Support Hate Crime Legislation - Senate Bill 11 on Wednesday (tomorrow).

Senate Bill (SB) 11, the Alaska Hate Crimes Bill, has been scheduled for its first hearing, before the Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 16th (tomorrow). The full text of the bill can be found at: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=wgeha7bab&et=1104532789381&s=2431&e=001cM_R9Gfd-HQtY4HodEZbLzPuoG16tN08L2tc4iAoPdR92o5jW99Y8sNctUdt8i1shALek8h1jMyrJ372YtKfZSt-w2pUz7uYT6lgLcKH_IzFFBvSULgDN1MDC8zTXopDc9idX_1SmpfJyLF9LtNgiNm5GPp34l5ZMvd4LCmLKaLclxrQc_5YPnlmacOQNGWamqZ8Te0CXuc=

The Judiciary Committee meets at 1:30 p.m. and has several bills scheduled to be heard so testimony could be taken on SB 11 anytime between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. We invite you to provide short testimony in support of SB 11 as written which includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Testimony can be given in person in Room 105 of the new Thomas Steward Building adjacent to the capitol, by teleconference from your local Legislative Information Office (see http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=wgeha7bab&et=1104532789381&s=2431&e=001cM_R9Gfd-HS0cDnhpgQzgzH2zhE1EY_34Yi2XY2nd8onS9kXKyGcYOBYaNIi1yenvGNpFmxb2Z8h8eYLhXnOSo8jbVqRvPdAh7rA4PArD6-OZz07Uv-_VhTg92wvjqRqqMKf1LxZUb0= for the location of your LIO) or by calling toll free 877-763-5073.

If you are not able to testify tomorrow, please send a message to your own state senator and ask them to co-sponsor the bill and the members of the Senate Judiciary Committe plus the bill's sponsor, Sen. Davis.

The legislators are:

Senator Hollis French - Co-Sponsor

Senator_Hollis_French@legis.state.ak.us

Senator Bill Wielechowski

Senator_Bill_Wielechowski@legis.state.ak.us

Senator Joe Paskvan

Senator_Joe_Paskvan@legis.state.ak.us

Senator Lesil McGuire

Senator_Lesil_McGuire@legis.state.ak.us

Senator John Coghill

Senator_John_Coghill@legis.state.ak.us

Senator Bettye Davis - Sponsor

Senator_Bettye_Davis@legis.state.ak.us

If you are not able to send an email message, then your third option is a Public Opinion Message or POM, a short easy-to-send 50 word message that should be addressed specifically to the Senators listed above. Your POM could say something like: "I strongly support SB 11. Please pass this bill as written out of the Senate Judiciary Committee." To send a POM go to: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=wgeha7bab&et=1104532789381&s=2431&e=001cM_R9Gfd-HQ68iHvTBF-tOVEINNycrNAzKE3Vg3zEbavZxlh1PoqPcbJhlWB3R1lE_DzzKuG0nA9SKJX2FqdPhvp306Q0h7F7oWJolI9pJPVmbKP42Skm6-lR0pvZYoi  

As members of Alaskans Together for Equality, we look forward to hear your testimony on Wednesday during the Senate Judiciary Committee. If you have any questions or need any assistance preparing your testimony or written communication, please feel free to contact us at alaskanstogether@gmail.com.   

   

Sincerely,

Board of Directors

Alaskans Together for Equality Inc.

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Coalition To Assess Discrimination

A new comprehensive survey will gather information about experiences of discrimination and bias in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Anchorage, Alaska.  The Anchorage LGBT Discrimination Survey is the first survey of its kind in over 20 years, and also the first ever to gather information about the experiences of transgender Alaskans.

In the summer of 2009, the Anchorage Municipal Assembly passed Ordinance AO 2009-64(S-2), which would have protected LGBT residents of Anchorage from discrimination.  The Mayor vetoed its passage.  Despite existing data and reports documenting discrimination, opponents of equal rights, including Mayor Sullivan, stated that there was no evidence of discrimination against LGBT people in Anchorage, and thus protections were “not needed.”

“Having comprehensive, rigorous data about experiences of bias and discrimination among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Alaskans is crucial to understanding the needs of our community.  I look forward to being a part of this important project,” said Melissa Green, who will serve as one of the investigators for the survey.   

“This will be the first survey since the 1980’s to explore experiences of bias and discrimination in the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community in Anchorage, Alaska.  I believe the launch of this survey is a crucial moment in learning about and addressing the challenges that transgender Alaskans face,” stated Anja Gensel, a local activist for transgender rights.

Survey data collection will continue until February 28, 2011.  Responses are completely confidential.  All members of the LGBT community are encouraged to participate.  

Online surveys are at http://alaskacommunity.org, and on the ACLU of Alaska website at http://www.akclu.org, by clicking the button marked “LGBT Survey.”  Respondents will need an individual PIN number to access the survey.  To obtain a PIN, or a print version of the survey, contact Shelby Carpenter of the ACLU of Alaska at (907) 263-2006 or at scarpenter@akclu.org. 

The Survey is a coalition effort by organizations that serve the Alaska LGBT community including Identity, Inc., Alaskan AIDS Assistance Association, Alaskans Together for Equality, Equality Works, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Alaska.  

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