to the store to pick up my final paycheck. I talked with one of my other (former) coworkers, whose name I don’t remember — in “Prima Facie” she goes by the initial M. M was maybe two or three years younger than me, a rather innocent-seeming Mormon girl who seemed embarrassed by what she had to tell me. She said that the day before I was fired, she had seen Chris at the back of the store talking with higher-ups from downtown, including the manager. On the same day, Chris had announced to coworkers that I was gay. On the day I was fired, Chris had gone about the store singing, “Mel got fired, Mel got fired.”

“I’ve never seen Chris since, but my best guess is that she resented me for complaining to our manager about her habit of taking overlong breaks, & decided to get her revenge by playing on the prejudices of higher management.”

The Anchorage Municipal Code states that discrimination “based upon race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age, or physical or mental disability… is prohibited.”

“[H]ad sexual orientation been a protected class… I would have had grounds to file a complaint with the state human rights commission & seek redress. (Like maybe getting my job back.)

“But sexual orientation was not a protected class under Alaska Statutes. Nor was it under federal legislation, nor under municipal ordinance. I was, as they say, S.O.L.”

Straight allies are also discriminated against for supporting LGBT civil rights, or simply for being our friends and family members. Allies are encouraged to join us in sharing their experiences of LGBT-based discrimination at the hearing.

Ally Celtic Diva describes her experiences of supporting the previous attempt to add “sexual orientation” to the Anchorage Municipal policies, in the early 1990’s, and belonging to the band Sky Is Blu, which represented Alaska at the 1993 National March on Washington for LGBT Rights:

“As a result, I received threatening phone calls (I remember my boyfriend at the time grabbing the phone from me to deal with one of the nasty callers) and all four of my tires slashed. Another member of the band was (literally) harassed and followed down the street!

“Worst of all, the only male member of the band lost the job he had been offered with, ironically, the Municipality! As a result of this, he couldn’t get hired in his field and eventually ended up moving to the lower-48 with his wife and child.”

Share your personal experiences of LGBT-based discrimination at the June 9 hearing and help to pass the ordinance. Contact Tiffany McClain or use the online form at Equality Works.

MCCA’s Pastor Van Manen Goes On The Record

Thursday, 21 May 2009 – 9:02 AM | Comments Off

– from MCC Anchorage

Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage Pastor Norman Van Manen took to the airwaves this week both on radio and television conveying a strong position in favor of GLBTQ rights.

Pastor Van Manen spent two hours with Conservative Radio Show host Eddie Burke, a self proclaimed homophobe, fielding questions from callers and his host about the Scriptures, homosexuality and equality.

The radio show will be made available for listening on the MCC Anchorage website and the KTVA television interview will be aired during the first week of June.

Pastor Van Manen is no stranger to discrimination even within his own family. “When I came out as a homosexual, my family gathered together and declared family court and made a decision to lynch me. I hid in a ditch and escaped with my life.”

Pastor Van Manen has also experienced a form of discrimination here in Anchorage when he discovered he was prohibited from publically disclosing the name of the church in which MCC Anchorage previously gathered to conduct Sunday service. Said Pastor Van Manen, “The difference between where the church was, and where we are now (St. Mary’s Episcopal Church), is that we are truly here with the blessing of the church.”

Speaking to the Scriptures and Christ, Pastor Van Manen said, “The message of the Gospel, the message of Jesus Christ is to love God, love yourself, love your neighbor and to love your enemies.”

MCC Anchorage meets at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, on the corner of Lake Otis and Tudor, for a Sunday service at 2 p.m. in the A-Frame Chapel, and for Step By Step, a Biblical Studies program, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

8 Ways You Can Help Pass the Ordinance

Friday, 15 May 2009 – 1:54 PM | Comments Off

We need your help to pass an ordinance that will protect Anchorage’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, financial services, and Municipal business.

Here’s what you can do:

Learn about it. Read the text of Ordinance AO No. 2009-64(S), an ordinance news roundup (and a more recent roundup) and the goals of Equality Works.
Call and Write to the Mayor and Assembly members, and send letters to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News, with messages of support for the ordinance. Talking Points, suggestions for writing an effective message, and links to Assembly email addresses are posted here.
Show your support for the ordinance by wearing an “Equality Works” button and donating to Equality Works.
Attend the public hearings on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers, on the ground floor of Loussac Library. Come early to get a seat in the room (doors open at 4 p.m.), or bring equality signs if you’re supporting from outside the building. Wear blue!
Share your personal experiences of GLBT-based discrimination at the hearing. Email Tiffany McClain or use the online form. Stories from LGBT people and straight allies are needed. If you have an experience but don’t want to testify at the hearing, someone else can read it for you.
Explain to others that discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people is currently legal in Alaska, that many GLBT people, and our allies, have been harmed by discrimination, and that this amendment will improve the lives of Anchorage residents.
Blog in support of the ordinance and spread the word on social networks, link to Equality Works and become a Facebook fan, send your link to Bent Alaska or share it on Bent’s Facebook wall.
Send this post to your friends and relatives, and ask them to do these 8 things to end legal discrimination against GLBT people in Anchorage.

Thank you!

News Roundup on the Non-Discrimination Ordinance

Thursday, 14 May 2009 – 3:05 PM | 2 Comments

An ordinance to add sexual orientation to the Anchorage non-discrimination code was introduced at Tuesday’s Assembly meeting. The public hearing is set for June 9 at the Assembly Chambers in Loussac Library. Contact Equality Works to share your experiences of discrimination at the hearing, and donate to this important effort.

Local residents and news sources are spreading the word about the ordinance. Take a moment to read these stories and leave supportive comments:

Assemblymember Patrick Flynn blogged his reasons for supporting the measure and took a poll on the issue (still open in the right hand column.)
The Anchorage Daily News article focused on opposition by Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Temple, and was picked up by many newspapers and web sites.
Mel Green wrote on the introduction of the ordinance and on the reactions to the ADN piece. The pieces are posted on her personal blog Henkimaa and here on Bent Alaska, and the second piece was posted on Progressive Alaska.
Equality Works asks us to help end legal discrimination in Anchorage by writing to our Assembly members, sharing our experiences of discrimination at the June 9 hearing, and explaining to our friends and relatives that discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people is currently legal in Alaska.
KTVA Channel 11 interviewed Assemblymember Patrick Flynn, acting-mayor Matt Claman, Jerry Provo of ABT, and Mel Green, an ‘advocate against discrimination’ (and a Bent contributor.)
KTUU Channel 2 interviewed gay rights supporter Diana Wolfe, opponent Jim Minnery of the Alaska Family Council, and Assembly member Patrick Flynn.
The Anchorage Press article “Hello Culture War” spoke with Jeffrey Mittman of the ACLU of Alaska on the efforts to reach out to religious organizations and the problems with the ‘special rights’ argument.
The conservative Alaska Standard posted “Anchorage residents should be free to discriminate” by Dan Fagan, and audio clips with Connor, a gay 16 year old who argues for the right to marry, and Bruce, a landlord.
The Immoral Minority commented on the KTUU poll that asked if the Anchorage Assembly should pass an ordinance banning discrimination against homosexuals. (Results: Yes 52%, No 48%)
Celtic Diva’s Blue Oasis remembers the harassment experienced by straight allies who fought for a similar ordinance passed by the Assembly in 1992 but overturned by a newly elected Assembly in ’93. She promises to stand by us again and hopes “that we’ve grown as a city since then.”

KTVA and KTUU cover Anchorage Equal Protection Measure

Wednesday, 13 May 2009 – 11:06 PM | 2 Comments

An ordinance to add sexual orientation to the Anchorage non-discrimination code was introduced at Tuesday’s Assembly meeting, and the public hearing is set for June 9.

KTVA and KTUU covered the story for television. KTVA included a clip with Mel Green, occasional guest writer on Bent Alaska:

KTUU ran an online poll with their story, asking “Should the Anchorage Assembly pass an ordinance banning discrimination against homosexuals?” When the poll closed at 10 p.m., support for the ordinance was ahead, with 52% of participants voting Yes and 48% voting No.

Help us end legal discrimination in Anchorage

Wednesday, 13 May 2009 – 2:46 PM | Comments Off

by Tiffany McClain of Equality Works

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Anchorage Municipal Assembly, Acting Mayor Matt Claman introduced an ordinance that will protect Anchorage’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations, financial services, and Municipal business.

The Anchorage Municipal Assembly voted to hold a public hearing on June 9 and we need YOU to be there to show Assembly members that people in our town care about this issue.

There are plenty of things you can do TODAY to support this ordinance:

1) E-mail or Write to your Assembly Members

Our Assembly Members need to know where we stand. They will likely be bombarded with letters from those who believe that LGBT people should not be protected from discrimination, and it is important that we make our voices heard. By letting them know why you believe Equality Works, you are moving them one step closer to a vote to support equality. If you don’t know who your Assembly member is, this map should help you. Once you’ve found your Assembly person, find their contact information here. If you live in a district with two Assembly members, please send a copy to them both.

Suggestions for increasing your effectiveness:

Be respectful. We believe that it is possible to passionately express your opinion without disrespecting elected officials or other people in our community who may disagree with you.
Personalize it. When it comes to LGBT equality, it is true that the “personal is political.” There are countless examples of elected officials being moved to support our cause after having an opportunity to read the letters or even to speak one-on-one with people who are personally affected by discrimination.
Be Clear. Tell them exactly how you want them to vote on this ordinance — Vote “Yes!”
Use the Talking Points. If you’re at loss for what to say or just need a jumping off point, we encourage you to focus on our talking points. 1) Anchorage workers deserve to be judged solely on their qualifications and the merits of their work. 2) All Alaskans deserve protection from discrimination and harassment. 3) No Alaskan should have to deny who they are in order to keep a job or an apartment. Go here for more details.
Be Brief. The most effective letters are no longer than one page.

2) Share Your Story

“Discrimination? There is no discrimination in this town!” At least, that is what some objectors are saying to defeat this ordinance. It is very possible that the decision to support or oppose this ordinance will come down to whether or not Assembly members believe that they are improving peoples’ lives by supporting it.

Are you an LGBT person who believes that you have been discriminated against by an employer, landlord, or business? Have you ever been told to stay closeted on the job? Are you a straight ally or family member who has felt the sting of public harassment or discrimination because of your friends or relatives, or because you were perceived as being “too masculine” or “too feminine”?

These are all examples of discrimination that could be addressed by the Equal Rights Commission if this ordinance is passed. There is no better time than at the public hearing on June 9 to share these stories with the people in a position to make a difference. If you would like to participate, please e-mail me today or call 907-258-0044 ext. 101.

3) Tell People

You will be surprised by the number of people who believe that LGBT people are already protected from discrimination by state or federal law. In many cases, they are supporters of equality who simply aren’t aware that it is completely legal to discriminate in Alaska. Make sure your friends and family members know the facts, and bring them with you to the public hearing on June 9. Also, link this post on your social networking pages and forward this post to two friends — NOW is the time to expand our support.

Remember, Equality Works!

The noise begins

Tuesday, 12 May 2009 – 10:28 PM | One Comment

It’s no big surprise that Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Temple plans to battle AO-64, the Anchorage equal rights ordinance. Prevo was also a vocal opponent in the earlier attempts to establish equal rights in Anchorage in the mid-1970s and in 1992-1993.