Category Archives: LGBTQA

It’s not “special rights,” it’s not “gay rights” — it’s EQUAL rights. In this case, equal rights for LGBTQ people which, for those of you unfamiliar with our alphabet soup, is interpreted as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, & queer (or questioning) people. And the A is for our terrific allies.

What's on the table: Anchorage equal rights ordinance

It’s been a long hard haul: six long nights of public testimony. Now finally tonight there may be some decisions made. Here’s the Assembly’s agenda tonight. The equal rights-related items are item 9.B.2, which is Dan Coffey’s resolution for a … Continue reading

Posted in Ordinance | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Delay by "task force": My testimony to the Anchorage Assembly

Over the past couple of weeks, Bent Alaska has been publishing some of the testimony of people who testified to the Anchorage Assembly in favor of the Anchorage equal rights ordinance AO 2009-64, which if passed will grant equal protection … Continue reading

Posted in Ordinance | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kelley testimony 2: Oncale Supreme Court decision on workplace sexual harassment does not protect LGBTs from discrimination

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc., 523 U.S. 75 (1998) was offered by one speaker in July 21 Assembly testimony as proof that existing law already exists to protect LGBT people from unfair discrimination. But, as attorney and UAA professor Pamela Kelley writes, Oncale’s application is very narrow: to sexual harassment between members of the same sex (regardless of sexual orientation) in the workplace.

Continue reading

Posted in Ordinance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kelley testimony 1: Contrary to prior Assembly testimony, existing law does not protect LGBT people from discrimination

Among the few arguments against proposed Anchorage ordinance AO 2009-64 that does not involve Christianist claims about the Bible is the claim that such an ordinance is unnecessary — that existing law already protects lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transfolk from unfair discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and financial practices. But this claim is not true, as attorney and UAA professor Pamela Kelley testified on July 21.

Continue reading

Posted in Ordinance | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Daily Tweets, 2009-07-21: Assembly public hearing #6

Note 7/22/09: Most of the tweets in this collection are from the Anchorage Assembly meeting, the sixth (& last) meeting at which public testimony was taken on the Anchorage equal rights ordinance which will, if passed, add sexual orientation/gender identity … Continue reading

Posted in Ordinance, The Daily Tweets | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Daily Tweets, 2009-07-21: Assembly public hearing #6

Mel Green, Occasional political blogger

After writing that post about Sarah Palin and her million dollar meme, I started to get worried: if I don’t look out, people are going to mistake me for a political blogger. Well. Maybe I am. Sometimes. Call me an occasional political blogger.

Continue reading

Posted in Itse, Ordinance, Polis | 3 Comments

The Daily Tweets, 2009-07-07 (Assembly public hearing #5)

@alaskacommons Whoa thanks for the good words John! I do okay when my hands aren’t killing me, huh? in reply to alaskacommons # @jansonjones Thanks Janson, nicel words to get the three hours of shuteye left to me on! 😉 … Continue reading

Posted in Ordinance, The Daily Tweets | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Daily Tweets, 2009-07-07 (Assembly public hearing #5)

Happy wedding! (for John & Heather)

Wishing my newfound blogger friends John Aronno & Heather James (of Alaska Commons & SOSAnchorage.net, respectively) a happy wedding.

Continue reading

Posted in Journal, Ordinance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bar Fragments (poem)

This is the series of couplets that includes the lines about Michael Jackson included in my last post. Though written in 1995, the experiences date from 1983-84, when I was in my 20s & often went out dancing (& drinking … Continue reading

Posted in LGBTQ history, Poems | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Bar Fragments (poem)

No Questions, Questions (poem)

You wouldn’t think Jerry Prevo would inspire poetry, wouldja? But this is the 2nd I’ve written b/c of him. Yikes.

Continue reading

Posted in No Way Way, Ordinance, Poems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments