The Westboro Baptist wackos are threatening to protest Wednesday's memorial service for Senator Ted Stevens held at Anchorage Baptist Temple. Most likely, they won't come - they announced several Alaska protests over the years but only showed up once, protesting Anchorage PrideFest in 2003.
Many state and national dignitaries are attending the ABT memorial for Stevens, the iconic senator of Alaska who died in a plane crash last week with four others. Stevens was respected by Alaskans of all stripes, and a protest against him will not win points with anyone, not even with locals who support WBC's anti-gay message.
But the irony of America's most anti-gay, media-craving, batsh*t crazies protesting at the home of Anchorage's most anti-gay, media-craving, batsh*t crazies is not lost on Alaskans.
Last summer, ABTers held Homos are going to Hell protests against the equal rights non-discrimination ordinance, which was passed by the assembly but vetoed by the mayor. Their mass produced signs with large block lettering on primary colored backgrounds, similar to Westboro's 'God Hates Fags' signs, were designed more to get media attention than to get assembly votes.
The LGBT community of Anchorage and our allies held Equality Rallies outside the assembly chambers, focusing on positive messages in favor of the ordinance. The signs were creative, clever and individually made.
But our LGBT friends and allies in the lower 48 have dealt with years of anti-gay protests. They honed the counter-protesting of anti-gay bigots into an art form, bringing signs that turn the protest on it's head by making fun of the haters.
Next time ABT and the local bigots hold an anti-gay protest, we can take our cue from the signs in this video and respond to their idiocy with humor:
The video below compares signs recently seen at anti-gay marriage rallies around the country and reminds me of the signs at last summer's Ordinance 64 rallies in Anchorage: mass produced signs of bigotry from the Prevo/Burke anti-gay mob vs. creative individually made rainbow posters about equality and love held by LGBT people and our allies.
The video below is good, but it leaves out the most infamous hate sign from this summer's anti-gay NOM rallies. That sign calls for gays to be lynched. This is what hate looks like:
Intro to the video
In 2010 the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) launched a nationwide tour to "protect marriage." At each stop they were met with meager supporters and large protests against NOM's message of hate and intolerance.
NOM complained that the protests were violent, intimidating, and hateful, which they weren't. But it's ironic because gays have been facing real hate and real intimidation for years and years.
This is a slideshow from protests I attended during Massachusett's marriage equality fight, as well as from around the country.
"(T)his time she's "Going Vogue!" Watch out, Grandma Palin. Ru's got on her red anorak and she's ready to govern! And I'm guessing Ru knows her way around a lumberjack. Plus, I'm sure Ru also knows all about laying some serious Alaskan pipeline."
The third Ally Week post celebrates the determined and creative actions of the Gay-Straight Alliance at UAF, and their allies on the staff and in the community, in dealing with CBC's pray-away-the-gay speaker on campus last month.
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Gay and lesbian students and staff at the University of Fairbanks got an unpleasant surprise when they entered the Wood Center in mid-September: "GAY? LONELY? CONFUSED?" read a banner hanging from the stairs. The solution was to stop being gay, according to the "ex-gay" speaker Edward Delgado, who was invited to UAF by Campus Bible Club to preach on how he stopped having sex with men and became heterosexual through Jesus. His speech was called "From Sin's Bondage to Christ's Freedom!"
This was not a good way to start the school year. Nothing like a big homophobic banner in the central gathering place of the campus and a 4 day anti-gay religious event at a public university to ruin the welcoming educational atmosphere for the gay and lesbian students and staff.
But the Gay-Straight Alliance was all over it. At first, the GSA wanted the banner taken down.
"We aren't looking to stop the speaker, as he does have the right to speak," wrote Jessi Angelette, "but the banner is uncalled for. Many people from staff to students are offended by it and are working to have the banner removed."
Their plan to ask the Chancellor to remove the banner started a wide-ranging discussion in the comments of the News-Miner article and Bent Alaska post about freedom of speech and using more speech, especially humor, to counter hate and absurdity.
The students prepared factual flyers on the so-called "therapy," wrote on the UAF free speech wall, organized a peaceful sit-down protest, and created a positive banner to hang next to the anti-gay one.
Delgado's first speech was on Tuesday Sept. 15. "There were GSA members who went to hear what the speaker had to say, including me," wrote Jessi. "We thought that if we were going to be opposing someone we might as well hear what we were opposing."
Was he reasonable? "I would have to say no," Jessi replied. "One person said to the speaker that he was happy for him that he found God and everything but that he is happy with who he is and was wondering if the speaker could show him the same kindness and be happy for him... the speaker said NO."
"One GSA member saidthe speaker gave the most hateful loving speech she has ever heard."
That night, UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers addressed the issue during the Convocation ceremony:
"I'm committed to an open and welcoming and inclusive university. It's important to me that this is a community where people feel safe and able to pursue their academic goals. I know there are times where this campus does not feel welcoming, inclusive or safe to some of our members. I'd like to change that."
"For those in this community who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, I'm sorry that there are people who are intolerant of who you are."
The video of his speech includes photos of the anti-gay banner and the free speech wall:
With the support of the Chancellor, the GSA fought the "ex-gay" lies with truth and humor, and creative support came from all sides.
A few students put up a temporary banner near the anti-gay one, but it was quickly replaced with an approved banner advertising the weekly GSA meetings. The rainbow poster (above) starts, "Gay? Bi? Ally? Be Proud! STOP the HATE."
"I was contacted by a friend who does graphics and he offered to do the graphic for us on the computer so that we could get it printed right away," wrote Jessi. "We then took it to the Graphics Artist in the Wood Center and he printed it for us, then we talked to the scheduling office and got the banner authorized to go up that day."
Creative responses also came from UAF staff. Kate Wattum's photoshopped parody-banner advertised her "Life of Laughter (lol)" story "Move Forward, Never Straight: 'Gay' for 46 years and partnered to a fabulous woman and has three children!"
But Wattum thought the anti-gay banner should stay up for a different reason. "I think it is absolutely critical that everyone is reminded that gays face this harassment every day," she wrote.
Fairbanks resident and "Nuggets" creator Jamie Smith, a former UAF student, drew a cartoon about it for his blog ink & snow:
"Delgado was quoted saying 'the homosexual lifestyle leads to promiscuity, abuse, alcoholism and drug abuse'..."
"Fact is, the vast, overwhelming number of promiscuous, diseased, abusive drug-addicted alcoholics (some of the darned nicest folks you'd ever ask for as friends, I might add) are heterosexuals. You know, the very same people who keep constantly screwing up marriage; that righteous bastion of American moral purity, the sacred institution threatened with destruction by same-sex unions."
"Never got around to hearing any of Delgado's speeches, or a chance to confront the guy with his hypocrisy... But when all's said and done, I'm left using the tools that I have been blessed with, lobbing poo from the sidelines. So I went home and drew about it..."
Meanwhile, Jim Minnery, president of the Alaska Family Council, told their parent organization Focus on the Family that Chancellor Rogers refused to bar Delgado from the campus, entirely missing the point that the GSA never asked for him to be barred. FOF recently got out of the ex-gay business because their donations are down this year.
"Kudos to him," Minnery said. "There are folks on the campus that may have a more conservative bent in their mindset, and I hope they're emboldened by this."
But the students who were made bold by the Chancellor's speech and the outpouring of support from the campus and community are the gay and straight students who faced this threat together and grew stronger.
"The GSA has an amazing amount of energy and has spearheaded quite a bit of that toward some good dialogue," wrote Pete Pinney of PFLAG Fairbanks. "We support them."
Jessi summed up the week for the GSA:
"The GSA not only had people stopping by the meetings after the whole thing, but it was so amazing to see how much support we were getting on campus. While we were doing our sit-down protest, a very nice man bought a few of us hot chocolate, and then later on even our Chancellor sat down with us for a few mintues... ON THE FLOOR!"
"We have had so many people tell us we were so awesome in the way we handled ourselves. For those who were once worried about how the campus feels about GSA being on campus... that week the speaker was here showed us our campus' true colors. The support we recieved was a happy and welcomed surprise. I have never been more proud to be a part of this campus then that week."
Kudos to the Gay-Straight Alliance for being true allies!
The second post for Ally Week 2009 highlights business ally OfficeMax and local employee Christopher Oeser, who won a company-wide Diversity Award for marching in the Anchorage Pride Parade with the OfficeMax banner.
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Gays and lesbians in Anchorage have many workplace allies, from corporations with LGBT-inclusive diversity policies to small business owners who supported our efforts for a non-discrimination ordinance. One business ally is OfficeMax, a multinational office supply company with stores in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
"I just found out that my work made me the 2009 diversity champion," enthused Chris Oser on August 8, three days before the Assembly passed the ordinance and nine days before the mayor vetoed it.
"There are only 3 diversity champions in the whole company... I am having dinner with the CEO in September and I get a trophy. I am way excited and wanted everyone to know. Officemax is an awesome place to shop and work for the LGBT community!"
What did Chris do to win a company-wide diversity award? And what did OfficeMax do to get such a loyal employee?
In May, Chris called the corporate office and suggested that OfficeMax support LGBT diversity for the month of June. "Our work is all about cultural diversity and working inclusively with each other, and they pride themselves on doing that," he wrote.
And they did, as Bent reported on June 4. When Chris returned to work at the OfficeMax store in the Northway Mall, he saw a rainbow poster in the break room that read, "OfficeMax Celebrates Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Pride Month: Embracing Inclusion."
"My company OfficeMax made this June LGBT Pride Month," wrote Chris on the PrideFest wall. "I am so proud to work there!"
So he asked if he could march in the local pride parade with the company's diversity banner. And they said yes. Chris and a few others marched in Anchorage PrideFest holding a colorful banner with the message "OfficeMax: Celebrating Diversity Through Inclusion."
OfficeMax displayed their Pride Month posters in many stores and their LGBT employees marched in other pride parades. They even had a float in Chicago Pride. But they had never been represented in Anchorage PrideFest until Chris came along.
So they honored their proud employee with a company award. Just three days before the Mayor's no-diversity-allowed Unity Dinner, the CEO of OfficeMax flew to Anchorage to present a Diversity Award to Chris.
CEO Sam Duncan, Diversity officer Caroline Brooks, the head of Retail and head of Human Resources all attended the special Diversity Lunch on September 22 at the Northway Mall OfficeMax store. Leaders of the Anchorage LGBT community came to share the moment with Chris, including Phyllis Rhodes of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, and Kevin Holtz & Miss MeMe of the Imperial Court of All Alaska.
"We had seafood dishes, King crab legs, and really good desert," wrote Chris. "I played piano for everyone. Most people didn't know that I could play 13 instruments."
And that's how OfficeMax showed their employees and the community that they Celebrate Diversity Through Inclusion. Even LGBT inclusion. Even here in Anchorage.
On Ally Week, straight students pledge to support their gay friends by speaking out against anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. In Alaska, we are fortunate to have many allies, both teens and adults, who speak out for us throughout the year.
In honor of Ally Week, Bent Alaska is celebrating our allies and the alliances that enrich our lives.
Students created Ally Week to build upon the good work of Gay-Straight Alliances across the country. Whether you belong to a GSA or not, Ally Week is the perfect time for you and your friends to sign the Ally Pledge:
"I believe all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression deserve to feel safe and supported.
That means I pledge to:
Not use anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) language or slurs.
Intervene, if I safely can, in situations where students are being harassed.
Support efforts to end bullying and harassment."
School is not the only place where LGBT people face harassment, and the GSA's are not our only organized group of allies. Four chapters of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) also speak out for LGBT Alaskans.
In addition to these organized ally groups at school, at home and in the community, LGBT Alaskans have many individual allies at work and play, in the church and the government. Our allies in Anchorage stood against bigotry this summer, testified for equality, reported the fight for our rights, and took action in support of diversity.
Today's Ally Week post is a video slideshow about the True Diversity Dinner, an Anchorage event that celebrated our political allies. Thanks to the wonderful allies who created and participated in this event, and to ally Janson for the video:
Anchorage cartoonist Peter Dunlap-Shohl on Mayor Sullivan's shameful veto of the equal rights ordinance:
This isn't the first time Dunlap-Shohl has drawn about our struggle for protection. In 1992, Dunlap-Shohl's cartoon on the attempt to add sexual orientation to the Equal Rights Charter appeared on the cover of a special issue of The Northview, Identity's magazine.
Steve Gingrich remembers that cartoon. On the left was a person with the caption: "This person wants - A chance to work, a place to live, and a little privacy." On the right was a person with a sign with 'GAY RIGHTS' within a circle with a diagonal, and the caption: "This person wants - To perpetuate bigotry, to impose his religious views on others, and to undermine the right to privacy." Below was the question: "Which is demanding special privileges?"
"I keep returning to the "Special Rights" theme because it is so galling and cynical," writes Peter. "My blood pressure is going up right now just thinking of it."
Thanks to Peter for creating this cartoon. More of his work can be found on his site Frozen Grin.
Gay Alaskans planned the queerest July 4th in years, with openly LGBT contingents in three Independence Day parades around the state. Then Gov. Palin announced her resignation on Friday, ensuring that all Alaskans - gay and straight - would have a downright queer 4th of July.
That's So Palin
Palin's resignation speech gave no real reason for quitting in the middle of her first term as governor, so Alaskans spent the holiday weekend speculating on why she did it. When bloggers wrote about rumors of investigations, Palin's lawyer issued a statement warning reporters not to investigate and threatened legal action against Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore. Threatening freedom of speech and freedom of the press, on Independence Day? That's so... Palin.
Meanwhile, LGBT Alaskans in Homer, Anchorage and Ester added a festive touch of queerness to our local Independence Day parades.
Anchorage Something Fierce
Two floats brought LGBT creativity to Alaska's biggest Independence Day Parade. 'The Starship Something Fierce' hovered around the Delaney Park Strip with the Queer Trek crew on the bridge, hosted by the Imperial Court's Duke & Duchess of Anchorage. Youth 14-19 rode their own float, 'Let Our Colors Bloom, Youth for Equality' which was covered with rainbow flags and balloons.
Making History in Homer
The new Homer PFLAG chapter painted a rainbow skiff for the July 4th parade, cut ALASKA rainbow toe-socks from Safeway into colorful arm and leg warmers, added a hula-hooper in the truck, and paraded down Pioneer Avenue carrying signs saying "support", "advocacy", "respect", "peace" and "equality" for LGBTQ people, their families and friends.
"We were received very warmly," said PFLAG board member and hooper Catriona Lowe. "It felt like people saw us there, understood what we were about, and really appreciated what we were doing."
This was the first time in Homer's history that LGBTQ community members, and their friends and allies, marched in a local parade as an openly-gay contingent. Over 20 adults, 6 children, and 3 dogs marched with the float, making it one of the largest groups in attendance.
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) burst onto the Homer scene a few months ago, sponsoring a booth at the health fair and the movie MILK at the Homer Family Theatre. The group decided to further increase its visibility by marching in the 4th of July Parade. Alaska also has chapters of PFLAG in Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage.
Ester Dyke on Bike
Dykes on Bikes (a.k.a. the Thursday Women's Motorcycle Group) planned to ride in the irreverent Ester Fourth of July Parade, where it's traditional to bribe the judges.
"This year there was only one Dyke on Bike," writes Jeanne, coordinator of the women's ride night, "but with an appropriate bribe (I gave a bottle of Gnarly Head red zinfandel to the judges) I, on behalf of all Dykes on Bikes, won the Most Colorful award." A dyke giving the judges gnarly head?
And that wraps up our Queerest July 4th Ever!
Photos:
The crew of 'The Starship Something Fierce'
'The Starship Something Fierce' float and truck
Youth float, 'Let Our Colors Bloom, Youth for Equality'
The Celebration of Change Silver Anniversary show was performed on Saturday, June 13 in the Wilda Marston Theater, presenting a variety of female musicians, poets and comedians to the mostly female audience.
Celebration is the main fundraiser for RAW, Radical Arts for Women, a Lesbian and Feminist philanthropic group that funds Alaskan women art projects.
The Wilda Marston Theater is also being used this month as the overflow room for the Assembly hearing on the equal rights ordinance, which seeks to add "sexual orientation" to the Anchorage nondiscrimination policies.
But on June 13, the Wilda Marston rocked with the sounds of women's voices, from original jazz to pop and opera, Balkan folk songs on the accordion to the Mary Tyler Moore show theme song, and covers of rock and country. Several of the performers are new to Alaska or new to Celebration. Other performers, and many audience members, have been coming to Celebration of Change for years, or decades.
The Radical Woman Award 2009 was presented to Victoria Shaver for her work with Celebration and the LGBT community. Congratulations, Victoria!
The parade of bigotry continued inside the Assembly chambers on Wednesday as opponents to the Anchorage ordinance demanded the right to keep discriminating against gays.
Outside the library, DJ Dan spun tunes for the demonstrators. Ordinance supporters celebrated diversity and civil rights, while opponents pushed lies and fear.
How many hours of prejudice does the Assembly need to hear to recognize us as a stigmatized minority group? How many days and weeks of personal attacks do we need to sit through to gain legal protection?
The next scheduled hearing is on Tuesday, June 23. Please wear blue.
June 1 is Blogging for LGBT Families Day 2009. The Pride Chorus is "a chorus of mothers, daughters, sisters, lovers & grandmothers" and Juneau Woman of Distinction Marsha Buck does her LGBT activism on behalf of her children, so this is Bent's LGBT Families Day post. Last year's post wasTwo Moms and Two Boys DO Make a Family.
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The Juneau Pride Chorus annual (spring) concert was early this year, 'way back in February. In March, the Chorus sang at the annual AWARE Dinner, where Chorus member Marsha Buck was honored as a Juneau Woman of Distinction. In April, the Chorus sang at the Juneau Folk Festival. Then in May, they opened for a special concert by Emma's Revolution.
"It was a privilege to open for Emma's Revolution and sing a song with them," writes Pride Chorus member Juanita Reese. "There was a big turn out, and they are wonderful people - funny, inspiring - with good music."
The Pride Chorus also performed the opening set for the Women of Distinction Dinner. Marsha Buck attended the dinner with her daughter Lys, who was visiting from Wisconsin.
"She and her wife, Liz, and their two children are the ones on whose behalf I do my LGBT activism," writes Marsha.
In addition to being a member of the Juneau Pride Chorus and a Juneau Woman of Distinction 2009, Marsha is a member of PFLAG Juneau and the Board President of Alaskans Together for Equality.
"These women were chosen for their dedication and relentless service to peace, justice and the empowerment of women," reads the Women of Distinction 2009 page. "Each honoree has enriched the lives of women and children and has made a legacy of compassion out of their own lives."
The 35th Annual Folk Festival described the Juneau Pride Chorus as "a chorus of mothers, daughters, sisters, lovers & grandmothers bonded by a love of singing and & a desire to celebrate diversity."
The theme of the Women's Pride Chorus 2009 annual concert in February was Women's Bodies, Women's Strength. The concert was followed by a dance, with music performed by female musicians.
The Juneau Pride Chorus singing at AWARE's Women of Distinction dinner in Juneau.
Marsha Buck with her daughter Lys at the AWARE Dinner.
Chorus member Juanita Reese at the AWARE Dinner with her daughter Janae.
Mo and Lin of Juneau were legally married in San Francisco City Hall on Sept. 15, 2008, exactly eighteen years after their original (non-legal) wedding. Today's California Court decision means they are allowed to remain married, although other same-sex couples will not be able to legally wed in California.
The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage, and also ruled that gay couples who wed before the election will continue to be "married" under state law. A statement from Alaskans Together for Equality and the link to the Anchorage protest information was posted earlier.
Many Alaskan same-sex couples were married in California last year when the marriages were legal, and were waiting to hear if the court would divorce them. Other couples were hoping they would be able to get married in California this year.
Conservative groups that support the ban are angry that the 18,000 couples married before the election can stay married.
On Oct. 5, Mo and Lin held a Jump the Broom wedding reception in Juneau, and their friends created a Human Arch of Love and Acceptance for them to walk through. Then Mo and Lin joined hands and raised their arms as part of the Arch, and other couples walked through.
"We may need to do that Arch of Love and Acceptance again and again, letting it grow until all are included and equal in our nation," wrote Mo after the reception. "Perhaps we can have arches of love and support all over our state in 2009, or all over our nation."
Here are photos of the Arch of Love, the Newly-wed/Oldy-wed Game, the 3-tiered cupcake tower, and Mo & Lin dancing at the Juneau reception after their California (still-legal-today) wedding:
Lin responded to today's CA court decision: "It's a sad day for fairness and equality but I take heart from many things. Fair-minded people are planning for the next step toward full equality. I take heart from Meghan McCain's recent words (paraphrased), "Republicans believe in fairness and equality and I believe that supporting gay marriage is part of our platform."
Mo is in California today and plans to attend the Day of Decision action in Santa Barbara tonight. She sent this response:
I will use Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words here among mine, my hero of civil rights introduced to me by my Father in the 60's.
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
Now is the time for us all to work together, harder than before to change this injustice.
"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it."
Let us stand together, let me hear YOU!
"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."
Good people please join us, and let us be the change we wish to see in this world.
