[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1589497994154{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Voices for Equality – Identity’s Advocacy Program
Welcome to the home of Identity Advocacy Team. Our purpose is to advocate the rights of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender individuals for an inclusive community for all.

The Advocacy Program is an ongoing proactive effort to inform Alaskans that the LGBTQ+ community plays a valuable role in creating a better environment for all of us. The Identity Advocacy Team is a respected and recognized team who individually and collectively educates the larger Alaskan community to build LGBTQ+ equality. The team facilitates broad-based strategies by modeling proactive advocacy and is committed to sustainable participation and visibility.
Through education and partnership, we can develop alliances and understanding to expand our voice in the Alaskan community. We hope you will be interested in joining our efforts. This site is a open forum for discussion of issues as well as a tool to assist in advocacy efforts.

Recent Accomplishments

• 2013-11 – UAA Social Justice Class – Effects of Heterosexism
• 2013-10 – Anchorage Society for Human Resource Mgmt.
• 2013-07 – DOMA Repeal Q&A
• 2013-07 – Fairview Block Party Display Booth
• 2013-06 – Transgender Students – High School Teacher Course
• 2013-05 – GLBTQ Youth in Foster Care Teen Conference
• 2013-05 – Provide training Humpy’s Restaurant on Transgender
• 2013-05 – Dock on the Block for USSAnchorage Sailors-Marines
• 2013-02 – Rogers Park Health Fair

2012 Activities

• 2012-12 – Alaska Children’s Services – Working with LGBTQ youth in residential care
• 2012-10 – East High School – Teen Issues Class
• 2012-10 – Anchorage Community Share Fair – Federal Bldg.
• 2012-08 – Diversity Training for Federal Managers
• 2012-04 – Bilingual-Mulitcultural Education State Conference
• 2012-04 – Convenant House Health Fair
• 2012-04 – Spenard Community Health Fair
• 2012-04 – Anchorage Senior Center Health Fair
• 2012-04 – Stellar High School GLBT Tolerance Class
• 2012-01 – Alaska Civil Rights Resource Fair, UAA
• 2012-01 – Second Annual Alaska Health Summit

2011 Activities

• 2011-11 – University Center Community Health Fair
• 2011-10 – UAA Class Women and Social Action
• 2011-09 – Airport Health Fair GLBT Awareness
• 2011-08 – Cross Cutural Communication for Medical Providers
• 2011-07 – Shell Oil Diversity Presentation
• 2011-05 – AMP (young men’s group) Long-Term Relationships
• 2011-05 – APU Graduate-level Counseling Class
• 2011-04 – STAR Sexual Assault Child Abuse Awareness
• 2011-04 – Stellar High Gender Identity-Expression Class
• 2011-03 – East High – Teen Issues Class
• 2011-02 – Anchorage Equal Rights Commission – Edie Bailey reappointed

2010 Activities

• 2010-12 – East High – Growing Up Gay – 2 sessions Bio and Q&A
• 2010-11 – Anchorage School District (with PFLAG) – Resources for high schools: counselors. nurses, librarians, principals, GSAs
• 2010-10 – Dimond High School Contemporary Problems Class
• 2010-10 – Statewide Nurses’ Conference
• 2010-10 – Our Whole Lives (OWLS) Youth Retreat
• 2010-10 – UAA Women and Social Action Class
• 2010-09 – Abused Women’s Aid In Crisis-AWAIC Staff Training
• 2010-08 – UAA Residential Life Advisor Training
• 2010-06 – APU Graduate Counseling Class Panel Discussion
• 2010-05 – St. John UMC Welcoming and Reconciling Group
• 2010-04 – Pride Foundation Scholarship Finalist Interviews
• 2010-04 – Bilingual-Mulitcultural Education Conference
• 2010-04 – Anchorage Senior Center Health Fair
• 2010-03 – AK Public Health Nurses Conference
• 2010-02 – East High School – Teen Issues Class
• 2010-01 – Covenant House Panel – working with homeless youth
• 2010-01 – UAA Diveristy Month The Laramie Project & Living as GLBT people

2008 Activities

• 2008-12 – Eagle River High School Q&A Dignity & Diversity Class
• 2008-12 – Women in Recovery (Stepping Stones) – Panel discussion and Q&A about sexual orientation and sexuality.
• 2008-09 – Unitarian Univeralist Fellowship & Planned Parenthood – Our Whole Lives – Youth Training – Diversity and Sexuality
• 2008-06 – Unitarian Universalist Fellowship – Provided a history of local and national LGBT community activities and issues.
• 2008-06 – Alaska Pacific University – Held a panel discussion about counseling the GLBT community and did a Q&A with master’s level counseling students.
• 2008-05 – East High School – With PFLAG, we held a discussion with 25 students in a “Teen Issues” class about GLBT issues.
• 2008-05 – Center for Health Training – Panel discussion on improving counseling skills and service to LGBT clients.
• 2008-04 – Alaska Public Health Nurses Conference – Panel discussion on the availability and safety of health care delivery to LGBT clients.
• 2008-04 – East High School – We addressed the “Teen Issues” class of 18 students to help teens understand GLBT issues.
• 2008-04 – YWCA – Held workforce diversity training.
• 2008-03 – East High School – Helped a class of 25 teens understand GLBT issues during a presentation and Q&A.
• 2008-03 – Providence Family Medicine Center’s Noon Didactics Presented information on standards of practice for health care services to the GLBT community, cultural competency, intake and interview language, increased access to care.

2007 Activities

• 2007-09/10 – Participated in Mayor’s Diversity Month Activities including an open house at the GLCCA on “Coming Out Day” and Mayor’s Diversity Dinner.
• 2007-09 – Office for Public Advocacy(OPA) – Presentation on communicating to the LGBT community and mentoring for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
• 2007-09 – UAA Student Leadership Workshop – “How to be an ally to GLBT people”.

Advocacy Team

We would like to introduce you to the Identity Advocacy Team (IAT), a program sponsored by Identity, Inc. The mission of our program is to advocate for the interests of the Alaska LGBTQ+ community and their allies. The team is comprised of people who individually and collectively educate the larger Alaskan community to build LGBTQ+ equality. Our mission is to start discussions, open dialogues and provide information.

With the plethora of opinions and commentaries regarding recent ballot measures, many businesses, governmental agencies, educators, and social organizations have realized a need for more education on LGBTQ+ issues. Companies are including sexual orientation and gender identity non-discrimination language in their corporate policies, yet are having trouble applying these policies to every-day practice.

Needless confusion, misconceptions and conflict result due to both the lack of factual information and the knowledge of how to access local and national resources for assistance. If employers hold dialogues and planning sessions without credible information, the result is often unsuccessful and can negatively impact employee satisfaction and morale. Additionally, these unsuccessful instances only serve to reverse the advances that have been made in LGBTQ+ acceptance in the workplace.

Identity, Inc. is spearheading our program. In its existence under several different names over the past thirty years, Identity has already made a strong impact in the community by creating programs like Anchorage Pride, SAGE Alaska, youth programming and Identity’s Winter Fundraiser. The IAT, through Identity and other local LGBTQ+ organizations, will partner with local and national organizations to provide resources dedicated to creating an allied community for Alaska. Corporations, educational institutions, health care professionals, community leaders, and other interested organizations can feel comfortable that they are addressing the important issues and information needs by engaging the IAT. Our research, information, and insight are intended for both straight and LGBTQ+ audiences.

By way of this introduction, we hope that your organization will become involved with the Identity Advocacy Team when you have the need for speakers and information on LGBTQ+ topics. We would also like to partner with organizations with which we share common goals and ideals. We are committed to being visible as contributing valued members of the community as we educate, inform, and enlighten. Contact us via email at advocacyteam@gmail.com, or by phone at (907) 929-4528. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

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