Gay AK: locals win grants & awards, unblock web sites, thank Kristara

News and notes from LGBT Alaska

Gay Youth sites unblocked in Mat-Su schools
The Day of Silence website was unblocked from the Mat-Su school computers a week before the April 16 national event, according to Melissa, a high school student in the district. It was blocked all school year under the catergory of "Pornography/nudity." She gave her teacher a list of blocked LGBT websites that are age appropriate for students and now they can be accessed from school computers. She thinks that this affects all schools in the Mat-Su School District, but she's not sure. Go, Melissa!

ACLU wins grant for LGBT voter campaign
The ACLU of Alaska won a 2010 Pride Foundation grant "to identify, educate, and register new pro-LGBT Anchorage voters." Since 2007, Pride Foundation has invested over $100,000 in twelve organizations that serve Alaska's LGBTQ community. In addition, numerous Pride Foundation scholars hail from Alaska. The next grant application for organizations based in Alaska will be available in June.

Identity thanks Kristara for birthday fundraiser
Last Saturday night's fund raiser for the Gay & Lesbian Community Center and Kristara's birthday was a great evening of community, laughs, and donations for the Center. Our thanks go out to Kristara (ICOAA Empress 17, 26, 30, 32), Myrna, all the divas, Kevin and Paige, Mikey, sound, lights, food, folks at the door, and everyone who was there for this special evening.

72% support hospital visitation
In an unscientific poll conducted by KTUU.com Channel 2 News in Anchorage, respondents were asked, "Should hospitals grant the same visitation rights to gay and lesbian partners that they do to married heterosexual couples?" Of the 430 people who voted, 72% said Yes, and only 28% said No. The April 16 poll was in response to President Obama's memo ordering the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation, including for gay and lesbian couples.

Gay-Straight Alliance wins UAF Diversity Award
The GSA student group at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks won a Diversity Enrichment Award and $100 at the SOAR awards ceremony on Saturday. The GSA is leading the effort to add gays to the UA non-discrimination policy, participates in the annual Day of Silence against anti-LGBT bullying, and raised awareness about the controversial ex-gays when a workshop was held on campus. Read the full story.

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