This Day In Gay Utah History March 11th

11 March 

1848 - Benjamin Covey is excommunicated from the LDS Church for having sexual intercourse with two girls "less than Twelve years of age" who are his foster daughters. He is re-baptized and serves as bishop of Salt Lake City Twelfth Ward from 22 February 1849 until 1856.

1934-An anonymous critic for the New York Times gave an unfavorable review of Radclyffe Hall's book "Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself." It is about a lesbian who finds fulfillment in war work.

1958-A television show on WABD featuring a Daughters of Bilitis representative on a panel to discuss lesbianism was cancelled fifteen minutes before airtime.

1959-A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway, written by African-American lesbian playwright Lorraine Hansberry.

1964- United States and Utah Health authorities concerned with a rapidly raising incidence of venereal disease in the Salt Lake area Tuesday asked Police Chief Ralph C. Knudson for cooperation in an intensified campaign to bring such disease under control. Reports showed an 150 per cent increase in the number of gonorrhea cases from 1958-1963. Byron Haslam of Community Disease Field Health, representative for the Utah State Health Department cited west 2nd South as the worse area for venereal disease cases reported. Chief Knudson said he will seek an opinion from the city attorney as to the extant police can go in holding persons in jail until a venereal disease examination has been made or proper contact has been made with health authorities. (03/11/64 page 27 col. 7 SLTribune)

1966 United States District Judge Willis W. Ritter of the US District Court, Thursday, blocked enforcement of Provo’s restraining new obscenity ordinance suggesting in a temporary restraining order that “It may be unconstitutional” and “purports to abridge freedom of the press.” (03/11/66 page B1 Salt Lake Tribune)

1974 City Court Judge Patrick E McGuire says streaking fad- running around briefly in the buff- could have serious consequences, an arrest record for those nabbed in the nude. McGuire recently heard the arraignment of three Brigham Young University students arrested for streaking through university housing. “The media has failed to tell the other side. These young men are charged under a deviate sex-crime ordinance- lewdness and that kind of record is very bad,” he said. The three were given util March 18 to plead to the charge of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor.  Deseret News

1976- “I looked up Larry’s schedule at the administration building and found his class in the Jesse Knight Building.  I wrote him a sexy love note telling him how wonderful he was the other night.   When he came out of class and saw me, he smiled and I was so thrilled to see him again.  I gave him the letter and said I had to run off for an appointment.  Larry ‘turns me on’ just seeing him. He’s so sexy.” [Journal of BYU Gay Student]

Chris Ttujillo

1988-Friday-  Chris Trujillo presented a Show Mr. & Mrs. Gay Rodeo for the Utah Gay Rodeo 

1990 - A major snow storm blew in today so I just snuggled in and began to read the Sunday paper until I came across an article that made me blow my stack.  The Anne Frank Holocaust Exhibit is coming to Salt Lake but the sponsors of the exhibit were told by the State Office of Education that they can not mention that homosexuals were among the murdered millions! James Moss head of the state board of education said, "Homosexuality is not a major feature of the holocaust....I think the major focus that certainly needs to be focused on continuously was the religious and cultural prejudice." Moss said that it is possible to teach children they should not be bigoted without having to include all groups that were targets of

the Nazi's."  What a blatant statement of pure hypocrisy!! How will children learn not to be bigots when they are taught by bigots?  I called Robert Smith immediately and said get on the phone to Chuck Whyte and Robert Austin [officers of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah].  This needs an immediate response from the council.

• 1990 State Superintendent of Public Instruction James E. Moss said, "Homosexuality is not a major feature of the holocaust....I think the major focus that certainly needs to be focused on continuously was the religious and cultural prejudice."  Moss said that it is possible to teach children they should not be bigoted without having to include all groups that were targets of the Nazi's."  The three-page section "The Fate of Homosexuals under Nazi Rule," in the Anne Frank Exhibit was deleted by the corporate sponsor, Geneva Steel, at what the firm thought was the request of state education officials.

 1990 Sunday, Lance Wood was found guilty today of the murder of Gordon Church.  I had always thought that he wasn't as guilty as Mike Archuleta but evidence in the trial purported that he had kicked Gordon in the head several times with such force that his blood and hair had intertwined in Lance's shoe laces.  I wonder what is happening with Darrell Webber's murder case?  In April it will have been a year.  I think it is such irony that the stories about the mention of Gays being excluded from the Nazi holocaust and that of Lance Wood were on the same newspaper page, juxtaposed towards each other. Bigots trying to teach children not to be bigots. Amazing.”2nd trial: After 11 hour

s, jury returns guilty verdict on 3 counts.  WOOD IS CONVICTED IN TORTURE SLAYING By Lane Williams and Michael Morris, Staff Writers  A 4th District Court jury took nearly 11 hours Saturday to find Lance Conway Wood, 21, guilty of capital homicide in the Nov. 22, 1988, torture slaying of Gordon Ray Church. A tearful, 10-woman, two-man jury returned its verdict at 9 p.m. after beginning deliberations Saturday morning. The jury also found Wood guilty of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping in the murder of Church, a Southern Utah State College student. Judge Boyd L. Park ordered jurors to return Wednesday for the sentencing phase of Wood's trial. Wood either will be sentenced to die or will be given life in prison. "The verdict was fair. Two people committed the murder. Both of them should have been convicted and both of them are now convicted," said Millard County Attorney Warren Peterson. In December, Wood's co-defendant, Michael Anthony Archuleta, was condemned to die after being found guilty of capital homicide. Defense attorney Marcus Taylor, who wept briefly after the verdict was read, said he was disappointed but not surprised. "The evidence was there for the jury to believe," he said, "but there was room for the jury to view the evidence in a light that could have resulted in a lesser offense. They had to pick and choose who to believe." Wood sat stoically as the verdict was read but turned toward his fiancee, Brenda Stapley, and mouthed the words "I love you" before he left the courtroom."I'm blown away," Stapley said after the verdict was read. She said she still believes Wood is not guilty. "I didn't think they (jurors) would go that hard (on him). I thought him going to the police would help." The day after the murder, Wood led investigators to Church's badly beaten, chain-draped body, which was buried under dirt and branches in an isolated area known as Dog Valley near Cove Fort, Millard County. Members of the victim's family hugged Peterson and co-counsel Carvel Harward as the courtroom cleared. "I think the Millard County attorney's office and the Millard County Sheriff's Department have done an outstanding job in reference to professionalism, integrity and pursuit of justice. I would like to thank them for their efforts," said the victim's father, David G. Church. "I am still heartbroken that Gordon is gone and that he had to suffer so much at the hands of these criminals," he said. "We miss him, and society will not be able to benefit from the good that he had to contribute." Peterson called Wood's case more difficult than Archuleta's. "There was not as much statement testimony, and there is the pressure of doing it the second time and feeling that the same result had to be obtained for justice to be served. And that created a lot of pressure on the team." Peterson praised Harward and Millard County investigators. "This case was the best-investigated case I'm aware of," he said. "The investigators didn't miss anything. They did it just right."

1994  Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah met at the Utah Stonewall Center. “I went about 6:30 and neither Kim Russo nor Hank Hannah had shown up so ended up setting up the meeting myself. That won’t happen again for sure! Anyway nothing too

Carrie Gayner

eventful although we had a good turn out. Hank and Carrie Gaylor got into a spat over lack of attendance at the last Board of Trustee Meeting. We created a new committee tonight to study and report and make recommendations on which way GLCCU should go in the future. Greg Garcia, Ed Kubrick and Myself were elected co-chairs of the new committee. Carrie Gaylor reported that some asshole were harassing people at  Bare Ass Beach by pointing a gun at them. The meeting was over at 9 and I went home to type up the minutes. (Journal of Ben Williams)

1995 : Salt Lake City Police Det. Shane Jones, left, talks with Carrie Gayler about anti-violence   project. STRAIGHT COP, UNUSUAL MISSION: PROTECTING GAY, LESBIAN RIGHTS OFFICER'S BEAT: PROTECT GAYS, LESBIANS Byline: By Lili Wright Page: B1 THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Between the movie chat and off-the-record gossip, the cop and the activist talk business at a table in a coffee shop. Salt Lake Police Det. Shane Jones describes a Washington, D.C., gay-basher who may be hiding out in Utah. Carrie Gayler mentions that the Wymen's Community Newsletter is folding. The pair discuss the upcoming sensitivity training for police rookies. Then the conservation veers to the Saliva Sisters concert they both missed. Jones has an unusual mission for a police officer. As the police department's liaison to the gay and lesbian community, the detective tries to build cooperation between two disparate and historically hostile communities. Jones, who is straight, had a lot to learn, when he took the post three years ago. While gay leaders say he initially appeared uncomfortable -- he still gets flak from fellow cops -- Jones has become a dedicated defender of gay rights. ``The gays and lesbians I know are responsible, good people,'' says Jones. ``They just want to live their lives without being harassed.'' Last month, a committee of leaders from the gay and lesbian community presented Jones with a Diversity Is Great award, or DIG, for his work on the behalf of the Salt Lake City Police's Community Support Division.  ``He goes out of his way to be accommodating and listen to concerns of our community,'' says John Bennett, executive director of Utah Stonewall Center, a gay and lesbian community center. ``You don't have to even approach him. He approaches you.'' As part of his duties, Jones has helped to organize sensitivity training for rookie officers and investigates suspected hate crimes and gay-bashing incidents. He gives police updates to the gay communities and encourages gay victims to report crimes against them. Perhaps most importantly, Jones is someone gays and lesbians feel comfortable calling when there is trouble. This may sound like a minor point, but it represents a major shift in attitude from the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York. For three days, homosexuals protested police harassment, and Stonewall came to be known as the birthplace of the modern gay-rights movement. Today, many police officers only have cursory or stereotypical views of gay life, says one gay Utah police detective who spoke on condition of anonymity. Such cultural ignorance impedes them in doing their job, the detective says. ``You have to truly understand people to assist them,'' he says. ``If you go in disliking them or hating them for who they are or what they are, you cannot serve them correctly. They are part of the public and deserve the same protection.''  Jones helped gay and lesbian activists obtain information and access after the August 1993 murder of Douglas Koehler, who was shot and killed near then-ParkWest ski resort. David Thacker is serving a 6-year prison term for the murder, a sentence that some argue was unreasonably light because Koehler was gay.``Shane is a great guy,'' says Gayler, a Westminster College student who heads the Utah Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence   Project, which tracks hate crimes. `He is very passionate about his work and what he believes in.’’ While his power is restricted on many issues, Jones is not shy about giving impromptu classes in Homophobia 101.  After one coffee-shop meeting with gay leaders, several men at a table started making mocking effeminate gestures. Jones approached the table, flashed his badge and introduced himself. ``I told them, `I don't appreciate what you are doing,'' Jones recalls. ``Their jaws just dropped on the table.''

1995- A workshop on coping with loss and an update on AIDS research was held at St. Mark’s. Speakers with speakers Salt Lake City physician and AIDS-treatment pioneer Kristen Ries, and Kathleen Braza, who heads the Intermountain Organ Recovery Services' bereavement program.

1996-In Georgia, the US 11th district court threw out a decision by a three-judge panel that protected Gay men and lesbians from being fired because of their sexual orientation. Also in Georgia, the state supreme court upheld the Georgia sodomy law.

1999  The weekly meeting of "Coloring Outside the Lines", the GLBT student group at the South Campus of the Salt Lake Community College, will feature Kathy Worthington of "Kathy's

Kathy Worthington

List". Topics: The Millennium March on Washington (scheduled for April 30, 2000) and fighting homophobia in your daily life. Some go for coffee afterwards at The Center. It's free and men and women of all ages invited.   No need to be affiliated in any way with the Community College.

1999 Erick Myers Gay Psychic - Intuitive reading on relationships, careers, finance and matters of the heart 7pm Coffee Shop at the Center - no charge

1999  Radio City and the Royal Court present "Un-Drag" 9pm $5 Hosted by Epresses Wilma and  Bridgette

2000 Eagle Forum Says Award Promotes Illegal Behavior By Maria Titze, Deseret News staff writer Conservatives are outraged, while higher education officials don’t appear concerned about a privately funded scholarship offered by Weber State University. The scholarship, which would give $2,000 to a student who serves the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities, is an outrage, says the conservative Eagle Forum. "I certainly intend to visit with some regents and others who I know have influence on (the Board of Regents),

Gayle Ruzicka

including the governor, about this," said Gayle Ruzicka, president of the Eagle Forum. "I think it’s absolutely inappropriate." But the Board of Regents has no plan to address the issue at its meeting in St. George next week. "At least, it isn’t on our agenda," said chairman Charlie Johnson. "Scholarships are handled by the administration and trustees of the institution." Johnson said the question of scholarship donations made with controversial strings attached hasn’t ever come up in Utah before. "We don’t know the answer because it’s not something we’ve looked at before," he said. The scholarship, named by WSU students and professors in honor of Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student who was beaten to death in 1998, was originally intended only for students who were gay, lesbian or bisexual. But the university’s legal counsel advised the availability of the award be broadened to include anyone who serves the gay, lesbian and bisexual communities, said WSU President Paul Thompson. "There are two criteria. The first is academic excellence," he said. A 3.25 grade point average would be the threshold. "The other is service to gay and lesbian students on our campus," he said. Harden R. Eyring, executive assistant to the Commission of Higher Education, said "universities receiving gifts with restrictions" is neither uncommon nor troublesome. "The only question you might ever have would be if the (scholarship grant) purpose were illegal," he said. But sodomy is illegal in Utah, according to Ruzicka. "And now we have a scholarship available to people who promote or serve that," she said. "Would they allow a scholarship that promoted the use of marijuana or encouraged teenagers to smoke? I don’t think so." Ruzicka also questioned how "service" to the gay community would be defined. "That’s the most insane thing," she said. "Anyone could get this (award) as long as they were promoting or encouraging an immoral and illegal lifestyle." Thompson

Paul H Thompson

said students applying for the scholarship will be asked to write an essay explaining their contribution. "It may mean participating in club activities, doing things to help provide a safer, more supportive climate on campus," he said. Thompson said he’s fully aware the scholarship is "a sensitive issue, and it presents a lot of challenges." "But our attorney has told us the closest precedent he can find is the East High Gay Alliance vs. the Salt Lake City School Board case," he said, where a federal judge ruled the district had to allow all extracurricular clubs or none. "We’ve already accepted at least 50 donor-directed scholarships," he said. "If we were to reject this scholarship and be sued or challenged, we would put those other scholarships at risk." Thompson also notes that many schools around the country have scholarships similar to WSU’s, including Iowa State, San Jose State and UCLA. The University of Utah has no similar gay-service scholarship, but Kay Harward, associate vice president for student affairs, said "if someone came to us with money focused on a given lifestyle, we wouldn’t screen it out. We’d accept it and try to find people who fit the criteria."

2003 Meeting Takes Aim at Anti-Sodomy Law  Groups advocating an end to anti-sodomy laws are hosting a town hall meeting Wednesday at the University of Utah. The 7:30 p.m. meeting -- hosted by the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund -- will take place at the Fine Arts Building Auditorium. Similar meetings are being held in the 13 states where sodomy is illegal. Lambda is fighting Texas' "homosexual conduct" law at the U.S. Supreme Court, which hears arguments March 26.  "Many of us have been working for years to get rid of this law," said Jon Davidson, Lambda's senior counsel.

2004 Utah Delegates participated in a national Equality Conference to train HRC leaders.

2005  U. 'Angels' rendition surprisingly mature Review By Brandon Griggs The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune With its sprawling cast, weighty themes and frank sexuality - not to mention that angel crashing through the wall - "Angels in America" poses a challenge for any theater company. For college-age actors, who presumably lack the life experience to recreate the play's darker moments, it's even tougher. But you wouldn't know that from the Babcock Theatre's fine production of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer-winning drama, which closes  Saturday at the University of Utah. Solid production values and strong acting from the ensemble cast make this ambitious work come to full-blooded life. (This is only the first half of Kushner's epic play, subtitled "Millennium Approaches." The second half, "Perestroika," will follow - with a new cast - in the spring of 2006.) As most theatergoers know by now, "Angels in America" blends realism and fantasy in chronicling a group of loosely connected New Yorkers during the mid-1980s, when AIDS was still emerging as a global plague. Its Reagan-era references now seem a bit dated, but other political details, as when two Republicans chortle about "the end of liberalism," feel more timely than ever. The play's main characters are Prior, a young AIDS sufferer; his Jewish lover Louis, who abandons him out of fear of his illness; their compassionate black friend Belize; Joe, a straight-arrow but closeted Mormon lawyer; Joe's agoraphobic wife Harper, who is battling depression; and Roy Cohn, the caustic real-life powerbroker, who rejects his diagnosis of AIDS as a weakness he can't face. Abraham M. Adams deftly captures Joe's tentative first steps out of the closet, Benjamin T. Brinton convincingly conveys Louis' guilt and self-loathing, Shanna Jones shows comic flair as Joe's mother Hannah (who lives, incidentally, in Salt Lake City), and Jonah B. Taylor does an amusingly breezy take on Belize. Eric McGraw is inconsistent as Prior - swishy one minute, steely the next - but has some fine moments. Special praise goes to seniors Cheryl Nichols, whose wonderfully eccentric, funny-sad performance as Harper is a tour de force, and Josh Pierson, who - in a demanding role for any young actor - conveys the fear beneath Cohn's profane bluster. Thomas George's ingenious set design blends realism with metaphorical fissures in the wooden floor and rear brick wall. These cracks widen and close, suggesting both rifts between the characters and the tears in society's fabric wrought by homophobia and AIDS. Well-chosen costume and sound elements, such as Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" playing in the background, reinforce the play's period and themes. Director L. L. West stages too many scenes near the back of the stage, creating unnecessary distance between the actors and the audience. But he deserves credit for coaxing such vivid performances from his young cast. l The Babcock Theatre will present Tony Kushner's "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches," tonight at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. at its space in the basement of the Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. 1400 East in Salt Lake City. The play contains adult language and content and is not appropriate for children under 16. l Tickets are $12; $6 for students, and can be purchased in advance at the Kingsbury Hall Ticket Office, 801-581-7100, the Olpin Student Union, 801-581-5888, or from ArtTix, 801-355-ARTS (2787). For more information, call 581-6448.

2006 All Male show "It's Raining Men" Trapp Door $5 8:30 pm co-hosted with Emperor 28 Mark Thrash. 

2006  GLBT Business Guild Meet and Greet You and a Guest are invited to the Utah  Business Guild March "Meet and Greet" graciously Hosted by Ken Bowman, President/CEO Networld What? The Utah GLBT Business Guild March "Meet and Greet"  When? Saturday, March 11th, 2006 7:00-9:00pm Hors d' oeuvres and beverages+ will be provided +Alcoholic (must be over 21) and non-alcoholic. Please drink responsibly Taxi will be available if you are unable to drive Why? To meet other professional members, to join our business guild and to promote/network yourself/business. Please don't forget to bring your business card **Please RSVP to Rachel Langton  Raffel Prizes Include..... One complimentary Friday or Saturday night stay at Snowbird Cliff Lodge. Based on availability. Suggested donated of $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $20. 10% of all proceeds go to benefit the GLBT Communtiy Center of Utah with remaining proceeds to benefit the Utah GLBT Business Guild. Raffel tickets available for no donation upon request. 

2013 On Monday, the IRS notified the public that it has revoked The National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality’s (NARTH) tax-exempt status for failure to file proper forms for three consecutive years, according to psychology professor Warren Throckmorton, who focuses on sexual identity, religion and public policy.While NARTH “respect[s] the right of all individuals to choose their own destiny,” the group — like similar ones across the country — believes that being gay is purely a choice. NARTH, according to its website, is a “professional, scientific organization that offers hope to those who struggle with unwanted homosexuality” disseminating “educational information, conduct and collect scientific research, promote effective therapeutic treatment, and provide referrals to those who seek our assistance.”

2014 Rolly: LGBT protesters will get day in court after legislators flee By Paul Rolly | The Salt Lake Tribune Remember a month ago when 13 citizens were arrested after blocking a legislative hearing room to protest the Legislature’s inaction on a bill to protect gays and lesbians from housing and job discrimination? Here is the rest of the story. Before they were arrested, a legislative attorney cited to them a number of laws pertaining to their peaceful demonstration and suggested they could be charged with a felony. Sen. Stuart Reid, R-Ogden, who recently suggested people of religious convictions and the LGBT community cannot coexist, walked by and sniffed at them as Cardinal Wolsey might have done to the chattel congregating outside the castle. The Utah Highway Patrol officers who arrested them were professional and courteous and did their job in the most respectful way possible, said

Donna Weinholtz

Donna Weinholtz, a community activist who was one of those arrested. Then they were taken to the Salt Lake County jail. The behavior there, as described by Weinholtz, is consistent with what I’ve heard about the jailers in that facility before. "SIT DOWN!" SHUT UP!" "F-YOU!" Those are some of the phrases Weinholtz remembers hearing from the jailers as the protesters were strip searched and held for six hours. Weinholtz noticed similar barbaric antics shown to others who were being processed in the jail, many of whom showed no signs of violent or aggressive behavior and were in various stages of intoxication or appeared to have mental health issues. That was on Feb. 10. When the protesters were finally released on their own recognizance, they were ordered by jail personnel to appear in Salt Lake City Justice Court the morning of Feb. 24. If they did not show up for the arraignment, they were told, a warrant would be issued for their arrest. But when they appeared in court — two weeks after their arrests — they learned that no charges had been filed from the Salt Lake City Prosecutor’s Office. One of the protesters had canceled an appointment for a medical procedure to make the court date. Another came home early from a vacation. They all cooled their heels for more than an hour before Justice Court Judge John Baxter came into court and said that because there was no paperwork from the prosecutor, there was nothing he could do. They would be notified later about an arraignment date. With the Legislature set to adjourn this week, it’s convenient that no charges have emerged from the original arrest warrants on disturbing the peace, a Class C misdemeanor and interrupting the Legislature, a Class B misdemeanor. An arraignment hearing would mean more publicity about why they conducted a sit-in at the Capitol in the first place: because the Legislature refused to hold a hearing on Sen. Steve Urquhart’s SB100 and legislative leaders refused to meet with them. It also could trigger more protests at the Capitol with lawmakers in session. "These were nonviolent protesters wanting to meet with their legislators. This is what the First Amendment is all about," said Ron Yengich, one of Utah’s most prominent defense attorneys and one of four lawyers who have decided to take on the cases of the "Capitol 13" pro bono. The other attorneys are Danielle Hawkes, Chris Wharton and Jesse Nix, who all told me they are doing it because they believe in the cause and standing up for the First Amendment. "These (protesters) should be treated with equality and respect by the courts and by the Legislature," Yengich said. "The Legislature doesn’t want to hear what these people have to say and made a point of not talking to them. "But if enough money is involved (the Legislature) would let them talk until they were blue in the face." Access, added Yengich, is driven by money. Or, perhaps if they had been carrying their concealed weapons and standing up for their Second Amendment rights instead of their First Amendment rights, they would have been treated with more deference.