Gay AK Odds & Ends

Recent LGBT Alaska-related items on the web:

Beauty Queen Sissy

"Among closed-minded straights, [sissy] is a devastating insult," says the Advocate Magazine. So they give The Sissy Awards to the "biggest irritants" of the year. The winners of the 2008 award: Sarah Palin and John McCain. The announcement lists the anti-gay positions of the former running mates, including Gov. Palin's refusal to sign the National Coming Out Day proclamation submitted by Alaskans Together. The Advocate points out that "Anita Bryant was also a former beauty queen and ... a TV-ready smile can hide lots of homophobia."

Gay & Lesbian Alaskans Do Our Part

Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Family is a new awareness campaign to encourage LGBT families to consider adopting children. HRC unveiled the effort as part of its "All Children - All Families" initiative.

Gay and lesbian parents are currently raising 4% of the nation's adopted children, about 65,500 kids. The highest number of these families are in New England, the mid-Atlantic and the West Coast - and the highest percentages of gay and lesbian adoptive parents are found in Alaska, California, Massachusetts and New Mexico, according to PageOneQ.

More Gay Tourists in Juneau

RSVP Vacations announced a new all-gay Seattle to Alaska cruise on Holland America's ms Westerdam, on August 23 - 30, 2009. The cruise departs from Seattle and sails to scenic Glacier Bay, with stops in Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. The Seattle departure means they won't be partying at Myrna's with us in Anchorage, but SEAGLA will have more gay tourists to meet and greet. 

From the Fringe

The Anchorage Daily News posted a Compass editorial by the president of a fringe Alaska Family group, complaining that far right issues, like anti-choice and anti-gay legislation, are not "fringe" issues. He is "willing to fall on the sword" for these causes, but does not consider this "radical." To prove his (il)logic, he compares putting anti-gay discrimination into the U.S. Constitution to ending slavery in the British Empire! 

Meet MCC pastoral candidate Rev. Norman Van Manen

Rev. Norman Van Manen is visiting MCC Anchorage for the next ten days as a pastoral candidate. The community is encouraged to meet Rev. Van Manen during the Sunday and Thursday services, and to view his educational and pastoral history.

The Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage, a GLBT-inclusive church, has been without a pastor since Rev. Johnathan Jones resigned in May, after four years of service.

"While MCC Anchorage has done a good job in keeping the church together since we've been in transition," wrote Rev. Matthew Moak, the new Vice-Moderator, "the needs of the church have grown and we are headed in a new direction. A direction filled with hope, unity and love."

Rev. Norman Van Manen will speak at MCC for two Sunday worship services. "What Shall I Cry?" is his sermon title for Dec. 7, and "Let's Rejoice" is the topic on Dec. 14. The Sunday service begins at 2 p.m. and there is a time for fellowship after the service. 

Rev. Van Manen will also speak at Soul Food, MCC's mid-week dinner service, on Thursday Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. A $6 donation is requested for the meal. After this week, Soul Food will take a break for the holidays and will resume on January 9, 2009.

Vice-Moderator Rev. Moak will speak on "The humility in Christmas" for the Dec. 21 Sunday service. The community is invited to join MCC for a Christmas Eve Carol and Recital Service on Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. MCC meets at 7208 Duben Ave. in east Anchorage.

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Meet and greet pastoral candidate Rev. Norman Van Manen at MCC Anchorage: 

 

Dec. 7, 2 p.m. Sunday worship service, with speaker Rev. Van Manen on "What Shall I Cry?"

Dec 11, 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening Soul Food, dinner and program with Rev. Van Manen.

Dec 14, 2 p.m. Sunday worship service, with speaker Rev. Van Manen on "Let's Rejoice."

Visit MCC Anchorage's web site and MySpace page.

This Week in LGBT Alaska 12/5/08

Check out this week's events from Alaska GLBT News. For full listings, news and up-coming events, subscribe to AGN, the weekly email newsletter.

The Anchorage International Film Festival runs December 5-14, 2008. Over 150 films will be shown, and there are four Gay or AIDS themed films. 

Dream Boy (photo right), Queer Duck, and A Powerful Noise are showing this week (details listed below) and Half-Life shows next week. 

Watch the trailers for Dream Boy and Queer Duck here.

December 10 is International Human Rights Day. Don't call in sick to work, call in "gay" and spend the day helping your favorite Alaskan LGBTA non-profit. Join the national reverse boycott Day Without A Gay!

EVENTS

Juneau

Domestic Partnership Planning Seminar 12/9, 5:15 p.m. Free. See the flyer for details.

Fairbanks

Drag*d Through the Ages, a benefit show for IAA, 12/5, 8:15 p.m. $10 at the door, $8 for students/military. Dance party after the show.

Anchorage

Anchorage International Film Festival (AIFF) 12/5-12/14

Ever Ready in Anchorage 12/5 & 12/6, 7-11 p.m. at the AMVETS Post 49.

AlaskaRainbows Dinner 12/6, 5 p.m. at Chili's.

TLFMC Cookie Exchange 12/6, 7 p.m. and Hump Day Happy Hour at The Raven 12/10 & 12/24 from 5-7 p.m.

Queer Duck, with Sex Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll, at The Bear Tooth, Sunday 12/7, 8:30 p.m. (AIFF)

Meet MCC pastoral candidate Rev. Norman Van Manen 12/7 & 12/14 at the 2 p.m. service, and 12/11 at 6:30 p.m. for Thursday night Soul Food. See MCC for details.

A Powerful Noise at the Anchorage Museum, 12/8 at 7:30 p.m. and 12/13 at 6 p.m. (AIFF)

Dream Boy at The Bear Tooth, and after-screening party with Director James Bolton at Mad Myrna's, Wednesday 12/10, 7:45 p.m. movie, 10 p.m. party. (photo above)

Light Up the Winter with More Impact Events

Join the Impact, the group that promoted the nationwide prop 8 protest, is coordinating an ongoing series of national LGBT events through February 12, the annual Freedom to Marry Day. The goal is to keep LGBT issues in the media, keep the momentum going within our community, and keep having discussions about gay rights with more and more people. 

Some of their ideas are individual actions, like sending a postcard to Obama, wearing a white knot and participating in Day Without a Gay. Other events (LGBT Food Drive, Light Up the Night and the DOMA protest) require planning. 

Which actions do you want to do in Anchorage, Fairbanks and/or Juneau? 

Actions planned for specific dates

LGBTQ Food Drive - now through Dec 20: With the first national LGBTQ Food Drive for Equality, we will reach out not only to those who have worked alongside us, but to organizations and individuals that fear us and oppose our cause by donating to *faith-based* food pantries. 

Day Without A Gay - Dec. 10: On December 10, which is International Human Rights Day, don't call in sick to work, call in "gay" and donate your time to community service. Day Without A Gay lists local volunteer organizations that need your help. (Don't see your favorite Alaskan LGBTA non-profit on the Day Without A Gay Alaska page? Send them the link so they can get on the list before Dec 10.)

Light Up the Night - Dec 20: On December 20th, join us again for a nation-wide demonstration, Light Up the Night for Equality. Hold a peaceful candlelight vigil in the commercial center of your city, in memory of the rights taken away and in support of the 18,000 marriages in legal limbo.

Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) National Protest - Jan 10, 2009: DOMA states that a) states don't have to recognize same-sex unions from other states, and b) the federal government will not recognize those marriages, even if the state does. With DOMA in place, we cannot have full marriage equality. 

Ongoing actions

Project Postcard: Make an impact on the next presidency. Send Barack Obama a postcard from your town asking him to follow through on his promises around equal rights.

Wear a White Knot: The White Knot is the symbol for marriage equality. It takes two traditional symbols of marriage - white and tying the knot - and combines them in a simple way to show support for the right of gays and lesbians to marry. Wear the knot and tell people why you are wearing it.

Which actions do you want to do?

Milk, Dream Boy and Queer Duck: Gay Movies Come to Anchorage

UPDATE: Take the Milk Challenge!

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The movie Milk is opening in Anchorage on Friday, December 12 at the Century! Watch the trailer here: MILK

Unfortunately, Century/Cinemark is owned by Mormons who donated to Yes on 8. Some in the LGBT community are boycotting the Century and giving their movie dollars to supportive cinemas. Locally, we hope Milk will play at The Bear Tooth in a few months. 

Others are calling for a big national turnout on the opening weekends, because record-setting attendance for Milk will make it easier to get funding for future gay-themed movies. The message of Milk is timely, and the reviews sound great. 

What will you do?

1. See it this month at the Century (and not buy food or drinks, since they make most of their profit from the concession stand), or 

2. Wait until The Bear Tooth shows it in the spring.

Two other gay-themed movies are showing this month at The Bear Tooth for the Anchorage International Film Festival, which runs December 5-14, 2008. 

Queer Duck is an animated feature, and Dream Boy is a gay coming of age romance. For a special treat, go to The Gay-La, an after-screening party at Mad Myrna's with James Bolton, the Portland-based director of Dream Boy.

The trailer for Dream Boy (2008):

The commercial for Queer Duck, the Movie, which came out on Logo in 2006:

Fairbanks is "Drag*d Through the Ages" for IAA Benefit

Drag*d Through The Ages is a music, dance and comedy show with scenes from throughout human history: a caveman routine to a futuristic fashion show and plenty of drag fun in between. 

Stay for the dance party following the show, with music by local funk band The Good Daze, featured in one of the scenes.

Other headliners include Cold Fusion Tribal Dance (an experimental belly dance troupe) in a flapper number from the 1920's and a 1990's song, The Fairbanks Roller Girls doing a 1970's number, and Dance Theater Fairbanks performing an 1980's scene.

The program is also packed with drag kings and queens as cavemen, operatic Vikings, Victorians, flappers, silent film stars, 80's Vogue Off dancers, and fashion models of the future, plus songs from Marilyn Monroe, Al Green, The Blues Brothers, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Drag*d Through The Ages is sponsored by the UAF GLBT Alliance and is a benefit for Interior AIDS Association (IAA.)

Don't miss this hilarious one night only show!

UAF Woodcenter Ball Room, December 5th, 8:15 pm. $10 at the door, $8 for students. All proceeds go to IAA. Dance party after the show with The Good Daze.

Candlelight Vigils and Celebrations for World AIDS Day in Alaska

Today is World AIDS Day. Four A's in Anchorage and Juneau, and IAA in Fairbanks, are holding candlelight vigils and celebrations of life tonight in honor of the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day.

In Anchorage, join Four A's at the Alaska Wild Berry Theater for the Annual World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil at 6 p.m., and a free showing of Rent at 7 p.m.

In Juneau, Four A's is sponsoring Free HIV testing at the UAS Cafeteria from 12 to 3 p.m. and a Candlelight Vigil and Reception at the Baranof Hotel, at 5:30 p.m.

In Fairbanks, Interior AIDS Association (IAA) is celebrating their 20th anniversary and World AIDS Day at the UAF Salisbury Theatre with dance and theater performances at 6:30 p.m., followed by a candlelight vigil at 8:30 p.m.

While we have come a long ways since 1988, there is still much more to be done!