Growing Up Gay in Alaska

Discrimination against LGBT Alaskans, growing up gay in Alaska, and The Family are the topics of a front page story in The Northern Light, the newspaper of the University of Alaska, Anchorage. 

The first part of the article covers the ACLU of Alaska's preliminary report on LGBT discrimination, and the second part covers The Family, especially members who grew up in rural Alaska. The article also tells students about Identity, Inc. and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center in downtown Anchorage.

This part about The Family compares the experiences of gay teens in Anchorage with those who grew up gay in rural Alaska:

Vicki Mason, current president of The Family, an unofficial UAA club, said that while discrimination is not a huge problem in Anchorage, the group has had to deal with people ripping down posters and signs that advertise the group's presence.

The Family has had a presence on campus for years. Its goal is to act as a family for straight and LGBT students who may have nowhere else to turn.

Many members of The Family spoke about outreach they had growing up. Many who lived in Anchorage were part of their high school's Gay-Straight Alliance. Others, especially those who had grown up on the Kenai Peninsula, had absolutely nothing.

One student, who grew up in Soldotna, grew up dealing with harassment, fear and name-calling. Several students who attended Homer High School said that one student had been beat up for being gay; the assailants only received a three-day suspension as punishment.

Another member of The Family who grew up in the lower Kuskokwim River Area, said that in most villages there was a general feeling of "don't ask, don't tell."