September 15th
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| Thomas Taylor |
1887 A Southern Sensation- Thomas Taylor Indicted in the Second
District Beaver Utah Sept 14- [Special to the Herald] Thomas Taylor ex-bishop
of the 14th Ward of Salt Lake City was arrested in Cedar City,
yesterday by Deputy Marshal McGarry. He was indicted by the Grand Jury of this
Term, charged with committing a “Crime Against Nature”, and which is alleged to
have occurred at Iron County within the last six months. Two good bondmen came
with him. His bonds were placed at $3,000. The parties that came with him say
he can raise $10,000 more if necessary. There was only one witness before the
Grand Jury, Henry Eddards, and he is said to be totally unreliable as to
veracity. Many seem to think it is a clear case of blackmailing and are not
slow in saying so. Denny is counsel for Taylor and will urge trial this Term.
Salt Lake Herald
 |
| Parowan |
1944 Parowan Times District
Court Busy with Criminal Cases page 8 Another criminal case on the calendar is one me of the state vs William
Fee, a railroad worker of Cedar City, with the latter being charged with a
hideous “Crime Against Nature”. He was
arraigned and pleaded not guilty the first of the week and his trial is set to
follow the one being tried today. He was unable to obtain counsel and the court
appointed attorney A M Marsden to defend him. A jury will be needed for this
trial also.
 |
| Sir John Wolfenden |
1954-The Wolfenden Committee met for the first time to study
homosexual offenses in Britain
and the treatment of those convicted. They would meet several times over a
three-year period. Twelve of the thirteen members who served the full three
years recommended that private, consensual homosexual behavior no longer be
considered a crime. They suggested that the age of consent be set at 21, and
stated that homosexuality cannot be legitimately considered a disease.
 |
| Victor Cline |
1967 PORNOGRAPHY SMUT LINKED TO BOY’S SEX OFFENSE: A U of U
professor, Victor B. Cline told a Youth Protector Committee that pornography
contributed to a psychological aberration experienced by a 14 year old Southern Utah boy. Cline told the committee who was being
treated after the police apprehended him for being an exhibitionist. “The boy
comes from a solid family background, an ideal family situation” Investigation
determined that the boy had received obscene photos and books apparently the
result of solicitation by mail. (09/15/67 Salt Lake Tribune page B4) Obituary
1969-The first
issue of Gay Power was published in New York. New York’s First Homosexual Newspaper and a
biweekly, was first published. Its editor until July 1970 was John Heys. Gay Power, the
first publication to emerge from the post-Stonewall movement, publishes its
premiere issue. Although the ADVOCATE began publishing 2 years earlier at that
time the publication had a West Coast take on the gay life style and was not
readily available on the East Coast. Gay Power, was a biweekly newspaper,
edited by John Heys, and covered the
culture and politics of the New York gay scene through a very personal vision.
Each issue featured psychedelic covers and centerfolds and one of its covers
was created by Robert Mapplethorpe. The newspaper also contained illustrations
by Touko Laaksonen, better known as Tom of Finland, as well as regular
contributors as Arthur Bell, Taylor Mead, Charles Ludlam, Pudgy Roberts, Bill
Vehr, Pat Maxwell, Clayton Cole and regular columns from all of the active gay
activists groups, from the most conservative Mattachine Society to the most
radical The Gay Liberation Front, and all the other groups in between. John
Heys would later go on to become an important star on the downtown scene as a
drag queen, performance artist, and visual artist.
 |
| Allen Bergin |
 |
| Cloy Jenkins |
1977- BYU’s Executive Committee met and discussed Allen Bergin
rebuttal to the Payne Papers. The committee hailed Bergin’s response as “an
excellent paper refuting [the] major claims” of the Payne Papers. Despite this
initial optimism, one BYU Professor said the rebuttal on behalf of the church was
so poorly written that “it was an embarrassment to all involved.” The rebuttal
proved difficult because Cloy Jenkins had made several “really good and indisputable
points”, his figures on the number of Gays at BYU were accurate and BYU’s
Executive Committee admitted that Jenkins had used a “rather sophisticated
pro-homosexuality platform” in writing the Payne Papers. BYU eventually had all the copies of the
rebuttal returned to Bergin “as he hopes to rewrite his reply”. Bergin did try
to rewrite his response without much success. Bergin’s colleague, Victor Brown
Jr. also tried to rebut the Payne Papers but his response was so poorly written
that it was never released to the public.
1984- Twenty-Seven
Gay and Lesbian Organizations existed in Utah from the Royal Court to the
Knights of Malta and from the Tavern Guild to the Fourth Sunday Group.
 |
| Leonard Matlovich |
1986-Leonard
Matlovich was diagnosed with AIDS.
1986 Mark A. Taylor, "The Love That Dares Not
Speak Its Name," Utah Holiday 15 (September. 1986
 |
| Chuck Whyte |
1987- Salt Lake City Mayor Palmer DePaulis refused to sign a Human Rights
Ordinance which would guarantee anti-discrimination laws for Gays and other
minorities
1987- At Salt
Lake Affirmation Guest speaker Chuck Whyte discussed purpose and mission of The Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire
1989- Rep.
William Dannemeyer a radical Anti-Gay
conservative from California attended Salt Lake City to receive a John Birch
Society Award.
 |
| Maud's |
1989-Maud's in
San Francisco, described as the world's oldest lesbian bar, closed after 23
years. Maud's Study was the longest-running lesbian bar in San
Francisco history, opened in 1966 by Rikki Streicher, and closed in 1989. The
bar inspired a documentary film, "Last Call At Maud's," which
depicted the bar's role in the fight for gay and lesbian civil rights. Streicher
was active in helping organize the Gay Games in San Francisco in 1986. The space is now occupied by Finnegans Wake.
1990-Saturday- I missed the AIDS Walk For Life fund-raiser this
morning Debbie Rosenberg called me to say that she and Carla won the trip to New
 |
| Carla Gourdin and Deb Rosenberg |
Orleans by raising nearly
$2,500 in pledges for the AIDS Foundation.
I am really happy for them. In the late afternoon Mike Pipkim and I went over to Memory Grove
where I picked and bound some more wild wheat.
In the evening I went out with Chuck Whyte and Jimmy Hamamoto, first to
the Deerhunter and then to Club 108. Jimmy and I visited and we got to know
each other better.
- UAF WALK FOR LIFE The police estimated that
1,300 people walked from Liberty Park up Main
Street, past The Tribune Building and returned to Liberty Park. These 1,300 people walked 6.2miles
as part of "A Walk For Life." This pledge walk raised funds to
provide support for the Utah AIDS Foundation and other AIDS service providers
in Utah. We
are appalled that the Sunday Tribune carried no mention what so ever of this
walk when 1,300 Salt
Lake citizens directly
participated in
 |
| Fran Pruyn |
the event and thousands of others pledged funds. Over $45,000
was raised. Gov. Bangerter and Mayor DePaulis sent personal endorsements. Many
local government representatives and candidates attended. City Councilman Tom
Godfrey and State Rep. Frank Pignanelli spoke. Michele Parish-Pixler executive
director of Utah ACLU offered the opening prayer. The Salt Lake Tribune did see
fit to cover another significant event taking place that day, the Make-a-Wish
Foundation's Rubber Ducky Derby. By its non-coverage of the Walk for Life, The
Tribune has stated its position on AIDS and AIDS-related issues clearly. FRAN PRUYN,
KAREN MELVILLE, TROY
HUNTER Salt
Lake City - : (11/09/90 pg. A 21 SL Tribune)
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| Amendment 2 Protest |
1994-Colorado
attorney general Gale Norton confirmed that Dr Paul Cameron had been paid to
testify in defense of Amendment 2. The testimony was never used. She refused to
disclose the amount, but Denver
gay newspaper OutFront said the fee was $10,125. Cameron was expelled from the
American Psychological Association in 1983 for falsifying research data about
gays and lesbians, and was barred from practicing in Nebraska, the only state in which he had
been licensed.
1994 CONVICTED KIDNAPPER FIGHTS FOR JOB, NEW VERDICT byline: By Joshua B. Good THE SALT LAKE
TRIBUNE (Page: D1) Weber State
University student
adviser Phillip O. Austin now is fighting two battles. He is trying to stay out
of jail and keep his $38,000-a-year job. Austin
was found
 |
| Philip Austin |
guilty Tuesday of kidnapping Colby Clifford, 20. Austin
picked up Clifford on an Ogden street and
requested sexual favors, a Weber
County jury decided. The
jury found Austin
did not use a gun during the March 12 kidnapping, as the defendant had claimed.
His attorney Don Hughes argues that his client could not have intimidated
Clifford, since no gun was used. On Wednesday, WSU officials announced they
planned to fire Austin,
43. He served as the university's director of student advisement until his
arrest in April. Austin
has been placed on disciplinary leave with pay. His attorney said he will
appeal Austin's
firing and the conviction. ``The
university is premature on that,'' Hughes said Wednesday. ``The safety of our
students is of paramount importance,'' said Carol J. Berrey, assistant to the
president of Weber
State. Meantime, Hughes said he will ask 2nd
District Judge Stanton Taylor to dismiss the jury's verdict because of ``inconsistencies.'' Austin
testified he is homosexual and has picked up men for sex before, but claimed he
did not proposition Clifford. Clifford, a former football player, is more than
6 feet tall and weighs more than 200 pounds, according to The Associated Press.
Judge Taylor set Nov. 14 to decide if he will set aside the jury's verdict.
Sentencing is set for the same day. Austin
could face penalties ranging from probation to 15 years in prison.
1996-The European Parliament approved a resolution urging an
end to discrimination and unequal treatment directed toward homosexuals in
every country in the European Union.
1996 While Congress continues to pummel pleas for gay rights in the workplace, much of
corporate America is quietly formalizing policies that invite some of the same
protections many politicians shun. In Utah and nationwide,
corporate anti-discrimination policies that expressly forbid unequal treatment
of gays and lesbians are increasingly commonplace. Many companies sanction
employee networking and resource groups for gays. And more firms -- including Utah County's
Novell Inc. and Intel Corp. -- are extending employee health insurance and
other benefits to same-sex partners. At
a time when gay bashing abounds in Washington, D.C., characteristically
conservative corporate America is becoming a
gay-rights vanguard. The
apparent dichotomy has a simple explanation, gay-rights activists say. ``Most companies are more concerned with
making money than they are with serving out prejudices,'' says Jim Newton, vice
president of Intel Gay Lesbian or Bisexual Employees, a networking group.
``They know equitable environments improve their competitiveness and help them
attract the best employees.'' Patricia
Callahan, Wells Fargo Bank personnel director, agrees. ``No matter what the legislation says, you
do what's good for your business,'' she says. ``Work environments that respect
diversity make good business sense.''
According to the Washington, D.C.-based National Gay & Lesbian Task
Force (NGLTF), there are more than 500 corporations, governmental bodies and
universities that offer full or partial benefits to gay and lesbian employees. And the number is growing, says Melinda
Paras, NGLTF executive director. ``It's a hugely popular trend for which we see
no signs of reversal.'' Paras says
attention to gay-rights issues in the workplace is more common in California
and the Northwest than it is in other regions of the country. But it also is
more common in some sectors and particularly in high-tech industries. That is where Utah comes in. Computer-industry leaders Novell, Apple
Computer Co., Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. have offered employee benefits
to domestic partners since at least 1993.
Digital Queers: Newton says the high-tech industry extends out from
California's Silicon Valley, where San Francisco-based activist groups such as
High-Tech Gays and Digital Queers have helped bring gay workplace issues to
executives' attention. The companies also typically are run by younger, more
progressive managers. Sonya Keetch,
Novell benefits program manager, says competition partially motivated Novell to
adopt domestic-partner benefits. But she adds Novell also prides itself as a
leader in the area. ``We value
diversity and practice that philosophy with family-friendly benefits that
include everyone's definition of family,'' she says. Novell has a policy called FlexWare that
allows employees to tailor health care, disability, survivor, long-term care
and legal benefits to their family needs. Domestic partners, whether they be of
the same or opposite sex, are expressly included in the company's definition of
family. The Orem-based company with
2,800 Utah employees has an
anti-discrimination policy and includes sexual-orientation issues in its
diversity training. It also recently paid for employees to participate in a
national conference on gay workplace issues.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel Corp., which operates a facility in
American Fork, adopted a policy extending employee health insurance and other
benefits to same-sex domestic partners effective Jan. 1, 1997, says company
spokeswoman Stacey O'Hara. Employees
will begin signing up for the benefits during an open-enrollment period in
October. Intel also adopted the policy
to compete. ``We need our benefits to compare with those of our competitors so
we can attract key performers,'' O'Hara says.
Not an Added Burden: Gay-rights activists say domestic-partner benefits
typically cost companies little because few employees take advantage of them.
For example, a Brown University study cited in the June 1995 American Bar
Association Journal, found only 0.36% to 0.77% of employees sign up for the
benefits once they're offered. A City
of San Francisco study similarly found that fewer than 1% of its workforce uses
the benefits. The study went further to address a common fear that
domestic-partner benefits escalate companies' insurance costs because they can
be used to pay for AIDS-related treatments. According to the study, the lifetime
health-care cost for treating an AIDS patient is $50,000, an amount similar to
what it costs to care for a premature infant.
``There's a lot of hue and cry about cost and about the fact that
companies can't get insurers to go for it,'' says James Dean, president of The
Stonewall Index money-management firm. ``It simply isn't true.'' Scott Jeffries, chairman of an employee
taskforce working to secure domestic-partnership benefits at US WEST, says
making them available is a simple matter of fairness. Because benefits
typically make up 25% to30% of total compensation, ``Denying me my share says
I'm worth less to the company than someone who is legally married,'' he says.
``That isn't fair.'' The Future Is Calling:
The Employee Association of Gays and Lesbians (EAGLE) Domestic Partnership Task
Force at US WEST has tried unsuccessfully since 1992 to convince company
officials to extend employee benefits to domestic partners, Jeffries says. The most recent of three formal appeals for
the policy change was rejected earlier this year by officials who cited
prohibitive costs.US WEST spokesman Duane Cooke says the company rejected the
policy change in partbecause such benefits are not commonly offered by US WEST
competitors. For now, US WEST will continue
to enforce an anti-discrimination policy addressing sexual orientation and will
continue to sanction EAGLE and other employee groups promoting diversity, Cooke
says. That puts US WEST in a category with many other companies. Paras says
most corporations begin by adopting anti-discrimination policies, sanctioning
employee groups or extending bereavement and other family-leave to domestic
partners. Companies that offer some or all of those benefits include AT&T,
American Express, Wells Fargo, Hewlett Packard Co., International Business
Machines, Lotus Development Corp., Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems and NeXT
Computer Inc. Wells Fargo, which
formally enters Utah later this fall through its acquisition of 32 First
Interstate Bank branches, allows employees to use the Family and Medical Leave
Act to care for domestic partners who are ill, Callahan says. ``We have a policy of tolerance that is made
clear to all employees,'' she says. ``When people come to the table, we take
them as they are. That's our basic philosophy.'' Callahan says Wells Fargo has stopped short
of offering domestic-partner benefits because no other banks do. ``It gets a lot of notice, frankly,'' she says.
``We therefore have decided not to take a leadership position in this area.'' What Are the Risks? There can be hazards for
companies that adopt gay-friendly policies.
Walt Disney Co., for example, is the target of a nationwide boycott by
the Tupelo, Miss based American Family Association and other conservative
Christian groups in part because it extends employee benefits to same-sex
domestic partners. ``Some companies are
under the false impression that this is healthy for their bottom line,'' AFA
spokesman Allen Wildmon says. ``But they need to remember that there are plenty
of moral individuals who are unwilling to support them if they insist on
rewarding deviant behavior.'' But Paras
points out that Disney has held firm on its support for the policy and hasn't
appeared to suffer. As more corporations adopt gay-friendly policies, the
public and politicians will accept them as part of the normal course of doing
business just as they have accepted the entry of more women and other
minorities into a workforce once dominated by white men. Mark Provost, president of US West’s EAGLE
chapter in Utah, agrees. ``It will
happen one day even here,'' he says. ‘It has to because it's the right thing to
do.'' SL Tribune Page: F1
1997-Vice President Al Gore gave a speech at the National
Gay and Lesbian Task Force's annual gala. Among those honored at the event were
Coretta Scott King, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, and the Mautner Project, a
service organization for lesbians with cancer.
 |
| Carol Gnade |
1998-Tuesday-The Salt Lake City School Board voted 4-3 to keep Gay Clubs
out of schools again in response to the ACLU law suit. Carol Gnade, executive director of the ACLU in Salt Lake
city described the Board’s decision as an outrage and compared it to
segregation. SL District will not re exam Gay ban
 |
| Ben Williams |
2007 From: "Ben Williams" To: Todd Bennett Hi Todd. I don't want anything to do with the Center.
I have been burned too often and don't feel any desire to help them. Lord knows I have in the past. In 2002 I was finally
able to recover a portion of the old Utah Stonewall Archives which Jay Bell and
I was able to donate to the Marriott Library. No one at the center wanted them,
after stealing them from me, nor offered to help us move them. When Stan Larson
said that the U didn't want the paraphernalia like t-shirts, buttons, posters
etc I left them at the center and they are now gone. After 1997 I spent ten
years trying to recover what was lost, spending thousands of hours and my own
money on reconstructing our history in a manner that people can not steal from
any
 |
| Todd Bennett |
more. In 2003 the Center approached the Historical Society and me to make
history kiosks for Pride Day saying that we would be considered a community
partner. We built them, Chuck Whyte and
I labored painting them and then after pride day I had to beg for the money.
Erin Litvack said that they had no copy of our application so tough shit. When
I complained to Paula Wolfe saying we delivered on our promise where's our
share as a community partner we were cut a $200 check that didn't even pay for
the materials involved. Plus when we kept
trying to tell them that Pride day in Utah
is older then twenty-years which is what they were promoting they just brushed
us off. In 2005 after seeing that on the official web page the wrong date for
how old the center is if they are saying they are an extension of the old Utah
Stonewall Center, I emailed the new director that date was incorrect and she
gave me some bullshit answer about incorporation dates and basically blowing me
off. Last year Luci Malin who I consider a friend asked if I had a record of
all the past members of the board of directors of the center. I said I didn't
but I would research it and get her a copy which I did. It was 8 hours of work
and never a thank you did I receive. The Center has never ever respected the
work I do and have done for this community and I am not about to do more for
them which I will never get credit nor a thank you. It's only when they
actually need some historical perspective that I am ever even contacted. And
then they usually go through Michael Aaron first. I have never taken a dime
from this community and I don't intend to start. Every project I have been
involved I have either financed myself or donated my time. My bi-monthly
columns for the QSL are donated even though other columnists are paid. There are
at least four graduate students that I know of that I have freely shared ever
thing in my archives. I even met with a straight guy who had to do
"community service" and Gay history research for some judgment
against him. But for the Center if the Center has so much money to spend on
salaries, then to use my expertise and collection its $100 an hour. Now for you Todd anything that is in my
archives that you want I will freely give to you and if you want to do something
with it feel free. If you want to know about a subject I will send you what I
have but am not interested in writing it or researching it but I do want credit
for the historical society if you do use anything of mine. I know you are still
on the board of directors and I will let you have any information I have but
for the rest of that crew over there...they can look it up themselves or make
it up which what they usually do.
2006 Friday September 15th there will be a benefit show for the
family of Andrew Reed aka "Anya". Anya was in the hospital for almost
2 weeks and she did not have any insurance. We are going to be holding a show
at the Paper Moon to help raise some money for the family to pay for hospital
bills and also for final expenses. Anya was Closet Ball Queen 2004 - 2005
sponsored by me and she was also in my top 10 as my Duchess. Sunday September
17th there will be a wake in memory of Andrew Steven Reed AKA Anya at the Paper
Moon from 3-7pm. The Bar will be closed except for those attending the wake.
You will still have to have your ID. Krystyna Shaylee Empress 30
2006 Two charged with sex abuse, sodomy against teenage boy 4th
District Court By Stephen Hunt The Salt Lake Tribune With his hands and feet
strapped in a leather swing hanging from the ceiling of a Provo home, the
14-year-old boy kept saying he wanted to leave. But that didn't happen until
after 48-year-old Brad Gale sexually abused the boy as another man watched,
according to documents filed this week in 4th District Court. Gale, of
Roosevelt, and John West, 76, are each charged with one count each of
first-degree felony forcible sodomy and second-degree felony forcible sexual
abuse. Utah County
 |
| Brad Gale |
prosecutor Donna Kelly said
Thursday that $25,000 cash-only warrants had been issued for the men. She said
West was reportedly on vacation in Hawaii,
but expected to turn himself in. Gale was in custody at the Duchesne County
jail, Kelly said. No court dates have been set. Gale - part-owner of Gale's
Office Supply and Books in Roosevelt and Vernal, which sell LDS scriptures and
authors - was charged in July with 33 counts of sex-related crimes in Roosevelt's 8th District Court. In the Roosevelt
case, Gale is alleged to have been sexually abusing the boy and showing him
pornography since he was young. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 28
before Judge John Anderson. Gale had posted $20,000 and was free until arrested
this week on the Provo
case. In a strange twist of the Roosevelt
case, Deputy Duchesne County Attorney Roland Uresk has been charged with two
class B misdemeanors for his alleged failure to report information about the
boy being sexually abused to police or the state Division of Child and Family
Services, as required by law. Uresk received information in September 2005 and
May 2006 that Gale was abusing the boy, but has said he did not feel compelled
to report because the person who called him had heard the information
third-hand. The Utah Attorney General's Office filed the charges against Uresk
in the Salt Lake County Justice
Court, where an arraignment is set for Sept. 22.
It was a police investigation into the Roosevelt case that led to charges in
the Provo case.
A Duchesne County
sheriff's detective investigating Gale for child sexual abuse and possession of
child pornography learned from Gale that he had engaged in sex acts with the
boy in Provo on
at least one occasion, according to court documents, which described in lurid
detail the alleged
 |
| John West |
crimes. Gale later told a Provo detective about going to West's home in
the 100 West block of Parkway Drive, strapping the boy into the swing and
sexually abusing the boy, according to court records. Gale also said that he
tried to get the boy to sodomize him. Gale stated that West never touched the
boy, but was in the room watching while naked. Gale also said that he and West
masturbated each other, according to court documents. The boy confirmed much of
that story to police, according to court documents. The boy also told police he
"kept telling [Gale] he wanted to leave," the documents state. Gale apparently
met West during one of the older man's all-male sex parties, according to
police reports. West admitted to police he hosted male parties, but claimed he
checked the ID of anyone who looked under 20 years old, according to police
reports. West also confirmed that Gale had put the boy in the swing and
sexually abused him. Deseret News Report
2006 Hundreds gather at Evergreen conference Homosexuality among
Mormons By Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune Hundreds of Mormon
leaders, psychologists and individuals interested in homosexuality are meeting
starting today in Salt Lake City for the 16th annual Evergreen International
Conference. Speakers will address topics such as addiction to pornography,
building faith for healing, fitting into an LDS congregation, helping a child
with same-sex attraction, developing healthy emotional boundaries, encouraging
radical self-acceptance and dealing with same-sex attraction in a marriage.
"Homosexual feelings affect thousands of Latter-day Saints," said
David Pruden, Evergreen's executive director. "The [LDS] church is
committed to assisting those who wish to live gospel standards, and Evergreen
International is here to offer resources and information." Evergreen,
which bills itself as "the leading organization for Latter-day Saints
dealing with unwanted homosexuality," has no official affiliation with The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but many LDS bishops and stake
presidents are among the attendees each year. Also, its board of trustees
usually includes one or more emeritus general authorities of the church and at
least one such authority
 |
| Rex D. Pinegar |
has spoken at the annual conference every year for the
past decade. This year, Elder Rex Pinegar, an emeritus member of the First
Quorum of Seventy, will address the conference Saturday at 8 a.m. at the Joseph Smith
Memorial Building
in downtown Salt Lake City.
In recent weeks, the church's position on same-sex attraction has been in the
news with the online publication of a wide-ranging interview with LDS Apostle
Dallin Oaks and Elder Lance Wickman about homosexuality. In the interview, the
two say the church does not endorse any specific therapy to overcome
homosexuality nor any particular support groups, which would clearly include
Evergreen. That's OK with Pruden. "We've never endorsed any kind of
therapy," he said. "Evergreen has never employed therapists. We
provide names of therapists who will work with [clients] in ways that are
consistent with [LDS] church standards. Dealing with same-sex feelings is very
different from person to person; how they manage that process can be real
different, too." Another keynote speaker at the two-day conference is Alan
Chambers, a leading Evangelical author who lived as a gay teen and young adult
before he "overcame unwanted homosexuality." Chambers is
 |
| Alan Chambers |
president of
Exodus International, a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization
promoting the message of freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus
Christ. Since 1976, Exodus has grown to include more than 120 local ministries
in the U.S. and Canada,
according to its official Web site. The conference also will feature
testimonials by Mormon homosexuals "who have been successful in living the
doctrines and standards of the [LDS] church while confronting difficult
same-sex feelings in their own personal lives," Pruden said. Fred and
Marilyn Matis are an LDS couple whose son, Stuart struggled to balance his homosexual
attractions with Mormon teachings and eventually took his own life. The Matises,
along with Ty Mansfield, a celibate gay Mormon, wrote about their experiences
in an LDS published volume, In Quiet Desperation. One thing Evergreen does not
allow, however, is open dialogue on the topic. "Using this conference to
promote alternative philosophical or political views, or for seeking
inappropriate relationships will not be tolerated," the conference
publicity states The LDS Church entered the political fray earlier this year by
suggesting support for the Constitutional Marriage Amendment that would limit
marriage to one man and one woman. And many psychologists reject the premise
that sexual orientation can be changed through therapy. Pruden said discussions
of these issues are outside Evergreen's mission. "We don't want to turn
the sessions into debates," he said. "This isn't an open forum for
people with alternative viewpoints on homosexuality. There are plenty of forums
for that. We try to avoid political topics completely." Alan Chambers apologized to Gay Community
2017
2018 The Board of Trustees of Provo Pride would like to thank all the people who participated in all the festivities associated with Provo Pride this week. This year, in addition to a day-long festival, we enjoyed a week’s worth of activities hosted by the various local LGBTQ+ organizations—we enjoyed crafts, community worship, the spoken word, a picnic, a 5K, a pride march, an all-ages after party, as well as adult party gatherings. The Provo Pride Festival was bigger and better than ever with more vendors and more community partners than ever before. Provo Pride seeks to create an inclusive celebration of all humans, forms of expression, and ways of being. Therefore, we were disappointed to hear that one of our former board members, Tosh Metzger, made social media posts in which he claimed that Provo Pride had rejected an application by the Provo Police Department to have a booth at the Provo Pride Festival. This claim is simply false. The Provo Police Department never made an application to be part of the Provo Pride Festival. For some context, the LGBTQ+ community and law enforcement has had a difficult past, due in large part to the criminalization of LGBTQ+ lives and bodies—let us we remind people that Stonewall, long considered the birth-place of Pride, was a riot that began as a police raid. The members of the Provo Pride Board of Trustees continue to hear of
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| Tosh Metzger |
discrimination and mistreatment of LGBTQ+ individuals at the hand of local law enforcement agencies. As a board, we have discussed ways in which we could improve relationships with law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community. As a board, we discussed at length the possibility of having the Provo Police Department have a booth at the festival (without the Provo Police Department ever making that request). The focus of our conversation was always the concern and safety of the LGBTQ+ community who remain at the very center of everything we do. Ultimately, we decided to participate in Provo Police Department’s Citizen Academy. As such, one current member of our Board of Trustees has completed four of the seven week-course. We have also had many other meetings outside of the Citizen’s Academy with members of the Provo Police department in order to advocate for the local LGBTQ+ community. Because of our efforts and public advocacy, we have been able to assist in the reporting of six local crimes against members of the LGBTQ+ community in just the last three weeks that would have otherwise gone unreported. We also negotiated with the Utah County Sheriff’s office to provide security for our all ages Pride After Party. Relationship building is a long process of education, interaction, and patience. It requires all parties to step outside of their comfort zones, shed memories of past wrongs, and work to create new ways of interacting. We, frankly, share outrage over the discriminatory treatment toward members of the LGBTQ+ community by local law enforcement. We have begun conversations to confront those issues, and to the credit of the Provo Police Department, there are many people who are very interested in listening and learning about how they can do better. Truly we have hope for our community and know that pride marches forward.
Edited: Tosh Metzger has retracted his original social media posts and issued an apology. He has acknowleged that he made his statement without complete knowledge of the situation. We appreciate the dialogue and vulnerability of the people who have responded to this post.
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