JULY 21
1414-Fransesco
della Rovere, who later became Pope Sixtus IV, was born. Sixtus IV was
notable enough to have the Sistine Chapel named after him. Sixtus made his lover Petro Raffaele Riario – who was also
his nephew – papal chamberlain and bishop of Ostiaa and a cardinal. This pope favored his
scheming nephews, one of whom himself became pope under the name of Julius II. Sixtus IV elevated to the cardinalate a
number of other handsome young men. According to Homosexuality and Civilization, Sixtus was labeled a “sodomite” in the
dispatches of the Venetian ambassador and the diaries of Vatican insiders
Stefano Infessura and Johann Burchard. The English theologian John Bale attributed to Sixtus “the
authorization to practice sodomy during periods of warm weather”. However, such
accusations by Protestant polemicists can be dismissed as attempts at
anti-Catholic propaganda. This Pope's accusations of having had male lovers, are found in the diary records of Stefano Infessura who recorded documented
episodes, but also unsubstantiated rumors. He was accused of awarding benefices
and bishoprics in return for sexual favors, and nominated a number of young
men as cardinals, some of whom were celebrated for their looks. Among the young men whom Sixtus is supposed to have favored is
Giovanni Sclafenato (d. 1497), whom he appointed Cardinal and bishop of Parma.
The inscription on Sclafenato’s tomb in Parma Cathedral–declaring that he was
appointed Cardinal because of “his loyalty, industry, and other gifts of the
spirit and the body”–lends support to allegations that his physical endowments
helped to inspired the favors that the Pope extended to him. Today, he is perhaps best remembered as an outstanding patron of
the arts; he was responsible for initiating the physical rehabilitation of the
city of Rome, which was continued by pontiffs in the early sixteenth century.
He undertook the construction of the Sistine Chapel (1471-80) and the
decoration of its walls (1481-2) with frescoes of biblical scenes by leading
artists of the day, including Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico
Ghirlandaio, and Cosimo Rosselli.
 |
| Sixtus IV |
1730-Holland adopted an edict
which made anal intercourse between men a capital offense, but left the method
of execution to the discretion of judges. Most common method was garroting
(strangulation with a thin wire or rope) because it was a typical method of
executing women.
 |
| George A Smith |
1921 Arrested at
Cisco Deputy Sheriff EK Holbrook of Thompsons
arrived in Moab today having in
custody James Van Horn who was arrested at Cisco by Deputy Holbrook for alleged
immoral conduct. Grand Valley Times (Sodomy in Utah)
 |
| Cisco [Ghost Town] |
1967 Salt Lake Commissioners Thursday took steps to
determine if a Utah Supreme Court decision Monday invalidated all city
ordinance pertaining to sexual offenses and prostitution. Public Safety
Commissioner James L. Barker said “If they really mean this, it means all the
city’s ordinances pertaining to sexual offenses and prostitution are void.
(SLTribune 07/21/67 page B1)
1980-Enso Francone, a 32 year old Italian
in Moscow for the summer Olympics, chained himself to a fence in Red Square to
protest Soviet persecution of homosexuals. He was dragged away by KGB officers.
1981 Owners of The Gatsby Club at 1037 East 33rd
South lost its liquor license. The Gatsby Club has also come under fire by the
Sheriff’s vice squad for allegedly allowing male dancers to perform “lewd acts” in the club. Sheriff’s
deputies raids of the club have been characterized as “harassment” (07/21/1981
SLTribune B-3) the charges of wrong doing was challenged by club owner Harold J
Wallace. In an article in the Deseret News dated 17 July 1981 Wallace stated
that the club was being harassed over the issue of male dancers. On January 7th
1981 about 1:15 a.m. after the club was closed and the employees were cleaning
up, County Deputy Sherriff officers arrived and demanded to be let in. They
confiscated empty liquor bottles and the clubs liquor inventory and demanded
that Wallace turn over his liquor license to them. When Wallace asked if they
had a warrant he was arrested. Wallace filed a harassment suit against Sheriff
N D Hayward, and some of his deputies, according to a report in the Deseret
News 7 July 1981. “A Salt Lake County private liquor club has been harassed on
the basis of sex because it allows male dancers to perform, a suit filed by
club and owner claims.” Wallace claimed that Sheriff Hayward intended to force
the club closed because it had allowed male dancers to perform as independent
contractors. “This despite the fact the male dancers are complying with state
law and are not obscene, the complaint says.”
Hayward countered saying, “Lewdness and disorderly conduct is not going
to be tolerated.” The Club had trouble
with its initial license when the commission claimed that club was within 600
feet of a school. Wallace paid for his own survey showing that his property was
a little more than 600 feet and got his license in 1978. In 1979 the club filed a complaint against
two drunken vice squad officers sent to spy on the club. 17 July 1982 The Utah
Liquor Control Commission refused to renew the license of the Gatsby Club which
ironically allowed The Courtroom, a Gay Bar in Ogden to receive a liquor
license after waiting nine months to receive one.
1982 Letter by David to the 7th East Press Post Office Box 15627 St. Louis, Mo. 63163 July 21, 1982 Editor 7th East Press Box 7223 Provo, Utah 84602 Dear Sir: Some of the replies to your series on Homosexuality at BYU have finally prodded me to make my own reply. If you wish to print it, you may, and please feel free to use my name and city. I am no longer ashamed of what I am. It was with great interest, and a little disappointment that I read the articles on homosexuality at BYU. Having been a student at BYU from 1957 to 1959, 1962-1964, and 1973-1975, and also having been born a homosexual, I felt that a lot more realistic information could and should have been given. Certainly with the repressive feelings the church and the school have toward homosexuality and homosexuals, I can understand the reluctance of my fellow gays to tell it how it is, and a straight, outside reporter has little in the way of personal experience to draw upon. I have known since I was five that I was interested in men, rather than women. My first experience was when I was persuaded by a neighbor, in exchange for a Hershey Bar (with almonds) to let him "play doctor". All through high school I played at being like the other boys, dating, etc., but all the time my interest was in boys. Our LDS scout troop (in the bible belt Midwest) was surely an atypical LDS troop since we all indulged in group masturbation and some coupling while on camping trips. The scout master and I indulged also. He was a married, active Elder in the ward, and had six kids, but still "played" on the side. Upon entering BYU in 1957, I soon learned from some California students that what I had been doing and was interested in wasn't isolated, but a universal practice, found everywhere, even in Provo at BYU. The basement of the old Grant Library was an active meeting place for gays, frequented by students, faculty and townsmen alike. The infrequent interviews with my bishops in the home ward and campus ward elicited the same response to questions about masturbation, "no, it wasn't a problem." Nothing was said about homosexuality and certainly nothing was volunteered on my part. Sure, it was living a double standard, since I had a steady girl from Florida that I was genuinely fond of, and after taking her home, I would find other gays for release. The emphasis on chastity and purity was always couched in terms of boy-girl relationships. Nothing was EVER mentioned about homosexuality. That came much later. It was inevitable that we would be caught. We all had to go see Brother [K.A.] Lauritzen, we all "repented" and were much more cautious after that. We found out who had "snitched" on us, and he was mysteriously beaten one night on campus, and dropped out of school. There were perhaps a dozen of us that paled around together. The summer of 1959, most of us went on missions, scattering to the four corners of the globe. We managed to continue contact by letter, telling the usual inspirational missionary stories, but with added information on gay life that we managed to find in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Brazil, as well as other countries. We were all successful in our missions, managing to play the rules fairly well, staying among the top baptizers, and keeping our unorthodoxy hidden. I personally had at least two companions that were gay, only one of whom I revealed my inclinations to, but we did not have any sexual contact with each other. Both of these gay companions had the sensitivity that helped make us very successful. Most of my straight companions were so insensitive that I didn't get along very well with them. After an honorable release, I returned home to gay life with a vengeance, making up for the forced retirement during my mission. In 1963, I returned to BYU to continue my education, and there met a lady missionary that I had known in the mission field. I wanted children, and was willing to try to change. The church told me that I could, and I even had an interview with Elder [Spencer W.] Kimball, who at that time was the one who kept track of people of my persuasion. Several times I sat in his office in the Church Office Building, even lied to him face to face that I had changed. I hoped to change, I wanted to return to BYU, and had intentions of following church teachings on sexual conduct. I was fairly successful, but soon learned that the church and the school didn't forget, nor forgive, as my name was on a list of known perverts, and I was spied on. When it came time to graduate, a policeman from the campus came to my wife and said that I had to see the Dean of Students, IMMEDIATELY. I had to go to Salt Lake City again, and literally beg to be allowed to graduate, and promised to go far away from Provo and the hurt. After graduation, we moved back to the midwest and in eight years, had six children. My feelings didn't change, only went dormant as I desperately tried to follow church teachings and change. I fasted, prayed, repented, and confessed to several bishops, who each turned cold and distant with disgust and lack of understanding. In one ward, the bishop told his wife, and soon the whole ward knew. We moved from there quickly. In 1973 we moved to Provo again, to go to graduate school. Again it was the obligatory visit to Salt Lake and the Dean of Students, assuring them that the Lord had, indeed, cured me. It was a lie, but they allowed me to enroll in school. There followed a year of intense trying on my part to change. I went to the temple at least once a week, oftener if I could, fasted, prayed, taught a Sunday School class, studied, but to no avail. There just was no change. I ate myself silly, gained 50 pounds in my frustration, and continually called on the Lord to let me know why I was given this curse. None of my former gay friends were on campus at this time, even the gay faculty members that I knew of were all gone. I knew of the new places to meet on campus and in the community, but I stayed away from them. I sincerely and desperately tried to change. In 1975, we moved to Nauvoo where we started a small weekly community newspaper. I had pretty much given up on the church. The new emphasis on anti-homosexuality was becoming apparent, and it was all too plain that the church had no interest or understanding in my problem, just labeling it wrong, evil, etc. Their suggestions of how to change had failed in my case. For another five years I tried to hang on to my testimony and my family, by denying my trued sexual identity, my true self. I desperately wanted to belong to the church, to have the same strong feelings and intensity that I saw around me, but it just wasn't there. I couldn't conform to the mold of the typical Mormon household. I didn't want a wife, I wanted a husband. It wasn't a woman that I wanted to hold and sleep with each night, it was a man. I loved my kids, the five boys and one girl that I had fathered. I wanted to see them grow up in the church and receive the social training that the church is so good at. But it seemed that my inner bitterness contaminated every contact that I had at the ward. My questions about the origin of certain church doctrines and practices were met with hostility and bitterness, so I dropped out of church, preferring the quiet tranquility of a century old Episcopal church in a nearby community. Finally, in the fall of 1980, my wife quietly stated that if I was so unhappy with the present situation, why didn't I get away for a while to find myself. I moved out, she moved the kids to Wyoming and filed for divorce, in spite of our agreement to wait a year before deciding any legal action. The Bishop had told her to take the kids as far away as possible "before they caught my disease." The Bishop of her new ward told her to file for divorce "because he is incapable of change." So, in spite of my trying to change, the church took my family away, and excommunicated me, not because of anything I had done, but because of how God had created me. I view my homosexuality the same as I view my being left handed and having brown eyes. It was something I was born with. I was created that way. My having lived 17 years married was a perversion of my basic nature, and no wonder I was so miserable, no wonder I wasn't able to change. Yes, I attribute my gayness to God's creation. I don't back off admitting my feelings, I don't blame anyone, especially my overly protective mother or distant and cold father. God created me this way, gave me a special gift of sensitivity and understanding. He might have given my skin a black color, or my eyes a slant, or some other feature uncommon to the average Mormon. I no longer run away from my sexuality, but deal with it in a sane and careful way. I am no longer afraid, and no longer ashamed of being homosexual. I am proud of being gay, I don't flaunt it, neither do I deny it. I marched last month with 500 of my gay brothers and sisters through St. Louis proclaiming that we will no longer hide. I marched the full length of the route arm in arm with another returned Mormon missionary (and father of four). To the more than a quarter of a million gay Mormons, it is time that we all fearlessly come out of our closets and proclaim what we are. We were made this way for a purpose. To deny it is wrong, to hide it is wrong. The church is wrong in its basic attitude toward homosexuality, its cause and the supposed cures. To those who say they have been cured, I hope you are being honest. Perhaps you were homosexual only in practice. I was born that way, and there is no cure, neither do I wish one now. I desperately wanted to change, and I tried with my very being to do so, but it was not to be. So now I am handling myself well, I think, and look forward to standing before the Lord with head held high to learn the reason for my gift. I can do no less at this time. What about you, my fellow gay Mormon? Well, there it is, my reply to your stories, and the subsequent letters. It is a bit longer than I had thought it would be. If you wish to print it, feel free, though I would prefer you not do any editing. If you print it, I would like a dozen copies of that issue to share with friends. My mother lives in Provo, not very far from your offices, but she already knows, so that is no problem. Others will be greatly surprised!!! Sincerely, David C. Martin
1982 Letter by David to the 7th East Press Post Office Box 15627 St. Louis, Mo. 63163 July 21, 1982 Editor 7th East Press Box 7223 Provo, Utah 84602 Dear Sir: Some of the replies to your series on Homosexuality at BYU have finally prodded me to make my own reply. If you wish to print it, you may, and please feel free to use my name and city. I am no longer ashamed of what I am. It was with great interest, and a little disappointment that I read the articles on homosexuality at BYU. Having been a student at BYU from 1957 to 1959, 1962-1964, and 1973-1975, and also having been born a homosexual, I felt that a lot more realistic information could and should have been given. Certainly with the repressive feelings the church and the school have toward homosexuality and homosexuals, I can understand the reluctance of my fellow gays to tell it how it is, and a straight, outside reporter has little in the way of personal experience to draw upon. I have known since I was five that I was interested in men, rather than women. My first experience was when I was persuaded by a neighbor, in exchange for a Hershey Bar (with almonds) to let him "play doctor". All through high school I played at being like the other boys, dating, etc., but all the time my interest was in boys. Our LDS scout troop (in the bible belt Midwest) was surely an atypical LDS troop since we all indulged in group masturbation and some coupling while on camping trips. The scout master and I indulged also. He was a married, active Elder in the ward, and had six kids, but still "played" on the side. Upon entering BYU in 1957, I soon learned from some California students that what I had been doing and was interested in wasn't isolated, but a universal practice, found everywhere, even in Provo at BYU. The basement of the old Grant Library was an active meeting place for gays, frequented by students, faculty and townsmen alike. The infrequent interviews with my bishops in the home ward and campus ward elicited the same response to questions about masturbation, "no, it wasn't a problem." Nothing was said about homosexuality and certainly nothing was volunteered on my part. Sure, it was living a double standard, since I had a steady girl from Florida that I was genuinely fond of, and after taking her home, I would find other gays for release. The emphasis on chastity and purity was always couched in terms of boy-girl relationships. Nothing was EVER mentioned about homosexuality. That came much later. It was inevitable that we would be caught. We all had to go see Brother [K.A.] Lauritzen, we all "repented" and were much more cautious after that. We found out who had "snitched" on us, and he was mysteriously beaten one night on campus, and dropped out of school. There were perhaps a dozen of us that paled around together. The summer of 1959, most of us went on missions, scattering to the four corners of the globe. We managed to continue contact by letter, telling the usual inspirational missionary stories, but with added information on gay life that we managed to find in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Brazil, as well as other countries. We were all successful in our missions, managing to play the rules fairly well, staying among the top baptizers, and keeping our unorthodoxy hidden. I personally had at least two companions that were gay, only one of whom I revealed my inclinations to, but we did not have any sexual contact with each other. Both of these gay companions had the sensitivity that helped make us very successful. Most of my straight companions were so insensitive that I didn't get along very well with them. After an honorable release, I returned home to gay life with a vengeance, making up for the forced retirement during my mission. In 1963, I returned to BYU to continue my education, and there met a lady missionary that I had known in the mission field. I wanted children, and was willing to try to change. The church told me that I could, and I even had an interview with Elder [Spencer W.] Kimball, who at that time was the one who kept track of people of my persuasion. Several times I sat in his office in the Church Office Building, even lied to him face to face that I had changed. I hoped to change, I wanted to return to BYU, and had intentions of following church teachings on sexual conduct. I was fairly successful, but soon learned that the church and the school didn't forget, nor forgive, as my name was on a list of known perverts, and I was spied on. When it came time to graduate, a policeman from the campus came to my wife and said that I had to see the Dean of Students, IMMEDIATELY. I had to go to Salt Lake City again, and literally beg to be allowed to graduate, and promised to go far away from Provo and the hurt. After graduation, we moved back to the midwest and in eight years, had six children. My feelings didn't change, only went dormant as I desperately tried to follow church teachings and change. I fasted, prayed, repented, and confessed to several bishops, who each turned cold and distant with disgust and lack of understanding. In one ward, the bishop told his wife, and soon the whole ward knew. We moved from there quickly. In 1973 we moved to Provo again, to go to graduate school. Again it was the obligatory visit to Salt Lake and the Dean of Students, assuring them that the Lord had, indeed, cured me. It was a lie, but they allowed me to enroll in school. There followed a year of intense trying on my part to change. I went to the temple at least once a week, oftener if I could, fasted, prayed, taught a Sunday School class, studied, but to no avail. There just was no change. I ate myself silly, gained 50 pounds in my frustration, and continually called on the Lord to let me know why I was given this curse. None of my former gay friends were on campus at this time, even the gay faculty members that I knew of were all gone. I knew of the new places to meet on campus and in the community, but I stayed away from them. I sincerely and desperately tried to change. In 1975, we moved to Nauvoo where we started a small weekly community newspaper. I had pretty much given up on the church. The new emphasis on anti-homosexuality was becoming apparent, and it was all too plain that the church had no interest or understanding in my problem, just labeling it wrong, evil, etc. Their suggestions of how to change had failed in my case. For another five years I tried to hang on to my testimony and my family, by denying my trued sexual identity, my true self. I desperately wanted to belong to the church, to have the same strong feelings and intensity that I saw around me, but it just wasn't there. I couldn't conform to the mold of the typical Mormon household. I didn't want a wife, I wanted a husband. It wasn't a woman that I wanted to hold and sleep with each night, it was a man. I loved my kids, the five boys and one girl that I had fathered. I wanted to see them grow up in the church and receive the social training that the church is so good at. But it seemed that my inner bitterness contaminated every contact that I had at the ward. My questions about the origin of certain church doctrines and practices were met with hostility and bitterness, so I dropped out of church, preferring the quiet tranquility of a century old Episcopal church in a nearby community. Finally, in the fall of 1980, my wife quietly stated that if I was so unhappy with the present situation, why didn't I get away for a while to find myself. I moved out, she moved the kids to Wyoming and filed for divorce, in spite of our agreement to wait a year before deciding any legal action. The Bishop had told her to take the kids as far away as possible "before they caught my disease." The Bishop of her new ward told her to file for divorce "because he is incapable of change." So, in spite of my trying to change, the church took my family away, and excommunicated me, not because of anything I had done, but because of how God had created me. I view my homosexuality the same as I view my being left handed and having brown eyes. It was something I was born with. I was created that way. My having lived 17 years married was a perversion of my basic nature, and no wonder I was so miserable, no wonder I wasn't able to change. Yes, I attribute my gayness to God's creation. I don't back off admitting my feelings, I don't blame anyone, especially my overly protective mother or distant and cold father. God created me this way, gave me a special gift of sensitivity and understanding. He might have given my skin a black color, or my eyes a slant, or some other feature uncommon to the average Mormon. I no longer run away from my sexuality, but deal with it in a sane and careful way. I am no longer afraid, and no longer ashamed of being homosexual. I am proud of being gay, I don't flaunt it, neither do I deny it. I marched last month with 500 of my gay brothers and sisters through St. Louis proclaiming that we will no longer hide. I marched the full length of the route arm in arm with another returned Mormon missionary (and father of four). To the more than a quarter of a million gay Mormons, it is time that we all fearlessly come out of our closets and proclaim what we are. We were made this way for a purpose. To deny it is wrong, to hide it is wrong. The church is wrong in its basic attitude toward homosexuality, its cause and the supposed cures. To those who say they have been cured, I hope you are being honest. Perhaps you were homosexual only in practice. I was born that way, and there is no cure, neither do I wish one now. I desperately wanted to change, and I tried with my very being to do so, but it was not to be. So now I am handling myself well, I think, and look forward to standing before the Lord with head held high to learn the reason for my gift. I can do no less at this time. What about you, my fellow gay Mormon? Well, there it is, my reply to your stories, and the subsequent letters. It is a bit longer than I had thought it would be. If you wish to print it, feel free, though I would prefer you not do any editing. If you print it, I would like a dozen copies of that issue to share with friends. My mother lives in Provo, not very far from your offices, but she already knows, so that is no problem. Others will be greatly surprised!!! Sincerely, David C. Martin
.jpg)
1986 Dear editor, According to
the U S government’s first five year projection, the dread disease AIDS, spread
almost solely by homosexuals, will cause 54,000 U. S. deaths in 1991 alone-
9,000 more than died on the highways last year. The cost of treating AIDS
patients and those with AIDS related illnesses is expected to rise as high as
$16 billion a year. Prospects for
developing a vaccine capable of halting the
epidemic are at least a decade away. The recent courageous decision of the US
Supreme Court declaring that homosexuals have no rights to engage in sodomy is
timely. It is in line with the laws still on the books in Utah and about half
of the other states that make sodomy a criminal offense. Hence I was appalled
to learn that earlier this year a Lesbian and Gay Conference was held at the
University of Utah, an institution supported by the tax payers. Not only was the
conference illegal but to allow our children, who go there to get an education,
to be exposed to the warped concepts of those people, is not only
irresponsible, it is an insult to the people of Utah. I suggest that from now
on the University of Utah invite as guests to the campus only those groups or
individuals whose message has educational value and conforms to the prevailing
standard of public morality in the country. Arie Van Tielon, Salt Lake City.
Deseret News
1987- Salt Lake Affirmation met at the First Unitarian Church and the topic for the
evening was Homophobia, whether it is a mental illness or an inbred prejudice.
 |
| Michael Dukakis |
1989 Still flying from the magick of last night but
something
bothered me all night. Our
group didn't have a name. I didn't feel like Salt Lake Radical Faeries really
reflected the essence of the experience we shared last night. However while out
walking with Michael Pipkim [Puck], south of the Crossroads Mall Plaza, I felt suddenly impressed to call our Faerie
Circle "The Sacred Faeries" and at that moment Puck looked down at
the ground and saw the most beautiful butterfly sitting on the sidewalk. Puck
gently picked her up and carried her on his finger as we walked for about a
block discussing the name. Puck felt
that the Butterfly was an omen from the Gay Spirit. Since Rocky O’Donovan’s-[Kyle Sky Bear] main
totem was a butterfly, we felt that it was the Gay Spirit's way of forming consensus
for accepting the new name. So we agreed
that our name was to be the Sacred Faeries.
Later when Rocky heard the name he said we did good and he really liked
the way it sounds. [Journal of Ben
Williams]
 |
1990 Chuck Whyte, Mike Pipkim and I went up to Memory
Grove today so I could play volleyball. I played from 1 until 5 and I'm really
sunburned on the back of my neck but I had fun.
Jim Hunsaker is providing the net and ball. The ball is pink of course. Mike Pipkim spent most of the afternoon with his young red haired friend, Roman
Graymare. After playing volleyball, Puck asked Roman over and I read his
medicine cards to him. His main totems were Crow and Badger. [Journal of Ben Williams]
1992 David Wayne Sharpton was born February 8, 1960 and died July 21, 1992 in Dallas, Texas at his mother's home. He was also the subject of an excellent documentary by Ken Verdoia called "Remembering David: 42 Months of Living with AIDS".
- Tribute by Connell O'Donovan: David was one of my dearest friends in Salt Lake City. Soon after moving to SLC from Dallas around 1988, he showed up at Wasatch Affirmation one evening like a hurricane of fire. He lived his life "loud and proud" to say the least - having AIDS made him realize how little he had to lose by living large. David had worked a lot with Allen Gundry of LDS Social Services in Dallas and was exuberant to discover that Gundry had been reassigned from Dallas to church headquarters, to head up the LDSSS "Office for Homosexual Affairs", as David jokingly called it. David threw himself into both Affirmation and the People with AIDS Coalition with total abandon. His enthusiasm, southern charm, and audacity inspired us all. He, his boyfriend Rob [Ivey], and I spent many hours debating Mormonism and the best way to get the church to overcome its homophobia. On occasion he joined me for church services at my singles ward in the Avenues, where I had been making some progress with the bishop and other ward leaders. Unfortunately, as David's disease progressed he became more belligerent and sometimes embellished the truth with exaggeration, straining his relationships with others. When Allen Gundry's position became severely limited by Social Services, David lost a lot of his hope. He dropped out of sight and I later learned he had returned to Dallas, where he died a year or so later. I never got to say goodbye. "Veesh middibeesh!", as he always used to say when he grew frustrated or disappointed....I miss you sweetie! Connell O'Donovan
 |
| Wendy Weaver |
1998-Singer Stevie Nicks was
granted a restraining order to keep Ronald Anacelto away. He was under
psychiatric care and said he believed Nicks was a witch who could cure his
homosexuality.
1998 Fireworks with the
BEARS. Some friends of Peter [Crane] and Blair [Lewis] have agreed to open
their back yard to us for a BBQ this Friday, the 24th. There will be fireworks
around ten or so. But of course by then there will be NO WHERE to park! There will be a small fee to insure that the
hosts are not burdened by this event. Address: Mark and Walter at 814 East
Harrison (1375 South). Please bring you own meat!!! And don't forget to RSVP
with Blair - BLewis@uta.cog.ut.us
(Lewis, Blair) regarding the Club Campout Saturday, August 1st. A huge site is
available but we need to have more than ten people go or it will be much too
expensive. The camp site is at Granite Flats by Timpanogus
- From: "Lewis, Blair" Subject: Fireworking and camping. Thanks Ron for the reminders................ only one person has expressed interest in the campout.... so I don't think we will reserve the group site but there are many of the single and double campsites always available and we may be able to find a couple of them together. Any input would be appreciated.
- Mon, 27 Jul 1998 From: "Lewis, Blair" The Campsite is located up American Fork Canyon just past the Timp Cave Visitors Center there is a fork in the road take a left and soon soon you'll pass a small resivoir go through the gravel parking lot and keep to the paved road it takes you directly to the campsite. $3 per vehicle at the canyon mouth and $13 per single campsite. There are fire pits, bathrooms and picnic tables. No electricity. Beautiful scenery. a map to follow..... contact Ron [Hunt] and Todd [Bennett] for more instructions I'm turning this one over to them.
- Tue, 28 Jul 1998 From: "Lewis, Blair" To: 'Michael Romero' I'm tired of running and doing so I'm just going to relax this next weekend. but the cake was great.
- Fri, 31 Jul 1998 From: "Ben Williams To “Lewis, Blair" Michael [Romero] bought a used fold out tent trailor for camping. Yall well have to break it in with us. It sleeps 6. Ben
- Lewis, Blair to Ben Williams- That sounds great.
2000 Page: A16 Death Penalty Case: I have been
thrilled and encourage recently by your enlightened and informative articles
pertaining to the death penalty. The
latest (Sunday, July 2), dealing with our state's death row reflecting national
disparities, I read with great interest.
I do feel, however, reporter Greg Burton's perfect example of
proportionate disparate action and the death penalty would have been that of
Joseph Mitchell Parson, not Ronald Watkins Lafferty (though Utah County Mormons
do make me raise an eyebrow). Mr. Parson
was executed by the state of Utah Salt Lake City Utah State
Crime Laboratory (1980s) Bountiful
 |
| Paula Wolfe |
2003 Paula Wolfe to Mark Swonson RE: Pride Partners Both Darin [Hobbs] and I have been on vacation, so we are now planning the Community Partner Dinner for August. I'm not sure of the exact date, but Erin has that information. Her email is elitvack@glccu.com Paula
- Mark Swonson to Ben Williams Subject USHS Pride Contract and Partner Chad and Ben-I am going to get hold of The Center. I’m going to be talking too Erin Litvak tomorrow about this. Mike Picardi called and they have already heard stuff regarding this matter. NO MORE E-MAILS ARE TO BE SENT OUT! GOT IT! So did we the USHS fulfill our contract with Pride Inc. and hand in our Contract? Also, is there anything else I should be aware before I talk to Erin tomorrow regarding Pride Inc. and USHS? Mike Picardi, called me today and said they were going to have a dinner for the Partners and hand out the money apparently things are okay...from what I can tell. I will talk to Erin tomorrow and see what she has to say regarding USHS and what we did and didn't do as a Pride Inc. Partner. Mark:-)
- Subject: Pride Partners Chad Keller to Ben Williams: Well being $45,000.00 in the hole as an organization, they, I am sure, are trying to cook the books so that the button-downs stay in power. CK
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- Paula Wolfe to Mark Swonson and Ben Williams Ben and Mark, Utah Historical Society Partnership - Pride 2003 It would seem there has been some bad feelings engendered about the Partnership between GLCCU and USHS for Pride 2003. As I understand it, we never received a signed contract from USHS. Ben said in his emails that he has the contract in his files. Therefore, If the contract is in his files, obviously it was not returned to us. Our original deadline was June 30th. Now I know how it is easy to forget some things, so I will make an offer to you. Have an officer of USHS sign the contract, copy it, and mail the copy to GLCCU at the address below. We must have the contract in order to cut the checks. At this point in time, the Community Partner dinner is scheduled for August 10, at 6 p.m. at GLCCU. It will be both a celebration of our joint success and a time to recognize the contribution of all our partners. I would like for USHS to be there. If you choose not to attend, the check will be mailed to whatever address you designate - but it will be mailed the day after the CP dinner. The amount of the check reflects two methods for payment: 1) participation - automatically guaranteed 1/10 of $2,000, and 2) Volunteer Hours - this is based on the number of hours recorded by our Volunteer Coordinator on our PRIDE 2003 forms. Charles Milne collected these at Pride 2003. I'm not sure if you kept track of your volunteer hours. I don't remember seeing or hearing of any hours filled out by your group. If you do not wish to include volunteer hours, then we can assume you will be paid for #1, but not #2. These guidelines were defined in the contract, although the exact method may not have been. Most of those discussions took place at the Community Partner Meetings. Any questions, please feel free to contact me and I sincerely hope this clears up the problem. Paula Wolfe Executive Director Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Utah 355 North 300 West, 1st Floor Salt Lake City, UT 84103 pwolfe@glccu.com (801) 539-8800, xt. 10 FX: (801) 521-5215
- Ben Williams to Paula Wolfe RE Pride Partnership Dear Paula, Erin must have misunderstood me. Or I was unclear in my haste. I never said I had a copy of the contract in my files. I said I had a copy of the emails regarding the initial contract. I dropped the copy of the contract off at the center in May to make the deadline that Jerry gave us. I left it at the Stonewall Coffee Shop since no one from the Pride Committee was available. I assumed Jerry received it from the response he gave me. I also assumed all was well since Charles Milne came to assist in the construction of the kiosks. The original contract was due Monday May 19, according email contacts from Jerry, not June 30. I brought a copy of the contract to the center on Saturday the 17th and emailed him on the 18th Sunday May 2003 to apologize for getting it to him so late and let him know it was done. Rapier pleasantly responded back, saying that however many kiosks we make they are more then they ever had before or words to that affect. I do not know what became of the contract, failing to make a xerox copy, I can only assume that it may have been misplaced by Rapier or his successor. The date of June 30 is news to everyone on the USHS executive committee. The first I heard about it was in July a considerable amount of time after Pride Day when Mark Swonson was trying to contact someone about the partnership. Charles never followed up with us, after pride day, as part of his responsibility as Historical Kiosks Coordinator; nor did Jerry or anyone else on the Pride Committee let us know there was a problem with the contract. I've been told that numerous attempts to contact us have been made. I am meticulous about saving email correspondence as part of our open records policy;, those sent directly to me or those forwarded to me by others. Therefore I must admit being put out over the inference that somehow we lost a whole lot of email communications on our part. However I am pleased and happy that we can come to a mutual agreement over the Kiosks. They were a considerable burdensome chore for our fledgling organization. We will also be happy to have Mark as our Secretary in the Executive Committee sign the contract or act as agent for what ever you would have him do to settle this matter amicably. Sincerely in Gay Pride Ben Williams USHS Historian
- Paula Wolfe to Ben Williams Re Pride Partnership Thanks, Ben. I'll check with Stonewall, they do tend to lose things. If We can't find it, I'm more than happy to send a copy of the contract to you or Mark for your signature - whoever should sign. I may have pulled the June 30th out of my hat, or we extended the date because several partners did not make the original deadline. Whatever, we'll get this done, one way or another. I'll get back to you in a day or so. Paula
- Ben Williams to Paula Wolfe Re Pride Partnership Thank you so very much for your understanding and personal attention in this matter. Perfumed oil upon troubled water. Best Regards Ben Williams
2006 Same-sex marriage pioneers
separate BOSTON (AP) -- The lesbian couple whose lawsuit led to legal same-sex
marriage in Massachusetts have announced they have separated. "Julie and
Hillary Goodridge are amicably living apart," Mary Breslauer, a local
political consultant, said Thursday night on their behalf. Breslauer declined
to comment on how long they had been separated or whether the couple planned to
divorce. The Goodridges were among seven gay couples whose lawsuit helped
thrust Massachusetts
into the center of a nationwide debate on gay marriage. The state's Supreme Judicial Court
issued its narrow 4-3 ruling in November 2003 in their favor - saying gays and
lesbians had a right under the state constitution to wed. The Goodridges were
married May 17, 2004, the first day same-sex marriages became legal under the
court ruling, by a Unitarian Universalist minister. Their daughter, Annie, now
10, served as ring- bearer and flower girl. Now, Breslauer said, for Annie's
sake, the Goodridges want privacy. The child figured prominently in the
Goodridges' case. When Julie Goodridge gave birth by cesarean section, there
were complications. Hillary Goodridge, at the time having no legal relationship
with mother or child, said she was barred several times from seeing her
daughter and partner. "Even though their number one priority was their
daughter," Breslauer said, "marriage makes her also their legal
obligation. Their daughter is more protected because they are married."
Julie Goodridge declined to comment, saying Breslauer was the family's acting
spokeswoman. Hillary Goodridge did not return a telephone message left at a
business listing Thursday night. "The plaintiff couple in this case are
real people with real lives. They're not immune from life's ups and
downs," Breslauer said. "Certainly over the course of time there will
be same sex couples that separate just as happens in other
marriages."
2006 Gays see the most prejudice,
poll says By Shinika A. Sykes The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune Americans
still perceive that gays and lesbians face the most discrimination of any group
in the U.S. today, but Muslims now are not far behind, a new study shows. "Taking
America's Pulse III" is the third in a series of surveys by the National
Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ) designed to document trends and
provide insight into how intergroup relations change over time. For the most
recent study, researchers surveyed 2,500 individuals representing a diverse
cross-section of Americans. They found variation from two earlier studies in
1993 and 2000 when participants were asked to rank groups that are thought to
be subjected to a great deal of discrimination. In the past, gays and lesbians
ranked the highest, followed by blacks and the poor. Respondents in the new
study still perceive gays and lesbians as facing the most discrimination (41
percent) but they now are followed closely by Muslims (35 percent), the poor
(29 percent) and blacks (26 percent). Respondents said discrimination most
often occurs in shopping situations, followed by incidents at work, in
restaurants, and at theaters or other places of entertainment. Growing
discrimination shows there still is work to be done, said Kilo Zamora,
executive director of NCCJ's Utah
chapter. He points to Utah's interfaith Alliance for Unity group,
which sought to bridge the religious divide between members of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and nonmembers. He also applauds LDS Church
President Gordon B. Hinckley for speaking out against discrimination. "People
in Utah want to believe that racism has gone
away because we don't see the kind of diversity that's in other places," Zamora said.
"[Utahns] need to bring the same focus to discrimination as they did to
the religious divide." Maysa Kergaye, coordinator for the Islamic Speakers
Bureau in Salt Lake City, said although Utah is not a hotbed of
racial prejudices, the state is not free of discrimination. Kergaye, who wears
an Islamic head scarf, has been told to "go back" to where she came
from. "I say, where's that, California?"
Still, she believes that unless "Muslims are trying to get jobs, most Utahns
tend to be polite." The study focused on six life domains: education,
housing, promotion, access to equal justice, treatment by police and fair media
attention. Blacks, Latinos and American Indians are seen as about equally
disadvantaged to whites with an average of 45 percent to 47 percent. Asians,
however, are believed to be better off, with an average of 59 percent
perceiving them as having equality with whites. Highlights of NCCJ report More
than a third (36 percent) of Americans say "it's OK to have a country
where the races are separate from one another, as long as they have equal
opportunity." More people feel closer to racial and ethnic groups in
general and to Latinos in particular. With the exception of Muslims/Arabs, most
groups are seen as experiencing less discrimination. Tensions between groups
are perceived to be somewhat lessened, and 42 percent of respondents are
satisfied with "how well" different races get along.
2007, barely two days after her last interview with Larry King,
Tammy Faye Bakker Roe
passed way. The subject of two documentary films (The
Eyes of Tammy Faye, 1999, and Tammy Faye: Death Defying, 2004), she embraced
the gay community, and became a gay icon.
2014 Obama’s order protects gay
workers; Hatch wants religious exemption President sidesteps a stalled Congress to counter what
he calls a real threat; Hatch calls for religious exemption.
2017 Community member Ricky Lee Jones died in Oklahoma. He was 57 years old. He was well liked in the community and participated in many organizations. Michael Aaron: My friend Rick Jones no longer has to live with the health problems and pain he has had for many years. I've missed him since he moved away and was always happy to see him when he came to town and hung out with his son, Richard Jones. He was quiet, gentle and funny and always willing to lend a hand. RIP.
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| Tammy Faye Baker |
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| Cliff Rosky |
BY
MATT CANHAM AND
COURTNEY TANNER THE
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Al Hartmann | Tribune file photo Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, appears to be
leaving the door open for running for an eighth term, when he will be 84 years
old. With
the stroke of a pen Monday, President Barack Obama barred federal contractors
from discriminating against LGBT workers. Gay-rights
groups heralded the executive order as a historic advancement, but others,
including Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, criticized Obama for not carving out
contractors tied to a religion. Obama
signed the order, in part, because a nondiscrimination bill has been stymied in
Congress. “I’m
going to do what I can, with the authority I have, to act,” Obama said moments
before signing the measure, which also expanded federal workplace protections
on the basis of gender identity. The
Democratic president said it isn’t hyperbole to say some lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender employees have lost their jobs because of their sexual
orientation. “This
is not speculative. This is not a matter of political
correctness,” Obama said.
“Their livelihoods are threatened, their families are threatened. In fact, more
states now allow same-sex marriage than prohibit discrimination against LGBT
workers. So I firmly believe that it’s time to address this injustice for every
American.” Utah
is
one of the states without a law barring workplace discrimination against
LGBT people. A bill, sponsored by state Sen. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George,
never came up for a vote in the 2014 session. A Salt Lake Tribune survey
conducted earlier this year showed 60 percent of Utahns favored that
workplace-protection bill. That
proposal will be back in 2015, but Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser,
R-Sandy, said it is too early to predict its outcome. “There
are a number of legislators who want to address religious liberties,” he said.
“It may be time to have a robust debate on both issues.” About
20 local governments statewide have passed their own anti-discrimination ordinances,
including Salt Lake City, which did so with the blessing of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. “It
is wrong to fire someone for who they are and who they love,” said Clifford
Rosky, chairman of the Equality Utah board and a law professor at the
University of Utah. “It’s now high time for our Legislature to act on values
that all Utahns share and protect all Utahns.” Hatch
supported a federal nondiscrimination law, but hinged his vote on a strong
religious exemption. That bill cleared the Senate, but the House has no plans
to vote on it. Hatch
argues that Obama should have included a wider exemption in his executive
order, similar to the one in the Senate bill. “Respect
for the free exercise of religion is essential to our character as a nation and
has, until recently, enjoyed strong support from leaders of all political
persuasions,” Hatch said. “In seeking to curtail unjust discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation, we must ensure that legal protections do not
trample upon basic religious liberties.” His
position echoed what the White House heard from dozens of religious leaders and
educators, who sent letters asking for a beefed-up exemption. While
the nation has undergone incredible social and legal change over the last
decade, we still live in a nation with different beliefs about sexuality,” one
letter said. “We must find a way to respect diversity of opinion on this issue
in a way that respects the dignity of all parties to the best of our ability.” Some
Catholic charities have federal contracts to perform social services, though
they may also fall under a limited exemption identified during the
administration of President George W. Bush that allows religiously affiliated
contractors to favor employees of that faith. It is not immediately clear if
the new executive order will affect any Utah-based federal contractors. LDS
Church-owned Brigham Young University says it has about 50 federal contracts,
most of which support faculty research, that may fall under Obama’s executive
order. “At
this point, it would be premature to say for sure how this will play out for
federal contracts awarded to universities like BYU,” said Todd Hollingshead, a
spokesman for the Provo school. “We’ll know more when the federal government
issues rules to guide the interpretation of this executive order.” Asked
for comment on the executive order, LDS Church spokesman Dale Jones released a
statement saying, “Religious freedom is critical to the health of a diverse
society and church leaders have long maintained the importance of its
preservation.” A
collection of gay-rights groups, including the Human Rights Campaign, has
fought against a religious exemption and backed off its support of the Senate
bill for fear that it would be easy for companies to claim a moral objection. Rosky
believes an exemption would be “totally inappropriate.” “Religion
cannot be used,” he said, “as an excuse to justify discrimination against gay
and transgender individuals.”
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| President Obama |
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| Orrin Hatch |
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