3 March
1849 - At Council of Fifty meeting, Brigham Young speaks concerning
thieves, murderers, and sexually licentious in Utah: "I want their cursed
heads to be cut off that they may atone for their crimes." Next day, the
council agrees that man has "forfeited his Head," and decides it
would be best "to dispose of him privately." Instead, they allow him
to live.
1951 Utah Parole
Board Lists Action on Applications, Harry Jaques, sodomy, parole denied
Salt Lake Telegram
1953 - First Presidency secretary answers Mormon's inquiry about
receiving blood transfusions from African Americans: "The LDS Hospital
here in Salt Lake City has a blood bank which does not contain any colored
blood." This represents five year effort to keep LDS Hospital's blood bank
separate from American Red Cross system in order "to protect the purity of
the blood streams of the people of this Church" (Counselor J. Reuben
Clark's phrase.)
1965 - Apostle Harold B. Lee is "protesting vigorously over
our having given a scholarship at BYU to a negro student from Africa .
Brother Lee holds the traditional belief as revealed in the Old Testament that
the races ought not to be kept together and that there is danger in trying to
integrate them on the BYU campus."
1981- Dan Wilcox of Salt Lake Affirmation was
granted permission to air a regular radio talk show on KRCL. The program was on
a weekly basis and ran 32 weeks. The program discussed among other things the
situation of the Gay Mormon and the help that Affirmation offers. After the program ended Wilcox moved to California
1984- A support group for survivors of child abuse
began at 20 Jacob Rue. Women only.
1987-The US Supreme Court ruled that federal anti-discrimination
laws protect people with infectious diseases.
1988-
Fourth Annual Fordham Debate held at the University of Utah College of Law
Topic “ Be It Resolved that Congress should adopt legislation to forbid
discrimination against homosexuals in
the areas of housing and employment”. Panelists were Lois Galgay Reckitt deputy director of Human Rights Campaign Fund, Matt
Coles of the ACLU, Greg Anderson
asst. pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Craig
Nichols Director of the Epidemiology Bureau of Utah State Dept. of Health, Gerry Johnson of People Who Care, against were
Attorney Roger J. Manguson, attorney
Randall Raider, Robert Sykes and Wayne
McCormick professor of law. " Up at the university there was a debate on
whether congress should support a bill protecting Gay Rights. I wanted to be
there for that but the Community Council was holding elections. Chris Brown said it was wonderful." [Journal of Ben Williams]
1988- YWCA
Noontime Network presents “The recent conspiracy of silence : are we or
are we not sexual beings” Dr. Patti Reagan spoke on the topic (85)
1988-Thursday at
The Gay and Lesbian Community Council of
Utah Jim Hunsaker was elected to replace John Bennett as Chair, John
Reeves replaced Satu Servigna,
and Rev. Bruce Barton was elected
Secretary/Treasurer. John Bennett moved to San Diego
1989 I went to
the Utah AIDS Foundation to give Ben Barr the AIDS quilt panel I made for
Michael Spense last year. I saw David Sharpton while there. He must be totally
frazzled because he is so rude anymore. [Journal of Ben Williams]
1990 VIDEO INTERVIEW IS SHOWN IN MURDER TRIAL WOOD TOLD DEPUTIES HE WATCHED KILLING FROM
CAR, BUT SOME EVIDENCE CONFLICTS By Lane Williams, Staff Writer Lance Conway
Wood told investigators that he watched from a car while Michael Anthony
Archuleta first sodomized and later murdered a Southern Utah State College
student. But the information conflicts with some evidence presented at the
trial and with testimony from Archuleta's trial in December. In a videotaped
interview with Millard County deputy sheriffs, Wood, 21, said he, Archuleta
and Gordon Ray Church were driving to Salt
Lake City when, apparently without warning, Archuleta
took a knife and slashed Church's throat. The videotape was shown during the
fifth day of testimony in Wood's trial for Church's murder. It was made along
I-15 and at the murder scene on Nov. 24, 1988, two days after the murder and
one day after Wood went to investigators and led them to Church's body. In the
videotape, deputies and Wood are driving just north of the I-70 interchange.
There, Wood said Archuleta slashed Church's neck and Church said something
like, "ow" or "ouch," the defendant claimed. Wood said he
did not remember any words that preceded the sudden slashing. Wood said Church
stopped the car and got out with Archuleta. Archuleta then sodomized Church in
the emergency lane of the freeway, late at night, on the hood of the car. Wood
said that Church remained still while Archuleta got chains and jumper cables
from the trunk and tied Church up. Archuleta then forced Church into the trunk,
Wood said. But prosecutors hope to show that Church's neck was slashed and he
was tied up in Cedar Canyon near Cedar City Cedar Canyon Cedar Canyon Dog Valley Deseret News)
1995 The Salt Lake Tribune Ban On
Gay Marriages To Be Annulled? Passage May Have Come Too Late To Be Valid
Marriage Ban For Gays May Be Annulled By Tony Semerad The hectic vote by Utah
senators to forbid recognition of same-sex marriages probably is invalid,
judging from the time printed on the official vote tally. Senate bill-tracking
computers recorded the 24-1 vote passing Senate Bill 366 at 12:03:26 a.m.
Thursday, putting it past the legal deadline of the 45-day legislative session.
The measure had passed moments before -- without debate. An official verdict on
the validity of SB366 will not be available for days as legislative attorneys
sort through the 384 separate bills and resolutions passed by lawmakers. But
supporters and angry gay-rights advocates are watching that outcome intently.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Norm Nielsen, R-Orem, changes portions of Utah law
that might oblige the state to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other
states and countries. It has been prompted by emerging case law in Hawaii that
could legalize homosexual marriages. A year ago, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints issued a statement officially condemning same-sex marriages.
The document from Utah's dominant institution also urged faithful members to
lobby legislators and public officials in support of a ban. And while such
same-sex unions clearly are illegal under Utah law, some believe other legal
provisions requiring recognition of marriages are vague. "It's a very,
very important bill," Nielsen said Thursday. "There is a basic issue
here of consistency in our law." Gov. Mike Leavitt said he supports the
legislation and plans to sign it into
law -- if it is valid. "This was one that was needed," the first-term Republican said in a post-session
news conference. Representatives of Utah's gay community, meanwhile, are vowing
to launch a court battle over the measure, which was placed on a Republican
fast track late Wednesday. The Senate leadership's last-minute motion to bypass
all other bills and take up SB366 for debate "was sneaky, underhanded and
railroaded," said David Nelson, founder of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats.
Senate Democrats said they felt much the same, even though all but Sen. Robert
Steiner of Salt Lake City voted for the bill. Many had prepared amendments, but
were left stuttering at the speed of passage. The Republicans violated their
own rules in placing the bill at the head of their calendar, Senate Minority
Leader Scott Howell said. "It wasn't right," the Sandy Democrat
sniffed. GOP members countered at the time that the bill had a high priority
and deserved to be lifted. Nelson said his group will seek an official opinion
on the measure's constitutionality from Atty. Gen. Jan Graham as well as
pressure Leavitt into vetoing it. Failing that, he said, gay activists will ask
officials with the International Olympic Committee to intercede in denying Salt
Lake City's bid to stage the 2002 Winter Games. "The Olympics deserve to
be hosted by a venue which recognizes and protects the diversity of the world's
athletes and citizens," Nelson said.
Leavitt said he contacted the
Salt Lake Olympic Bid Committee this week "and they didn't have
a problem with the change."
- 1995 The New York Times Utah won't accept same-sex marriages The Utah Senate passed a bill on Mar 1, 1995 prohibiting recognition of same-sex marriages by the state. David Nelson, founder of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, said he planned to challenge the vote, which he believes came after the midnight deadline.
- March 4, 1995 Deseret News Same-sex-marriage bill ruled legal Ban affirmed despite computer clock that said vote taken past midnight. By Bob Bernick Jr., Staff Writer A bill that would make it clear that same-sex marriages in Utah are banned will be ruled legal by legislative attorneys, even though a computer clock on the Senate voting computer records the vote at three minutes after midnight last Wednesday. Legally, a bill can't pass after midnight on the 45th day of the session. But who gets to decide when "midnight" strikes? It appears to be the call of the Senate president and House speaker. Lawmakers adjourned around midnight last Wednesday, but, as usual, passed bill right up until the final minutes. Richard Strong, executive director of the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, said Friday he spent two hours listening to tapes of the final minutes of the House and Senate sessions. "We don't go by the computer clocks (on the voting computers) in the House or Senate, but by the clocks located over the (House) speaker's chair and the (Senate) president's chair," said Strong. The Senate's computer clock isn't even visible to the Senate president, Strong added. Both the clocks hanging over the chambers tell slightly different time; both are several minutes slower than the computer clocks on each bodies' voting machines, said Strong. "By the way, the computer clocks don't match each other either," said Strong. The ornate clocks over the chambers are older timepieces, sometimes difficult to read from the back of the chambers where majority leaders stand directing last-minute hectic voting. Strong said he could hear on the Senate audio tape, after HB366 had been voted on and recorded, Senate Majority Whip Leonard Blackham, R-Moroni, asking Senate President Lane Beattie, R-West Bountiful, if he (Beattie) didn't think think there was enough time to deal with another bill. After nearly a minute of silence, Beattie said he thought they'd come to the end of their work. There was another pause, and then Senate Majority Leader Craig Peterson, R-Orem, moved to officially end the session, said Strong. "It's clear everyone, senators and the clerks on the circle (who record the voice votes of senators and then enter them into the electronic voting machine) believed the bill (HB366) passed OK. Unless there are some other problems with HB366, I can't see us (legislative attorneys) saying it didn't" pass, said Strong. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Norm Nielsen, R-Orem, says Utah will only recognize marriages that fit Utah law, no matter where the marriages are legally conducted. Utah already bans marriages of a man to a man, a woman to a woman. Thirty-five other states do, too. But some states may soon make such same-sex marriages legal. And since Utah's law also says marriages legally conducted in other states are recognized in Utah, Nielsen said his bill is needed to make clear same-sex marriages won't be allowed here. The bill is much disliked by gay Democratic and Republican groups, both of whom issued press releases opposing the bill. Utah Gay and Lesbian Democrats spokesman David Nelson said if the bill is approved, and ruled legal even after passing too late in his opinion, his group would inform the International Olympic Committee that Utah discriminates against gays. Gov. Mike Leavitt says if the bill is ruled legal and sent to him, he'll sign it into law.
- March 5, 1995 The Salt Lake Tribune Gays, Lesbians Vow Marriage-Ban Fight TRIBUNE STAFF AND NEWS REPORTS Utah gay and lesbian groups agree to fight a legislative bill that bans same-sex marriages, but one organization acknowledges it will be an uphill battle to show it passed illegally. The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel ruled that House Bill 366 legally passed the Senate during the final seconds of the 1995 session even though the Senate clock indicated it passed three minutes after midnight. By law, the Legislature concludes business after exactly 45 days of business. Senate bill-tracking computers recorded the the bill's 24-1 vote at 12:03:26. Gay and lesbian groups cried foul, saying that the bill passed illegally. David Nelson, founder of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, said his group would question the constitutionality of passing the bill after midnight. But Chris Ryan, president of the organization of gay Republicans known as the Utah Log Cabin Club, said the American Civil Liberties Union is balking at fighting that aspect. "I talked to the ACLU, and they claim it may not be worth it to fight it on that issue," Ryan said. Instead, both groups have sent a letter to Utah Atty. Gen. Jan Graham, urging her to tell Gov. Mike Leavitt not to sign the bill based on the issue of discrimination. "I'm disappointed the staff felt it was legal [passage]," Nelson said. "If they fudge on three minutes later, they might fudge on three hours." The Utah Log Cabin Club is waiting to see how Graham responds to the request. If the governor signs the bill -- and Ryan suspects he will -- the organization will begin fund-raising efforts for a defense fund. The Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, however, has started an all-out media juggernaut aimed at derailing Utah's chances at the 2002 Winter Olympics. The organization faxed releases to the International and U.S. Olympic committees Friday. It also sent out alert messages on the Internet, the worldwide computer network, and 400 press releases to news media throughout the country. "We're going to escalate this as much as necessary to convince them that Utah is going to be a controversial location to hold the Olympics," he said. "There needs to be a price tag for this kind of discrimination." Ryan disagrees. "We don't see the connection. "We don't see why the state should be punished for the actions of a few narrow-minded people," Ryan said. "The Olympics will benefit a lot of gay business owners. These people will lose out." The International Olympic Committee claims to be impervious to pressure from outside groups, especially those of a political nature.
1995 KRCL PRESENTS 9TH
ANNUAL WOMEN ALOUD Byline: By Steven M. Brophy Page: D12 THE SALT LAKE
TRIBUNE In honor of Women's History
Month – which runs through March -- the Women's Radio Collective of KRCL (91
FM) presents its ninth annual Women Aloud Saturday and Sunday. Women Aloud
features a full weekend of uninterrupted programming produced by and about
women, and provides a forum for women's voices and issues. The programs begin
Saturday at 8 a.m. and end Sunday at 7 p.m. The weekend will feature topics
ranging from Becky Moss' ``Whose Body Is
It?'' – a show dealing with issues including prenatal care and the risk to
women's reproductive rights in today's political environment --
to Jodi Stewart-Browning's tribute to female musicians, ``Bitchin' Babes of
Bluegrass.'' The event also features an open-microphone session for women
interested in getting involved with community radio and the Women's Collective.
Interspersed with programs offering poetry, local music, and discussions of
gender and spirituality, Women Aloud acts as a cultural and political sounding
board for Utah
women by providing a forum not found on traditional radio. ``That is our mission,'' says Donna Land,
program director at KRCL and a member of the Women's Radio Collective. ``To
give access to those voices that have been denied or are missing.'' In addition
to special programs like Women Aloud, the community-supported station regularly
schedules program access for Latinos, African-Americans, Asians, gays,
lesbians, community activists and a host of other groups. Women Aloud started
at a radio conference in Illinois ,
when Land and KRCL volunteer Maggie Laun heard of a similar weeklong program at
another community station. ``We came back from the conference and Maggie said,
`We can do that,' '' Land remembers.
It was easier said than done.
``We went through our growing period and there were times when it was
really rough, and one year it almost didn't happen, but the staff pitched in
and we pulled it off,'' Land says of her all-volunteer staff. Land says it was worth it. ``It's so energizing.
We get calls from men and women saying `Thank you,' `I didn't know that' or
`That's something I needed to hear right now.' '' The weekend concludes with an open house
Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the station, 208 W. 800 South, Salt Lake City .
1996 Gayle Ruzicka, armed with her ever-present and
networked cellular telephone, directs the Utah Eagle Forum in an effort to
steer the Legislature toward her vision of the moral high ground. Legislature
Scores a Morals Victory Lawmakers Made Clear The Value of Values In Their
Works, Words Legislature Offers Utah
Morals Support Byline: By Dan Harrie THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE From the opening
prayer by President James E. Faust of the Mormon Church's ruling First
Presidency to final passage 45 days later of a law aimed at barring
homosexual-promoting activities in schools, the 1996 Legislature was a study in
moral certitude. ``Community values''
was its watchword. One hundred years after Utah gained statehood with a constitution
that promised an end to theocracy, political leaders -- at times -- were
overcome with nostalgia for that pioneer blend of religion and government
credited with producing societal harmony.
Faust, in his Senate blessing Jan. 15, referred to Utah as ``a beacon on the hill of this
nation, and even the world.'' Later that
same evening, Gov. Mike Leavitt delivered a State of the State address flush
with references to Utah 's
centennial and its destiny as a ``keeper of the flame'' -- a place ``where the
world turns to renew its sense of basic values.'' House Minority Leader Frank
Pignanelli of Salt Lake City, not to be outdone, used the word ``values'' 21
times in his Democratic response to the Republican governor. The tone
established on that first day carried through the legislative session, which
was infused with more morals legislation and sermonizing speeches than any in
the past 10 years. ``It has been one of
our better years. We ended up with some great legislation,'' said Gayle
Ruzicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum. The ultraconservative, Christian
political-action group was a driving force in the Legislature's pilgrimage to
the moral high ground. It seemed that in
the key battles, Ruzicka always was there, armed with her most powerful weapon:
a cellular telephone that could, at the tap of a touch-tone, light up a phone
tree of hundreds of followers. From a
bill supporting a daily ``moment of silence'' in classrooms to new abortion
restrictions that are expected to draw court challenges, lawmakers advanced an
ambitious values-laden agenda. At the same time, they defeated -- amid claims
of government interference in parental responsibilities -- an initiative to
expand state oversight of day-care centers.
Lawmakers also spent time on a stack of other bills -- including a
proposal to soften the state constitution's church-state separation clause --
that received serious consideration before ultimately failing. ``I was enormously disturbed by their
activity on the morals front,'' said retired University of Utah political
scientist J.D. Williams, a lifelong Democrat who described the session as one
long ``morality play .'' ``All of a sudden, they have put themselves in the
kind of business -- regulating private conduct -- that you would think
conservatives would be the last ones to interfere with,'' lamented
Williams. While the Eagle Forum played a
key role, the focus on values was due as much to pressure from within the
Legislature as from outside lobbying.
Several lawmakers stepped forward as protectors of the public morals,
notably Sens. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper; Charles Stewart, R-Provo; and Craig
Taylor, R-Kaysville. Taylor
particularly stood out by combating what he called the ``moral crisis'' in
society, characterized by homosexuality, pornography and a general lack of
responsibility. He acknowledged his belief in The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints shaped his opinions and legislation. And his wife, Reva, said
his motivation was ``evil vs. right for the betterment of the human soul.''
More than 80 percent of Utah
lawmakers are practicing Mormons. That compares to the approximately 70 percent
of residents listed on membership roles. A church spokesman said the
institution took no official stand on any of the bills considered this
year. Nevertheless, attention to the
inspired side of lawmaking was pronounced on Capitol Hill ``I've definitely sat
up there and had some spiritual experiences when passing legislation that would
benefit Utah in a very moral way,'' said Ruzicka. But the LDS mother of 12
said, ``I don't believe it's a Mormon thing.'' Rather, she attributes this
Legislature's focus on values to public outrage about the petition of a small
group of East High School Utah ,'' Sen. Millie Peterson, D-West Valley
City D-Salt Lake City Utah , they must appeal
to a larger bloc of LDS voters now securely in Republican hands.
1996 Judicial Misconduct Has Judicial Watchdog Grown Teeth? Judicial Watchdog Vows To Earn Trust yline:
By Sheila R. McCann THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Battling an image of secrecy and weakness, Utah 's judicial watchdog says it is poised
to win the public's trust. The Judicial
Conduct Commission has been a low-budget and low-profile agency charged with
monitoring the ethical behavior of judges. Its part-time staff has labored in
obscurity since its inception in 1977. Now, after 18 months of unusual public
scrutiny, the commission has hired its first full-time executive director and
secured a visible office in the Utah Law and Justice Center in downtown Salt Lake City . Attorney
Steven H. Stewart, who formerly regulated Utah 's real-estate industry, promises to
provide accountability and professionalism. Critics say the commission has a
long way to go. Before Stewart took control, it quietly dismissed two
complaints against 3rd District Judge David S. Young -- without hearing from
those complaining. Ironically, it was those cases that drew enough fire to
merit budget increases from the Legislature, put Stewart on the payroll and
taught Utahns where to complain about state judges. Alicia Larson accused Young
of religious and gender bias after he ruled she would lose custody of her
children if she moved away from Utah
and the Mormon environment. No one from
the commission checked with Larson before the complaint was dismissed months
ago. And she did not learn of the dismissal until last week when she called to
check the status of the case. ``I'm just
boggled,'' says Larson. ``How do you do an investigation without interviewing
the person who filed the complaint? They have no credibility.'' The Gay and
Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) filed a complaint against Young after he gave a
reduced prison sentence to David N. Thacker, who killed Douglas C. Koehler in
1993 after Koehler allegedly tried to kiss him. Thacker kicked Koehler out of
his Park City Utah
chapter of the National Organization for Women called for an audit of the
commission, laboring under a tripled workload of complaints. But legislative
auditors decided no independent review could be done, because state law and the
Utah Constitution give the commission and judges unusually rigid
confidentiality. While claims against other Utah professionals -- doctors, lawyers,
accountants, contractors -- become public if misconduct charges are filed,
formal charges against judges remain cloaked in secrecy. Thirty-one states make formal charges against
their judges public. Making those
charges public in Utah
would maintain confidentiality for the vast majority of the commission's cases.
Changing Utah 's
system may require an amendment to the state constitution. That is what California voters did
last year. A 1988 law had given California 's
Commission on Judicial Performance the discretion to open its hearings to the
public when certain types of formal complaints were filed. But when the
commission tried to hold public hearings, judges contested the issue to the
state Supreme Court, delaying their discipline cases, says Victoria Henley, the
commission's director and chief counsel.
``The voters got annoyed when six years later there were no public
hearings,'' Henley says.Last November, California voters approved a
constitutional amendment overhauling the commission and making discipline
proceedings against judges public as soon as charges are filed. A tragedy led Washington state voters
to approve their constitutional amendment to make judicial discipline more
open. The Washington Commission on Judicial Conduct secretly had admonished a King County Seattle
newspaper prepared to run a story about allegations that he had sexually
molested young men before his appointment to the bench. Washington lawmakers determined the
commission had failed to pursue the allegations and the constitutional
amendment was approved the next year. Arkansas ' commission is
considered one of the most accessible. All final actions are public --
dismissals, letters of admonishment, or formal charges. Arkansas ' Supreme Court has abolished
private reprimands, says James Badami, executive director of the Judicial
Discipline and Disability Commission. But each state has to strike its own
balance between judicial privacy and independence and the public's right to
know whether their judges are abiding by a code of conduct, Badami says. ``There has to be an active discussion about
what is needed . . . and what is best for the culture of the state,'' he says.
The national trend toward openness represents a second stage for judicial
conduct commissions, created in the 1960s and '70s, Henley
says. Today, the public's demand for increased accountability from courts has
spread to judges and discipline commissions, she says. Utah 's task force will begin by surveying
what other states do, Stewart says. ``I
welcome the task force and would like to have things a little more open to the
public,'' commission member Ure adds. Building public confidence in the
judicial discipline system helps ``take the cloud off'' judges, he says. ``There are lots of good judges out
there,'' he says, ``who don't have to worry about us.''
1999 Family Fellowship 7pm upper level at the GL Community Center
1999 Alternative Garden
Club 730pm at the Garden Center in Sugar
House Park
2000 Gay Mormon Kills Self on Church Steps California man had
expressed anguish over anti-gay-marriage Proposition 22 By Dan Egan and Michael
Vigh, Salt Lake Tribune March 3, 2000 A
gay California man's suicide on the steps of a Mormon church has come at the
peak of a raging debate over gay civil rights in the nation's most populous
state. Police say Stuart Matis, 32, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints in Santa Clara , Calif. , shot himself with a handgun on the steps of a
Mormon church in Los Altos
in the early hours of Feb. 25. The suicide occurred less than two weeks before
voters will decide on California's controversial Proposition 22, which states
that only heterosexual marriages can be recognized legally in that state.
Matis' parents say their son's suicide had nothing to do with the fiercely
debated initiative, which is supported by a number of religious organizations,
including the LDS and Catholic
Churches Santa
Clara police said a suicide note made no reference to
either Matis' Mormon faith or the controversy around Proposition 22, but
"he felt there was a conflict between Christianity and the gay
lifestyle," said Santa Clara Police Sgt. Anton Morec. "He said he had
been in pain for a number of years." In the suicide note read at a
Wednesday memorial service in California
for Matis, he said he hoped some good would come from his death. "I am now
free," the San Francisco Examiner reported Matis wrote. "I am no
longer in pain and I no longer hate myself. As it turns out, God never intended
for me to be straight. Perhaps my death might become the catalyst for some
good." While Matis' parents say there is no connection between their son's
death and Proposition 22, Matis staunchly opposed the initiative, writing recently
to a family member about the pain he suffered because of the LDS Church California
church leaders have embarked on a campaign fund-raising drive, and letters have
been read during Sunday services urging members to vote March 7 in favor of the
proposition, also known as the Knight Initiative. "On the night of March
7th, many California
couples will retire to their beds thrilled that they helped pass the Knight
Initiative," Matis wrote to a cousin. "What they don't realize is
that in the next room, their son or daughter is lying in bed crying and could
very well one day be the victim of society's homophobia. The Knight Initiative
will certainly save no family. It is codified hatred. It is anti-family,
anti-love and it is wrong." On Feb. 22, three days before his suicide,
Matis wrote a letter to the student newspaper at Brigham Young
University California for several
months. You can't go anywhere in California
without seeing those stupid blue and yellow signs [in favor of Proposition
22]," said Mortensen-Besamo, who began corresponding with Matis about a
month ago. "For him, it was paralyzing. He couldn't handle it
anymore." A spokesman for the Yes on 22 campaign declined comment other
than to say, "It's a personal family matter." LDS
Church Utah support group for Mormon parents of
gays and lesbians, called the suicide "very distressing" and said an
anti-gay climate is a likely factor in Matis' death. "There is little
question that the environment in California
has played a major role in his decision and his inability to cope with his
homosexuality," said Watts . Robert Rees,
a family friend and spiritual counselor to Matis during the last year of his
life, says the root of Matis' despair will remain a mystery. "For somebody
to make such an ultimate decision, no one can know what goes on in that
person's mind," said Rees, a retired professor at the University of California
Los Angeles Orem City Cemetery
2004 The Joint Resolution on Marriage (HJR25), a proposed amendment
to the Utah Constitution to define marriage and prohibit civil unions, was
passed its final vote in the House. About 200 men and women were seated in the
gallery above the floor of the House.
Rep. Jackie Biskupski, D-Salt
Lake
2006 Review: Powerful 'Perestroika' a celebration of
humanity by Barbara M. Bannon Special to The Tribune Salt Lake Tribune Trying
to assess in a brief review the impact of Tony Kushner's monumental
"Perestroika," the second part of his eloquent "Angels in America ,"
is like the proverbial task of inscribing the Lord's Prayer on the head of a
pin. "Angels in America "
may be the most significant American play to emerge from the last decades of
the 20th century. A year ago, the University
of Utah America at the
heart of "Millennium" into an almost cosmic consciousness. An angel
announces that God has abandoned his creatures, and the characters struggle to
make sense of their lives without him. Power broker Roy Cohn lies in a hospital
dying of AIDS, nursed by the pragmatic Belize . Mormons Joe and Harper Pitt
search for ways to repair their fractured lives, aided by Joe's mother, Hannah.
The visionary Prior tries to come to grips with his new role as prophet while
he copes with his illness. His ex-boyfriend Louis, wracked by guilt and
uncertainty, drifts into a relationship with Joe. Their lives intertwine in a
world where Kushner shatters every theatrical convention and characters walk in
and out of each other's dreams and visions. "Perestroika" turns on a
set of finely wrought polarities: Exploring versus standing still; devastation
and heartbreak versus progress and building; material prosperity versus plague;
pragmatists versus prophets; sin and guilt versus forgiveness; sensual versus
spiritual; and love versus loss. Ultimately, it is a celebration of shared
humanity. It has moments of perception and piercing poetry that leave you
breathless, and also manages to be truly funny. Without exception, the actors
in "Perestroika" understand their characters completely, and their
performances are so genuine and natural that we feel we're eavesdropping on
real conversations. Anita Holland's articulate, awe-inspiring Angel; A-Ron
Anderson's self- righteous Joe; Nicholas Bayne's intellectual, insecure Louis;
Jonah Taylor's outspoken Belize; Kristen Bailey's vulnerable Harper; and
especially Aaron Adams's abusive, larger-than-life Roy Cohn and Thomas Marcus'
deeply spiritual Prior are anchored by Sarah Shippobotham's no-nonsense yet
compassionate Hannah. Major credit for this production's professionalism goes
to director L.L. West, who fluidly moves the actors around a demanding set and
navigates Kushner's emotional peaks and valleys with ease. Thomas George's set
with its jagged brick wall and global backdrop, Danny Dunn and Libby Oberg's
focused lighting, and Melissa Pearcy's evocative sound design create a vivid
sense of time and place. People who have seen "Millennium Approaches"
will have more depth and context for "Perestroika," but the actors
give a neat summary at the start so you won't get lost. "Perestroika"
is not only an engrossing theatrical experience - it's an engaging and
provocative look back at a turbulent time in American history. Perestroika
WHERE: The Babcock Theatre, downstairs from Pioneer Memorial Theatre, 300 S. University Ave. , Salt Lake City America ,"
don't miss this opportunity to see an exceptional production of part two,
"Perestroika."
 |
| Chad Beyer |
2008 The OUTreach
Resource Center
Rev.
Matthew Cockrum, the church’s minister at the time, observed that LGBTQ kids at
school and in his neighborhood were having difficulty. “There was a boy in the
neighborhood who had been kicked out of his home after he came out,” said
Cockrum. “He had no place to go.” A group that had formed at the church to
focus on LGBTQ issues saw the need and decided to reach out to these youth.
OUTreach Ogden
includes a Wednesday night drop-in center at the church. Supporters represent
the LGBTQ community at meetings in the larger community, provide a resource
library, and hold an annual open house for educators. They also work with
community service organizations and help train lobbyists. The UU Funding Program’s Fund for Social
Responsibility has supported the center with grants of $34,000 over three
years. The grants end in June, after which the center will be supported
primarily by the congregation and other grants it can procure. Some support has
been received from the United Church of Christ Rocky Mountain Conference, the
Episcopal Diocese of Utah, and an Episcopal minister. Gary Horenkamp is project
leader for
OUTreach Ogden. A lifelong Roman Catholic, he responded to an ad for
the job and is now a part-time employee of the church. “We wanted to have a
place where teens could feel comfortable—a safe space. Last week we had 37
people, although 25 is about average.” He added, “There is nothing else in the
community for these kids. Last year a state legislator tried to outlaw
gay-straight alliances in the high schools. That’s the climate we’re operating
in. “Without the church this program would not exist. No one else would take it
on,” Horenkamp said. “Other pastors have said they appreciate what we are
doing, but their congregations are conflicted about this topic.” Operating
LGBTQ programs is a significant expense for the congregation. The first two
years it cost about $25,000, including $20,000 to pay Horenkamp for 20 hours a
week. This year Horenkamp is up to 30 hours and the center added classes in
suicide prevention, sexuality education, and it is also mentoring a United
Church of Christ congregation that wants to start a similar center. Costs this
year will be $43,000. Last summer the church raised $6,000 for the center, but
most of the expenses thus far have been covered by grants. Horenkamp
acknowledged that it will be a challenge to come up with continued funding when
the UU Funding Program grants run out next December. In comparison to OUTreach Ogden, Spectrum
Café in Knoxville
is funded on a shoestring. Massey says costs are less than $1,000 annually,
mostly for food, video rentals, books, etc. All staff hours are volunteer and
the church pays utility bills and similar costs. The Rev. Theresa Novak,
consulting minister at the Ogden
church, said, “There’s a lot of pride in the church about this program. With
the anti-gay climate in Utah ,
this creates positive energy. It’s really making a difference. What keeps it
going is the need.” High school junior Ian Becker attends OUTreach regularly.
“I just recently came out to students at my school. The school happens to be a
very accepting environment, but most of the rest of the state seems to hate
people who are gay. Being able to be with people who accept you at OUTreach,
and to learn about the LGBTQ community, is very important. I never thought
there would be a place like this in Utah .”
[Churches sponsor drop-in centers for gay teens Unitarian Universalist
congregations in Tennessee , Utah ,
and Maryland
affirm LGBTQ youth. By Donald E. Skinner
3.3.08]
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| Matthew Cockrum |
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| Gary Horenkamp |
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