The Best and Worst of 2009

Queer Alaska had a busy year! Here are some of the highs and lows compiled from the blog, the newsletter, and your suggestions on Bent's Facebook wall:

Best moment: The Anchorage Assembly passed the LGBT nondiscrimination ordinance.

Worst moments: Mayor Sullivan vetoed the nondiscrimination ordinance and Debbie Ossiander refused to override the veto.

Sweet Consequences moment: Ossiander was fired from the chair position on the Assembly.

Best LGBT improvement

State: Fairbanks School District added gender identity to the non-discrimination policy

National: The federal Hate Crimes Act

Worst narrowly avoided disaster: Wayne Anthony Ross becoming Alaska's Attorney General

Best allies: The 7 Assembly members who voted for the nondiscrimination ordinance, and all the allies who testified, wrote letters, and attended the hearings and protests, standing shoulder to shoulder with us in support of equality and against the forces of hate. Honorable mention to the Fairbanks allies who protested against the ex-gay speaker at UAF.

Worst homophobes: Mayor Sullivan? Debbie Ossiander? Rev. Prevo? Wayne Anthony Ross? Those crazed bigots spitting hellfire and homophobia at the Assembly hearings? So many to choose from.

Best visiting LGBT celebrity: Dan Savage, author of The Slog

Best LGBT movie shown in Alaska: MILK at the Bear Tooth in Anchorage, the Blue Loon in Fairbanks, and the Pioneer Theater in Homer. Honorable mentions: Outrage at the Bear Tooth, and Brother Outsider at the Anchorage Museum.

Best LGBT live theater: Midnight Soapscum at Out North, The Lion Sings Tonight benefit for Four A's, Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Pier One in Homer and Mad Myrna's in Anchorage, Sordid Lives at Myrna's, Dog Sees God at Out North, and Shakespeare's R&J by Thunder Mountain in Juneau.

Best solo shows: Tim Miller at Out North, and Bryan Emler at MCC.

Biggest events in Anchorage: PrideFest, Coronation, Celebration of Change, and the True Diversity Dinner

Fairbanks: the protests against the ex-gay speaker at UAF, the Fetish Ball, and PFLAG in the Golden Days parade

Juneau: Femme Fatale, the Pride Picnic, and the Pride Chorus concerts

Homer: Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and MILK

Mat-Su: April's Follies

Event most celebrated by LGBT people in different parts of Alaska: July 4th

(The 2008 event with the widest participation by LGBT people around Alaska was the Prop 8 protest.)

National event with the most LGBT Alaskans attending: National Equality March in DC