LGBTQ special protections sought in HB 99

By
Suzanne Downing
-
198

A House bill that adds lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual and queer (LGBTQ+) people as a protected class in Alaska was the subject of public comment hearing on Monday, during the bill’s review in the Alaska House Labor and Commerce Committee.

In a change from prior years that has been unrecognized by left-run media, the House is giving a respectful ear to bills offered by minority caucus Democrats.

The bill was offered by Rep. Jennie Armstrong, who ran for office as a pansexual, (a person who is variously sexually attracted to any manner of gender identities.) It’s a vague virtue-signaling term that allows people to be gay or not gay, depending on the day or time, or depending on the audience.

For over 90 minutes, people from Alaska and beyond called in to testify in favor of House Bill 99, which has the support of leftist groups such as Planned Parenthood. Only two people called in to oppose the bill.

In addition to sponsor Armstrong, Reps. Andrew Gray, Ashley Carrick, Rebecca Himschoot, Genevieve Mina, Andi Story, Cliff Groh, Andy Josephson, Alyse Galvin, Zack Fields, Donna Mears, Neal Foster, C.J. McCormick, Sara Hannan, Bryce Edgmon, and Calvin Schrage have cosponsored the bill.

Committee Chair Mat-Su Rep. Jesse Sumner has received over 900 letters supporting the bill — all of them contained the exact same wording, also urging members to oppose the governor’s parental rights bill, which would prohibit schools from being able to rename students or re-gender students without their parents’ knowledge.

HB 99 says that it would be unlawful for a real estate broker or sales person or any other entity to say in any way that a person who is LGBTQ would be an undesirable person in a neighborhood, and would lower the surrounding property values or create a decline in the quality of nearby schools. That protection as a special class would be extended to “gender identity or expression,” “sexual orientation,” or gender preference in sexual relationships, among other things.

According to a report submitted to the committee, a 2012 Gallup poll show that 3.4% of people in Alaska identify as LGBT. 

198 COMMENTS

  3. All anti-discrimination laws directed at the private sector, are wrong in my view, because they take away some fundamental human freedoms (the freedom to choose what we want). Adding yet another “protected” category to a long list, just provides more meat for predatory, shark-like lawyers to sink their teeth into. Business owners have enough to worry about just staying afloat, without having to contend with shakedowns, “settlements”, and other forms of intimidation and robbery.

  4. A protected class means the state has a compelling interest to protect LGBTQ by strict scrutiny of any actual or perceived acts of discrimination. This standard is used to protect other classes of individuals by race, origin, ethnicity, etc., AND gender, meaning female or male. Here, the modification of the protected class under gender is to subdivide into classifications that fall outside of the scope of established science (BIOLOGY), meaning:
    .
    men who pretend to be women, women who pretend to be men, men who pretend to have children with other men, women who pretend to have children with other women, homosexuals who pretend to be heterosexual when desired, heterosexuals who pretend to be homosexuals when desired, and transexuals who pretend to be non-transexuals when desired.
    .
    Literally, anyone could fall into this proposed category of protected class depending on how they decide to sexually portray and orient themselves at any given point of time. This would establish complete chaos for the state. Anyone could sue for any reason depending on how they want to consider themselves sexually at any given moment in time, for any reason, to initiate a discriminatory action.
    .
    A complete breakdown of the legal system would result from this kind of abuse. This proposed bill is an invitation to insanity.

    • Wonder which LGBTQ law firm wrote HB99?
      Wonder which LGBTQ law school graduates these twisted human beings?

    • ChrissyB, everyone who is a co-sponsor of this piece of trash house bill is already insane. We are unwittingly electing people to the legislature who need deep psychiatric care. They are attempting to bring us all down with their mental illnesses.

    • Excellent analysis and comment. The worst part of legislation like this is the way that it weaponizes the legal/administrative system to prey upon honorable members of society based on a subjective feeling of a complainant. Guilt is PRESUMED. Just say no, with extreme prejudice.

  5. Time to buy a pair of rainbow colored socks and tie-dye shirt if you want to cash in on this. Did the Rainbow People sell out?

  6. We want a bill protecting non alphabet people. We don’t want to be discriminated against. So it makes sense that we have a bill also.

      • So how about a link to the social media cesspool that you and the rest of the 900+ disturbed goofs used to copy and paste your butt-hurt spam from, Maureen?

        • Not on any social media, nor their cesspools AS. Apparently you are as you brought up social media cesspools in the first place.

      • Really?
        Have you actually spent any time out there on social media? Plenty of discrimination against straight men and women.

      • Your not being discriminated againt any more than enyone elce either Maureen. Life is not always fair. Do you think it was fair what happened to the Jewish people? They were and still are discriminated against. How about the Native American people? They were and still are discriminated against, how about poor people? Disabled people, brown people. Autistic people, elderly people White people, ugly people, men, women, fat people, skinny people, gay people, straight people, pretty people, mentally ill people, Short people tall people, smart people and not so smart people. People of all different faiths and flavors were and still are discriminated against. We all have been looked down on by others. At some point we hopefully grow up and accept the fact that life is not always easy for any of us. Life most certainly is not fair. None of us are immune to poor treatment by another human being. Nothings changed. Go to Afghanistan and live as a woman who wants to simply uncover her face or read a book or speak and then you can cry discrimination. Until then, ya’ll quit your crying and put your big girl and big boy panties on and be greatful for the progress that has been made. None of us need look far to realize that we have alot to be thankful for. We have a law on the Glenn hwy at this very moment that says 65mph that does not mean people abide by it. We don’t give a rats about who you choose to sleep with anymore than you give a rats who I’m sleeping with. I also don’t care where you live or work as long as you do your job, are a decent person and keep your sexual prefrences to yourself. Its none of my business. A new law is not going to insure that I accept you anymore than you accept me. That comes with time and trust built over time based on your behavior. Does the lgbtq community realy think that we need to educate grade school age children on the lgtbq lifestyle or even the heterosexual lifestyle in the hopes they will grow up a more tolerant adult when our children are failing basic reading writing and arithmetic? This is where you are going to get the push back.

      • That is a very interesting statement from you Maureen, since there are numerous posts that you have written right here on MRAK that discriminate against straight men. Especially when it involves abortion. You are discriminating based on sex on one hand, but claiming there is no discrimination based on sex on the other hand.
        .
        Not surprising really. You are a leftist, which means you have the reasoning skills of a toddler.

        • “You are a leftist, which means you have the reasoning skills of a toddler”.
          .
          And, I would add, the emotional maturity of one as well. And yet this person is in the business of professionally counseling others. It’s no wonder we live in such a messed-up world.
          .
          (PS: My own personal experiences with counselors over the years were consistently negative, demeaning and manifestly unhelpful. I strongly suspect I would have had the same sort of experience with Maureen.)

  8. The governor’s parental rights bill is the first step to ensuring that America survives these lunatic “woke” actions. I grew up and never had issues with Gays or Lesbians because they chose to do whatever it is they do. However, now that we have persons identifying as trans, fish, butterflies Etc… and you are forcing the rest of us to bow to your desires has gone too far.
    You are already protected as a human and have the same treatment I do, no special case for you.
    Go be whatever you want to be but don’t ever expect humanity to address you for what you think you are. If that’s the case, then I identify as being correct and you all are wrong. Accept it!

      • Maureen- I understand that you may not know the definition of a protected class. So here is another way of looking at it. Pedophiles, rapist, murderers, etc are all considered a class. When will they get their own HB? How about those that want religion and bibles back in schools, will that start happening again too? The squeaky wheel makes a lot of noise but all it means is that its wearing out and should be replaced. Just like this ridiculous idea. America and the world have more important issues to worry about than ignorant ideologies. I am happy to be considered willfully blind if we can agree on the facts. These are choices made by persons on their lifestyles. It does not mean that I have to agree with who/what they are or follow their delusions.

          • You are correct…they are just a class like the others.
            You must realize that civil rights protect all of us and not just a special class.
            Even those that disagree with this idiotic venture and don’t have to follow their practices or beliefs.
            It cuts both ways. Ironic, isn’t it?

            Liberal illogic!

          • They are NOT a persecuted class! If that’s the case then white men, black and brown persons, 1 armed Asians, women pretending to be women are a persecuted class. Christians, Muslims, kids with blonde hair are persecuted classes. It never ends!
            Everyone has equal rights and can refuse services to anyone.

      • Wrong again, Maureen.
        .
        “Woke” (sic) = a radical leftist extremist and neo-marxist, neo-puritanical authoritarian with an inverted and perverted sense of morality, and with a permanent (and unjustified) victimhood mentality.

      • Woke = schoolyard bully writ large. Control freak that wants to bend the population to their view of the world. Power hungry individual who wants to be “in charge.” for a while because they are offended/outraged. Child.

  9. 3.4 % identify as alphabet people, yet they dominate the Anchorage Politburo
    and exert highly disproportionate influence over every aspect of Alaska life.

    And they want protection?

    Liberal “logic” At its best.

    • Imagine wanting legal protection when you don’t have it? Oh, the horror! In what way does this impact your life at all, except maybe exciting your righteous indignation?

      • Imagine wanting the right of free association, and wanting to not pander and bend over backward for a tiny and mentally ill minority of misfits.

      • It takes away from EVERY FEMALE in Alaska.
        3.4% of you DEMAND that 96.6% of we Alaskans protect you from discrimination….
        You are already protected as an American and Alaskan, now you want your sexual preferences protected. I do too, from YOU!!

      • They have it already. There are a myriad of laws aimed at preventing harassment and discrimination. All the way up to and including laws against assault, rape, and murder. Either you are trying to make this group a special class with more protections than the rest of us or you think that having even more laws is going to somehow protect someone.

          • If everyone is already a protected class then this bill is completely superfluous and thus unnecessarily unnecessary.

          • Maureen oh but they are getting more that everybody else. First in line for government jobs , schools, freebie handouts, no police presence, free to live on other people’s property well I could go on be you won’t understand.

          • Mark Vets are the first in line for all those government jobs, freebie handouts and such you listed.

          • Please tread lightly if you want to use vets as an example. We don’t get ‘freebies’. We paid dearly for the chance to go to the front of the line for some benefits.

      • Legal protection against… what exactly?
        Who is persecuting these people? Are there really enough people out there that are harassing LGBTQWERTYWHATEVER groups that a law protecting them is required?
        Oh, let me guess, you will cite the people who think drag shows in front of children is not OK, and that books with instructions and illustrations teaching pre-teens how to have anal sex means the LGBTQWERTY+-*/= crowd is somehow marginalized.
        .
        Nope. Not buying it.
        Want to be transgender, go ahead. I do not care. Want to be gay, fine, not my place to tell you who you should be attracted to.
        But, simply being left alone is not enough for these activists. They must me elevated and placed at the top in order to… I do not really know… in order to reduce discrimination, or something.

        • They do it to make damn sure that you know if you mess with them, you will be charged with a hate crime and they will throw away the key. That’s it in a nutshell. Now if you’re not planning on messing with any of them, and simply look the other way or ignore them, I think ultimately that’s what they desire. They want to feel normal, be accepted. Same thing as a leper felt back in the day.

          • Feeling normal, and demanding laws that turn a simple altercation into a hate crime are not even close, like Mercury and Pluto apart.
            .
            And, I disagree. Everything I have seen out of this movement, as well as the feminism, or black lives matter, or the marriage equality movement is not about feeling normal or accepted. It is about being in control. Being in charge. Having the opportunity to oppress those that they feel oppressed them.
            .
            When you said “They do it to make damn sure that you know if you mess with them, you will be charged with a hate crime and they will throw away the key.” you confirmed that position. That is schoolyard bullying writ large and it uses the power of the State to do it.

          • Lepers had no choice in contracting leprosy, Greggy, whereas the sexual degenerates have chosen to be what they are. That’s it in a nutshell.

            Moreover, lepers were removed from society due to rational concerns over protecting the public from exposure to harm and not because they’d made appalling and unhealthy choices which they then expected others to accept as normal.

        • Quit trying to ban books in schools then. We already have laws covering what you say is not covered.

          • Not “books”, Maureen, PORNOGRAPHY.
            .
            Even you are not so stupid as to not be able to distinguish the two. But not, apparently, not disingenuous enough to pretend otherwise.

          • We already have laws covering ponography to protect children J. Why even more.

            You ultra conservative folks sure do want bigger government.

          • OK, so if I were to include a copy or Letters to Penthouse, or a Nancy Friday book, or anything from Anais Nin in the school library, you would be OK with that? I doubt it. I am not because those books are not remotely appropriate for school age children.
            This is not about “banning books” it is about keeping the school library at an appropriate age for the children in the school.

          • Your logic is difficult to follow.

            – You are a lesbian yet you are lobbying in support of a book aimed at teaching young boys how to be homosexuals via pictures and accompanying narrative.

            – The gay community represents maybe 3% of the population tops yet you advocate pornographic and masturbatory books be provided in order to guide and groom the more easily influenced among us.

            – The other 97% of boys in the school would like to have an area in the library where literature from Maxim, Hustler, Playboy and others could be enjoyed along with a little privacy and a clean, ASD provided gym sock or two would be appreciated as well.

            For those @ 97% of students that do not exhibit aberrant tendencies would you also suggest that they be accommodated as well? Maybe a few privacy kiosks set up in the library stacks?

            …because that’s not what school’s for. You know that, right?

      • Look, cman, I shouldn’t have to explain it to you but homosexuals carry nasty diseases at far higher rates than normal people, they violate kids at far higher rates than normal people, they soil the healthy social order with their very presence from the moment they think it’s okay to step outside of their closets, they all too frequently demand special privileges from the rest of us, and they expect us to accept their willful mental illnesses as if there’s some equivalence between their crimes against nature and normal relationships.

        You’re out of line, Sonny. Go meet a nice girl and try to straighten out that wreck in your noggin.

    • The squeaky wheel has always gotten the grease. If they’re going to live in a neighborhood near me, and they follow all of the neighborhoods covenants, I don’t have a problem with them being around. They need to stay out of my bedroom though just like they prefer I stay out of theirs. People today need to learn to be more accepting at least out in public. You can be your own King inside your own castle. If you want some entertainment though you should come down to one of their parades. Talk about the freak show. It’s pretty entertaining. Some think that we’re all laughing with them, but in reality we’re laughing at them. Just be civil. That’s all anyone can expect.

        • Are you honestly saying there are people in these United States of America who do not have civil rights? We grant civil rights to illegal aliens who have absolutely no legal right to be in this country, and you think there are people in these United States of America who do not have civil rights…sheesh, some people.

          • When one can refuse someone for hire or housing while holding a public license to oversee either, because of who they love or how they orient when it has nothing to dowith the job duties or rental agreement, then yes-some need inclusion as a protected class.

            Both of these are legal presently.

          • It’s legal to not hire someone or provide them housing for ANY reason, or for no reason. It is currently ILLEGAL to not hire someone or provide them housing due to many reasons including their race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.

          • Like I would like to be treated, or like I deserve to be treated?
            If I am polite, and protect the children, and not push my sexuality or ideas about sexuality on others, I expect to be treated the same way. On the other hand, if I do push my sexuality on children, I deserve to have my behavior…. corrected.

    • Yeah. Remember when you could tell a black person they weren’t allowed to sit at the front of a bus or in a restaurant? Those must have been the good old days for you, huh?

      • More irrational and illogical false equivalency from you, c(ommunist)man.
        .
        As I said before, you radical leftist extremists do not have five functioning logic synapses between the lot of you.

      • Cman, there literally is no comparison to the mistreatment of black people due to their skin color, as they were created that way, and the protections requested by this bill which provides protections to those in society who work against nature. One is diversity in creation, the other is a choice made by a human to act in a certain way that opposes nature. Folks that scream for these issues, 3.4% should recognize that, as long as they kept to themselves, so did the silent majority 96.6%. The more you scream, the more of us are awakening to repel such efforts.

        • So at what age did you make the choice to be heterosexual? If you say you were born that way then your comment is, at best, hypocritical.

          • C(ommunist)man, if homosexuals are really just born that way, and being gay is just an accident of birth, then there is logically nothing for them to be “proud” about, every June or at any other time. Are you “proud” that you have whatever hair color or eye color you have?

      • No. I don’t remember those days. Know why? Because our country grew and changed. Now days I don’t give it another thought when I see someone with different color skin or dressed differently. Why should I treat someone differently because they demand it? If you are gay/lesbian and want me to respect you, don’t ask for special treatment. I’m more interested in whether they vote to maintain our borders, grow our economy, and have a strong military.

        • I like your start Paul.

          How about support of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all?

          • Hi Maureen. My basic point is that the country already has Constitutional and legal protection for all citizens. We do have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Also, each and every state/locality has laws against basic harassment, assault, and general discrimination. [For the newcomers to the Constitution, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness means you can’t be in fear for your life during daily living. You can’t be held against your will just because of who you are. And we all have the right to pursue that which makes our lives better.] Just remember that ‘pursuit of happiness’ just means you can pursue jobs, education, wealth, etc. It does NOT guarantee a positive outcome.
            Since we all have those Constitutional rights guaranteed to us from the highest source, what about the local laws?
            I know of no local entities that legally allow any person to be harassed in any way. If anyone here knows of a place, point it out to me. Its also illegal in all areas of the United States to assault, rape, or murder another person. Is there any argument so far?
            In light of these points, Maureen, wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is not a law problem, but there may be enforcement problems? I will not argue that certain groups may not have equal enforcement protections. I.e., a gay man or lesbian woman may be legally protected in all areas of the U.S. but in some areas the local authorities do not enforce those laws equally. Can we agree to this point?
            My position is that since we in fact all have the same legal protections, in any cases of harassment, assault, murder, etc, the law is broken no matter who the victim is. There fore if justice is not pursued, then the legal authorities are at fault and THEY are breaking the law themselves.
            Example: If I was assaulted, the crime should not change whether I was gay or straight. The crime is still an assault. Now, if the cops/DA interviewed me and decided that they will not file charges because I was gay or straight, then THEY also become law breakers.
            Do you disagree with any of this, Maureen? Let me know.

          • That is rich coming from a radical leftists authoritarian extremist like you, Maureen.
            .
            The very concept of liberty is anathema to you. You, and every other lockstep radical leftist extremist, repudiate liberty with every breath you take, and in every element of your dystopian, Orwellian political and social agenda.

          • Paul I hear you. Please understand-LGBTQ+ folks ARE in fear of their lives from real harrassment in their lives. Like the push to limit discussion in our schools about the naturally occuring irregularities across our greater population. Or messaging particular members of our Assembly members with violent death threats regarding their sexual orientation? When it’s untracable calls in the middle of the night and viciousness from annonymous social media accounts-even with the laws we have now it gets to one-the harassment, most of which is terrorism. Yeah we need additional light on this one.

            Yes we agree enforcement is a problem. A huge problem. So is holding a business license or a registered deed and denying hire or housing because of LGBTQ+ status. And making public ordinances and state laws that openly limiting LGBTQ+ presense in our libraries and schools because of religious beliefs, and not that anyone had been hurt. Can we agree on these pieces?

          • Maureen. Sounds like we agree on the enforcement point. But that still brings me back to your last reply. I agree that anyone in a PUBLIC position has very little room to deny services due to most factors. So if you are in (insert any group here) and you are looking for services from fed, state, or local government, legally you cannot be denied. But what about private business? We’ve never met, but I have red hair and a big moustache. If I only want to hire or rent to other Irishmen, who has the legal standing to tell me I can’t? Kinda like the Colorado baker. He chose not to do business with a gay couple and even referred them to another baker. He was a private business that made a choice about who he wanted as a customer. I don’t see a problem with his choice. I also don’t see a problem with the gay couple telling all their friends about his refusal. Then let the chips fall where they may. If he loses enough business he can shut down or change. If not, he stays in business and local gay people will go elsewhere for cakes. To me, that is the freedom of individual choice that each and all of us should be able to exercise.
            Let me ask you, and anyone else reading this thread: how would your opinion change if you removed LGBT from the discussion and subbed in something else. One example would be giving special licenses to Asians because they are said to be worse drivers than the rest of us. If that thought pisses you off why would the original story not piss you off?

          • Paul if you have a state or local business license I expect you to abide by state or local laws there in. Your view appears to be No One But Irish need apply. I can’t abide by that. The Colorado baker story was a misjudgement advanced through dark money religious right leaning politics behind the last three Supreme Court judges’ placement on the bench.

            If anyone suffers the harassment, discrimination, assault and murder LGBTQ+ folks do, why of course I would support inclusion within our non-discrimination laws.

          • But, Maureen, a privately owned business is run by a citizen. Public offices are run by public officials. I see that as a huge divide. Why would any individual be required to hire according to any entity other than themselves. I have sole responsibility to hire my employees at my business. I should have the ability to hire anyone that I see fit.
            You once told me that you sought out all female medical teams. I applaud you for that. There is nothing that exemplifies individual freedom more than the ability to seek out services that work best for you. And only YOU can make that decision. Laws like that described in this article will lead to some government entity coming to my shop and checking to see that I have hired the correct percentage of gay/straight/male/female/Christian/Muslim/white/black/asian/hispanic/etc. How would you feel if someone told you that you had to have some mixture of culturally appropriate persons on your medical team? I would stand with you against that action until my dying breath!

        • I am old enough to remember segregation. Which is why I recognize the absolute stupidity of trying to conflate alphabet people with racial discrimination.

          Not only is it intellectually vapid, it’s insulting to the people who had to endure it.

          Especially when one considers the civil rights movement was to be treated the same as everyone else, not special treatment. Sadly that’s what it became, which is another reason to avoid the same mistakes.

          The people who attempt such linkage elevate stupidity to levels no one should attempt to achieve.
          It speaks to lack of understanding of history, basic civics, and an overall low intellect. Hysterical rants in place of an argument.

          In this case, drama queens if you prefer.

          • What makes you believe the LGBTQ+ community is asking for more than everyone else regarding civil rights?

          • Maureen, possibly the fact that they are asking for more in regards to (supposed) civil rights than anyone else?
            .
            Freedom, including the right to freedom of association, demands that every person be able to interact, or not, with others however or whenever they wish. Anything less is tyranny.

      • I remember when black kids used to beat the hell out of me in school and the teacher was afraid of getting their tires slashed and look the other way. I remember getting chased home by a mob of black kids once. There were so many outside you couldn’t see the green on the grass. I remember my mom having a butcher knife in her hand peering through the living room curtains at them. I remember the squad car is sliding in to a stop and someone jumping up on the hood of one of them and say they can’t take us all in. Yeah I remember the good old days.

      • Cman you’re just not happy so go to a safe place. Your logic is so out of date it is hilarious. Do you remember the Vikings? Do you remember the civil war? Things have changed.