Gay pride event set to take place at Alaska military base

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An event commemorating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride month will be held at a military base in Alaska next week.

The June 19 event at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson will feature a drag show. It also will feature a speech by an Anchorage transgender activist.

JBER spokesman Jim Hart says he believes it’s the first official event at JBER to celebrate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender service members.

A gay pride event was held at Alaska’s Eielson Air Force Base last year. Base spokeswoman Senior Airman Ashley Taylor says no event is planned so far this year.

An announcement of next week’s event at the Anchorage base was posted Monday on JBER’s Facebook page That prompted numerous comments for and against, including some who expressed outrage about the drag show.

More in Nation

See More