Sunday, September 29, 2013

This Day In Gay Utah History SEPTEMBER 29

September 29th

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  

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!

  • 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

No comments:

Post a Comment