1954 Douglas Wortham was
born. Doug Wortham has taught at Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School for twenty-nine
years (2006). He has also been the executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center
(1999), board president for Equality Utah, co-chair of the Utah Chapter of the
Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, and has served for three years on Salt Lake City’s Police
Civilian Review Board. He is active in a wide range of political issues. Kristen
Ries Community Service Award winner. “Doug
Wortham-I'd like to nominate Doug Wortham for the Dr. Kristen Ries
Community Service Award. Doug is the epitome of the kind of person who
should get this award: he's a longtime activist in the LGBT community who
selflessly gives of himself to attain our equal rights. There's hardly a notable gay
organization in Utah that he hasn't been involved with and indeed,
started. Doug was one of the founding members of Affirmation, the
gay/lesbian organization for Mormons and was several times asked to leave
the BYU campus for putting leaflets on windshields there. About twenty years ago, he was evicted
from his apartment in Rose Park simply because he was gay. Because of this
action, he is an outspoken advocate for non-discrimination in housing and
is working with Unity Utah and Mayor Rocky Anderson on an ordinance that
would make such discrimination illegal.
Doug is a founding member of Unity Utah, the state's gay/lesbian
political action committee and heads the organization's strategy
committee. Totally out as a teacher at Rowland Hall, Doug is known as a
resource and counselor for queer and questioning youth and their
parents. He has twice been named
Teacher of the Year, a distinction voted on by the students that, to my
knowledge, no other teacher has accomplished in Rowland Hall's century
long history. He was a founding
member and is still very active in the Gay/Lesbian/Straight Education
Network (GLSEN) and was largely responsible for landing the first national
GLSEN conference in Utah during the East High scandals. Doug was creator and main mover behind
the plan for the Utah GLSEN chapter to pay for all room fees for
gay/straight alliances across the state, removing an obstacle for youth to
meet easily. Doug served as interim
executive director of the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Utah, a
position he gave up to continue teaching, clearly his greatest love. Doug
was appointed to the Executive Committee for the Utah Democratic Party and
was unanimously confirmed by the central committee - historic in that he
is the first openly gay man or lesbian to serve at such a high level in
either major political party in the state. In my role as executive
director for Unity Utah, I have had the great opportunity to work with
Doug on an almost daily basis. I
have found him to be an incredibly hard worker, always mindful of the
larger goal of full equal rights for the LGBT community. Doug is virtually egoless and is
committed to results, not recognition.
Having worked with queer activists from all over the world in many
different settings, I can honestly say that Doug is one of the finest,
brightest, most dedicated people I've ever met. Utah is damned lucky to
have him. I am honored and humbled
to know Doug and can think of no finer person on which to bestow the Dr
Kristen Ries Community Service Award. Please feel free to contact me if
you need further information or other references. Warmest Regards, Michael
Mitchell Executive Director, Unity Utah.
1967-Ian Campbell Dunn wrote to
Antony Grey, secretary of the Homosexual Law Reform Society in London, about
establishing a chapter in Scotland. Grey refused because of problems with
another branch.
 |
| Elaine Noble |
1975-The Annual Conference of the
Metropolitan Community Church was held in Dallas Texas. Among the speakers was
Elaine Noble, who was the first person to be elected to public office while
running as an openly lesbian person.
1978 - Sgt. Dave
Harkness stated “Salt Lake City is a dynamite training ground for busting
homosexuals.” Officer Nelson said “the worse problems come from closet queens
those who wish to keep their sexual preference quiet. Something needs to be
done. The public has no idea of how much secret and illegal homosexual activity
is going on in Utah.” (SLTribune)
1979- Mormon
Apostle Mark Peterson published an anti-Gay article entitled “Is It a
 |
| Mark E Peterson |
Menace?
And Sin is No Excuse” in the Church News section of the Deseret News. Peterson
called homosexuality a menace to the population at large.
 |
| Martina Navratilova |
1981-Tennis
player Martina Navratilova was outed by reporter Steve Goldstein of the New
York Daily News.
1983-Brother of pedophile and murderer Arthur Bishop
arrested in Nevada on Sodomy Charge- Elko NV-The brother of a man charged
in Salt Lake City with kidnapping and murdering five boys has been arrested on
charges of sodomizing a boy under 14. Douglas Bishop 23, Hinckley, Millard County,
was arrested Thursday evening in a fugitive warrant from Utah [Deseret News B-2]
1983- For the five boys sexually abused and
murdered by Arthur Gary Bishop, a 30 year old Bookkeeper, there may be
dozens-perhaps as many as a hundred-of others who were sexually assaulted by
the man, Douglas Bishop, younger brother of Arthur Bishop, was charged with
sodomy upon a male child under the age of 14 years old, in Utah County. The
incident happened July 9th at an Orem residence. The 23 year old man was
arrested in Wendover, Nevada (07/29/83 SLTribune B1)
 |
| Robert Bork |
1987-President Reagan nominated homophobic Judge Robert Bork to the
Supreme Court. He would be rejected by the senate 58-42. He once said “The First Amendment is about how we
govern ourselves - not about how we titillate ourselves sexually.”
1987-International
Lesbian and Gay Association's 9th annual conference began in Cologne West
Germany.
1988-Beyond Stonewall host first three day weekend retreat
for Gay and Lesbian People at YMCA Camp Rogers. Created by Dr. John Reeves
Ph.D. and Ben Williams . Dr. Patty Reagan keynote speaker “Busy day with the
beginning of Beyond Stonewall. John Reeves with Garth Chamberlain picked me up
about 1 p.m. then we ran around getting last minute items for the retreat. We
plastered signs all along the way from Salt Lake City to Camp Rogers to help
people find their way and not get lost. We reached the camp ourselves about 4
p.m. and Ken Francis, Mark LaMarr and Ben Barr were already there. We put up the banners Beau Chaine had made
for the Retreat and I cleaned the latrine because it was filthy. About 5 p.m.
more people started to arrive and we handed people their registration packets
as Ken Francis, James Connolly and Mark LaMarr showed people to their cabins. I
believe all in all 69 people showed up for the retreat although more people
paid than that. Dinner was served at 7:30 with a chicken and rice casserole. I
thought it was yummy. About 8:30 Dr. Patty Reagan arrived with Liz Pitts from
LGSU. They were the only Lesbians that
came. Jeff McGrath and I went down to campfire site and started the bonfire for
the Keynote
speech at 9 p.m. Reagan spoke on Gay and Lesbian History and she was
spell binding. The camp fire set the
perfect mood for the retreat. After her talk she brought out her guitar and we
sang camp fire songs, mostly folk songs we all grew up with. Such a wonderfully bonding event. We ended
the Campfire program with a group hug which ended about 11:30. But most people
stayed and toasted marshmallows and told jokes. Just breaking down the barriers
and getting to know each other better. Sleeping in the staff cabin were John
Reeves, Ben Barr, Mike Buck, Mark LaMarr, Ken Francis, James Connolly, Randy
Olsen, and myself. Randy Olsen and Ken Francis were full of ginger and were
giggle boxes all night. I think they
even eventually got up in the middle of the night and went outside to revel
with others in the moonlight. [Journal of Ben Williams]
1995- Barry Edward Fox age 28 years died after a long
battle with AIDS. He was preceded in death by his lover David Eisensteins.
1995 Deseret News Pair Charged in Firebombing after Reported Confession. Two men reportedly
admitted tossing Molotov Cocktails that torched a South Salt Lake home and
endangered a 73 year old resident. Prosecutors charged Luis Aviles 19, and Derek
Lee Salas [Chyna Cartier Princess Royale] 23, Friday with aggravated arson and
unlawful use of an incendiary device both first degree felonies after the duo
confessed to the July 16 firebombing at 2112 South Panama Street [20 West]
according to Third District Court charges. The defendants apparently threw the
Molotov cocktails- bottles of flaming liquid with burning fuses – through
Lucella Wakefield’s front window by accident. Their intended victim was likely a
neighbor targeted after a drug dead gone bad, said investigators. A smoke
detector awakened Wakefield who escaped with only minor injuries. The woman’s
pet bird and two dogs died in the blaze. Fire damage to the gutted home was
estimated at $90,000. Aviles and Salas were booked into Salt Lake county jail
on $100,000 bail. Police originally arrested 27 year old Vasilios Deligiannas for
the investigation of the crime. He was later cleared.
2003 Subject: Gay History
John Griffin [Nova Starr] to Ben Williams- actually if you want to post it for
the whole group it's cool, I'm most concerned though. I have met so many youth
that are being robbed of a culture, due to the Center's new unwillingness to
support the actual "gay” community. I mean, "Utah Pride Day" is
a fine example of our trying to blend in with main stream society. Why change
it from "Gay Pride" because we are no longer gay, we are in the
shadow of a hypocritical monarchy established at the center. (my spelling sucks
I know) Please feel free to post anything you like. I am open for the advice I
asked for. But as I have said, It begins with the youth having no one too look
to in history, not because there is no one to look to, because they are not
told. And it ends with a shallow culture deprived of centuries of art and
passion, not something that arrived in the mid 50's and has continued since.
I'm 22, and I had the privilege of having great teachers at the Center in
Denver. Though things have changed there, for the worse I'm afraid, the things
we leaned and were shown in our groups,
has been invaluable in the identity I have for myself today. John/Nova
- Subject:
Nova Starrs Chad Keller to Ben and Nova- John...he's alive....you need to
call me today. As the
Center already hates me enough. It’s called Brainwashing and
Purification....The first thing Hitler and other dictators do when they
seize control is to destroy the history, and all the records they can. If
there’s no history there is no allegiance, and everyone works in the only
agenda....theirs! It does not
surprise me, this uneducation, or lack of history is just how they want
it. The past for our community is too decadent. John are you aware that
The Center in their wisdom, threw away years of Ben's work, and sent a
small portion of it to the Marriot Library where it lies inaccessible in boxes in a
storage room. John, I encourage you to become active in the USHS. Come and listen to Ben's presentations,
and help us spread the word of our history to our youth. Hopefully they
will then have a greater appreciation of I think with your help we could
really create a small little program to reach youth, or at least get some
of them to the library once a month to hear and see Ben's historic
presentations and discussions.
- John
Griffin to Ben Williams -ben please call me to talk about all this, I
would be happy to do anything you need:) and I think your class would
attract more than just the youth John
 |
| Jerry Rapier |
2003 Subject: Gay Play Kathy Worthington -A
PECULIAR PEOPLE is a play about the experience of being gay and/or HIV
affected in Utah. Drawn from local media
sources and face-to-face interviews, A PECULIAR PEOPLE tells the story of an
HIV+ man who has lived with the disease for more than five years; an LDS mother
coping with having a gay son, and a straight couple ostracized in a small Utah
town due to HIV. A PECULIAR PEOPLE is independently produced by its creator
Jerry Rapier (of Plan-B Theatre Company).
Featuring Kirt Bateman, Anita Booher, Jedadiah Schultz and Betsy West.
Performances are Friday, August 22 at 8pm; Saturday August 23 at 8pm; and Sunday, August 24 at 2pm, August 22-24 in the
75-seat Studio Theatre at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. Visit
www.arttix.org or call 355-ARTS today to purchase your tickets (only $10)
today. About a third of all available
tickets are already sold.
 |
| Doug Fadel |
2003 Subject: Quac’s History Doug
Fadel to Ben Williams Hi Ben, I am excited about the enthusiasm of the
historical society. I am on the e-groups
list, and have been impressed with the quantity as well as the substance of the
correspondence. It looks like the group is thriving. I had mentioned to Chad
Keller about a year ago that I have a lot of stuff related to QUAC. I wondered if you would be interested in its
history. I can provide information about the organization, pictures, awards,
etc. QUAC started in the fall of 1995.
If you would like some of our archives (or copies thereof), let me know what
information you would find relevant and the most appropriate format for
submitting it to you. Love Doug
 |
| Charles Milne |
2003 Subject Website Charles
Milne to Ben Williams Ben, I just did a search for your website so I can link
to it from the LGBT Center's Site, and I could not find it. Can you send me the URL? Thanks so much for putting
together such a complete history of LGSU. Your work for the community is
incredible. Charles
2003 John Cooper [Affirmation
Director 1981-1986] to Ben Williams Hi, does the name: Paul Stenger from
Bountiful, Affirmation 1986 ring a bell? I found a confidential
partial Affirmation membership list from back then, that I kept with phone
numbers and addresses but nothing else. Of course in that group people
move so much addresses and phone numbers would be meaningless now. John [When John Cooper passed away in 2018 he donated this membership list to the USHS]
2004- Utah Bear Alliance Meeting
tonight All, What a great thing is happening here. The Utah Bear Alliance is
well over 50 members now and continuing to grow. We hope more would like to
come and join us in some great activities and service projects. I would like to
stress that YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER to come to our meetings and
activities. We invite you ALL. We just hope that once you come and see the fun
we are having, you'll want to join the group and help contribute to a great
organization. Why Join...you ask? Well many positive things come from being a
member of the U.B.A. Being a member shows your driven to building unity within
a group of men that represents building of brotherhood and service to the gay
community. So many great things are to come from the group with activities,
participation in the gay community at large through service and co-sponsoring
of events as well as helping build the international brotherhood of Bears. We
are having our Monthly Membership Meeting at 7 pm at the Black Box Theatre at
the Gay & Lesbian Center (GLBT Community Center of Utah) and invite you all
to come and help us grow stronger. Afterwards, we have our Bear Growler, and
great meet and greet, at Club 161 (a private club for members).
Another great time to be spent by all. So Come Join US! AND A GREAT BIG
THANK YOU...to all the Bears who have joined and made our group such a success.
YOU ARE ALL GREAT! Take Care and see you soon, The UBA Board.
 |
| Howard Johnson |
2005 Attorney gets 90 days for sex abuse Despite his HIV, he
enticed and then had sex with 14-year-old By Natalie Clemens Deseret Morning News
Published: Friday, July 29, 2005 A Utah attorney who enticed and then had sex
with a 14-year-old boy nearly two years ago when he knew he was HIV positive
was sentenced Wednesday to probation and 90 days in jail. Howard P. Johnson,
51, was charged with two counts of first-degree forcible sodomy and one count
of a second-degree felony of enticing a minor over the Internet. He pleaded
guilty to lesser charges of a third-degree felony of unlawful sexual activity
with a minor and a class A misdemeanor of enticing a minor over the Internet in
exchange for the dismissal of a first-degree felony sodomy charge. Court
documents state that Johnson used the Internet to entice the 14-year-old boy to
meet him at his Salt Lake home in October 2003 to engage in sexual activities.
When the teen arrived at the home, Johnson answered the door naked and then
engaged in sex acts with the minor. The minor reported the incident in March
2004, fearing that he might have AIDs or another disease, according to court
documents. Johnson told police officers at his home on March 3, 2004, that he
was HIV positive. The officers then searched his home and office computers for
the presence of child pornography. Court documents state that the computer
searches produced numerous images of naked males engaging in sex acts, but all
of them appeared to be adults. Defense attorney John Caine said that 3rd
District Judge Timothy Hanson didn't see Johnson as a predator. "Mr.
Johnson was not out trying to find someone," Caine said. "This young
man was equally patrolling the Internet." Caine suggested home confinement
for Johnson instead of jail time because, he said. Salt Lake County does not
have work release, which would have been ideal for Johnson during his 90-day
jail sentence. In court Wednesday, prosecutor Paul Amann argued for Johnson to
serve one year in jail, which would have been the maximum sentence under
Johnson's plea agreement with prosecutors. Amann said that attempted homicide
charges were considered because Johnson knowingly had HIV at the time of the
sexual act. They were dropped because the victim took an AIDS test in March
2004 that was negative. "I think that the judge made his ruling based on
all the information that he had, and I'm not in a position to challenge
that," Amann said. Amann said Johnson has been an attorney for
approximately 30 years and that his conviction could potentially lead to
disbarment. "If you've committed a felony crime that's considered a crime
of moral turpitude, my understanding is that that is grounds for disbarment as
an attorney," Amann said. Johnson was also sentenced to 36 months
probation and 100 hours of community service. "It's going to be a
difficult sentence for him," Amann said. "He's in jail for 90 days,
he's probably going to be disbarred, he'll have to register as a sex offender
and he'll have to go through treatment."
 |
| Mark Chambers |
2006 Focus of gay tourney in Utah? Hoops By Deborah
Bulkeley Deseret
Morning News Utah's conservative religious and
political climate won't be on Mark Chambers' mind when he comes to Salt Lake
to play basketball this fall. It's the first time the National Gay Basketball
Association will be holding a tournament in Utah. "If we can have a positive
experience and get people excited about basketball, that's the key,"
Chambers said. Local organizer Jeff Sanchez agreed. Anti-gay measures such as Utah's constitutional
ban on same-sex marriage, he said, are "not an issue for us. We're just
here to play." Some 16 teams from across the country will compete in the
NGBA tournament Oct. 28-29 at the University
of Utah. Chambers said
the league chose Utah
as part of efforts to expand tournament locations. "I'm excited — it's a
new place to go," he said. "If you go to the same place all the time,
it gets boring." While it's the first time the tournament will be held in
Salt Lake, it's not the first time Utah teams have participated in national, or
international sporting events. This month Sanchez was among about 100 members
of Team Salt
Lake who competed in the Gay Games VII
in Chicago. The
international tournament, modeled after the Olympics, is
held every four years.
Sanchez, part of a bronze-medal-winning basketball team, said such sporting
events provide a sense of camaraderie and openness that regular events can lack
for gays and lesbians. "I think gay athletes, in general, feel excluded
from sports," he said. "There's always some part of you that holds
back. It's fun to be able to compete in sports you're good at without having to
worry about your orientation." Doug Fadel, captain of QUAC, Queer Utah
Aquatic Club, and co-chairman of Team Salt Lake,
said such sporting events help to dispel myths about Utah. "People were really surprised
there was such a big team from Salt
Lake City," he said of the Gay Games. "I'm
sure that will be the impression of the basketball teams when they come."
While handfuls of Utahns have participated in the games in the past, this year
marked the largest-ever showing, and most organized. Salt Lake
athletes brought home several medals. Fadel said there is also an annual QUAC
Ski and Swim aquatic invitational each Presidents Day. This year, 60 people
from Utah and
across the country participated, and 100 are expected next year. And, he said,
a good number of straight athletes participate. The teams participate in local
leagues. "It puts a face on an issue," he said. "You have to deal
with them as a person. You can't deal with it as a perceived group. It's hard
to discriminate against people you know and like, and see are just like
you." Gay sporting events have been around for years, and are growing in
popularity, Sanchez said. There have been gay basketball tournaments since the
early 1990s. The NGBA formed about 2 1/2 years ago and has since helped
organize leagues in Salt
Lake and some other
cities. It also hosts about six national tournaments each year. [The first official basketball event was held in Salt Lake City in October 2006]
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