Articles tagged with: video
Gay & Trans films in the Anchorage International Film Festival
“Craig and Shane were holding hands when they fell victim to a brutal hate crime off Sydney’s Oxford Street in 2007. The image of Craig’s shattered face on the cover of the local newspaper called Sydney’s queer community to action, and the couple were nominated leaders of the 2008 Sydney Mardi Gras Parade. The hardest year of this young couple’s lives is documented through endless surgeries, physical and psychological recovery and their struggle to plan for their future. But at its heart, Holding Hands reveals that even in the worst circumstances, we can all create positive change.”
“A group of transgender women are violently beaten and left for dead. After regaining their consciousness the violated vixens turn deadly divas and with their new-found confidence and courage, slice their way to vengeance. A homage to the exploitation/revenge films of the 70’s and 80’s, this film sets out to create a new and unique genre called — transploitation. Loaded with titillating dialog, bodacious bods and extreme violence, this revenge-fantasy proves that it takes more than balls to get even.”
Murkowski: “I will not oppose the Defense Authorization bill if DADT repeal is part of it”
A friend who has spoken with Sen. Lisa Murkowski told me that she’d directly said to him, “We’re going to fight for your issues.” But as shown in comments broadcast last night on Anchorage’s CBS affiliate, KTVA Channel 11, the closest she’s able to come in public to saying what she said privately to my friend is more along the lines of, “I’m not going to fight you on your issues.”
DADT: Murkowski, update from HRC, and Maddow & the Daily Show take down McCain
Comments made by Sen. Lisa Murkowski to MSNBC’s Chris Hayes last night show it’s still important to keep the pressure on her with regard to repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Meanwhile, Rachel Maddow and The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart take down Sen. John McCain.
President Obama on DADT
President Obama discussed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in remarks yesterday morning after his post-election press conference. Video with transcript.
Miller, Moffitt and Phelps – Oh, my!
“We’ve got deep, deep roots in Kansas – multi-generations,” Miller said.Miller’s parents, Rex and Sharry Miller, live in Manhattan [Kansas], where Rex used to own Christian Books & Gifts.
Moffitt is the chairman of the Family Policy Network, a group that passionately opposes homosexuality.Moffitt’s Family Policy Network runs a project called “Hope for Homosexuals” that encourages “practicing homosexuals to ‘come out’ of that destructive lifestyle, and to ‘come home’ to the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ… While the homosexuals celebrate their perversions, they are confronted with the truth that there is hope for deliverance in Jesus Christ.” In June, the group hired an airplane to fly a banner near Disney World during a gay outreach day that read “Jesus Christ: WWW.HOPEFORHOMOSEXUALS.COM.” It has flown this banner in other spots where there might be a collection of gays and lesbians…The group’s guiding principles, according to its website, include opposition to all fornication and homosexuality. It denounces “any efforts to convince society that homosexual behavior or ‘being gay’ is somehow normal or natural.” The organization explains its antipathy to homosexuality “is the result of a healthy fear of God’s judgment that will otherwise be wrought on individuals who reject God’s laws and our our nation for turning a blind eye.” That puts the Family Policy Network in the extreme camp of anti-gay activists—those who believe that God could punish the United States collectively, if Americans tolerate homosexuality. (This is reminiscent of when Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson partly blamed gay rights activists for the 9/11 attack.)
Scott or Lisa? Values, not fears
With Scott McAdams gaining in the polls and Tea Party Joe slipping, LGBT democrats and undeclareds don’t have to vote for Lisa M out of fear of Joe. We can vote for the candidate who supports equality and can win, the only candidate who will vote to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell: Scott McAdams.
Two months ago, when Joe won the primary and Lisa announced her write-in campaign, LGBT Alaskans were divided between Lisa and Scott. We agreed that we had to stop Joe, but disagreed on which other candidate had the best chance of beating him.
When DADT came up for a vote in the Senate, we flooded Lisa’s office with calls asking her to be the moderate Republican she claimed to be and vote for the repeal. When Lisa confirmed that she would have voted with the GOP filibuster to block the repeal if she’d been in D.C for the vote, we learned that LGBT Alaskans are not important to her. We gave her a chance, and she brushed us off.
But the real tipping point for many voters was Lisa’s speech in honor of Rev. Jerry Prevo, a baptist minister who built his reputation by spreading lies and hate against gays. The man bragged that his main legacy is blocking gay rights in Anchorage. And Lisa honored him!
HERE is a sample of anti-gay hate spewing from Prevo, a sermon he gave last summer against the equal rights ordinance, including the long list of insulting names he repeatedly calls us. (If you’re not familiar with Prevo, follow the link and watch the video so you know first hand why Lisa’s tribute to him is so disgusting.)
Lisa fawned all over this hater at the 39 year anniversary of his career at the temple of doom, Anchorage Baptist Temple. (Did I mention that they do exorcisms on gay kids? Really!)
Watch Lisa’s tribute to the leader of anti-gay hate in Anchorage:
“It is such an honor and a real delight to be with so many here today… So much of what we’ve seen that has been good and strong has been built right here at the Anchorage Baptist Temple by Reverend Prevo… We thank you for what you have given our community – the guidance you have shown, and the love for so many. Continue it for another 39.”
Enough to make you sick.
Where was Scott McAdams that weekend? Scott spoke at the annual LGBT Pride Conference, impressing us with his support of equality and fairness for all Alaskans. Lisa didn’t attend.
The good news is that we don’t have to settle for Lisa out of fear of Joe. We can vote for someone who will vote for us, someone who has a real chance of winning if we pull together. Vote your values, not your fears: Vote for Scott McAdams.
Sitka lesbians, gays & allies for Scott McAdams
Scott McAdams is a serious contender for the U.S Senate and Lisa is trying to steal votes from him with an ad featuring her supporters from his home base of Sitka. It’s a low blow to turn someone’s neighbors against him, especially in a small town. But it doesn’t seem to be working with LGBTA Sitkans. The few gays, lesbians and out-spoken allies that I could find in Sitka are all voting for Scott.
When Scott won the democratic nomination and Joe won the GOP primary, I contacted a straight friend of my lesbian friend who used to live in Sitka. What did she think of Scott, I asked, and did she know any gay or lesbian Sitkans who might educate me on his attitude towards us?
She knew someone, and they knew someone, and we started a conversation. Three of them gave me permission to publish some of their comments – one lesbian, one gay man, and one ally – but only Mo, the ally, is comfortable including her real name with her comments. The others are ‘out’ about voting for Scott, but they (or their partners) do not want to be known as gay or lesbian to their employers.
The gay man summed up the thoughts of many LGBT Alaskans:
Scott would be a big improvement on what we have had and would get otherwise.
Our ally Mo McBride worked with Scott and had more to say:
I know Scott very well having worked in the school district he was on the board for. I will give you my impression which has its own biases… He is mayor of our city and was on the school board here for about 10 years. He has served on the statewide school board and even did some work with the national school board… I did not agree with his decisions many times when he was one the school board but I did not find him to be biased in his approach to his decisions. He has political speak which for me is like coctail speech, can talk briefly on many things and has good sound bytes but not good depth… He is a quick learner and can search out info when he wants to. He is supportive of gay issues, he has openly gay people who are working under him and they say he has not ever made that a concern for them… He is the first to say he is still learning, but he also now has experience in goveernment… I plan to vote for him even with my disagreements on his school board stuff. I think he can be an advocate for Alaska… I just hope we can keep Miller out. So my vote is for him and I think he is the most GLBT friendly vote of the three.
The lesbian and her partner both like Scott:
[My partner] liked working with Scott… I have dealt with Scott in a different capacity. He was on the local school district school board when I was a teacher within that school district. I dealt with him occasionally and it was always professional. He is our current mayor and seems to be doing okay. There have been concerns that the meetings are not as thorough and inquisitive when the assembly should be delving further into issues. Also, there are concerns that he has conflicts of interest between being mayor and working for Community Schools, which is a part of the school district. [He is currently on Leave of Absence from Community Schools, and Cheryl Westover is the new mayor.] I don’t know Scott on a friend level so I really can’t speak to more than this.
I’m pleased to hear that he attended [the LGBT Pride Conference]. I will be voting for Scott on Tuesday. There is no question about that for me.
There you have it – the word from LGBTA Sitkans: Vote for Scott McAdams!
Thanks to my Sitka friends for adding their voices to the conversation.
Scott also has a Sitka ad. Watch:
Miller to Maddow on gay rights: "I wanna be straight with you"
No. Not here because we have… 3-4 gay bars here in this small town of Anchorage, and probably over half of the people that’s in these campaigns are secretly gay but they won’t come out. So we don’t really have a anti-gay movement here like they have in other places because… diversity runs big here, very very big here, so we don’t have that problem.
Cheryl Wheeler performs in Alaska this week
Alaskans have two chances to see singer/songwriter Cheryl Wheeler: a solo show in Palmer on Wednesday, and a combined show with Dan Tyminski in Anchorage on Saturday.
Cheryl Wheeler writes folk music and love songs that have been performed by many other singers, for example Dan Seals and Chris LeDoux. But she’s also known for her comedy songs, including humorous ditties about potatoes, politics and religion. From “Dubya, Dubya” to “Lady Gaga’s Singing Program” and “Your God”, she entertains audiences with funny stories and songs in between the love and folk songs.
Cheryl and her wife Cathleen were married in 2004:
Since Cheryl lives in Massachusetts, she and Cathleen were able to get married. Cheryl’s sister flew up for the ceremony. When talking about the experience during her shows, Cheryl has mentioned that they are both surprised how different they feel now that they are married. They had assumed it wouldn’t make that much difference (other than legal issues), but have come to find out that being married really does make a difference.
Watch a music video of Aces, a classic Cheryl Wheeler song:
AFL-CIO: It Gets Better
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka speaks out against discrimination in the workplace and in support of the It Gets Better Project. He connects anti-gay school bullying to job discrimination, and encourages us to Make It Better by standing together for fairness and equality. (For a local example of this message, the Alaska AFL-CIO is working to unseat anti-worker & anti-gay Rep. Kelly.)
Watch:
