This Day In Gay Utah History March 29th

29 March 29-

1889 First District Court- Joseph Apodach was arraigned on an indictment charging him with the commission of a ““Crime Against Nature””; the offense having beem committed in the county jail in this city [Provo] on a boy named Vincent. Provo Daily Enquirer

1965-Gary Horning and Leon Dyer pleaded not guilty to 1^st degree murder charges. The Weber County Sheriff Office apprehended the two men within 36 hours after the body of George Moriarty was found and both men gave statements implicating themselves to the crime. The pair will face trial June 8^th. (04/01/65 Page C6 col.4 SLTribune)

1976 The US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Virginia’s sodomy laws.

1984- “If You’re Gay- Wear Blue Jean Day” was sponsored by LGSU at the U of U. campus as part of the LGSU Gay Conference Week.  A drag show was held in the Union Theater at the U of U. Kelley’s Broadway Revue was the first openly Gay drag show on the University of Utah Campus.

1985-The Los Angeles Times announced its support of Gay rights and urged the US Supreme Court to take a stand on Gay issues.

1985: The first 3 day Desert States Lesbian and Gay Conference [aka the Desert and Mountain States Lesbian and Gay Conference] is held on the campus of UNLV, Nevada.

1985-Gay/Lesbian Conference Concludes Today at U Most people can look to their family,

Jim Kepner

their churches, or their culture to decide the age old question of who they are.  Gay people aren’t that lucky. “We grew up in heterosexual families,” Gay activist and historian James Kepner said Thursday at what has been a week long “Lesbian and Gay Conference ’85 at the University of Utah.  “Because being Gay wasn’t a everyday topic, Mr. Kepner thinks its important to look in the past to give us the key to who we are. “  “Reaching In” is the theme of the 2nd annual conference sponsored by the university’s Lesbian and Gay Student Union, conference director Michael Aaron said at a morning press conference.  “Last year

Michael Aaron

we directed the conference to Utah’s non Gay population and tried to explain what Gay and Lesbian people are about. Aaron said. “This year we have emphasized our program to other Gay and Lesbian people. Reaching In includes looking back at history and learning how to live Gay in a non Gay society, conference participants said. Utah has its share of homophobic residents who hate Gays according to Aaron but he thinks it is possible for a Gay person to lead a happy and fulfilling life here.  Growing up in Utah in a straight family, Aaron said he was involved in all the usual childhood activities including boy scouts, sponsored by the Mormon Church. He didn’t admit he was Gay until he reached college.  “I came out in college after I met someone Gay and had a half a year relationship,”he said. “That built up my self esteem to the point I could come out.”  Coming out to friends wasn’t so bad. Telling his family was far more difficult. Kepner who founded the International Gay and Lesbian Archives and now serves as its curator in Los Angeles lived in San Francisco as a young man in the 1940’s. “No matter how many gains we have made in the past 30 and 40 years, they are fragile, he said. “They can all be erased, almost overnight by massive scapegoating.”  Activities Friday at the Olpin Union Building include workshops on Lesbian rape, and safe sex with 10 a.m. workshops on Gay and Lesbian political awareness and artificial insemination. At 11 a.m. A 2 p.m. workshop on Gay and Lesbian History and 3 p.m. work shops on alternative religions and coming out to your family and friends.  The conference concludes with a candlelight vigil in memory of Gays who have died as victims of homophobic violence. It begins at 9 p.m. at the Union patio. (SLTribune B-8 )

1986-

Tony Feliz and John Butler 

Pamela Calkins, Lynn LeMasters, Tony Feliz, and Eddie Muldong of the Restoration Church arrived in Salt Lake from Los Angeles to organize the first branch of the church anywhere.  Pam Calkins, Lynn LeMasters, and Eddie Muldong stayed in the home of Ben Williams while Tony Feliz stayed with Bob McIntier. Pamela Calkins was interviewed for Concerning Gays and Lesbians as the first Lesbian to hold the Melchizedek priesthood. Elder Pamela Calkins lover, Lynn LeMasters was the first Lesbian with a non LDS background to convert to the Restoration Church and she held the Aaronic Priesthood.

1988 Unconditional Support was good tonight I think. We had a frank discussion about the bath houses and their being a sub culture of the Gay Sub Culture. Only about 3 people there said that they had never been to a bath house.  At first there were a lot of negative things said about the bath houses even by people who frequented them but by the end of the meeting we were able to be more objective and pointed out some positive aspects of them

1990-NGLTF director Urvashi Vaid interrupted a speech by President Bush,accusing him of a lack of action on AIDS.

1991- A Salt Lake City Police officer involved in an alleged off-duty gay-bashing incident has been suspended for 10 days without pay. The officer must also undergo a fitness-for-duty evaluation and will be transferred temporarily out of the patrol division, Chief Mike Chabries said Thursday. Representatives from the Salt Lake gay community say the suspension seems light, but are grateful the officer is being taken off the streets. The Feb. 23 incident involved Officer Roger Williams and John Martin, a gay Salt Lake City man who claims he was assaulted and called anti-gay names by two of Officer Williams' friends.  The two friends, Troy Perry and Scott Angus, have been charged with the assault and will be arraigned April 10 in 3rd Circuit Court. Officer Roger Williams, a Salt Lake City Police officer involved in an alleged off-duty Gay-bashing incident was suspended for 10 days without pay. John Martin, a Gay Salt Lake City man was assaulted and called anti-Gay names by two of Officer Williams' friends in Williams’ presence. The officer had to undergo a fitness-for-duty evaluation and was transferred temporarily out of the patrol division. Representatives from the Salt Lake Gay community say the suspension seems light, but are grateful the officer is being taken off the streets.

1993-The Utah AIDS Foundation’s 2nd Oscar Night Bash held at The Bay, 404 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City.

1996-A US federal judge temporarily blocked the discharge of 20-year-old seaman Amy Barnes, who was recommended for discharge because of homosexual conduct. The block was placed because of evidence that the "don't pursue" policy had been violated. According to Barnes, officers on board  the USS Simon Lake investigated her after she rebuffed the advances of a male sailor, then expanded the investigation to the other sixty women on board.

W Grant McMurray

1998- RLDS President W. Grant McMurray, the first president of the Community of Christ since 1830 that was not a direct descendant of Joseph Smith, Jr., takes a stand for gay acceptance during his World Conference in Independence, Missouri sermon. “We struggle today with the proper way of expressing the sense of calling and giftedness of persons with varying lifestyles and orientations, including those who identify themselves as gay and lesbian. We often do not speak openly of this issue. Tonight I will. Let me make a heartfelt plea with all of you, whatever your views on this difficult issue may be. In a world that cannot come to common ground on any of the medical, psychological, cultural, and social issues that swirl around this topic, the church cannot be expected to have those ready answers. But here is what we can expect—that every person who walks through our doors will be received with open arms.  We will listen to the life stories of each person who graces our fellowship and embrace them in love. On this there can be no compromise.”

Nicole Cline

1999 Gender Bender How Neal Cline resolved a lifelong dilemma by becoming Nicole Cline. By Carolyn Campbell Salt Lake City Weekly  Two hours after he and his wife of 16 years agreed to separate, Neal Cline sat on the bed at his newly rented apartment and vowed to resolve whether he was male or female. He rested his bearded face in his hands and thought about both his past and his future. As a young boy, he lay awake nights, hoping to arise the next morning as a girl. Since that time, confusion over his inner gender and outward anatomy continued to plague him. As a youth, he longed to feel appropriate in his body, and for years felt he was the only freak in the world. He recalls feeling "a first breath of fresh air" when he was 10 and his mother dressed him as a girl for Halloween. "It felt good--I wore makeup and a short dress borrowed from a teenage girl. I didn't want Halloween to end," Cline says confidently, in a voice not easily distinguishable as male or female. Cline says he soon discovered he felt at peace donning feminine apparel--on occasion a slip, a nightgown, a blouse and skirt. Yet this momentary calm was a brief respite in a life filled with inner turmoil. In everyday conversation, he'd pause to think how a man would respond before answering questions. For years, he chose vocations he hoped would wake up the masculine behavior he assumed should be inherent. Cline worked as an aircraft mechanic, graduated from the police academy and served in search and rescue operations. When his boss told him he was the most macho man he knew, Cline told himself he'd had a lot of years to perfect his role in this lifelong charade. But by 40, Cline was weary of lying about who he really was. "I was terrified, but determined to find the answer, good or bad. I decided I was going to be happy for the first time in my life," Cline recalled in a newer and higher version of the voice with which he once sang tenor. Although he was finding his occupational niche as a land-use planner, Cline stumbled through a maze of mental health advice about his gender confusion. Salt Lake County Mental Health originally assigned him to a male counselor. "I didn't know how to talk to a man about something so personal. I went for six to nine months and we got all of his issues resolved," Cline laughs sarcastically. After he saw the male counselor, he entered group therapy but found no better result. "If I can't tell some guy my deepest feelings, I'm not going to tell 10 strangers." After sitting silently through several sessions, he approached a female counselor. "I thought I would have found someone very understanding, but she couldn't crawl into the couch any deeper." Eventually though, the female counselor asked Cline specific questions. "Like what kinds of games did I like to play and how did I feel about my penis," he remembers. When Cline didn't meet the counselor's challenge to come back to the next meeting dressed as a woman, she was disappointed and referred him to a psychiatrist at the University of Utah. That day in the basement of the U. of U. Medical Center conjures up scary memories. "There were old pipes and a row of chairs that went off into the darkness. I remember thinking I was down here with the janitors and wondering how that could help me." The psychiatrist looked at his file and proclaimed that he wasn't ready for surgery--yet. "Back then, I didn't know about any kind of surgery. I envisioned someone opening my head to fix my brain, taking a plug from one outlet and putting it in another. I would have considered therapy a success if I left feeling appropriate in my body," Cline said. Eventually one counselor told him to simply wear unisex clothes. Feeling bewildered and even more convinced he was a freak, Cline returned to Salt Lake County Mental Health. Again he was referred to a male counselor, which left him feeling he was back where he started. Unsure what clinical path to take, he got a job with the Army Reserve as a technician working on helicopters. He married, more "out of cure than love." He recalls his mother telling him that he wouldn't need his own femininity, because he could take pride in his wife's. But only three weeks into the marriage, he told his wife about his gender confusion. "I said I felt peace when I wore women's clothes. It floored her. She was silent for a period of time. Then she said, let's keep it in the bedroom, taking me to mean I was interested in weird sex. I couldn't explain that this wasn't a sexual odyssey at all. After about a year, I still loved her, but I just didn't love her as a wife." The marriage became a good friendship and thriving financial partnership. But the two lived separate lives, he says, his voice trailing off as he recalls the unhappy time. "If we went anywhere, we arrived and left in our own vehicles. If we were home together, we would be in separate rooms doing different things."  Cline buried himself in a full-time job, another part-time job, and 16 to 18 hours of school. "Once I graduated, it was the beginning of the very end. Grasping at straws as I fell off the cliff, I bought a set of Kathie Lee Gifford marriage improvement tapes." But by then his wife wasn't interested in either the tapes or marriage counseling. Soon feeling he had nothing left to save, Cline asked for a divorce. Soon he had his own apartment. Although his marriage grew turbulent and then dissolved, his professional career remained solid. Karen Richards, Cline's former secretary--who also became a close friend--describes her former supervisor as a highly respected planner who was a perfectionist at work for Tooele County. "Neal was highly regarded. We'd go to professional seminars where the speakers they hired to attend would ask Neal for his opinion." Besides being very astute regarding land-use laws, her boss was also meticulous in dress, she said. "He had every hair in place, kind of greased back. Beard and mustache neatly trimmed. His shirts were always dry cleaned, pressed crisp. He always wore silk ties, cufflinks and dressed to the nines." Despite his outward perfection, Richards sensed her colleague was inwardly unhappy. Cline appeared depressed, as if hiding his real self. "He was trying to live the life he was expected to and just buried himself in his job," Richards concludes. She and Cline were at a land site when the subject of homosexuality came up. "I thought he was homophobic from what he was saying. Then he looked at me and said, "You just don't get it do you?" I'm going through a sex change." Cline matched his dedication at work with after-hours determination to resolve his gender issue. He began attending groups in the Salt Lake "gender community" where he met transvestites and transsexuals. Eventually, he became convinced he was one of an estimated 100,000 transgendered Utahns--both those who have and have not undergone sex change surgery.  In September, he underwent one of three planned surgeries. He also has undergone electrolysis and now takes hormone therapy. The hormones caused him to grow breasts and led to fat redistribution that made Cline's body shape conform more smoothly to female clothes. Because he had a wide vocal range as a singer and his Adam's apple did not protrude, he was able to rely on speech therapy rather than surgery to transform his voice to the mid-range tone he likes to refer to as asexual. Today Cline's voice sounds slightly breathy, but not raspy or deep. Somewhat broad shoulders and large hands are the only visible reminders that this person was once a man. He changed his appearance slowly at work, and took on an androgynous appearance for a long time. Richard's noticed that after Cline separated from his wife, his hands were no longer hairy. "They'd obviously been shaved. At the time, I didn't know why." In mid-1996, Cline began wearing women's slacks and blouses to work at the Tooele County courthouse, along with experimenting with makeup. "Most women have 10 years to learn mascara and eyeliner. I had six months. It was an act only mastered with great patience and determination," Cline says, flipping back her wavy, brunette shoulder-length hair. Besides eyeliner and mascara, she now wears foundation, lipstick and blush on her recently-smooth skin. "I was a good enough friend to tell Neal the blue eye shadow had to go," recalls Richards. Besides appearance changes, Cline also began using her initials rather than her first name at the office. But the final transition from Neal to Nicole occurred on the first day she wore a dress on the job. Donning a mid-calf, two-piece suit with tan and blue stripes on a spring day in April 1997, Cline felt very apprehensive about how people would perceive her. "I wanted to wear something tasteful and proper. I've always been conscientious about my clothes and didn't want to dress like a slut. I remember the first thing anyone said was, I guess you'll be using the women's restroom." The Tooele County courthouse women's restroom remains a bone of contention through which Cline's co-workers express opinions about her transition. Earlier this month, Nicole received a letter accusing her of insubordination for using the women's restroom. It's an issue she plans to contest. Richard's recalls that from the first day Nicole wore a dress, "Everyone was so curious and afraid. One man worried that if his wife used the restroom, Nicole might rape her. Someone else thought a guard should stand outside the door telling people to wait until she finished. And somebody asked what would happen if she peeked under the stalls," Richards said incredulously. As the story of Cline's sex change spread, visitors made special trips to the county courthouse to steal a look at her. Some co-workers and townspeople initially refused to speak to Cline. Richards remembers a day when she heard catcalls as the two of them visited the local 7-11. She wondered how her children, who were close to Nicole, would react after she told them Cline didn't want to be a boy anymore, but wanted to be a girl. "My son went into her office and whistled at her. He said, 'Woo, woo, you sure look pretty.' Nicole broke down crying," Richards remembers. To those who ask if it wouldn't be easier to simply disappear and assume a new identity, Cline's voice rises: "My research is acknowledged nationally. I've put too much effort into who I am. I couldn't be born 40 years old. In 40 years, I had all the lying I could take." Certain as Cline felt about maintaining the office status quo, the thought of pursuing a new romantic relationship remained puzzling after the divorce. "I knew I couldn't get back together with a heterosexual woman. Yet I wasn't gay per se and I felt gay men are attracted to other macho men. With a lesbian woman, I didn't have something total to offer. My sexual orientation is bisexual. A bisexual man? During my transition, the idea of getting back into a relationship was terrifying." Nonetheless, when he was still Neal, Cline met Marlene Smith, a slim, red-haired divorced mom of two. The pair became acquainted at a gender issues support group. At the time, Smith was finishing a liberal arts degree and dating a male cross-dresser. The two struck up a friendship. "Like me, she lived in Tooele. Too, she was someone who had been to the support group and knew that side of me. Back then, I really just wanted somebody to go kick a few rocks with," Cline recalls.  They went to a Halloween haunted house on their first outing together, and soon felt they'd always known each other. Smith remembers one evening when she was steeped in homework and Cline called and asked her to visit. Smith initially said no, but after 10 minutes of doing homework changed her mind. "I went to her house at eight and we talked until three in the morning. We discussed everything about what it's like to be a woman picking out clothes, makeup colors, men. It turned into a hen session. At the end of the night, we were just two women talking, and that's when I knew we were best friends." Although Cline still had a beard and was dressed as a man in black Levis and a pullover that night, Smith had previously seen him in a dress at the support group and fully understood that Cline was transitioning. Their first physical contact occurred later that night when Smith asked Cline to hold her hand as she walked down his icy driveway. They kept calling each other and getting together. Before the day Cline wore a dress to work, Smith called Cline "Neal" when accompanying her friend at professional seminars, but referred to her as "Nicole" at "safe" times. Neither can pinpoint a day when their friendly outings became dates. "We don't recall who said I love you or even who proposed first," says Cline. Marlene's 11-year-old daughter, Amanda, picked up on the romance first. "She asked when we would live together and when she could call me Mommy," Nicole says. After the relationship became romantic, the two discussed gender issues. "I made sure she had no thoughts that she would marry me now, then get me to go back to being a man," says Cline emphatically. Smith was previously married to a man and says she never pictured herself in a romantic relationship with a woman before meeting Cline. "I'd spent my entire life being heterosexual and had to really feel deep down in my soul to be able to overlook the idea of being called lesbian." If this relationship ended and she began another, it would probably be with a man. "But our situation is unique. Nicole has the softness of a woman and the strength of a man." When the office got wind of the unusual relationship, Richards says the most common question was "whether Marlene was really a girl." Today, Smith describes herself as "lesbian by default." When Neal became Nicole, the two stopped showing physical affection publicly. While Cline nearly always wears a dress or skirt and blouse, Smith is often attired more casually in a T-shirt and slacks, her long hair in a ponytail or drawn up in a bun. Despite their differences in appearance, it's obvious these are two women together. "After I no longer looked male at all, I missed the days when I could put my arm around her or hold her hand when we walked to the movies, but flaunting our relationship isn't what we're about," Cline says. Before deciding to become a family, the women had Smith's two children evaluated by a psychologist to be sure the relationship wouldn't be a detriment in their lives. They received a clean bill of health, Cline recalls. On March 22, 1997, both women carried bouquets, adorned their hair with lace-topped barrettes and wore calf-length silk and lace gowns when a minister joined them in holy matrimony at Metropolitan Community Church in Salt Lake City. They also exchanged matching diamond-studded wedding rings. Marlene Smith became Marlene Cline. In January, Nicole Cline was also wearing a dress when she presented her birth certificate and driver's license to the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office to apply for a legal marriage license. "The first time she came in, she showed her driver's license, which said she was a woman. We told her we couldn't issue a license for her to marry another woman," said Nick Floros, chief deputy County Clerk. When Cline responded that she was really a man, Floros required her to bring a certified copy of the birth certificate, indicating she was legally male. Cline also brought a copy of a court order indicating she could change her name from Neal to Nicole. "As long as she had not had her gender changed legally, which is permissible in Utah, she was legally entitled to her license," says Marlin Criddle, Cline's attorney. Criddle explains that when Cline previously applied for the name change, she also applied for a gender change, which the judge denied. "If the judge had granted the gender change, she wouldn't have been entitled to a marriage license."  "One of the implications of Nicole's unique situation is that it shows how arbitrary gender really is, and how arbitrary laws are that prohibit people of the same sex from marrying. There are institutions and religions who think that gender is an eternal characteristic, but experience in the real world disproves that," Criddle said. "Basically, in Cline's case you have two people trying to create a family and provide protection for their children. I can't understand why anyone would want to object to that."  While her attorney doesn't foresee complications, Cline becomes adamant at the thought of her marriage being threatened. "I have a legal right to be a human being and pursue happiness. If anyone tries to take this from me, I'll fight them to the ends of the earth." Actually, fighting is something Cline is less inclined to pursue since she became Nicole. "When I was full of testosterone, as a man, little things could set me off and I'd be mad for days. My driving in traffic was very impatient. Now when I get angry, and it takes quite a bit to get me angry, I try to accomplish something with that anger." Nicole hopes the environment at work remains congenial, too, although she says objections to her use of the women's restroom have escalated since her marriage to Smith. "While she declared herself as a male for purposes of a marriage license, it does not automatically follow that she should be treated as a male for use of the workplace restrooms," says her attorney. "She is in the process of becoming a female. Part of the standards and protocol for that include dressing and living as a woman and using the women's facilities." "I give some credit to Tooele County and Nicole's employers. Her transition occurred in a rural county and a conservative state, yet they were able to retain the services of a highly qualified planner," says Criddle. Today, Cline, Smith and Smith's two children live in a house they purchased together in Tooele. Aside from Smith's son's room, it's obvious that two women share the home. Roses abound on the curtains, antique lamps, in artificial bouquets and on the bathroom towels. The women own rose-print dresses and their recliners, too, are rose colored. Both Cline and Smith love decorating, cross-stitching and reading. Danielle Steel is Cline's favorite author, while Smith prefers Dean Koontz. They love to spend evenings having a cry-fest over movies like Philadelphia and The Crying Game. They also like to laugh at themselves and their unique plight. Nicole recalls how an insurance company originally questioned whether to provide coverage to her dependents, initially requesting that she sign an affidavit stating she was male. She refused to sign. "Their concern was unduly biased. Why would an insurance company, whose concern should be my dental and orthodontic health, be so concerned about my reproductive parts? I wrote them a letter saying that if any dentist tried to work on my sexual organs, I'd violently protest." During a lighthearted moment, Marlene kids her partner. "Come on, Nicole. You've got to miss the ability to stand up and pee." After mulling this thought over, Cline responded, I really can't say that I do because I so seldom did that. Even before, my natural inclination was to go in and sit down."  

1999 GLCCU Meeting of the Community Forum at the Center 7pm 539-8800  Each organization is invited to send at least one representative to the meeting  Individuals are invited to join the Forum as well

1999 WASATCH MOUNTAIN BEAR Wasatch Mountain Bears Cards at the Center 730pm

2001  Deseret News 2 gay students at Y. are forced to leave PROVO — Two students have been pressured to leave Brigham Young University for alleged violations of the LDS Church-owned school's strict moral code. Richard Escoto, 21, a sophomore from Los Angeles, was suspended for two semesters March 13 for reportedly visiting gay-friendly Internet chat rooms, going on same-sex dates and romantically embracing another male on campus, according to a copyright story in the Salt Lake Tribune. Matthew Grierson, 21, a senior from Dallas, told the Tribune that he was given the option of withdrawing or being suspended. He was confronted by BYU officials with the allegations one day before Escoto was reprimanded. Rather than face suspension for two semesters, Grierson, who was on a full academic scholarship, withdrew. Both men deny they violated the school's honor code, which prohibits students from engaging in "homosexual conduct." They say they were not sexually active and therefore did not warrant discipline. Escoto said the school relied on the false testimony of other students. Grierson admitted to holding hands with a man in a public place but nothing more. Michael Smart, a BYU spokesman, declined to release specific information about either student. Federal privacy laws prohibit the school from releasing details about individual cases of student discipline. It is unknown how many students — either heterosexual or homosexual — are suspended or expelled for sexual misconduct. Smart said BYU does not keep statistics on violations that occur at the university. Among other things, BYU's honor code prohibits students from living with members of the opposite sex, consuming alcoholic beverages, smoking, taking drugs and having premarital sex. Smart told the Deseret News that 2 percent to 3 percent of BYU's 30,000 students are referred to counselors at the Honor Code Office each year, mostly for minor infractions of the honor code involving how students dress and groom. Gay students may attend BYU if they abide by the teachings of the LDS faith — which denounces gay relationships — and "as long as they don't act on the same-sex attractions," Smart said. Smart said the honor code is an "outgrowth" of the principles of the 11 million-member church. Students should be familiar with both the teachings of the church and honor code requirements when they arrive at the school, he said.
Faculty aren't exempt from pressure to leave if they publicly acknowledge their sexuality. Thomas J. Matthews, who taught at BYU for five years, left BYU in 1996 to join Weber State University's faculty. At the time, Matthews said he was not told to leave but felt like he needed to move on.

BYU Brass Suspend Two Gays Salt Lake Tribune  Richard "Ricky" Escoto, a gay Mormon and Brigham Young University student, always considered the LDS Church's stance on homosexuality to be benevolent, even accepting. I figured as long as I remained chaste the church would welcome me," he said. But Escoto has found it is not that simple. BYU, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently suspended Escoto under the university's honor code for violations related to disputed allegations of homosexual conduct. According to Escoto, as well as another gay BYU student suspended two weeks ago, being gay without engaging in homosexual activity may be permitted at the Provo school, but students risk being sanctioned for even talking about same-sex attraction or associating -- however chastely -- with other gays or lesbians. On March 13, the school suspended Escoto, a sophomore from Los Angeles, Calif., on four counts: that he received gifts from other men, visited gay-oriented Internet chat rooms on his home computer, was seen on "dates" with at least three different men and was found "making out" with another male in his apartment. The two-semester suspension begins April 25. Escoto, 21, disputes the allegations. He says the school has "no proof of anything," but instead relied on the false testimony of "bigoted" roommates.  His only crime, he says, was confiding his "issues with same-sex attraction" to a roommate with whom he was particularly close. Word quickly got out among the other roommates who turned him in to BYU's Honor Code Office, he said.     BYU's strict honor code, which must be signed by all students, lists "homosexual conduct" among other prohibitions under the heading "sexual misconduct." The reference to homosexuality, added in the late 1990s, doesn't elaborate. "The Honor Code is not a laundry list of do's and don'ts," said Carri Jenkins, BYU spokeswoman, who confirmed Escoto's suspension but declined to discuss details. "It's not going to go through and spell out everything involved. Students have the maturity to decipher that and listen to what church leaders are telling us."  Less than 2 percent to 3 percent of BYU's 30,000 students are referred to the Honor Code Office annually, most for minor dress code violations. Jenkins would not say how many referrals are related to homosexual conduct or result in suspensions.  "But it's not many," she said. Contrary to what some students believe, "There are no sting operations. No one is going out and asking students their sexual orientation. It's not something they ask when they apply to the university," said Jenkins, referring to news stories in the '60s and '70s about campus police spot-checking gay dance clubs for license plates of BYU students, or posing as gay men and soliciting sexual favors from male students.  The school's policy follows church guidelines that differentiate between homosexual tendencies and homosexual acts, Jenkins said. There is some confusion among students, however, about what precisely constitutes a homosexual act.  "They don't spell it out in the honor code. I just thought it meant no sex," said Matthew Grierson, 21, who was told March 12 to either withdraw from the university or face a two-semester suspension. Grierson, a senior from Dallas, Texas, who was on a full academic scholarship at BYU, withdrew. Grierson said he was reprimanded for allegedly kissing a man on campus and holding a man's hand at a Provo mall. He admitted only to the latter. Escoto submitted a formal denial of his roommates' allegations and included character reference letters from fellow students and a former BYU professor living in California.   But in the end, he said, school officials took his roommates' word over his.
 

2003 Dear Mark [Bowman], This is Hugo Salinas-Olaiz, an Associate Director with

Jay Bell 

Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons. We are very impressed with the LGBTRAN website and fully support your initiative. Let me mention a couple of times that might be of your interest: 1. We are currently in the process of creating a new website that will include a section entirely dedicated to celebrate our history and remember our dead. I will send you more information when the new site is up & running. 2. As you know, we started a collection in the Marriot Library in the University of Utah. Jay Bell is our archivist, and he helps coordinate the process of making donations to the library. We intend to scan and keep copies of some of the materials before making the donation and post them on our website. 3. We have a few pioneers of our own, and we are planning to send you the information so that you can post their bios in your Pioneer Gallery. Thank you for your efforts to preserve our history, Hugo Salinas-Olaiz

2005 USU same-sex benefits proposal suffers big setback By Arrin Newton Brunson Salt Lake Tribune LOGAN - Supporters of a "Domestic Partner Benefits" proposal at Utah State University were dealt a blow Monday afternoon. Still, they are not bowing out of what is sure to be a tough fight for everyone involved. "It's absolutely not over," said sociology professor Patricia M. Lambert just hours after a meeting where a "Domestic Partner Benefits" proposal was shot down. "It's by no means over." Proponents of the proposal have been fighting for a year to provide to partners of homosexual employees the same benefits that are given to legally married employees. But USU legal counsel Craig Simper told approximately 150 employees at the Faculty Forum on the Logan campus that Utah's Amendment 3, approved by popular vote in November and effective Jan. 1, clearly defines marriage as a legal union only between a man and women. "No other domestic union may be recognized as a marriage or given the same or substantially equal legal effect," he said. Although the legal validity of laws just like Amendment 3 is being challenged beyond Utah's borders, Simper made it clear that this is not a battle his employer wants to fight. "Utah State University does not want to be the test case and does not intend to be the test case," Simper said Monday afternoon. Lambert, a member of a USU ad hoc committee that has amassed a wealth of information in support of domestic-partner benefits, said her group is not challenging Utah's legal definition of marriage. "There are different views on Amendment 3 than Craig Simper presented," Lambert said, citing support from Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., whose election campaign boasted plans to strive for equal rights to same-sex couples, as well as Sen. Gregory Bell, proponent of failed Senate Bill 89 to extend benefits to domestic partners. "We're not proposing to marry people. This is a matter of benefits." Lambert said USU added sexual orientation to the list of reasons not to discriminate against people in the affirmative action/equal opportunity policy in 1993. For years, USU employees have been told that the benefits package is a measurable part of employee salaries. "But if not everybody has the same access, than not everybody is being paid the same," Lambert said. Failure to offer benefits discriminates against homosexuals, a fact many universities and private companies are recognizing and remedying, Lambert said. "We also probably limit our [hiring] pool because there are a lot of people who feel that this is a discriminatory practice," she said. Monday's USU Faculty Forum was open to faculty, professional and classified employees, but not the press. Faculty Senate President Janis Boettinger said the large crowd probably wasn't at the meeting to delve into the controversy. "We've opened it up [Faculty Forum] to all faculty members in the past, but this is the first time we've done it for all employees," Boettinger said. "I think the big draw was the discussion about proposed changes to health benefits - [co-payments and premiums]." Still, Boettinger said, the same-sex benefits discussion did draw comments. "There are some faculty who still think that we should pursue providing same-sex benefits, but, in terms of Faculty Senate at Utah State University, we are a state institution and we basically need to uphold the state constitution," Boettinger said. She said Faculty Senate President-elect Derek Mason agrees. "We really can't, at this time, take this any farther. There's really nothing we can do right now until there's a challenge," Boettinger said.

  

2005  Letter to Daily Chrony  Letter to the Editor: The LGBT Center should fire its advertising manager Editor: As I walked past the Union on March 22, I saw the simple white signs with black lettering that relate a short message, a telephone number, and a room number of the Union. For me, the signs presented a couple possible meanings. What am I supposed to feel when I read a sign that says, "Gay is Real" or "Bisexuals do Exist" or "Lesbians are Real?" One possible message: Like aliens and Bigfoot, homosexuals and transgender people do exist! Come see them on exhibit in room 317. Needless to say, the ambiguous signs lead to confusion. Although the assumed intent of the signs is to make the public aware of these individuals, I can't help but chuckle at signs that resemble headlines in National Enquirer like, "Elvis lives!" "Child born with five heads!" and "Aliens do exist!"  Even though I don't treat homosexuality and bisexuality lightly, I have to admit that I laughed out loud as images of smashed wheat fields, UFOs and giant apes flitted through my mind. Rachel Miller Freshman, History

2007 Bullogh Lecture Series- Professor George Chauncey When: 29 March Thursday, 4 pm Where: 1110 LNCO Auditorium (very close to OSH Hall) Uiversity of Utah Campus. The upcoming Bullough Lecture will feature 

Professor George Chauncey, a social and cultural historian of the United States whose research and teaching focus on urbanism, gender, sexuality, subjectivity and social movements in the 20th century. Best known for his award-winning book Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World,1890-1940 (1994), He is also the author of Why Marriage? The History Shaping Today's Debate over Gay Equality (2004) and co-editor of Hidden From History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past (1989) and two special journal issues on gender, sexuality, and transnationalism. Professor Chauncey will be speaking on his new book, The Strange Career of the Closet: Gay Male Culture and Politics from the Second World War to the Gay Liberation Era.

2010 Census has 20/40 gaydarIn Section: News Blog » Posted By: Jesse Fruhwirth Salt

Jesse Fruhwirth

Lake City Weekly The Census survey doesn't ask, "Are you gay or straight?" but it will be counting (some) queer Americans. That's some amazing gaydar. How will they do it? With help from Equality Utah Executive Director Brandie Balken, we probe the Census for its inclusion of the LGBT community. (all answers are paraphrased) 

Q: How is the U.S. Census Bureau going to count queers if the form doesn't ask who is queer? 

Brandi Balkin

A: The 2010 Census will be counting not just married couples, but also unmarried partners. Because the form collects gender data on each individual in a household, one can extrapolate how many gay and the lesbian couples respond to the survey. Individuals of the same gender who indicate they are married or unmarried partners are presumed to be gay or lesbian. 

Q: Will the Census count lesbians and gays who are single or those who do not live with their partners? 

A: No. The Census will "count" those people, but it will not detect them as lesbian, gay or bisexual. 

Q: Will the census count transgender Americans 

A: No. It will count those individuals, but only as one gender or the other--whichever the individual chooses--but the Census is not designed to count how many Americans have transitioned, or are transitioning away from their received gender. The Census form only provides male and female as gender options, so choose whichever seems more appropriate. Q: Why doesn't the Census include more dynamic monitoring of the LGBT community? 

A: The Census has been slow to add more categories in the racial and ethnicity categories as well. The addition of new racial and ethnicity options has been a slow evolution and likely the addition of gender and sexuality options will be as well. Hopefully there will be more progress by 2020, when the next Census is taken. 

Q: Why do we care? What's the value of having the Census count the LGBT community? 

A: It helps so that people understand there are queer individuals in every community.

2014 Op-ed: Marriage studies are tangled web of deception BY CHRIS WANGSGARD “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” — Sir Walter Scott In its appellate brief to the 10th Circuit in the same-sex marriage case (Kitchen v. Herbert), Utah claimed that “ ... same-sex parenting arrangements are less effective than married biological mothers and fathers in producing positive outcomes in the lives of their children.” The sole authority Utah relied on to make this representation to the court was a study by a sociologist, Mark D. Regnerus: “How Different are the Adult Children of Parents Who Have Same Sex Relationships: Findings from the New Family Structures Study” (2012). On March 21, the U.S. District Court in Michigan decided a same-sex marriage case like Utah’s

pending case. In that case, Mr. Regnerus testified as a witness for the state of Michigan, claiming that his ‘New Family Structures” study, relied on by Utah in its 10th Circuit appeal, justified state constitutional provisions banning same-sex marriage. Having heard Dr. Regnerus’ testimony about his “study,” Judge Bernard Friedman ruled: “The court finds Regenerus’ testimony entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration.” Judge Friedman, having reviewed the history of the “study,” ruled that it “... was hastily concocted at the behest of a third-party funder,” which had declared in advanced that it “was confident that the traditional understanding of marriage will be vindicated by this study.” Judge Friedman’s ruling states: “While Regnerus maintained that the funding source did not affect his impartiality as a researcher, the court finds this testimony unbelievable. The funder clearly wanted a certain result, and Regenerus obliged.” The Regnerus’ “study” is the worst kind of junk science. Survey participants were asked whether either of their parents had ever been involved in a “romantic relationship” with a person of the same sex. Regnerus labeled the 248 participants who answered “yes” as children of same-sex relationships. Judge Friedman concluded this process had identified only offspring of failed heterosexual unions, thus proving nothing about same-sex parenting. Only two of the 15,000 survey respondents reported living with a same-sex couple for their entire childhood. Mr. Regnerus admitted he found these two individuals well adjusted. In short, the Regnerus “study” compared the children of stable families and those of unstable families, but labeled the unstable families as same-sex families. The facts regarding the Regnerus “study” have now been adjudicated. Judge Friedman performed his constitutionally assigned role. He heard the evidence, measured the credibility of the witnesses, and decided the facts. He recorded his findings and conclusions in a written decision. Those wishing to label his decision “liberal judicial activism” will have to find a way to deal with the fact that Ronald Reagan appointed him to the federal bench. On April 10, Utah’s attorneys will stand before the judges of the 10th Circuit in Denver. Those judges will have read Utah’s brief. They will know that Utah, through its Attorney General’s Office, has represented that same-sex parenting arrangements have been proven to be less effective than traditional marriages in producing positive outcomes in children’s lives. Those judges will almost certainly also have read the Michigan ruling. Federal judges take truth seriously. Utah’s attempt to misrepresent junk science as fact will spoil the credibility of Utah’s case — as well it should. Chris Wangsgard is a Utah attorney with more than 40 years of litigation experience.

2017 Men Who Move held a History Panel in the Sprague Library in Sugar House. "Had a lively time as a panelist at a Men Who Move event where I was asked to speak along with Garth Chamberlain and Connell O'Donovan about the Gay community from the 1980s and 1990s...I saw an old friend I hadn't see in 20 years there as well as a bunch new friends... A young man Peter Moosman who came up to me and asked if I remembered him...lol he was one of my former student from Orchard who now works at the community college"...Memoirs of Ben Williams.
Chuck Whyte wrote "Thank You very much Terry Gillman for having the History Panel this evening at the Sugar House Library. It was so great to remember the community activity's and most of all the people. Too many of our friends are no longer physically with us. The 3 people on the panel were GREAT. Connell O'Donovan ,Garth Chamberlain, Ben Williams. Thank you so much for TRUTHFULLY telling OUR COMMUNITY'S history of the 80s and 90s. I was personally touched when 2 organizations that are very dear to me, were given credit for their community involvement.....Those being The Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah and The Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire (RCGSE) Thank You again for an evening that I will; indeed cherish."

2020 List of 2020 Kristen Ries Award Nominations by Kent Frogley "Hello everyone, While we are all navigating this unprecedented time, staying safe, and doing our part to flatten the curve, allow me to give you one more thing to think about. Attached are the nominations for the 2020 Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award presented in the order they were received. Please review the attached and reply to me with your vote on who should be recognized this year. Please reply by Sunday April 5, 2020 to this email address. When and how this award will be presented is obviously affected by how things play out in the next weeks to be optimistic, or months to be less optimistic.  The Utah Pride Center is committed to taking appropriate steps to keep our community safe while also keeping our community involved and engaged. If you have any questions about the nominations please contact me.  On behalf of the Utah Pride Center thank you for all you have done to serve our community and all you continue to do.  Stay safe. Kent"

Cori Agarwal

Cori Agarwal M.D.

Cori Agarwal is the driving force behind University of Utah's Transgender Health Program. She saw the need for coordinated, competent, and affirming care for trans and gender diverse patients and advocated for this program to exist. It took 3 different occasions in front of hospital leadership before they acknowledged this same need for a program. We now offer 8 specialties, with over 40 gender affirming providers. Patients travel from out of state because this program is the only comprehensive program that exists in the surrounding states. She is continually advocating for our community outside of her clinical duties from speaking with legislators when anti-trans legislation arises to meeting with insurance payors too educate them on the medical necessity of gender transition services. She is leading this program with community in mind every step of the way.

 Sean Childers-Gray

Sean has been a leader and board member in both the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern

Sean Childers-Gray

Utah and Ogden Pride. His tireless work has raised thousands of dollars for non-profits as well as supported LGBTQ Utahans through social activities, as well as community service.  Sean is also paving the way for transgender Utahans to be able to legally change their gender marker by fighting with Angie Rice up to the Utah Supreme Court.  And personally, he's been an asset and advisor as my son has transitioned and he or I have had questions about prescriptions, surgeries, etc.  Sean is truly amazing and gives so much to our community!

Robert Lopez

Roberto Lopez

He has done so many incredible things for our community, he is invested in our youth. He has 3 beautiful smart children that he always puts first. Roberto had open heart surgery less than 6 weeks ago and his number one priority has been getting back to doing his work with the community. I cannot think of a better more deserving person.

Allison Gayle Phillips Belnap

Community Service takes many forms and Allison Phillips Belnap takes her advocacy and her voice seriously. Not only does she continually share her story publicly, (Tribune Op-Ed regarding stigma, leaving a job as a Dean at BYU's law school, speaking on panels and meeting with officials to change policies and also the humanity of community groups), she lives a position of mentorship.

Allison Phillips Belnap

Her law firm recognized her efforts for LGBTQ people appointing her to a task force nationally and local SLC LGBTQ citizens and students regularly call her for assistance, mentorship, and advice. Allison uses her position, her background, her empathy and compassion to help others consistently and thoroughly. She listens, she speaks out, she connects, and she writes. She courageously "came out" herself and immediately became a voice of the people. Most notably this year she sponsored the PRIDE flags in Heber City, Utah launching a small-town conversation and creating a ripple effect of flags in Park City and St. George. Her efforts heal people individually and raise awareness civically and culturally. Her expertise is utilized to push understanding and to engender love. Largely behind the scenes of change, she is making the LGBTQ life easier, more transparent and kinder in Utah.

Karrie Galloway

Kerrie Galloway

Planned Parenthood has become the largest provider of STD testing and treatment in the state of Utah under Karrie Galloway's leadership of the organization.  Karrie has been with PPAU since 1981 and annually PPAU provides over 32,000 STD tests and serves over 11,500 teens and families with medically accurate responsible sex education to ensure our community stays safe.  We also have a variety of education programs including an educator training called Safe at School which last year trained over 1,100 current and future educators about how to make classrooms safe for LGBTQ+ students.  Planned Parenthood Assoc. of Utah spends roughly double the amount of other PP affiliates on education because the state does not provide these services in the schools.  Of the nearly 47,000 patients PPAU sees annually 20% are male - males seek services at PPAU because of the lake of state provided STD testing and treatment services and the lake of other safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community to receive care.  All of this has taken place under Karrie's decades of service at PP.  Providing care for the LGBTQ+ is a priority for Planned Parenthood in Utah.

Gina Crivello

Gina Crivello, founder of Mama Dragons. In 2013 Gina Crivello tried to start a gay straight

Gina Crivello 

alliance club at the school where she worked. She ran into all kinds of roadblocks and quickly became aware of the root of the problem. So she began her own blog. Many people began sharing their feelings with her through her blog. She also got many responses through instant messaging. soon she brought people together. “They didn't mind the cramped quarters because it was filled with unconditional love and safety,” Crivello said. “No lurking ward members. No tattletales. No judgement for un-sanitized expressions of feelings.” Crivello, who started in dragons as a fully active member of the LDS Church, has since asked for her name to be removed from the records of the LDS Church. She added, “Mama Dragons doesn’t want to destroy the church, we want the church to stop destroying our kids.” By the end of 2013 Crivello said she saw a need for these conversations to continue and set up a Facebook group for them and set the privacy setting to "secret" — not because she didn’t want anyone to know about the group, but because they needed an emotionally safe place to share. “It quickly  became clear that Mama Dragon has to somehow be a part of the (groups) title,” Crivello said. Just two years later, there are more than 725 members of Mama Dragons from Australia to Canada. Women who want to join are vetted to make sure their intentions and needs match the mission of the group. Several locations like in Seattle have started their own local groups and even have in-person get-togethers. Sometimes we can help in person. Sometimes it’s through social media, texts, emails or phone calls. We have attended same-sex weddings and celebrated with the new couple. We have buoyed each other up when unjust things have happened to our children. We have met with some of the highest leaders in the LDS Church, asking for more visibility and promotion of the church-sponsored Mormons & Gays website, and increased compassion and inclusivity in their talks about LGBTQIA+ people. We have met with our local ward and stake leaders. We have attended funerals of gay suicide victims and mourned with their bereaved families. We have written articles about our experiences that have helped to open the eyes and hearts of the people who read them. We have done podcasts, press interviews, documentaries, YouTube videos, etc. in the hopes of furthering our message of unconditional love, full acceptance and equality, as well as education of church leaders and members. We work hard EVERY DAY to make things better for LGBTQIA+ people, especially the youth. They are our most vulnerable. And unfortunately, the most invisible. Mama Dragons is a thriving organization today that continues to help break down barriers while supporting our youth.

Matt Bryan M.D. 

Dr. Matt Bryan

Dr. Matt Bryan deserves the Kristen Ries award because of his dedication to providing thorough, compassionate and comprehensive medical care to the LGBTQ community, and for investing his time to make changes to increase Intermountain Healthcare (IHC)’s capacity to deliver high-quality healthcare to LGBTQ patients. In 2015 when Dr. Bryan arrived at IHC as a primary care internal medicine physician, he quickly realized there was a critical shortage of healthcare providers in Utah who were trained to care for LGBTQ patients. Thus, he limited his new patients to those who identify as LQBTQ and began further developing his own expertise in LGBTQ medicine. He has attended numerous professional development conferences and spent countless hours learning to manage the unique medical needs of this community. He is the only primary care physician within IHC whose practice is solely dedicated to the LGBTQ community and his efforts are saving the lives of our LGBTQ citizens. Because of his efforts to expand access to compassionate and thorough healthcare for the LGBTQ community, he was appointed the first Associate Medical Director for LGBTQ Medicine for IHC, a role that has allowed him to expand IHC’s capacity to serve the LGBTQ population. He is leading the development of Project ECHO, which allows an interdisciplinary team of healthcare providers (e.g., primary care, pediatrics, psychologists) to communicate and develop into the LGBTQ-competent network our state desperately needs. In 2018-2019, he worked with the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Care transformation teams to create “preferred name” and “preferred pronouns” tabs which are entered into the patient’s medical record so LGBTQ patients are not misgendered and mistreated by staff and providers. Dr. Bryan is also currently serving on the Utah Department of Health’s HIV prevention planning team and supporting statewide efforts to reduce the incidence of new HIV infections. In his role as Associate Medical Director for LGBTQ Medicine, Dr. Bryan spends countless hours, outside of his own busy clinic schedule, creating presentations for clinicians and staff, medical students at the University of Utah, and nurse practitioners and physician assistants, to teach them about the health issues facing the LGBTQ population. He is also exploring innovative ways to improve LGBTQ health by creating automated order sets for physicians treating LGBTQ patients, exploring telehealth opportunities for LGBTQ patients, and engaging leaders in medical and surgical specialties to improve training of their providers as well. A fellow Intermountain Physician said, “What he does is innovative and requires a shared knowledge base, empathy, creativity and an open mind. He can make an (ignorant) provider feel comfortable with LGBTQ health issues by understanding that person, knowing where their knowledge gaps are, and educating them so all our patients will get better care. It is a skill found only in the best teachers I’ve worked with in my medical training. His unique skills and knowledge set are invaluable to me. I know he can connect with providers of all ages and backgrounds, and that makes him a great leader in his field”. There is no question that Dr. Bryan will use his clinical and leadership roles to continue his efforts to ensure that LGBTQ patients have access to appropriate and compassionate care within IHC and beyond. Dr. Bryan has motivated us all to become more compassionate humans dedicated to advocating for equality for all the patients we are privileged to serve. He is a true role model for selflessness, and all of us lucky enough to be friends, colleagues, family, or patients of his, benefit in countless ways from his dedication and passion. The future of LGBTQ medicine in the state of Utah is brighter because of his efforts