This Day In Gay Utah History March 4th

4 March 4-

1897 Ogden Standard Examiner Salt Lake Department page 3 Release of Convicts the following convicts will be released from the state prison during the present month James Hamilton sentenced for burglary May 2nd 1896 for one year was re released on March the 1^st Dan Reynolds “““Crime Against Nature””” May 6^th 1896 one year March 6^th Frank Snively ““Crime Against Nature”” Dec 1894 three years March 15^th Frank Howard ““Crime Against Nature”” May 16^th 1896 one year march 16th

1937-The Nazi SS weekly newspaper Das Schwarze Korps estimated that there were 2,000,000 homosexuals in Germany.

Betty Friedan

1973-Betty Friedan accused "man-hating lesbians" of trying to take over the National Organization of Women after a resolution was passed to make lesbian rights a priority. Betty Friedan, one of the founders of the National Organization for Women, tells The New York Times that "man-hating" lesbians are seeking to take control of the organization.

  

1980- Dr. Ian Barlow a “much sought after lecturer on the medical and psychological aspects of homosexuality and associated director of C.H.E.E.R., a foundation at San Francisco State University researching the biological foundations of homosexuality” spoke at  Salt Lake Affirmation.

1982- A Gay student group begins meeting at Utah State University in Logan

1983 - Salt Lake Tribune reports lawsuit filed in February against LDS church for $28 million. A father blames LDS bishop for contributing to his sixteen-year-old son's suicide for counseling his son "that masturbation is a terrible sin.. and being a normal adolescent in the puberty state, Kip Eliason became increasingly less able to reconcile his sexual desires with the strict doctrines of the said LDS Church. He became filled with self-hate."

1988- Friday-Annual Winter Camp Out sponsored by Emperor X Scott Stites and Mary Lynn. 22 people attended 

1988- I distributed Triangle Community Digests to Acoustic Music, The Gingerbread House, The SL central Library, The Magazine Shop, Hyatts, and KRCL.

4-6 March 1988- 2^nd Annual Women Aloud Program on KRCL aired “Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence” , “A Conversation with Sonia Johnson”, and  “Sonia Johnson-Going Out of Our Minds: The Metaphysics of Liberation” 

  

1994 Friday, YWCA is celebrating Women's History Month with a variety of activities and a Hall of Honor. A TIME TO REFLECT ON WOMEN AND THEIR TRIUMPHS IF YOU HAVE a past that you can celebrate and honor, it's somehow easier to envision a future worth celebrating. That's why Women's History Month is important, says Jane Edwards, director of the YWCA. As a society we need to tell women, especially young women, more about what women have contributed to our state and to our country. "We hear a lot about our forefathers, but very little about our foremothers," Edwards says. "I have to claim my own ignorance, too. And I know a lot of people don't even know that March is Women's History Month." The YWCA is celebrating in four ways. The first is a march on Saturday, March 5, beginning at 1 p.m. at 322 E. 300 South in Salt Lake City. The free event will feature souvenirs, entertainment, children's activities and door prizes. The Women's Hall of Honor will be an ongoing program for women who have been role models and mentors. For $100 anyone can sponsor an honoree whose name will be engraved on a plaque on a brick inside the YWCA's Salt Lake building. (The 1920 building, at 322 E. 300 South, has historical significance because it was designed by Julia Morgan, who also designed William Randolph Hearst's castle in San Simeon, Calif.) On March 26, the YWCA will benefit from a performance of the play "The Kathy and Mo Show," starring Toni Byrd and Laurie Johnson, at Highland High School, 2166 S. 1700 East in Salt Lake City. Tickets are $15, available at A Woman's Place bookstores and at the YWCA. And finally, the YWCA staff has compiled a calendar of events highlighting some of the events taking place along the Wasatch Front. Here's an excerpt from the YWCA's calendar showing just some of the lectures and discussions that will take place during March: March 5: YWCA "March for Women." March is from YWCA to City Hall and back. Free event. March 5: Jess Hawk Oakenstar in concert, First Unitarian Church, 569 S. 1300 East, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $10 in advance at A Woman's Place bookstore, Foothill Village, or $12 at door. March 9: Salt Lake City NOW meeting. Salt Lake County Complex, 2001 S. State, Room N2003, 7:30 p.m. March 11: One-woman exhibit by Carla K. Gourdin; reception 7-9 p.m., exhibit March 5-31, South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, 6876 S. Highland Drive, free. March 12: YWCA director Jane Edwards speaks at Women's History Month celebration luncheon, Cottonwood Country Club, 1780 E. Lakewood Drive, 11:30 a.m, $4; for reservations, call Nancy Mitchell, 278-3100. March 21: Author Anne Perry reads and signs her new Victorian mystery at A Woman's Place, Foothill Village, 7:30 p.m., free; call 583-6431.March 21: "Friends of Oscar" fund-raiser for Utah AIDS Foundation, the Bay, 404 S. WestTemple; $25 per person in advance, $28 at the door; call John Johnson, 487-2323. March 26: KRCL 91 FM presents 33 hours of programming by, for and about women, March 26, 10 a.m., to March 27, 7 p.m. (© Deseret News )

1995 Saturday, Ban affirmed despite computer clock that said vote taken past midnight.  SAME-SEX-MARRIAGE BILL RULED LEGAL 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 bills 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 the 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 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 which issued press releases opposing the bill. Utah Gay and Lesbian Democrats spokes-man 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.  © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

1995 Saturday, People of all backgrounds and beliefs are seeking spiritual truth. COMMON QUEST, NOT DIFFERENCES, UNITES UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS Former Catholics, Jews and Protestants of all denominations; practicing Buddhists; agnostics and even atheists - every Sunday in Utah, they come together to worship under one roof. Some believe in reincarnation, others think they'll only go around once. Some believe Jesus Christ as the Son of God, others believe he was one of many important spiritual teachers. Some are into alternative medicine, some believe in life on other planets. There are perhaps more differences than similarities between individual members, and individual congregations, of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Utah. But there is a distinct common thread that unites the 700 adult members: They are still searching for spiritual truth. The Unitarian Universalist Association was formed in 1961 through a merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America. Carla Gourdin, a member of the South Valley congregation's board of trustees, was attracted to the UUA church because of "the loving support that I feel, living my life according to the dictates of my own conscience." "It is solely based on allowing the individual to live what they believe in," she said. "We don't say, "This is what you have to believe in to belong to this church.' We support you in believing whatever you want to believe and support you in your spiritual growth."

1996 Monday, ANTI GAY OPINION GAY STUDENT CLUBS  PREVENT FALL INTO MORAL DECAY  Answer this question. In the last 100 years how many clubs have been formed associated with high schools that were organized strictly for "straight" sex? How would such an act be received? Let's look beyond all this surface banter on the forming of gay/lesbian clubs in high schools and peer into the heart of the matter. Homosexual clubs are formed with three main reasons in mind. 1. That people with like sexual desires can join in recognized groups. A person can join and say, "Here am I. I am ready to indulge in sodomy and fellatio, etc." To encourage and convince each other that their sexual acts are "normal" and "OK." An attempt to bring society in general to accept and support their sexual behavior patterns as "normal" and good for society as a whole. Most homosexuals are good, productive citizens. But they should keep their sexual practices private. All of us should keep our sexual practices private. Those of us repulsed by homosexual acts should not be asked to acquiesce and support the formation of such clubs. Certainly a great majority of society is repulsed by homosexuality. "Silent majority," awake and arise and be heard in this matter. To remain silent is to contribute to the rapid decline of morality in this country today. Our Founding Fathers of this nation based their new laws upon time proven ideas of morality and belief in God to establish this government. Let us not fall into moral decay. John Saxey West Valley City Deseret News Publishing Co.

1996- Two gay men Claude Schneider and Dave Hamilton whose Main Street Agave bookstore was firebombed have closed shop and left town, saying there is a climate of hatred, intolerance and police indifference that belies this retirement community's serene image. Someone broke a window of the bookstore early on Sept. 24, 1995, opened an adjoining door and set fire to a gasoline can. An alarm and sprinklers were triggered at 3 a.m., but water kept running until employees of a neighboring business noticed flooding at 7 a.m. and called police. Damage was estimated at $200,000.  Months before the fire, a man espousing white-supremacist views was proselytizing to bookstore customers and the owners asked him to leave. That night, a rock was thrown through a store window. And after The Agave reopened following the fire, the owners say they endured continual threats and insults.  ``We have been called `faggot' in our own shop,'' says Schneider. ``But I will say a large percentage of the town supported us and shopped here. We had a successful business in providing something that St. George didn't have before, but we can't take this anymore.''

1998-The US Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment laws can apply when harassment occurs between members of the same-sex.

2003 Hate Bill Expires Quietly BY DAN HARRIE THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Hate crimes legislation is dead for the year. Rep. David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, the sponsor of the bill, allowed it to fade away quietly Monday night rather than risk an emotional free-for-all on the House floor.  "There was potential for it to get divisive and ugly," said Litvack. House Bill 85 passed the Utah House last Thursday night for the first time in its six years before the Legislature. A landmark vote for supporters of the bill, the 38-35 approval followed a two-hour debate punctuated with the most impassioned speeches of the session. But the measure was recalled the following day and appeared doomed had it been put to a re-vote. Litvack said his decision to allow the bill a quiet, dignified death was in some ways a tribute to the "memorable" debate of last week. He vowed he would be back with the bill next year.  Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, a Republican, expressed disappointment at the legislation's demise.  "I was prepared to fight [for] it all the way to the end," he said. "I've always said if we're going to pass hate-crimes legislation this is the year. Next year it's going to be tough because it's an election year."  Opponents allowed the bill to go down silently. It was a change from the rallies and remonstrations of recent weeks that have targeted hate-crimes for defeat. The Utah Republican Party's governing Central Committee panned the bill as creating a new category of "thought crime" because it would impose a more severe penalty based on a criminal's motivation.   Under the bill, crimes committed because of the demonstrable bias of the perpetrator against a victim's religion, race, color, nationality, ancestry, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation could be prosecuted as a hate crime.     Moral crusader Gayle Ruzicka, head of the Utah Eagle Forum, helped lead the opposition, warning that it could be used to quash free speech and religion rights.     Largely unspoken in public debate was the conviction by some opponents that the bill would grant legal recognition and protected status to gays and lesbians.     The predominant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has actively opposed legalization of same-sex marriage, issued an unusual statement of nonopposition to the hate crimes bill. Simultaneously, church-owned KSL TV and Radio and the Deseret News editorialized in its favor.  All 19 House Democrats voted for the measure last week, joined by 19 of the 56 Republicans.  While most opponents were conservative Republicans, Rep. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem, co-sponsored the legislation.   "I've taken a lot of grief from a lot of people on this issue," said Ferrin. But he also found new allies.  "There I was standing shoulder to shoulder with the Democrats, the liberals and the homosexuals. And you know what? I like those people," said Ferrin.Mike, Michael, Paula I receive an email, and it did not appear to be any of you pertaining to the upcoming town hall meeting on Sodomy Laws requesting the permission to release some of the research at the Utah Stonewall Historical Society Yahoo Group. They seemed to be someone who may be doing some leg work for one of you or your producing partners on the upcoming town hall meeting on March  12. Traditionally we will not release items to unidentified people as a precautionary measure to protect the integrity of the research, the community, and importantly the authors who have given to us their research and articles.  We would be interested in partnering with you to present information pertaining to the history of Sodomy Laws in a visual format, and provided historical items to your presenters.  The USHS see it as its duty to insure that the history of the Lambda people of Utah is factually protected and accurately told, and are happy to assist when the opportunity presents itself.  If some of our information can be of assistance to you, or we may participate is some manner please feel free to contact me via email or at 325-3758. Thanks! Chad Keller Co-Chair Utah Stonewall Historical Society

5 March 2003 Dear Eric; I represent the Utah Stonewall Historical Society, and we are planning an October GLBT History event in Salt Lake City.  Several of our members just heard you on This Way Out.  We would love to have you as the keynote speaker for our event and are interested in opening a dialog with you to see if it is feasible for both parties.  What are your terms for public speaking engagements?  The dates of the event in October are still open.  The event is tentatively scheduled to be held at the new Salt Lake Public Library. Sincerely  Chad Keller Utah Stonewall Historical Society alt Lake City, UT

5 March 2003 Agreed. It was Micheal Mitchell.  He was very positive yesterday, and in fact was most interested in working with us once the legislative session was done...(He could have called for hate crimes help) I got an email from mystery person, and Michael thinks it might be some one at Lamda Legal doing some research work specific to the Utah Event....I sent him the disclaimer, and the let him know that we would be happy to  partner with him if he would like a historic perspective. Michael Mitchell and I are old friends...and I know he got the message the I was sending a friendly warning shot, to not just take and gain....

2003 HB 85 Dead (until next year) After discussing it with community activists, friends, a few fellow lawmakers and family, Rep. David Litvack (D-SLC) and co-sponsor Rep. Jim Ferrin (R-Orem) decided to ask that HB 85 not be brought back up for discussion in this legislative session, preferring to let it go out on a high note rather than drag it through another heated discussion and possible unfriendly amendments that would alter the bill's intent.  Litvack worked tirelessly on HB 85 and Ferrin was steadfast in his support of the measure.  Attorney General Mark Shurtleff fought hard and long for it.  They are heroes.  Huge thanks also go to the Republicans who broke with the party in a bipartisan show of support, especially Rep. Lorraine Pace (Logan) and Rep. Susan Lawrence (SLC East Bench) who gave impassioned floor speeches in support of the bill.  Of course, many thanks to stalwarts Rep. Jackie Biskupski and Rep. Duane Bourdeaux.  And to give credit where credit is due, thanks goes to the folks at the LDS Church who were incredibly helpful in many, many ways - some of which I'm sure we'll never even be aware.  Jim Gonzales, Mike Picardi and Adam Bass deserve endless kudos, as do Forrest Crawford, Lorna Vogt and Linda Hilton.  Dozens of wonderful volunteers and community activists showed up on a moment's notice to lobby .  Finally a huge thank you to the hundreds who sent well-written emails, faxes and letters in support of the bill.  From the emails that were forwarded to me, I can say that no one can accuse us of lowering the rhetoric to the inflammatory, crass or accusatory.  Thank you for being courteous and respectful when it could have been very easy to be otherwise.  The debate around this bill on the floor was elevated to a level rarely seen in our legislature and I'm sure it had a lot to do with the kinds of communications that they were receiving from our side. We didn't get hate crimes passed into law in this session, but we made huge strides in the right direction.  Don't let this be an excuse to slack off on getting involved!  Remember that the Capitol is the "people's house" and the folks up there making laws work for us.  We need to keep in touch with them throughout the year.  It's their job to listen and respond. Watch for a full report in next month's Pillar on this and other legislation.  As always, we're at your service. Yours in equality, Michael Mitchell 

2003 I don’t think they realize the website is there....remember they rehash the same infor over and over unit they can steal new stuff.  I still feel  that it is someone at the Center...Geoff has his scopes on the USHS to make him look good....this killed to birds with one stone, and set us up to keep  the gate to the info under our control.Your right....just wait....they need to ask....But I use to be ready...so we look really good, and then the wine and cheesewhizzers will crap their pants... Its an opportunity to get the name out their, and welcome people into  the USHS...and most of all let them know there is a field of expertise that may be off assistance if the deal is right.... Do you have stuff for Utah past 1947??

2003   An Honorable Act One of the greatest successes in this year's session of the Utah Legislature is likely to be recorded as a failure. But Rep. David Litvack, D-Salt Lake City, and Rep. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem, wanted more than a notch in their legislative belts. They wanted a hate crimes bill that would not only pass, but mean something. And they were not willing to sell out any portion of society in order to win the day. That loyalty to principle in a losing cause brings more honor to the House than any hollow legislative victory would earn.  The bill would have set tougher penalties for acts of violence or vandalism motivated by prejudice against people due to their race, religion, ethnicity or sexual orientation. A similar bill passed the Senate in 2001, thanks to the tireless efforts of the late Sen. Pete Suazo, but the legislation died in the House in each of the last five years.  The bill had the support of such serious personages as Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and the Utah Sentencing Commission. And it received a significant boost when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly announced that it was not opposed. Still, opposition was strong, especially among those who feared -- even though the plain text of the bill says otherwise -- that it would somehow create some special legal rights for gays and lesbians, perhaps even including the right to marry. The measure had a brief taste of success last Thursday, passing the House by a vote of 38-35. But it was pulled back the very next day by representatives who, regrettably, undid their good deed and set further debate for Monday. Litvack, though, pulled the bill before that could happen. He saw that more arguing, so close on the heels of two hours of emotional dialogue Thursday, could easily get nasty and hurt the cause. Besides, with the Legislature due to adjourn today, even a Monday approval by the House wouldn't allow enough time for Senate action.  The bill's sponsors might well have been spared not only failure, but the cruel illusion of success, had they been willing to leave the list of protected characteristics out of the law, or to leave homosexuals off that list. But Litvack and Ferrin, to their eternal credit, chose not to do so. For one thing, a law without a list of characteristics that define the victim of a hate crime is so vague as to be unconstitutional. The argument that the list sets special rights for certain groups is absurd, as every single person can be defined by race, religion or ethnicity, and thus is protected.     For another, to have a list but not include sexual orientation would send a vile message that, while the state of Utah officially frowns on hate crimes against everybody else, it has no particular problem with crimes against gays and lesbians. Ferrin and Litvack could have won protection for some groups if they had been willing to abandon others. They refused to do so. Their bill failed.     Next year, the House should honor us all by rewarding the principled stand of these two lawmakers and passing their Utah hate crimes bill. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Opposition was strong, especially among those who feared -- even though the plain text of the bill says otherwise -- that it would somehow create some special legal rights for gays and lesbians, perhaps even including the right to marry.

2005-FREE seminar! "Life, Relationship and Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples" by Dale Boutiette from San Francisco Wine & Cheese will be served  "Center Space"  Seating is limited This seminar is also offered at 12:00 noon at KUED on the University of Utah campus.  Lunch will be served. Topics covered in this seminar include:  Why planning is critical Basic planning such as powers of attorney, co-habitation agreements and revocable living trusts. How to achieve personal and family goals. How to minimize taxes. Dale T. Boutiette received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.  Mr. Boutiette is the former Managing Director of the University of San Francisco School of Law Moot Court Board and a current member of the California State Bar Trusts and Estates Section, the American Bar Association Probate, Real Property, and Trust Law Section, the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Peninsula Estate Planning Council and serves on the Boards of Directors of the Midsummer Mozart Festival and the Jewish Community Relations Council.

2005 March 4th Friday:  Shaun Dee Hypno-Hick, the fastest Hypnotist in the West. 7:30 pm in the Multi-purpose room.  Don't miss this evening of Wild Comedy Hypnosis.  Tickets are $10.00 at the door.   For Youth under 20, suggested donation is $5.00.  This is a benefit for the GLBT Community Center so please come and bring ALL your friends!

  

2006 Saturday •     Equality Utah would like to invite you to join us for our March 4th “What is a Delegate & why should I become one?” delegate training.   Our special guest will be Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. This legislative session has been a tough one – we’re fighting an exceptional amount of anti-gay legislation.  Non-biological parent rights are at stake with HB148. GSA's are at risk with SB97 and now HB393. Contracts are threatened by HB304. And a public employer's right to provide full domestic partner benefits is limited by HB327. In order to effectively stop such hateful legislation, we must influence the choice of candidates in each district.  Delegates are the party’s decision-makers.  They determine each party’s candidates. So we need delegates – LOTS of ‘em – to influence change! Equality Utah has a 400 person auditorium reserved at the U of U and we need Community Partners to help us fill the room!  Will you join us? Will you consider joining us as at our Delegate Training, March 4th, 2006 from 9-11 am?   Please contact Missy Larsen at melissa@equalityutah.org or 801.355.3479 to RSVP or if you have questions.Article

2006 McCoy is many things Salt Lake Tribune I have a simple request for The Tribune's editors and staff writers. I would like you to stop referring to Sen. Scott McCoy as "the only openly gay senator." OK, we get it. The reference is in every article written where Sen. McCoy is part of the news. If you are going to continue to use the designation, perhaps you would also like to refer to the "only openly African-American legislator" or "two of the openly Jewish legislators" or "one of the few non-Mormon legislators." Sen. McCoy is a man who has many attributes. He is also one of the "openly handsome," one of the "open" attorneys, one of the "openly tall" and one of the "openly intelligent" legislators. Can you give it a rest? Sheryl Ginsberg "An openly Jewish, liberal voter" Salt Lake City

2006 Empress 30 Krystyna Shaylee along with the RCGSE Present: "Cancer Awareness Week" Saturday March 4th - "Pink Party" show starts @ 8:30 pm Trapp Door $5. This event will be hosted by Empress 29 Syren Vaughn, Princess Royale 26 Kyra Faye Prespentte, and Princess Royale 30 Kennedy Cartier.

2020  BYU clarifies updated Honor Code after same-sex relationship 'misinterpretation' By Ryann Richardson Daily Herald Mar 4, 2020  Brigham Young University released a letter Wednesday clarifying changes that were made over two weeks ago to the school’s honor code, saying “same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage and is therefore not compatible with the principles included in the Honor Code.” The university updated its honor code, which was approved on Feb. 12, removing specific language regarding homosexual behavior and relationships. In the former version of the code, the section stated all forms of same-sex physical intimacy went against the code. In the letter signed by CES Commissioner Paul Johnson sent to students and employees of all Church Educational System schools, including all three BYU locations and the LDS Business College, the removal of the section does not reflect a change in the church’s moral standards. Johnson is a General Authority Seventy and has served The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for almost 15 years. In the letter, he acknowledged the confusion many experienced after the update, and states that the letter was written to clarify the changes after some misrepresentation. “There is and always has been more to living the Lord’s standard of a chaste and virtuous life than refraining from sexual relations outside of marriage,” the letter read. “Lasting joy comes when we live the spirit as well as the letter of God’s laws.” The statement referenced “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” when addressing the discussion surrounding the change over the past weeks. Within the reference, the letter confirmed the church’s stance that “marriage is between a man and a woman.” The update was made available on Feb. 19, which was the same day that the church released its updated and revised General Handbook online. In a previous statement, the university said the code was updated to more closely align with the church’s updated General Handbook. The OUT Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ students and alumni of BYU, criticized the school’s clarification of the honor code in a written statement released Wednesday. “This troubling reversal is a breach of trust that leaves queer students with a target on their back,” the statement said. “Any student who may have come out to their roommates as dating, or displayed any affection in public may now face a precarious situation in which their academic standing, on-campus jobs, housing, or career prospects could all now be in jeopardy.”

2020 BYU and Church officials clarify changes to Honor Code on ‘Homosexual Behavior’ Religion Posted: Mar 4, 2020 PROVO, Utah (ABC4 News)- Last month BYU announced changes to the Honor Code after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a new online handbook. Those changes included removing a section of the Honor Code called “Homosexual Behavior.” Before the change, the Honor Code stated the following: Brigham Young University will respond to homosexual behavior rather than to feelings or attraction and welcomes as full members of the university community all whose behavior meets university standards. Members of the university community can remain in good Honor Code standing if they conduct their lives in a manner consistent with gospel principles and the Honor Code. One’s stated same-gender attraction is not an Honor Code issue. However, the Honor Code requires all members of the university community to manifest a strict commitment to the law of chastity. Homosexual behavior is inappropriate and violates the Honor Code. Homosexual behavior includes not only sexual relations between members of the same sex, but all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings. BYU Honor Code prior to Feb. 19, 2020 After the Church released the new book, that section of the Honor Code was removed.  Immediately there were questions on what the change meant. “There is nothing more dishonorable than expecting people to follow unwritten rules that they don’t know about until some HCO employee in a “case by case” scenario decides that what they happened to do is worthy of punishment,” Twitter user Victoria Rice stated. “So basically remove the language to save face, but keep punishing people if you feel like it?” another user asked. Then, on Wednesday, two weeks after the change, the Church and university sent a clarification letter from Elder Paul V. Johnson, Commissioner of the Church Educational System. “One change to the Honor Code language that has raised questions was the removal of a section on ‘Homosexual Behavior.’ The moral standards of the Church did not change with the recent release of the General Handbook or the updated Honor Code,” the letter states. “Same-sex romantic behavior cannot lead to eternal marriage and is therefore not compatible with the principles included in the Honor Code,” Johnson wrote. Church spokesperson Daniel Woodruff said the “the letter represents the position of the Church.” Students gathered on campus outside the Wilkinson Student Center in protest Wednesday afternoon. Many marched with signs and chanted “Love, Not Hate–That’s what makes BYU great!” and “We are here. We are queer!” The protest went on for a few hours.