Yesterday, I was on the Shannyn Moore Show (1020koan.com) for my weekly segment, Thursdays in the Mud. I’d just come from the press conference held by the One Anchorage campaign which will put basic equal rights for the LGBT community on this spring’s Municipal ballot. It proposes the radical notion that gay and transgendered people [...]

Remember when Ordinance 64 came before the Assembly? It stated that the LGBT community should have basic equal rights when it comes to housing, education, employment and use of public facilities. Pretty basic stuff, right? Well, after almost 24 hours of public testimony (including testimony from people who didn’t even live in Anchorage, yet were [...]

You might remember that in September, a coalition of organizations launched the One Anchorage Campaign: The One Anchorage campaign filed an application this morning with the Anchorage Municipal Clerk’s Office to place an initiative on the April 2012 ballot asking voters to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Alaskans in the same legal protections [...]

Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa. The fight to to keep marriage [...]

This afternoon in Anchorage, several hundred people gathered in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protesters. A crowd this size was a fantastic turnout for an event that was promoted largely on Facebook and by word of mouth. The weather cooperated beautifully. It was a gorgeous sunny autumn day in the 50s, and spirits were [...]

You don’t hear THAT every day. But today, we did. It seems that the exclusion of same-sex couples from the property tax exemption that benefits seniors and disabled veterans violates that amazing document known as the Alaska Constitution. Glory be. The ACLU was on the case and challenged the exclusion of same sex families on [...]

Last week, an organization called Equality Works launched the One Anchorage Campaign for a ballot initiative to be voted on by Anchorage residents in the Spring 2012 Municipal Election. The initiative would add sexual orientation and transgender identity to the Municipality’s Equal Rights Code. Per the Press Release from Equality Works: One Anchorage Files Initiative [...]

Yesterday was the first day that same-sex marriage was legal in New York. Phillis Siegel (76) and Connie Kopelov (84) were the first to marry at Manhattan’s City Clerk’s office. They have been partners for 24 years. Congratulations to all the couples who tied the knot today in New York, the sixth and largest state [...]

  In this clip, Keith Olbermann talks to Ken Vogel of Politico about the potential trainwreck, or elevation of the Bachmann campaign. With the less than inspiring, less than electable GOP lineup, Michele Bachmann is actually rising in the polls. What kind of “First Dude” would this oft-compared to Sarah Palin potential candidate bring to [...]

We were lucky to have not one, but two Mudflatters in the Big Apple this past weekend, enjoying the various Pride events happening around the city. New Yorkers had something extra to celebrate – the passage of a bill in the state legislature legalizing same-sex marriage. First, we had Mudflatter “Wormtongue” who went to the [...]

To commemorate the historic vote on marriage equality in New York state, and Pride celebrations across the land, I’d like to point you to one of my very favorite satirical websites - God Hates Shrimp. What’s that all about, you ask? Well you know when people start quoting Leviticus to defend their stance against gay [...]

  ~The Empire State Building in rainbow colors last night to celebrate marriage equality   I, like many Americans, sat last night riveted, watching the New York State Senate debate and vote on a bill for Marriage Equality. I watched while Senator Ruben Diaz monopolized the floor talking about how his rights were being violated [...]

If you missed your invitation from about 100 different sources on Facebook or didn’t read one of the news articles or blog posts, there’s a block party going on in Fairview today! The events are listed on the flyer above. For a larger copy, just click on it. As it turns out, something that could [...]

~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more! Derby Day! That’s right. Today with your plate of tasty oyster news nuggets, you can also enjoy a mint julep. (pause while that sinks in) OK, maybe not the best combination, but you understand my metaphorical drift. It should be an interesting [...]

~Thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more and more! A Mudflatter recently asked me what an “Oyster Roundup” was, and I thought it might be time to give a refresher. In the epic poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, the two main characters walk along [...]