A repost from the GLBT forum for more visibility.

"Equal Rights in Anchorage: A Small Step on a Long Road" - The Mudflats

Last night was the Anchorage Assembly meeting in which the public was invited to give testimony about ordinance #64, which ensures non-discrimination in housing, education and employment for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered persons.

Pastor Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage mega-church the Anchorage Baptist Temple was the one organizing those in opposition to the passage of the ordinance. We all knew it was going to be a dramatic evening.

As I was heading out the door, I remembered that I’d gotten something from Equality Works in an email saying to wear blue. So, I quickly ran upstairs and changed into a blue shirt.

I arrived at the Loussac Library a little late. As I drove down 36th Ave., I was reminded of a sunny day last fall when 1500 people had gathered here with Obama signs, speaking out and telling the world as best they could about why they were not supporting Sarah Palin for VP, even though they lived in Alaska.

As I approached, I saw a group of teens all wearing red. Some were holding signs that had a stick figure of a man and then a plus sign, and then a stick figure of a woman. There was a little blonde girl, about 7, who had a sign that said “Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin.” I wondered what conversation her parents had with her about what she’d be doing this evening, and about what her sign meant. I wondered what part of “love” meant denying employment, education and housing.

On the opposite corner was another group of red teens, standing right next to a group of blue teens with letters spelling out E Q U A L I T Y. Dueling ideologies between teenagers who, under different circumstances, could have been friends. It all seemed very strange already.

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A guy with a sign started walking back and forth on the street, leading a group of children and young adults in a chant. “Go straight! Straight is great! Go straight! Straight is great!” I stood there, and they passed by and several people made eye contact with me while they were yelling, as I stood there in my blue shirt. My inner voice yelled back, “I AM straight. You do not have to be gay to recognize injustice.” But I knew they were not in the mood to listen.

I wondered if any of the testimony I’d heard inside helped people to understand anything. Maybe there were a few people in the audience that all of a sudden realized that LGBT people are…. people.

I saw a sign that said:

We must live together like brothers, or perish together as fools.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

That was a good note on which to leave. The Assembly will meet again next Tuesday to hear more testimony. More hours made up of three minutes.

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