Last Wednesday, August 17, saw the first meeting of the Anchorage LGBTQA Town Hall to discuss “the best means and methods for advancing LGBTQ equality in Anchorage.”  Equality Works, which led the campaign for the passage of Anchorage equal rights ordinance AO-64 in 2009 (later vetoed by Mayor Dan Sullivan) presents the following open letter to the community about how it is restructuring itself in preparation for a new positive campaign toward LGBTQ equality in the Anchorage municipality.

Dear LGBTQA Community,

After the recent Town Hall meeting, Equality Works felt the community gave strong support for a positive campaign for LGBTQ equality in Anchorage (either through a ballot initiative or municipal ordinance). Equality Works met the following Sunday and discussed how to move forward, be more accountable to and work more closely with the LGBTQA community.

Equality Works is a coalition of organizations working to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents of Anchorage from discrimination and unfair treatment, focusing on five key areas:

• Housing
• Employment
• Public Accommodation
• Finance
• Education

To achieve a higher level of accountability and transparency, Equality Works implemented a more formal structure. This structure will allow us to act more strategically and ensure accurate community representation, while at the same time supporting robust community dialogue, including easy avenues for input and guidance. This new structure includes two components: (1) Community Advisory Council, and (2) Campaign Leadership Team.

The Community Advisory Council will be made up of LBGTQA organizational and individual stakeholders. Our goal is to have as broad and deep representation as possible. Membership in the Community Advisory Council is based on a commitment to:

• Support the mission of Equality Works
• Send representatives to attend meetings
• Volunteer time
• Assist in fundraising efforts
• Assist in spreading the message of Equality Works

To become a member, contact Johnathan Jones at jjones@akclu.org or (907) 263-2006. In addition, we will be actively recruiting stakeholders to join the Community Advisory Council. All members will be listed on the Equality Works’ website.

The second component is the Campaign Leadership Team. This team will work in conjunction with a professional Campaign Manager to ensure the campaign is run in the best interest of the LGBTQA community and will succeed by April 2012.

Trevor Storrs will be chairing the Campaign Leadership Team, the Community Advisory Council will select its’ chair and Johnathan Jones will continue to volunteer as support staff to both.

Equality Works will be hosting a community outreach forum very soon to share greater detail on the new structure and the campaign plan. If you have any comments, concerns or ideas please contact us. We truly desire open and honest communications with our stakeholders and community. You can contact Johnathan Jones at: jjones@akclu.org or (907) 263-2006.

Johnathan Jones
Equality Project Manager
Equality Works
907.263.2006