This Day In Gay Utah History AUGUST 31st

August 31st 

Guiliano de Medici

1512, A group of 30 young aristocrats of Florence Italy staged history's first Gay rights demonstration by charging into City Hall, forcing a senior justice official to resign and demanding that the council revoke the sentences of all those who had been exiled or deprived of office for sodomy. Remarkably, after a palace coup by the Medici family two weeks later, those demands were actually acceded to by Guiliano de Medici. Fifteen years later the Medici family was over thrown a and a republican government restored penalties for sodomy blaming sodomites for divine wrath ) Homosexuality in Renaissance Florence

1973 The Herald, Provo Utah page 11 Crackdown Promised at Prison On Homosexuality and Drugs. Utah state Prison 9UPI) The Utah Board of Corrections has approved plans to crackdown on homosexuality and drugs at the State Prison. The board met Thursday and approved plans to ' get tough' on homosexuality which is believed to lurk behind a recent wave of violence which has taken one inmate's life, left another critically burned, and others beaten and stabbed. Board member John P. O'Keefe said the board should get a new prison administration if the current  one can't solve the growing problem. O'Keefe said the problem of homosexuality and drugs should be brought into the open and more state money appropriated to combat the problems. Ernest D. Wright, director of corrections said, "It appears that two of the incidents, (attacks on inmates) were related to inmates attempting to protect themselves from aggressive homosexual involvement." He also said the last 10 days has seen an increase amount of drugs available at the prison. Wright said part of the problem is related to a shortage of correction officers at the facility. he said there are presently 10 unfilled positions, a situation which forces some personnel to work two or even three consecutive shifts, he said. Wright said morale problems exist on the prison staff because of the shortage of officers. The corrections director said he believed the series of incidents does not indicate a break down of internal security at the Point of the Mountain facility and that steps have been taken to beef up security. He said no disciplinary measures against staff are being considered. The violence, Wright said, "does not in any way reflect a takeover of inmate control of the prison."

1979 Radical Faeries, a Gay men’s spiritual movement founded by

Harry Hay

Harry Hay, staged their first major gathering in New Mexico. The Faeries trace their name to the 1979 Spiritual Conference for Radical Fairies. The conference, organized by Harry Hay and his lover John Burnside, along with Los Angeles activist Don Kilhefner and Jungian therapist Mitch Walker, was held over the Labor Day weekend in Benson, Arizona and attracted over two hundred participants. From this, participants started holding more multi-day events called "gatherings". In keeping with hippie, neopagan, and eco-feminist trends of the time, gatherings were held out-of-doors in natural settings. To this end, distinct Radical Faerie communities have created sanctuaries that are "close to the land". It was Hay who

adopted the name "Radical Faerie" for this burgeoning movement, with "radical" referring to its politically extreme viewpoint. The term "Faerie" was chosen in reference both to the immortal

animistic spirits of European folklore and to the fact that "fairy" had become a pejorative slang term for gay men. Initially, Hay rejected the term "movement" when discussing the Radical Faeries, considering it to instead be a "way of life" for Gay males, and he began referring to it as a "not-movement".  English-born American, Hay was one of the earliest leaders of the gay rights movement. He founded the Mattachine Society but then left it to pursue his more spiritual side, eventually creating the group that today calls itself the Radical Faeries. He always expressed public support of anti-assimilationist causes—even openly criticizing more mainstream LGBT groups and organizations like ACT UP—which has caused him to be misunderstood by some looking to shirk controversy. He died in 2002. On June 1, 2011, the Silver Lake, Los Angeles Neighborhood Council voted unanimously to rename the Cove Avenue Stairway in Silver Lake in honor of Hay.

Gordon Steele

Lois Lane

1979- Lois Lane Empress IV of The Imperial Court of Utah resigned as empress due to conflicts with Gordon Steele Emperor IV of the reigning Court. The Utah Court system is fractionalized over disputes within the court system over finances. The majority of Imperial Court of Utah’s royalty and board of trustees meet to discuss forming a new court called the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire. The next year the old Imperial Court is abandoned and Princess Royale Dusty LeManns replaced Lois Lane as became Empress IV of the Royal Court and Joe Conti became Emperor IV. Emperor Joe Conti and Empress Dusty LaManns chose Bill and Donie Marie to fill the positions of Prince and Princess Royale IV for the remainder of the reign. Lois Lane later would be reinstated into the Royal Court and given the title of The Liberty Empress.

1986 Sunday Since I was so near MCC, I went to church and saw Candy Steele there. She asked for my wife's new address and said that there's an opening out at the women's prison where Candy works if my wife was interested. MCC was good and Bruce Barton left me with something good to think about as usual. I take what I need and leave the rest. It was a small group today probably because of Labor Day Weekend. During one of the hymns I was so moved that I wept. After arriving back to 4th South, I saw Russ Lane walking towards Affirmation carrying a fan and a box of literature. It melted my old stone heart when I saw the Ichabod Crane balancing both items in his arms because of his devotion to keeping Gays at Affirmation comfortable. He truly is doing the best he can but still I don't have to let him browbeat me either.  [Journal of Ben Williams]

1988-Sen Orrin Hatch (R-UT) called Democrats "the party of homosexuals" at a Republican fundraiser in St. George. He denied the remark until an audiotape was produced. Newspaper article

1990 Robert Eugene Guiver age 35 died in Salt Lake City of AIDS. Robert “Bob” Eugene Guiver age 35 at home in Salt Lake City. Born 16 December 1954 in San Rafael, California. B.A. in Accounting. He traveled all over the world and was a science fiction fan.

1990 Backstreet at 108 South 500 West closed its doors to later reorganize as Club 108. Rumor was that co-owner Mac Hunt financially ruined the club over a drug habit. The dance club was the home bar of the Royal Court. 

1990 In August, 118 cases of the HIV virus statewide were reported to the Utah Department of Health. One hundred cases came from Salt Lake County alone.   That compares to the 82 Hepatitis

Jim Dabakis

1991 It's been several years now since Jim Dabakis, one of Salt Lake City's most popular radio talk-show hosts, left KTKK (AM-630) to pursue business interests. I caught up with him last weekend at the Salt Lake International Airport, and he said he's spending about half his time in the Soviet Union and the other half in Salt Lake City with a new company, Easti. He is president of that company, which deals in art sales. Dabakis wouldn't admit that he missed doing radio. "After 13 years as a talk-show host, what more can you say?" was his only comment. About once a month, Starley Bush, KTKK general manager, does allow Dabakis to be a guest host at the station. Dabakis seems happy in his challenging new business, especially with the recent turnaround in events in the Soviet Union. He's also pleased about the prospects of his company's economic prosperity. He recently returned from a Russian art exhibit back east where his company sold $1.4 million worth of paintings. January: KTKK names Gaylen Palmer to replace Jim Dabakis, who left the station at the end of 1989

1994-A federal appeals court ordered the reinstatement of petty officer Keith Meinhold, who had been discharged from the US Navy after saying he was gay during a television interview.Keith Meinhold (born c. 1963) is a veteran of the U.S. Navy who successfully challenged the Navy's attempt to discharge him for coming out as gay in 1992 and ended his Navy career in 1996, one of the first openly gay U.S. servicemembers to be honorably discharged.

1994-: Salt Lake Tribune 05/31/94  Page: A1 Ezra Taft Benson, 13th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and former U.S. agriculture secretary, died Monday of congestive heart failure at 2:35 p.m. in his Salt Lake residence. He was 94. The church leader had been in failing health for years. In 1990, Benson had two blood clots removed from his skull. After that, his condition steadily declined, until he barely could speak, had to be fed by a nasal tube and could not leave his apartment. No LDS president since Joseph Smith so thoroughly combined his politics and religion. During the 1950s and '60s, Benson was one of the nation's most vociferous critics of communism, calling it a tool of Satan

Ezra Taft Benson

 . Yet he presided over the church when it was recognized by the Soviet government in 1991 and when the Soviet and Eastern European communist systems collapsed a few months later. During his administration, the First Presidency issued statements opposing gambling, particularly lotteries and parimutuel betting. In 1988, it made a statement on AIDS, expressing compassion for those afflicted with the disease, but re-emphasizing chastity before marriage, fidelity in marriage and abstinence from all homosexual behavior. While a church leader, Benson continued to espouse the ultra-right-wing tenets of the John Birch Society. Benson's son, Reed, once was a regional coordinator for the group, and his wife, Flora, was a member. But Benson never joined. In February 1980, Benson gave a speech at Brigham Young University called ``Fourteen Fundamentals of Following the Prophet.'' In it, he proclaimed the right of the LDS prophet to speak and act politically. ``Most people saw that as a warning of his own future intentions,'' said historian D. Michael Quinn. Perhaps Benson's most controversial address was to the women of the church in 1987. He urged them to marry at an early age, stay home and rear large families rather than pursue careers outside the home.

• We must not place the blame upon Negroes. They are merely the unfortunate group that has been selected by professional Communist agitators to be used as the primary source of cannon fodder. [The civil rights movement's] planning, direction, and leadership come from the Communists, and most of those are white men who fully intend to destroy America by spilling Negro blood, rather than their own. (Ezra Taft Benson, General Conference Report, October 1967)
• "every form of homosexuality is wrong."America’s Strength: The Morality of Its People by Ezra Taft Benson

1994- I don't know how the rest of the heterosexual community feels about Judge David S. Young's decision to sentence the murderer of a gay Park City man to a maximum of only six years in prison for shooting his victim, Douglas C. Koehler, between the eyes at point-blank range (Tribune, Aug. 16). But personally, I don't want to live in a society that tolerates hate crimes and retains a judge who does little more than slap the hand of a cold-blooded killer. Although Tribune reporter Stephen Hunt interviewed several members of Utah's gay community who expressed righteous indignation over Judge Young's abominable decision, I would hate for readers to view this as merely ``a gay issue.''  Whenever justice is inhibited by personal biases and prejudices against any group of individuals, it is everyone's problem. Perhaps 50 years after the world witnessed the horrifying consequences of Hitler's Germany, we believe that the hate-inspired slaughter of more than 6 million Jews and other ``undesirables'' (including homosexuals) is now just another remote page in human history.

David Young

Yet when we tolerate the attitude that certain individuals are ``disposable,'' we resurrect the spirit of Nazism.  Apathetic tolerance of ``injustice for some'' ultimately suffocates the decency of all. In sentencing David Nelson Thacker, Judge Young considered the fact that the killer was influenced by a ``don't get mad, get even'' philosophy. Using the kind of twisted logic that only a skinhead can truly grasp, Judge Young concluded that Thacker does not pose a true danger to society at large (only people who the killer wants to ``get even with,'' I suppose). It's time for those interested in ``justice for all'' to ``get even'' with Judge Young by demanding that he be removed from the bench. GINA A. ZHDILKOV Salt Lake City (08/31/94  Page: A10 SLTribune)

Diana Princess of Wales

1997- Diana Princess of Wales killed in auto wreck in Paris, France. In the late 1980's Princess Diana was dressed up as an male model by singer Freddie Mercury and TV star Kenny Everett so they could sneak her into a well-known gay bar. Diana, wearing an army jacket, black cap and sunglasses, managed to order a round of drinks at the busy nightspot, according to a new book by Kenny’s pal Cleo Rocos. Mercury, Rocos and Everett played their part by soaking up the attention during the nerve-wracking 20-minute visit - allowing the Princess to blend in undetected

Terry Krogan

1998 With lack of initiative on part of the Salt Lake City Council to revise the repealed non discrimination ordinance, Gay activists focused their attention elsewhere -- on elections. Rather than waste energy on a ``namby-pamby'' city law, gay and lesbian residents formed a political action committee and planned to wield their influence at the polls.   ``I have little faith that the current City Council is going to do anything which will affirm the rights of gay and lesbian city employees in any serious way,'' said University of Utah law Professor Terry Kogan  

2002 Ben Williams to Chad Keller: Subject Article for the Pillar: Chad, I took the liberty to edit your article- Dump it if you find it objectionable or use whole or part. Use without any attribution to me-Ben  (PS-I love you but like me we get wordy and opinionated-I cut this to the chase) EDIT- As our community continues to grow, often along the way, we have forgotten important public figures, events, and places in our community's “collective history”. Additionally, often we fail to see the importance of present day leaders, events, and places. This is evident by the current debates on what is the purpose of Pride Day. The rumblings around the community are whether it should be a political forum, a party, or a mixture of both. These questions could be answered by reflecting on the past, and by developing goals for the future. Our collective history is a culmination of the lessons we have learned from people and events from the past. We must keep these lessons with us, as we together stand in the present; to create a brighter future and a community legacy. It is our hope, therefore, that we can do so by soliciting from you, your thoughts on the past and comments on the present, and thereby provide inspiration and strength in those living in the present.  To this end, the new Pillar feature, “The Pillar Asks” is initiated.  The Pillar Reflects Back on Utah History- One hundred twenty-five years ago, one of the most controversial and powerful figures of the American West, Brigham Young died. He ranks as a figure that is both loved and despised in American history. At the time of his death, the Deseret News stated, " He left a mark upon the age which the future will never efface."  At the time of his funeral The Salt Lake Herald celebrated the great railroad builder, banker, merchant, farmer, legislator and spiritual and temporal leader by penning the words, "(his) ability, will and determination overcame mighty obstacles, surmounted grave perils, and outwitted and overthrew many powerful enemies." On the east coast however, The New York Tribune wrote caustically, "he made a big figure in the world. He was a Yankee Mohammed, and American autocrat (who) founded a Kingdom within a republic, and wielded a power no civilized king enjoyed." That paper dismissed Young as "nothing but a cunning, clever old rascal, and no prophet at all." Like most historical figures, Young's reputation ebbs and flows with the times. However Young’s legacy certainly is an enduring part of American Western history. The observations of the Deseret News are as true today, among Latter Day Saints, as they were in 1877: "No earthly potentate ever reigned more fully in the hearts of people than did Brigham Young." Reflecting on Our History Brigham Young, while an important figure in the history of Utah, is only one of many who have shaped the culture of this state.  But has our Utah GBLT microcosm ever had an individual who might be our version of Brigham Young? Do we currently have one?  Every community and culture has its own heroes and heroines including the GLBT one. Generally they are those leaders in a community who, in their own way, have contributed to the development of the communities of which they are a part. Nationally names like Harvey Milk and Larry Kramer have inspired and advised us in our darkest and brightest moments. However too often leaders of the present- as well as the past, and the their accomplishments, are forgotten.  It may seem that as the world continues to grow smaller and smaller, because of advancements in technology, great leaders are fewer and fewer. Under a new definition of leadership, one of being a community builder, there are hundreds of people who have been or are influential in our own GLBT community.  They are the human catalysts that bring our community together, keep us informed, keep us in check, and more importantly- keep it interesting.  In all groups there are people who have and are out standing, accomplishing great things, making a difference and changing the human condition.  They are the New Age of great leaders.  So the Pillar Asks- Of the past and present leaders of the Utah Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community who stands out with prominence? And most importantly why? What were their accomplishments, which have affected us for better, or for worse?  It may seem a strange question to ask but many in our community do not know much of our own history. But this is a chance to reflect on where we have been, where we currently are, and where we hope to be as a community- as well as a chance to educate the general public of our accomplishments. Community historians like Ben Williams and Connell “Rocky” O'Donovan have for years protected and preserved much of our history, (that which is stored in the archival section of the Marriott Library at the University of Utah), yet some of our history’s most tangible proof; its documents and photos are unavailable, or forever lost. Today some of our best records are still in the minds and memoirs of the members of this GLBT community.  Your comments to the Pillar will further our goal to collect written and oral histories for future generations.   Please send your responses to the Pillar, We will select the very best for an up coming article in January. Deadline for submission is October 1, 2002. responses will also be accepted by email. An independent panel will select the top 10 individuals that have shaped or are shaping our community’s collective history from submitted responses. All responses are welcome and we will print as many as possible in a special section in the upcoming article. Chad Keller.  Note-from Ben Williams YOU MIGHT WANT TO INCLUDE LENGTH OF THE ARTICLE  500-1000 Words?

Cheryl Pike Barlow

Kate Kendall

2005 Custody case spotlights couples' parental rights In high court: A mother wants her former lesbian partner's visitation rights to their child cut off By Elizabeth Neff The Salt Lake Tribune It was standing-room only Tuesday as the Utah Supreme Court considered the future of a 3-year-old girl raised in a lesbian relationship. The child's biological mother, Cheryl Pike Barlow, says she has left the gay lifestyle and doesn't want her former partner – joined to her in a Vermont civil union - to see her daughter anymore. "I am here to protect my child," said Barlow. "That's the only reason." Keri Lynne Jones, of Taylorsville, says she is fighting to maintain a relationship with the daughter the couple decided to have together, once raised together, and gave both of their surnames. "We aren't the only family like this," Jones said. "It just seems that it should matter that we created her together." The justices must now decide if Utah visitation laws protect gay or unmarried couples raising children related by blood to only one partner. At issue is a common law doctrine known as "in loco parentis," in which a person acts as a parent although they have no blood or legal ties to a child. Third District Judge Timothy Hanson ruled in December the doctrine applied to Jones and awarded her visitation, saying the girl would benefit "both emotionally and financially" from the contact. Hanson determined Jones had been an "equal partner" in the decision for Barlow to have a child, sharing in the selection of the sperm donor. Jones participated in the child's birth and care, and became a co-guardian, the judge said. The women broke up when the girl was 2, after Jones had an affair with another woman. Barlow's attorney, Frank Mylar, told the justices Tuesday that the parental rights of all Utahns are at stake in the case. Affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund, which litigates cases involving religion, Mylar argued the in loco parentis doctrine only applies to cases where the parent is absent from the child's life. "This case is about the right of a natural mother to decide what is best for her child," he told the high court. "My client decided what she thought was best for her 2-year-old child and left a relationship and a lifestyle." Attorney Kathryn Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said the case hinges on "well-settled" Utah law protecting the relationships children have with those who have acted as their parents. "While this happens to involve a same-sex couple, how one feels about same-sex parents is irrelevant," she said. "If this had been a heterosexual relationship, the same claim would be pressed." Yet Kendell, representing Jones, also told the justices they have the power to protect her client. "The court has an important function to protect the rights of individuals, even if those rights are unpopular," she said. Chief Justice Christine M. Durham summed up the task before the high court as determining how to apply decades-old law from previous cases to a set of contemporary family relation- ships. "To the extent that a parent deliberately constructs a co- parenting situation . . . why shouldn't that parent be responsible for the consequences of creating that relationship?" Durham asked. Tuesday's arguments made for a lively debate, with each one of the justices jumping in. Justice Ronald E. Nehring asked if circumstances would be different had the girl been 10 years old, with a presumably stronger tie to Jones when the couple split up. Justice Jill N. Parrish questioned how much weight courts should place on the intent of parents who set up a relationship. Justice Michael J. Wilkins inquired whether the case involved a public policy question best left to lawmakers. Attending Tuesday's arguments was attorney and Utah state Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper. He called Jones' position an abuse of in loco parentis and said "legislation would be appropriate" should Barlow lose. Barlow, once known as a gay rights activist in Utah, said she feels her daughter has become a pawn in the movement she once took part in. With family members and supporters from her church nearby, she warned: "If this goes through, [gay] adoption is next, [eliminating] the constitutional [anti-gay marriage] amendment is next." She said she has abandoned what she called a "revolving door" of lesbian relationships. "I did not find happiness or much health there," she said. "I pray that I will meet a man that will be able to understand my past." Barlow added she has always been a religious person. "I looked at the last 20 years of my life and my beautiful daughter and said the next 20 years are not going to look like the past 20 years." Barlow argues she was the primary caretaker of her daughter as a stay-at-home mother and that Jones had little to do with raising her daughter. She says visitation that has occurred since she moved from Utah to Texas in May has been traumatic for her daughter, who is having nightmares and calling several people "Mommy." Jones says she was kept away from the girl for almost a year when the litigation began. She contends Barlow was able to be a stay-at-home mom only with her support, tearfully recalling mornings with the girl and picking her up from day care When the girl was 1 year old, Jones said, the couple began trying for a second child. This time the plan was for her to become pregnant, she said. The two tried for one year before the relationship ended, Jones said. Following Tuesday's arguments, Barlow's brother gave Jones a warm hug. "I think that they're torn, the same as my family," said Jones. "We had a wedding, and our families were joined together on holidays." Judge Hanson awarded Jones two days a month and Christmas Day visitation, with visitation increasing to alternating overnight weekends this summer. Jones has been paying $300 per month in child support in accordance with the judge's order, and half of all medical expenses since December. But Barlow is now charged with custodial interference, a third-degree felony, for not following the judge's ruling shortly after she moved to Texas in May. Barlow was arraigned in that case Tuesday, and a follow-up hearing is set for Sept. 13. Jones has visited the girl three times, in a hotel, in the past two months. The justices are considering Barlow's appeal in the visitation case and will make their ruling at a later date.

Keri Lynn Jones

Babs De Lay

2006 Amazing hardship, amazing success Babs De Lay: By 15, she lost a brother, was raped by her stepfather and had to give up her kids; now she's a radio host and real estate mogul By Deann Tilton Close-Up Correspondent Salt Lake Tribune- Babs De Lay is most known in the community as a successful business owner and community radio host. Openly gay and equally candid about both the tragedy and triumphs in her life, she's used her experiences as a roadmap for activism to champion the rights of women and children. Her family had money, brains and troubles. By the time De Lay was 14, she'd survived beatings by her mother and the suicide of her beloved little brother. "He wrote a note leaving me his goldfish and pocketknife," she said. At 15, she was raped by her stepfather and became pregnant with twins. "My mother didn't notice until I was about eight months pregnant. She did a lot of Seconal and scotch," she said. "Once she found out, she had me live alone in the basement of the doctor who was to deliver my twins. I ended up having a Caesarian and went into a coma for a few days." When she woke, the baby girls were gone and De Lay was sent away to a private school in Sanpete County. "I still had stitches running from my navel to my crotch and my mother said, 'If anyone asks what those stitches are for, tell them you had a tumor removed,' '' De Lay said. After graduating with high math and science scores, she enrolled at the University of Utah for pre-med. Eventually, she graduated from Westminster College. De Lay said she struggled to get jobs after college because she was openly gay in the early 1970s. She went back to school, didn't party so much, and earned a degree in business communications. About that time, a new community radio station, KRCL, opened and a staff member suggested she become a station volunteer and host a show. It has been 26 years, and De Lay is still at it. Every Thursday, fans tune in and listen to "Women, the Third Decade," which features divas spanning the decades, such as Billie Holiday and Pink. Barb Guy worked with De Lay as a volunteer for KRCL in the 1980s. "She was the quintessential prepared show host and could rally enthusiasm and interest from listeners and other volunteers," Guy said. Plus she was articulate and had a fun voice." De Lay is a music lover with more than 3,000 albums in her collection but says she has trouble memorizing, can only recall one or two lines from any song and is the worst person to ask, "Who sang that song . . . ?" De Lay uses her airtime on KRCL to inform the community of human rights issues and promote organizations such as the Rape Recovery Center, where she served on the board for five years. In the early '80s, De Lay found her professional niche after bumping into a college friend who was a real estate broker who suggested she become an agent. In 2001, De Lay started Urban Utah Homes & Estates. Her firm's 20 agents serve the Avenues, Sugar House and downtown. Luann Lakis, one of those agents, calls De Lay "a gift." "She kicked my butt," Lakis says with a laugh. "She pushed me to not shy away from resolving issues with the occasional tough client and has instilled in me the confidence to figure things out. Because she speaks her mind instead of tiptoeing around things, she can come across as a little harsh, but I've blossomed because of it. I can see now how much I really do for my clients and how much they like working with me." Kim Davis, Urban Utah Homes & Estates' office manager, says: "Before I worked for Babs, I was just a receptionist with another firm. But she just trusted me with all these responsibilities. Saying, 'You can do it; it's no big deal.' She's changed my life." De Lay also holds a volunteer position on the Salt Lake City Planning and Zoning Commission. Ten years ago, De Lay found the twin girls she had given birth to as a teen and is now a proud grandmother of four. Barb Guy says, "Maybe because she's an entrepreneur and because she's been out there in a lot of different ways in her life, she's willing to support people who are doing brave things." De Lay says, "I believe strongly I'm here on the planet for a reason, and it's my job to help make it a better place."

Eric Ethington

2010 Mormon Church Compares Homosexuality To A Physical Defect Posted by Eric Ethington SLC, UT – In part 2 of our post from yesterday about the Mormon (aka LDS) church’s story about Marishia, the now-reformed Lesbian who became an active member of the church, the bigoted church has the gall to compare homosexuality to being born with a physical defect. When I prayed to know why I was born homosexual a few hours later I received my answer. I have come to understand that homosexuality is similar to a physical defect and in the next life I will no longer have this physical defect, therefore I will no longer be a homosexual. This are the words of Marishia, on the church’s official website. Wow… where to start? So many these days are claiming “No no! The church is changing!” Bull. I cannot abide organizations that, because of getting called out on bigoted practices, make teeny changes in policy then get touted as being progressive. Such is the case here. When Salt Lake City finally passed their non-discrimination ordinances last year, the main story of the day was the Mormon church’s endorsement and encouragement of the new laws. But let’s be honest, the church did nothing. They stepped in at the last moment to ‘endorse’ the laws, but only once the city council already had a unanimous vote. The church gained everything, an easement on the negativity still flowing from their involvement in Prop8, hero status among those in the community who didn’t see what happened, and they had to give nothing. Well in those two simple sentences of Marishia, endorsed by the church by being on their website, we learn their entire attitude. Firstly.. that according to them we’re sick, creatures to pity and be helped. Our sexual orientation? Able to be changed in a moment by their spaghetti monster in the sky – god. Many people who are “struggling with homosexual feelings,” including myself when I was a member are promised that if we but marry in their temple to a member of the opposite sex and have children we will be cured. And even those who are not made those outlandish problems are told what Marishia was told, that if they remain completely celibate and deny themselves of the love of another for the duration of their lives that they will be “cured” in the next life. The Mormon church is changing for the better? Not even close. With front groups like the National Organization For Marriage (NOM) running around the country with their enormous bankroll behind them, they are pushing their beliefs upon the entire nation. Believe as they believe or else!