 |
| Ogden |
1892 In the case of the people vs Mack indicted on the charge of sodomy the trial was concluded and the jury found the defendant guilty as charged date of sentence set for Sept 30th. Ogden Standard Examiner First District Court page 1
- 1892 Ogden Standard Examiner Random References page 8 Officer Tom Conway went to Salt Lake last evening and had in his charge Al Wood, the colored dining car waiter who attempted to end the earthly career of Pat Boyle in a saloon on Twenty Fifth Street with a razor and John Mack charged with Sodomy and landed them in the penitentiary.
1896 The following business was transacted in the Fourth district
Court [Provo] yesterday. Frank Merrill, Patsy Calvey, and James Owens were arraigned on
information charging them with committing a crime of nature in Spanish Fork on
Sept 15th. They stated to the court that they had no money to employ
counsel at the present but expected to have some money in two weeks and would
try to engage Judge Powers. AL Booth was appointed to confer with them in
regard to their plea. Wednesday the 30th was set for time of taking
the pleas. Deseret News.
- 1896 Fourth District Court Last Sunday one of the companions of the three men who are in jail awaiting trial on the charge of committing a “Crime Against Nature” came to Provo and spoke to young Clark the victim of the crime who remains a witness against them. The man told Clark that it would be better to let the matter drop and not testify against the men. They boy however refused to agree to this. When the trial is over the officers have promised to send him to his home in California. Deseret News [Frank Merrill, Patsy Colvey, and James Owens charged with sodomy against 18 year old Thomas Clark]
 |
| Deseret Gym 1910-1962 |
1910- DESERET GYM (1910-1997)
a Utah institution since 1910 when the old facility was dedicated northeast of
the Hotel Utah by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who owned the
complex. The church owned a north complex in Ogden also know as the Deseret Gym built in
1925 and sold in 1993. The gymnasium was built in 1925 as part of the Weber Academy
operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church donated
the campus to the state in 1933 and it became Weber State College, and later,
Weber State University. The gymnasium was returned to the church in 1963, and
since 1973 has been administered by officials of the LDS stakes in the Ogden area. On Sept. 29,
1910, the first Deseret Gym opened ``to all persons of good character
regardless of religious affiliation.'' Gov. William Spry and Salt Lake Mayor
John S. Bransford were among the 10,000 celebrants that day. At the dedication
of the $215,000 facility, LDS Church
President Joseph Fielding Smith, a regular
gym patron, told the crowd of well-wishers, ``This is a center where ideas
of fair play, chivalry and honor are fostered.'' The brick Deseret Gym included
a 30-by-60-foot pool, two diving boards, a 75-by-150-foot gym with an inside
running track, a visitors' gallery and a library with books to lend on physical
education. Membership was $25 a year for businessmen, $18 for adult males, $10
for adult females, and $7 for children 4 through 12. Patrons seeking soap or a
towel were charged an extra penny. Salt
Lake’s Deseret Gym patron
Ruth Pratt and her best friend, younger sister Mary Stromness, learned to swim
70 years ago at the first Deseret Gym, one block south on Main Street. They remember the
ill-fitting gray cotton suits they had to rent and the LDS bishop's recommend
that allowed them entry. There was one pool, off limits to females except for specific times. The
reason? ``The men swam in the buff.'' The old gym, the precursor to modern
arenas like the
 |
| Deseret Gym The Lord's Bathhouse |
Delta Center and Huntsman
Center, once served as the home court
for the University of Utah basketball team as well as for East and West High
Schools. It even had a bowling alley within the
bowels of its old steel frame. Later West High is the only school to use the
Deseret Gym for competitive purposes. The school holds its home swimming meets
at the competition pool, keeping a long tradition alive. On May 6, 1961, an
announcement stated that a new gym would be built on First South and Richards Street
(where Crossroads
Plaza now sits). Those
plans were altered and on June 2, 1962, LDS Church President David O. McKay
informed the community that an addition to the Hotel Utah and a new LDS Church
administration building would be built on the block east of Temple Square, requiring the Deseret Gym
to be razed. An underground parking area would be built in its place.
Groundbreaking for the current DG was June 18, 1963, the same year the
University Club building made its debut on South Temple.
The old DG was flattened. Dedication of the new buff-colored
brick-and-cast-stone DG complex was Jan. 5, 1965, with 1,500 people in
attendance. President and Mrs. McKay were present but did not give formal
speeches. Hugh B. Brown of the LDS First Presidency told the crowd, ``We are anxious that our
young people and all of us should acquire health-giving exercise.'' Willard R. Smith, who had locker No. 1 at
the first DG, was afforded similar honors at the new gym. Richard Condie
conducted the Tabernacle's men's choir in three hymns and Thomas Monson gave
the benediction. The $2.5 million structure, providing for the first time full
athletic access for women and children, was deemed ``The finest health
promoting facility in this part of the country.'' At 128,929 square feet, it
was twice as large as the old DG. Its numerous amenities included a women's
steam room, with continuous perforated pipe for uniformity of steam, and a
14-by-9-foot Finnish sauna with dry heat that brought out the soothing aromatic
scent of aspen benches. Now the steam room appears old and forgotten. The
one-inch pink and gray tiles are coming loose. An ugly concrete support stump
remains where a white tile bench once rested. Die-hard steamers, towels wrapped
around their bodies, crowd onto the lone 12-foot bench, occasionally reaching
for the green garden hose to feel the invigoration of cold water in a hot room
one last time. Throughout the years, the steam room has been a retreat for
introspection and solace, a place to comfort a sobbing stranger who was a
victim of spouse abuse and came to the gym for refuge. It has been an exchange
hub for Thanksgiving recipes and tips on the best way to use a round loofah
sponge -- cut it down the middle and scrub away. Since the news of the DG demise, there have
been the daily rumblings from malcontents. That the gym is closing because of
uncontrolled gang activity, especially on Saturdays. That vandalism and sexual
promiscuity are on the rise. That if the staff had been more diligent in its
responsibilities, things would not have gotten out of hand. ``If they would
just get rid of the riff-raff here,'' groused one swimmer, ``we wouldn't have
to look for another place to go.'' The news of the gym's closing left her
devastated. ``It is so much more than a
building. It's the people. All these wonderful people. I wanted to die when I
first heard the news. It would have been easier. Then I found another place to
swim. But, oh, how I will miss all of you.'' There was a farewell open house
April 19. White T-shirts inscribed with DG birth and death dates were passed
out along with stories and remorse. On Thursday, the final day, Debra ``Mom''
Jones, various staff members and patrons will gather at Dee's
restaurant where ``we'll cry and we'll celebrate,'' said Mom. ``It's going to
be difficult.'' Salt Lake Tribune 12/23/91 Page: C8 03/31/93 Page: B5 '' 04/27/97 Page: J1)
- When the Deseret Gym was shutting down, several old photo graphs were hung in the Men's side of the gym. One showed a naked boy crouching on the the diving board. The next time I went to teh gym, rather than removing it, someone had inked in a pair of speedoes on the boy. (Ben Williams)
- Swimming suits were prohibited at the Deseret Gym for much
of its existence. Early swimsuits were primarily made of cotton which tended to
shed fibers which clogged the filter systems of the pools. It wasn’t until the
1960′s with the advent of nylon fabrics that the issue was resolved. It also
coincided with the introduction of women to many organizations like the YMCA
that the issue came up and was discussed. I believe it was about the same time
that the Deseret Gym stopped the nude swimming as well. More than one source on this and at least one
person directly confirmed seeing General Authorities swimming there in the
nude. A Prescott, Arizona Man wrote … The Deseret Gym was an exercise facility
that used to be across the street from Temple Square in Salt Lake City –
removed to make way for the construction of the LDS Conference Center. This gym
was frequented for many years by General Authorities and other workers from the
Church Office Building. As a young boy in Salt Lake we used to go to the
Deseret Gym to swim, or try to in my case, and we were not allowed to wear swim
suits. We had to swim nude, no girls of course, and the same was true when I
took swimming classes at the University Of Utah, no suits allowed. Many accounts confirm that nude swimming
(among men) was the tradition there, as with all YMCA swimming pools across the
country, until the time of their integration with female visitors for co-ed
swimming.
- Luckily, I soon shifted my attention from my own body to
those of other boys. During my
 |
| Dr. Joel Dorius 1919-2006 |
years from 8 to 10, my happiest moments were
spent at the [Deseret] gymnasium. Although I rarely exercised there, for over two years
my heart and soul were at the gym—ironically far more than my gawky body. In
utmost innocence, mother, signed me up for weekly swimming lessons at the
Deseret Gym, the Church's "temple for the body," only two blocks from
my grammar school. She couldn't have known what fears and pleasures she was
unwittingly introducing me to. In our all-boy class, our swimming instructor,
Mr. Welch, liked to pick out the most timid or underdeveloped boys and
challenge them to show what they could do. He became for two years my principal
villain. To my astonishment, even under the Church's auspices, males of all
ages swam nude, and boys in their later teens and early 20s had the period
after ours. When inside the locker room, I was always too self-conscious to be
caught looking at other boys. But after I had dressed, I would run up to the
balcony overlooking the pool and stare at these splendid examples of slightly
older Mormon manhood to my heart's content. I was always alone. The gym's
official (and wonderfully benighted) assumption seemed to be that no Mormon
boy—"normal" by definition—would ever be interested in others of his
own sex. If the door to the balcony was locked, I would climb up the fire
escape to peer through the tops of windows to catch a glimpse of at least a
chest or back. At other times, I would find an awkward low grill in a janitor's
closet that enabled me to catch glimpses into the men's locker room. Like a
straight boy trying to peek into the girls' room, I would have moved heaven and
earth to appease my insatiable desires. With far more developed bodies than mine, these older boys
were young gods to me. I had never before seen teenage men nude, but I knew at
once that I would never again see anything so breathtakingly beautiful. Leaning
over the balcony railing, I was fascinated by their larger penises,
musculature, pubic and body hair, and their wonderful heads and faces. As
apparent products of the Saints' clean living and pious thinking, these Apollos
were phenomenal embodiments of the genus male. At times, I would nearly faint
when an exceptionally handsome boy entered the pool room and went to the diving
board. There he often would jump up and down for some time, preening like a
bird of paradise, until he began to get an erection, of which he pretended to
be utterly unaware. Then, to my disappointment, he would plunge into the
blue-green waters and swim gracefully back and forth several times. Staring
fixedly, I would follow this young prince until he hauled himself out onto the
tile floor and started rubbing himself down nonchalantly with his towel. If he
was unusually good-looking, I noted that other boys were also watching him. I
learned early that, with furtive glances, most boys pay a silent tribute to
male beauty. And as I have observed, most men—being competitive in every
way—check one another out in showers. It also seemed to me that many boys
expressed homosexual feelings before they adopted socially acceptable heterosexual
identities. There was no nudity in my family, and my father was usually absent.
Thus, these young males represented to me an unknown half of the world, a part
of humanity that I'd only dreamed about. Or they were creatures of another
species. Indeed, they seemed infinitely more beautiful nude than dressed. I no
longer had to be my own phallic hero; more gifted heroes were exercising before
me, and my eyes were now their adoring mirror. The bodies of these glorious young men seemed utterly unlike
my own prepubescent skeleton. Because of the cold water, my small,
late-developing penis always shriveled to nothing in the pool. Although it was
my necessary badge of admission to the all-male hall, I was ashamed of my small
equipment and tried to hide it. I was grateful and surprised, however, that an
ambivalent boy like me was allowed into this enormous room full of naked men. I
was like a spy in foreign territory. Of course I kept my exciting voyeurism as
private as I had my displays before my mother's mirror. I divided my life into seemingly unrelated experiences. I
never connected these secret moments at the gym, for instance, with the
overtures of my piano teacher, or any other forbidden experiences. I would end
sessions at the gym exhausted but satisfied. Applying my religious language to
my desires, I came to feel that the human form is sacred, if anything is.
Later, I understood why the Greeks portrayed their gods as beautiful human
beings. Fixedly watching these naked young men at the gym initiated a lifelong
preoccupation, one that never lessened, but very soon I had no way to satisfy
it. It was never again as innocent, pure and selfless. I think that enormous
numbers of boys who professedly become straight have enjoyed similar
experiences, but they probably call their stolen glances "admiration"
or "hero-worship." They usually deny that this admiration could be
tinged with physical desire. Older men may repress their urge to stare, or else
they become ever more furtive. (Memoirs of Joel Dorius)
1914 - The LDS Quorum of Twelve learned that the Netherlands mission president has
"discovered that 15% of the missionary Elders in the Netherlands during the past two
years, have been guilty of immoral practices, and that a much greater percentage
of Elders have been exposed to these evils."
 |
| The Captive |
1926- "The
Captive," a play about a young woman who was seduced by an older woman,
opened in New York." Irene de Montcel, ordered by her diplomatist father to
be prepared to move from Paris to Brussels, refuses to go. De Montcel,
suspecting Irene is held by the fascination a degenerate woman companion exerts
for her, insists upon her going. To escape submission Irene begs a girlhood
sweetheart, Jacques Virieu, to marry her. Jacques, though warned by the husband
of the degenerate that such a marriage cannot be successful, agrees to Irene's
proposal. A year later they are returned from their honeymoon. Their marriage
has been a failure and Irene, still under the influence of her friend, deserts
her husband." [from The Best Plays of 1926-
 |
| Basil Rathbone |
27, ed. by Burns Mantle (Dodd,
Mead and Co., 1927), page 390.] The play closed after a police raid arrested the actors. “…As we walked out onto the stage to await our first entrances
we were stopped by a plainclothes policeman who showed his badge and said,
‘Please don’t let it disturb your performance tonight but consider yourself
under arrest!’ At the close of the play the cast were all ordered to dress and
stand by to be escorted in police cars to a night court.” Basil Rathbone
1948 - The Rope, an Alfred Hitchcock film staring Jimmy Stewart with a gay subtext,
openedin theaters. The screenplay was
written by Arthur Laurents and two of the actors, Farley Granger and John Dall,
were also gay. The play was loosely based on Leopold and Loeb, the homosexual thrill killers. Two young men strangle their "inferior" classmate,
hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner
party as a means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime.
1950 Brutal Attackers of local boy draw stiff term. For the brutal
beating and sexual assault on a nine year old Murray boy, two 15 year old youths Saturday
heard Third District court Judge A H Ellett order them confined from society
until they are 21 years old. The juveniles, Karl Marx Black, of 56 Columbia St and Franklin R
Westerfield, of Pueblo St, both were
sentenced to the state prison for from three to 20 years on the charge of
sodomy and for not more than five years on the charge of indecent assault. The
terms will run concurrently. However execution of the sentences were stayed by
the court on condition the youths remain in the custody of the state industrial
school until they reach at that time they must appear before the court again
for final disposition of their case. Black will be 21 Sept 6 1955 and
Westerfield on July 10 1956. The youths pleaded guilty to both charges
previously a charge of attempt to commit murder had been dropped. Black
received a sanity hearing prior to appearing before the court for preliminary
hearing. He was adjudged sane by court
appointed psychiatrists. In passing
sentence, Judge Ellett told the pair, “the crimes you have committed
have enraged and aroused the citizenry of this county and state it is one of
the most cowardly and dastardly crimes
in my experience.” “I have no desire at this time to place you in the state prison.” “You are too young and too little.” “It might be possible that the inmates would
visit on you many times the crime you have visited on your victim.” “I will
give you a stay until you reach 21 on condition you are made wards of the state
industrial school.” “When you have reached that age I direct that you be
returned to this court for further proceedings.” [Murray
Eagle 1950-09-29 Brutal Attackers of Local Boy Draw Stiff Term]
1954 - Weston
Craig Lee, (1920-1976) 33 Bountiful, Tuesday pleaded guilty of disorderly
conduct and fined $73 and 60 days in jail.
Judge J. Patton Neely suspended jail on payment of fine and his good
behavior. (SLTribune 09/29/54 Page 11 Col. 1)
1970-Gay character actor
Edward Everett Horton died of cancer in Encino California at age 84. In
addition to numerous Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films where he was the sissy side kick, he was the
narrator of "Fractured Fairy Tales" on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. Flourished during the Pansy Era playing an old Maid batchelor.
1978 Republican Salt Lake County Commissioner William L. Hutchinson endured charges of
homosexual activity with a minor and a trial that ended in a hung jury. He ran for
re-election but lost and reportedly left office with ambivalence. He was the founder and director of the Utah Boys Ranch. Hutchinson Case a Mistrial by Christopher Hicks Salt Lake County Commissioner William L Hutchinson again declared his
innocence Thursday night after a mistrial was declared in his juvenile court
sex offense case. Hutchinson
smiled widely and hugged his wife after the announcement in 2nd District Juvenile Court
about 10:15 p.m.. The four members of the hung jury wer polled by Judge John
Farr Larson; each said the group could not reach a unanimous verdict in the
misdemeanor case. They had deliberated about five and a half hours after
Thursday’s closing arguments. The trial lasted four days, prolonged by the key
witness failure to sow up one day and by constant arguing between prosecuting
and defense attorneys. Hutchinson was charged with contributing to
the delinquency of a minor. He was alleged to have had homosexual relations
with a 17 year old by, Kerry Sorensen, now 18. Sorensen testified he and the
commissioner engaged in sodomy on three occasions last year. “I’m still
innocent,” Hutchinson
told reporters after Larson announced the mistrial, “and can be considered
innocent under the present conditions.” When asked what kept him going under
the intense pressure of anticipation over the year, Hutchinson brought his wife
Venida next to his side and said, “She kept me going; my strength comes from
her.” He said any decision about his political future “is a family decision.” Prosecutor Joseph E. Tesch said he does not
know iif the case will be retried; that decision is County attorney Pam Van
Dam’s. Van Dam told the Deseret News
Friday he intends to evaluate the evidence but declined to speculate on whether
he will pursue a retrial. But defense attorney Phil Hansen said it would be
harassment for the state to try Hutchinson
a 2nd time. “The state failed to provide its burden of guilt,” he
said. “I was totally shocked that the jury failed to acquit my client on the
basis of such evidence.” Jury foreman Roger Bennett said he and the only female
juror were unsure of Sorensen’s credibility and had reasonable doubt about Hutchinson’s guilt. They
voted for acquittal. By law a jury must have no reasonable doubt to vote for a
conviction. That, Bennett said, was the case with the other two jurors, “one had no shadow of a doubt.”
He added, “Nobody wins on a hung jury.” Bennett, a United Press International
reporter, covered Hutchinson’s
trial last May on a charge of harboring a minor. The commissioner was acquitted
in that case. But Bennett said he no
more knowledge about the case than the other jurors and his occupation had no
bearing. “It’s not an experience I’d want to go through again,” he said. In closing arguments, which lasted through
out the afternoon, Hansen told the jury it would make no sense for the commissioner
to put himself in a position of possible arrest by committing in broad daylight
the acts testified to by Sorensen. “You don’t think he’d be that dumb enough to
expose him self the way Kerry Sorensen says do You?” said Hansen. “If so,
convict him of stupidity, but not contributing.” He repeatedly called Sorensen
a liar, citing several examples of conflicting testimony and the youth’s
community reputation. “And speaking of liar,” the defense attorney said, “look
at the arrogance, to say he got paid by girls- can you believe that?” Sorensen
had testified he was a male prostitute for men and women. “If he lies once, you
don’t have to believe any of it,” Hansen repeated several times. “There’s got to be reasonable doubt as to
these charges. Lies, lies, lies.” Hansen also told the jury to remember the judges
instructions that they were not to consider sympathy, bias, or prejudice in their
deliberations. Hansen said prosecution’s arguments were purely philosophical.
“Mr. Tesch to the point of nausea almost kept referring to a ‘mere boy’. He’s a
17 year old, at the time, going on 35.” Tesch said it might be unreasonable for
a county commissioner to act as Sorensen said Hutchinson did, but “the sexual drive is
something-it must be a terrific drive.”
The prosecutor, who addressed the jury before and after Hansen’s final
arguments, said many famous people in history had homosexual tendencies, and
Sorensen should not be discredited because he is an admitted bisexual. Tesch
said of general sexual deviancies “We are not interested until they stat doing
it with our children, we can’t take chances with our children.” As to
Sorensen’s conflicting testimony, Tesch said, “Mr. Hansen says we have an
admitted liar-what we have here is an admitted truth-teller. Everybody lies
often and to say otherwise is a lie.” “Kerry Sorensen” is a truly courageous
boy,’ He said. “The boy tried to ruin the commissioner? What has the commissioner
done to himself?” Tesch urged the jury to be absolutely sure to vote their abiding
conviction.” He said repeatedly that Hansen’s cross examination was designed to
“trick the boy”. But he said, “the boy stuck to the truth and would not be
tricked.” Tesch likened the defense case to sand castles in the air drying out
and blowing away. He also said Sorensen was like a reed blowing in the wind
under Hansen’s cross examination. [Deseret News B1-2 ]SL Tribunes 1976 Election Report
 |
| Ed Koch |
1982- During a police raid on a New York City
Gay bar, 12 people were injured and $30,000 worth of damage was done by police.
They entered the bar with their guns drawn and ordered all the patrons (who
they referred to as "faggots") to get to the back of the bar. They
destroyed liquor bottles and took the money out of the cash register. The raid
resulted in a protest march and a reprimand by Mayor Ed Koch. Police never
explained the reason for raiding the bar.
 |
| Walter Mondale |
1982- Minnesota Democrat Walter
Mondale, presidential hopeful, announced his support for Gay rights. He would also met with the Human Rights Coalition/
1984-The Wasatch Leather and Motorcycle Club is
organized to create a leatherman community in Salt Lake City. Organized at the
Deerhunter Tavern with 11 men as founding members. Les Emmett was elected 1st President, with Greg Garcia as vice-president. Mike Liddell was Secretary, and Mike Aylett was
treasurer. Other members were Bob LeFevre, Steve Barrows, Pat Duffy, Doug
Douglas, Ric Warner, Ron Kraft and Mel Baker.
1985 Pamela Calkins
was ordained an Elder when Antonio A. Feliz conferred upon her the
Melchizedek Priesthood in the Church of All Latter Day Saints..
1987-Gov. George
Deukmejian ( R) of California
signed legislation allowing the state to establish a system to test new drugs
to treat AIDS, but vetoed a bill which would have allowed a 55% tax credit for
contributions to an AIDS research fund.
1987-After Congress passed a $20 million appropriation to fund a
project to mail information on AIDS to every household in the country, Robert
Windom, Asst. Secretary of Health, announced that instead it would mail info
only to health departments, community organizations, and major employers. He
said the decision to withhold the mass mailing came from White House officials.
1988 - Glen
Camomile, a bountiful high school teacher led the Gay Fathers meeting on co- dependency. He has a Masters in Oral Communication.
1996
Paul M. Callihan's obituary , Former Ririe Woodbury Dancer, Dies at 41 Paul M. Callihan, a former dancer
and administrator with the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, died Sept. 21 in Salt Lake City after a long
illness. He was 41. Callihan, a native
of Edmond, Okla.,graduated
in biology from Oklahoma's Central State University.
He received his master's of fine arts in modern dance at the University of Utah
in 1989. There, he was a member of Performing Dance Company and was the recipient
of the Dee R. Winterson Award and the
Orchesis Performing Award. After graduation, Callihan joined
the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, of which he was a member for five years. ``Paul
was a talented dancer with a wonderful musicality,''said co-artistic director
Joan Woodbury. ``He was a cornerstone of the company. He had a beautiful grasp of
the quality of each of the dances.''
After his retirement from the stage, Callihan became part of the company's administrative staff. He worked as director of education until earlier this
year. ``I never heard a negative
comment about Paul. Nor did I ever hear
any kind of criticism coming from him,'' said Woodbury.``He lived his life based
on a sense of love.'' He is survived by
his parents and a brother. In
Callihan's memory, donations may be made in his name to the Utah Arts Council or
a favorite charity. Salt Lake Tribune Page: D2
.jpg) |
| David Young |
1996 For the first time, state judges facing retention elections
have received unsatisfactory grades from the attorneys asked to evaluate their performance Third District Judges
David S. Young, 53, and Homer F. Wilkinson, 70, received scores of under 70% on
questions in a survey commissioned by the Utah Judicial Council. The 70% standard is set by state law. To be certified for retention, a trial judge must receive that minimum score on at
least 75% of 13 questions Appellate judges face 12 questions. Young and Wilkinson met the overall standard and were approved to stand for retention Nov.5. The ballot will ask voters whether
to keep six appellate and 33 district and juvenile judges. But Wilkinson's legal knowledge was found wanting by attorneys, according to results released by the Administrative
Office of the Courts The results will be provided to the public in the Utah
Voter Information Pamphlet now being distributed. A judge since 1979, Wilkinson received unsatisfactory scores when lawyers were asked to consider three
criteria: whether the judge applies the law to the facts of the case, clearly explains the basis of oral decisions, and write decisions in a clear and
coherent manner. Young, appointed in
1987, received a substandard rating on one measure of performance ``Weighs all
evidence fairly and impartially before rendering a decision.'' Since 1994, the National Organization for Women and the Gay and Lesbian Utah
Democrats have criticized Young as biased.Both groups have pledged to
campaign against his retention. Utah judges run
unopposed, and voters are asked only if a jurist should continue to serve. The judicial council has used the attorney survey since at least the 1990 election to help gauge whether a judge
should be certified to stand for retention, said Michael Phillips, deputy court
administrator. Attorneys evaluate all
judges in some detail.But the council releases only generalized results,on only
12 or 13 questions, and only for judges who have completed a term and are
standing for election Exact scores are
kept secret -- voters are told only whether or not the judge received more than 70% satisfactory responses. To provide
taxpayers more information about their judges, The Salt Lake Tribune is completing its own statewide survey, which asks lawyers to evaluate federal
and state judges.Results will be published in October. In the past, state judges who were not facing retention elections have received unsatisfactory scores on the
court-sponsored survey, Phillips said But those scores were not made public. All Judges who have been up for election have received satisfactory rankings
across the board,Phillips said. Under a
law approved by the 1996 Legislature, more information will be released about how
a judge scored. Scores will be released in 5% increments: For example,
voters could be told a judge received 70%, 75%, 80%,85%, 90%, 95% or 100%
satisfactory scores --instead of simply above the 70% standard. Wilkinson, a former assistant attorney
general,was elected to five terms in the Utah Legislature as a Republican
between 1966 and 1976. He was elected to the bench in 1979 when judge candidates
still faced traditional elections.
Young was appointed to the bench in 1987 by then-Gov. Norm Bangerter. He
worked in several law firms and also is a former chief assistant attorney
general. He was the original director of the Statewide Association
of Prosecutors. Sl Tribune 09/29/96 Page: B1
29 September 2000 Affirmation’s Missionary Reunion held
at MCC
29 September 2000 The Salt Lake Tribune Page: B3 State
Street Cruiser a Loser; Court Rejects His Constitutional Appeal of Traffic
Ticket BY NESREEN KHASHAN THE SALT LAKE
TRIBUNE Ken Larsen, then a Libertarian mayoral candidate, became one of the first
drivers cited last summer for violating Salt Lake City's new cruising
ordinance. Larsen, 58, received the ticket a month after the June 1999 passage
of the no-cruising law on State
Street, around the same time he vowed publicly to
challenge the law. During the 1999 mayoral race, Larsen, an adjunct research
associate professor of medicine at the University of Utah,
would dress up like Brigham Young for public appearances. Although he is not a
homosexual, he applied for a Gay marriage license that was denied, as a way of
challenging the Gay-marriage ban. Larsen represented himself on appeal without
an attorney, a rare occurrence in appellate court.
2003 Gays in Utah still face
struggle By Adam Benson Growing up in small-town Canada, Elizabeth Birch says she
knew she was a lesbian early in her life. "I knew dead cold that I was gay
at a very young age and I thought it was so cool," she said. Birch, the
executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, spent about two hours speaking
on issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Utah and nationwide
Friday afternoon at the Alumni House. With heated debates about marriage
licenses, domestic-partner insurance and a spate of hate crime legislation
circulating in Congress, Birch told students they need to continue being
proactive and bipartisan in their efforts to further the cause. "The country
expects us to be angry and shrill and each time we're not, it throws them off
and forces them to listen...The only way to move LGBT issues in America is
through bipartisan actions," she said. Birch, who has worked with
high-profile politicians and personalities within the LGBT community, like
singer Melissa Etheridge and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said much work still
needs to be done within Utah
concerning gay issues. "The largest funder of anti-gay activities by far
is the Latter-day Saints Church. They simply outspent us," she said. But,
Birch said, the divisiveness between religious entities and those in the gay
community can be a blessing. "While you may want Utahns to become gay
activists overnight, there is a tremendous amount of unity that comes out of
struggle...You're beginning to see a pinhole of light," she said. The
Friday afternoon luncheon primarily served as an open discussion between Birch
and interested students and other members of the community who are impacted by
LGBT issues. Bruce Bastian, a member of the Human Rights Campaign Board of
Directors, said Birch's presence and comments at the U were important because
of the messages behind them. "To hear Elizabeth speak is very
empowering...She has a way of making people feel like they can do the
impossible, and it's important for her to see what this movement has
accomplished in Utah over the last 10 years," he said. Charles Milne, the
director of the LGBT
Resource Center
at the U, agreed. "We wanted Elizabeth to
hear the experiences that youth and college students in Utah were facing...Every time anyone
vocalizes these issues, it creates a much higher understanding and
normalization," he said. Birch was also candid in her comments about the
widespread misconceptions many people hold about the gay community.
"Lurking below the national consciousness are these snakes, and those
snakes are pedophilia. Most in the
straight community want to support us, but fear for the safety of their own
children," she said. Birch also emphasized her belief that sexual
orientation is predetermined, and therefore should be used to refocus gay
issues. "Sexual orientation is very highly likely set in utero...We live
in a real world with real live people who are very likely to be born with their
sexuality," she said. Bastian and many others in the crowd also debunked
the idea that those in the gay community aren't in touch with their more
religious side. Gays and lesbians are very spiritual people...We're forced to
be. We can be just as spiritual as Christian right-wing conservatives," he
said.
2005 The Metropolitan Community Gay Church needs our help to
raise money for the church and to gain more members. They will be having a
spaghetti dinner on Thursday, September 29 at 7pm, with a $3 donation. Please
come if you can. The church could really
use our help. The Metropolitan Community Gay Church 823 S. 600 E. Salt Lake City, UT
Thursday, Sept. 29 7 PM $3 Donation
2005 Thurs & Fri Sep 29th & 30th - Sirius OUTQ Radio
Comes to the Center - Center Space ( 8-11pm ) The John McMullen Show comes to
Salt Lake! Come participate in the Live Broadcast from the Center with national
host John McMullen as he interviews local celebrities, politicians and
activists from Salt
Lake and broadcasts our
voices worldwide via satellite! John McMullen is America 's pioneering voice of GLBT
talk radio. As the creator of SIRIUS OutQ on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, McMullen
is in his ninth year of hosting talk programming for the GLBT community.
www.johnmcmullen.com
2006 THE SOUTHERN UTAH GLBT COMMUNITY
HOSTS THE 4TH ANNUAL GAY PRIDE SPRINGDALE, UT– The Southern Utah
Pride at Zion Celebration, “Find Your Pride,” commences on September 29th at 7
PM with a kick off party at the Jack’s Switchback Club located in Springdale , Utah
. The two day pride celebration features
a live performance by the Fast Eddie Band, HIV/Aids testing, Drag Show, DJ
Dance Party and Outdoor Festival.
Admission for the two day celebration will be $5. Southern Utah Pride at Zion will have a lot more in store in this
year than previously done with a weekend full of information, education,
entertainment, fun, food and more. The
Southern Utah GLBT Community will be welcoming Southern
Utah locals as well as out of town guests from all over the
world. Featured events for Saturday,
September 30th will begin at 10 AM with a benefit breakfast in the Springdale City Park
. Southern Utah Pride at Zion also welcomes the
Utah Aids Foundation, who will be providing free HIV/Aids testing, and the
PFLAG Organization; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; whose
mission is to promote the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender persons, their families and friends. Many local talents as well as visiting
talents will be showing off for the Amateur Drag Show set to begin at 6 PM on
Saturday followed by the DJ Dance Party presented by a Southern Utah local, DJ
Pop N’ Fresh, to finish off the night.
Southern Utah Pride at Zion is a
celebration for the Southern Utah GLBT Community whose mission is to promote
acceptance and equality for the GLBT Community in Southern
Utah .
 |
| Mark Foley |
2006 - Closeted Republican congressman Mark Foley (from Florida) resigns from office after Instant Messages of a sexual nature between him and a male Congressional page are revealed.
2009 The Daily Utah
Chronicle News Gay students struggle with self-censorship By
Chris Mumford Share this article Published: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Among
the many misconceptions dogging members of the U’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community, the most common might be the least obvious—the notion
that they agree on everything and face the same problems. On questions ranging
from whether homosexuality is a choice to the legality and desirability of
sanctioning gay marriage, a variety of perspectives can be found within the U’s
LGBT community. One of the purposes of the LGBT Resource Center, located in the
Union, is to create an environment in which individuals feel free to express
opinions that might be stifled elsewhere. The Utah Legislature shot down all of
the Common Ground initiatives that would have granted the state’s gay community
some of the same benefits as heterosexual couples. “I think I do very much censor
myself,” said James Lancaster, a junior in gender studies and mass
communication, who did not state his sexual orientation. “It’s just part of
survival.” Lancaster said he feels like he has only recently begun to come to
terms with his true identity, which he has become accustomed to suppressing. “I
don’t know what my behavior would be if I hadn’t grown up in such an oppressive
environment,” he said. Others, however, say they feel perfectly comfortable on
campus and that self-censorship isn’t a problem. Nate
 |
| Nate Currey |
Currey, a gay senior in
urban planning, said he feels comfortable on campus, but said this might be
because of the fact that he came out to his family and friends years ago and
has therefore had more time to adjust. Currey, who comes from a Latter-day
Saint background, spoke of accepting his sexuality as a choice, which provoked
some disagreement from other students at the center, who felt that sexuality
doesn’t involve choice. “It just seems like a lot of people are trying to make
sense of their sexual orientation and their religion,” said Allie Shephard, a
bisexual junior in pre-nursing, in attempting to explain how some people in the
LGBT community can hold opinions, such as opposing gay marriage, that seem at
odds with public assumptions. Lancaster and Currey both pointed out that
disagreements are handled civilly and that students interested in the LGBT
Center don’t need to worry about being interrogated about their political
views. The differing beliefs found at the center only illustrate the idea that
everyone is welcome. The principle aim, Lancaster said, is to make
individuals—and particularly newcomers—feel safe and comfortable. “I think it’s
just basic things like reading people and asking them how their day has been,”
he said.
2010 #10 Top read story on Utah Pride blog Gay Man’s Letter
To Mormon Church About His Temple Marriage posted September 29th. SLC, UT – I
was just forwarded this letter from a gay man in Utah whose Mormon bishop wrote
to him asking his permission for his ex-wife to get a “temple divorce.” Very
very interesting, take a look!
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- 09/21/10
Dear Bishop Busch, After deciphering your incoherent letter, in which my
name was misspelled multiple times, I have decided to respond to your
request. Specifically the portion in which you say, “We would like to know
if you have any objections, concerns or observations about her request.” I
am very happy for —– and her family. I respect their religious beliefs and
will not stand in their way. Although I do not have any objections or
concerns, I do have a few observations that I would like to make.
Personally, I find it interesting that I have received a request to allow
an individual to make a deep, lasting commitment to her loved one, from
the very same church that has single-handedly made it impossible for me to
do so. The same church that made it feel so wrong to be a homosexual that
I pretended for years to be straight, even going so far as to get married.
The same church that then saw two young people, in the prime of their
lives have to deal with divorce and all of the hate, pain and torment that
accompanies such a situation. The same church that is still pretending to
be an all encompassing, open and loving church but is in fact a cold,
calculating corporation that cares for souls far less than it cares for
profit and power. I am proud of —– and respect her choice but, I cannot
give my permission to your church. My “permission,” as it were, goes
directly to —–, along with my well wishes and love. I hope in some small
way, I can be an example to you in that although I do not agree with your
marriage practices, I will not stand in the way when it comes to marriage,
and I expect the same. My God tells me to love. My God tells me to have
respect. My God would never tell me to interfere, tear apart and terrorize
another group of people. To be frank, I am very surprised that yours does.
Be Well, Jacob J. Fluckiger
- Kevin
Hillman- I find it interesting that only a women have to ask for permission
to re-marry in the temple. All LDS men can re-marry any one at any time
they wish and have as many temple marriages as they want. Meaning that the
law of the land has nothing to do with their spiritual marriage that the
hold in such high regard. Yet as this man pointed out they still want to
meddle in the civil affairs of everyone else.
2012 - California becomes the first state to ban reparative therapy on minors to "cure" them of their homosexuality.
2012 The Moab Pride Festival began last year in an effort to bring the
local residents together to support other members of the community regardless
of sexual orientation. The festival is also geared towards those seeking
acceptance or just wishing to show support for their friends and loved ones. Last
year, the parade and festival attracted about 500 people from around the state.
This year, the coordinators are hoping to see up to twice as many people
participate in the various events. “The festival last year was a big marking
point of ‘I do feel accepted in this community, not based on sexuality or
gender, but because I have the space to be who I want to be here,’” said
Visibility March coordinator Jenna Oestreich. “It’s an opportunity to show off
this great town we have that’s full of love, acceptance, and compassion for
people to be able to…come out to just being themselves, however way that is.” This
year, the event is preceded by “Gay Adventure Week,” a fundraiser for the
festival. Gay Adventure Week begins Sunday, Sept. 23. “There are local guiding
groups who have offered to run trips. You can sign up for various things like
mountain biking, river rafting, four wheeling, hot air balloon rides—any kind
of Moab adventure,” Oestrich said. Participants can purchase week-long packages
in varying levels of difficulty or pick activities by the day. Various tour
groups from around town are involved. All proceeds beyond the cost benefit Moab
Pride. “Having the Moab Pride Festival be the culmination of a weeklong of
festivities that bring people here can meet that goal of wanting a year-round
presence,” Oestreich said. Gay Adventure Week kicks off the second annual Moab
Pride festival, beginning the evening of Friday, Sept. 28 with an “orange” party
at Frankie D’s. “Traditionally, Prides have a white party,” said coordinator
Amy Stocks. “We decided to take a different spin on it. Being from this area,
anything that you wear that’s white turns out orange.” This party serves to
welcome guests from around the country and to introduce them to the area and
the community. The visibility march will begin at 10 a.m., Saturday at Swanny
City Park. The route will loop through town. “The visibility march, because
it’s in town, is something that I’m excited about. I’m excited about
capitalizing on last year’s event and having organizations and local businesses
marching,” said Oestreich. “It just offers an opportunity for the community to
see who’s involved and for visitors to see that we have a sweet town here.” The
march will end at Swanny Park, where the festival will begin at noon. There
will be performances by Nicole Torres from California, Justin Utley from New
York, and a few local performers. Zach Wahls, author of “My Two Moms,” a memoir
about being brought up by gay parents, will be speaking at the event. The
festival also has a kids’ area run by a few local non-profits, including the
Youth Garden Project, the Multicultural Center, Club Red, and Outward Bound. “This
year, our theme is ‘Let Love Flow,’ and that’s the goal: to create acceptance
and to continue this celebration of diversity within the community,” Stock
said. The after party will be at Woody’s Tavern that evening, featuring last
year’s DJ, Jen Woolfe. “Last year was our first year, so we were kind of
getting our feet wet. This year we’re going to create some sustainability and
have a year-round presence, so that we would be able to host other events
around the year,” Stock said. “Our goal is to have that resource here for
younger kids and even adults who feel more isolated, or even for people who
identify as heterosexual who just want information.” By Maren Larsen/ Moab Sun News Contributor abSunNews.com
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1997-A letter from US Roman Catholic bishops was released
which said that homosexual orientation is not chosen and that parents of gay
and lesbian children must not reject them. "Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message To Parents Of
Homosexual Children And Suggestions For Pastoral Ministers - A Statement of the
Bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family" The purpose of this pastoral message is to reach out to
parents trying to cope with the discovery of homosexuality in their adolescent
or adult child. It urges families to draw upon the reservoirs of faith, hope,
and love as they face uncharted futures. It asks them to recognize that the
Church offers enormous spiritual resources to strengthen and support them at
this moment in their family's life and in the days to come. This message is not intended for advocacy purposes or to
serve a particular agenda. It is not to be understood as an endorsement of what
some call a "homosexual lifestyle." Always Our Children is an
outstretched hand of the bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family to parents
and other family members, offering them a fresh look at the grace present in
family life and the unfailing mercy of Christ our Lord. Full Text of Letter
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