1866 - Deseret News reports
murder of S. Newton Brassfield on 2 Apr on this date. He legally married a plural wife of an absent Mormon missionary, and the Deseret News editorialized that "the
illegally married couple would probably have been suffered to pursue their way
to their own liking," except that she filed for custody of her children.
Deseret News also reports Brigham Young's sermon about the murdered Brassfield:
"Were I absent from my home on a mission, I would rejoice to know that I
had friends there to protect and guard the virtue of my household; and I would
thank God for such friends."
1956- Thursday-The Utah State
Supreme Court up held ban on Tavern dancing. Dancing is prohibited in Salt Lake
County Beer Taverns, the Utah Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The ruling
affirmed a 3rd District Court decision
upholding validity of a county ordinance passed in 1953 prohibiting
dancing on the premises where beer is sold (SLTribune 04/12/56 pg. 25 Col. 6)
1975-The Arizona State House
of Representatives passed an emergency measure making same-sex marriages
illegal. The vote was 37-3. (If I remember correctly, this was in response to
Boulder Colorado issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
1982 ” Homosexuality At BYU” an Article witten by Dean Huffmann in unofficial BYU paper the 7th Street Press was published in Provo, Utah. The 7th Street Press was founded by two return missionary BYU students Ron Priddis and Elbert Peck.
1988 About noon I
walked to Memory Grove to lay out in the sun. Memory Grove has been the Gay
park lately more so than Liberty Park. I
saw Ken Francis there so I sat with him. Later I saw Curtis Jensen who is
hanging around Joe Dewey more and more. They say they are both mad at Greg Harden
now over some tiff concerning The Lovebirds. I don’t think they are love birds
any more. I baked cookies for
Unconditional Support and led the meeting. The topic was on Ageism In the Gay
Community or Trolls versus Chickens. We had about 20 people at the meeting.
Attendance drops when the weather turns nicer. Afterward we all went to Dee’s on 4th South for coffee. [Journal Ben Williams]
1989 A SURRENDER IN STABBING A
man surrendered Tuesday in connection with the stabbing death last week of a
Salt Lake County man. Marty Ray Withers, 27, address unknown, walked into the
sheriff's office Tuesday evening and was later booked into jail for
investigation of criminal homicide. "He gave himself up and we didn't even
have a warrant. We weren't really looking for him yet," said sheriff's
detective Capt. Bob Jack. The body of Darrell N. Webber, 38, was found last
Friday in a parking lot at 4070 S. State. An autopsy determined Webber had been
stabbed in the chest but died of a stab wound that struck a femoral artery,
Jack said. The sheriff's office has already charged an acquaintance of Withers,
Jack J. Trane, with obstruction of justice. Trane, 33, 1449 W. 78th South, is
accused of helping the homicide suspect flee the scene, clean up and dispose of
the murder weapon. Deseret News
1990 I am sitting at
an oak table at the Salt Lake Roasting Company, drinking Zimbabwe Roast, the
coffee of the day. I am waiting for noon
to arrive so I can meet with the prosecuting attorney who is handling Darrell
Webber's case. Dean Shute is back in
town to testify. He had moved away to
Ventura, California while Marty Withers had been out on bail because last
November he had been struck in the face with a baseball bat after he had
testified against Withers in a preliminary trial. Then his house was broken into and everything
fucked up still while Marty was out on bail for murder. Coincidence? Dean is convinced it was this Withers
character. Yesterday Robert Smith and Willie Marshall came over with color
photo's of Withers that they wanted to show around the bars. Withers is dark complexion, black hair,
mustache, very convict like, with a prominent black widow spider tattooed on
his neck. He also had two tears tattooed
on his cheek. Some kind of prison symbol from what I hear. At 2:00 p.m. I
finished testifying for the prosecutor and for Darrell. Some of the other witnesses were Robert
Smith, Willie Marshall, Richard Eden, and Dean Shute. The Defense Attorney asked me if my feelings
about Darrell's nature would be changed if I knew that Darrell swore that he
had tried to run a man down in his car. I said I was aware of the incident but
Darrell had been attacked and a great deal of money had been stolen from
him. He was acting out of frustration
about having been a victim again. I said
that I knew Darrell to be a passive, sweet man who would not attack anyone
unless provoked. After my testimony I was told to leave the court room while
the other witnesses testified. When
Willie came out of the court room he was fuming also. I know that the Defense
Attorney is just doing his job but it does make one upset to have your meaning
twisted around to something else. Even
in his suit and cleaned up appearance Marty Withers exudes evil. I saw Darrell's ex-wife Peggy when we were
excused and I let her know that Darrell was thought of highly in the Gay
community. She said she loved Darrell and would always love Darrell. Darrell would have made a great Faerie. [Ben Williams Journal]
1990-Pitzer College in
Claremont California banned ROTC scholarships due to the military's anti-Gay
policies. It was the first college to do so.
1993- - The Lowell Bennion
Community Service Center's campus AIDS Project sponsored an AIDS Awareness Week
at the University of Utah. Activities offered Monday through Thursday, with a
service project on Saturday. Highlights included a keynote address by Utah-born
author Carol Lynn Pearson, Wednesday and a benefit concert featuring local
bands Ali Ali Oxen Free, Bridge of Souls and Mayberry, Thursday at 7 p.m. in
the ballroom. Ms. Pearson is author of the popular Goodbye, I Love You, the
story of her marriage, divorce and the AIDS death of her ex-husband. Other
local bands will performed daily at. in the Union Deli: For What It's Worth,
Tuesday; Tomo Not Kidney, Wednesday; and Fiddleheads, Thursday. Tables with
basic information about AIDS issues were in front of the Olpin Union Patio
throughout the week. A portion of the National
AIDS Quilt was on display in the building's Main Ballroom Tuesday
through Thursday. Admission to Thursday's benefit concert was by donation to
the Utah AIDS Foundation or the Student
Health Center's HIV/sexually transmitted diseases education program. All other
events are free. (04/11/93 Page: C8
SLTribune)
 |
| David Nelson Thacker |
1994 NEVADAN
PLEA-BARGAINS IN SLAYING By Brian West, Staff Writer Deseret News A Nevada man
accused of a hate-crime killing pleaded guilty Tuesday to a reduced charge of
manslaughter. The murder trial for David Nelson Thacker, 27, was scheduled to
begin Tuesday, but Summit County prosecutors instead agreed to allow him to
plead to the second-degree felony. Thacker, Unionville, Nev., was charged with
murder, a first-degree felony, in the death of Douglas C. Koehler, 31, who was
shot in a parking lot near ParkWest ski resort Aug. 22. Clint Crane testified
in October that his former roommate shot Koehler because he was angry that
Koehler had tried to kiss him an hour before. Deputy Summit County Attorney
Terry Christiansen said he approved the plea bargain after learning the defense
would have expert witnesses to say that the two suspects and the victim were so
intoxicated on alcohol and cocaine that their mental state may have been
affected. Prosecutors worried that a jury may have found
 |
| Douglas Koehler |
Thacker guilty of
negligent homicide, a misdemeanor. "I don't think as heavily intoxicated
as these three people were that anybody knew what they were doing," said
defense attorney Ron Yengich. The victim's friends and family told prosecutors
they understood the reasoning behind the plea bargain but were still uneasy.
"I think they offered this deal so they could avoid a showdown with Ron
Yengich. This was an easier way out," Jim Cornwall, Koehler's former
business partner and spokesman for the family, saidTuesday. Crane said he and
Thacker met Koehler at a ParkWest bar that night and they spent the evening
drinking, playing pool and sniffing cocaine. The trio drove to Thacker and
Crane's Park City condominium after the bar closed. There, Thacker and Koehler
went into a bedroom, presumably to consume more cocaine. After a while, Crane
said he heard Thacker yell, "Just get out!" Thacker then threw
Koehler out of the apartment and announced that Koehler had tried to kiss him.
Thacker drank a beer, then took a shower. "He came out and wanted to go
get the guy," Crane testified. Thacker grabbed a .22 revolver and
explained to Crane, "Just in case, 'cause he's a big guy." Crane
drove Thacker to ParkWest. Koehler had walked about four miles in the rain and
was about 50 feet from the condominium he was renting when Thacker spotted him
and ordered Crane to pull up next to him. Thacker ordered the victim over to
the passenger side of the truck. "He (Thacker) leaned over and bang,
pulled the pistol out and shot him," Crane said. "I just heard
(Koehler) hit a vehicle" as he fell." Dave just said, "Let's
go.' "When Koehler's body was discovered hours later, both his hands were
in his pockets. As Crane drove back to Park City, he said Thacker didn't talk
much but did say he hoped Koehler was dead. When asked why Thacker had said
that, Crane said, "So he couldn't tell who shot him, probably." Three
family members testified that Thacker called them in the hours after the
shooting and repeatedly said he had accidentally shot a man who had made sexual
advances on him. "He said he wanted to scare the guy, wave the gun at him,
and it went off," said Laurie Capurro, Thacker's sister. Yengich said
there was evidence that the gun accidentally fired, making the manslaughter
charge appropriate. "I don't believe it was a hate crime. I believe it was
just stupidity." Christiansen, however, said there is a "strong
possibility" the murder was a hate crime. He said he believes the shooting
was intentional but that some evidence could show it was accidental. Crane,
however, said Thacker never told him the shooting was an accident and Gene
Brasher testified that Thacker bragged about the shooting three days later to
fellow jail inmates. Brasher said Thacker described aiming a gun between
Koehler's eyes and pulling the trigger after Koehler grabbed him and kissed him
on the cheek. "You should have seen that queer drop," he quoted
Thacker as saying. He said he also heard Thacker tell another inmate he'd
"come over and talk to you about killing faggots."Crane, 21, Albion,
Idaho, is charged with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, but will
likely receive a favorable plea bargain because he agreed to testify against
Thacker. Third District Judge David Young set sentencing for May 24. Thacker
remains free on a $50,000 bond. © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.
1996 Page: E6 East High
Benefit Concert featuring Catie Curtis and Sweet Loretta, Utah Museum of Fine
Arts Auditorium, University of Utah campus, Wednesday, 7 p.m. Tickets, $10
general admission, $8 students at University Union, Coffee Garden, Utah
Stonewall Center and at the door. Proceeds go to the Gay Straight Alliance of
East High.
1999 *
Women's Book Club "The Memory Board" by Jane Rule available at
Inklings 7pm upstairs at the Center
 |
| Kristin Rushforth |
2002 Queer Resource Center
Officially Opens By Sheena McFarland The ceremonial cutting of a cake frosted
with a gay pride flag officially opened the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Resource Center on Thursday. "It was very significant to see so
many people come out in support of the resource center," said center
Director Kristin Rushforth. "It was a great day to celebrate being
queer." The purpose of the center, located in Union 318, is to serve as a
haven and an educational resource. "The center will provide support to a
segment of the student body that needs some support," said President
Bernie Machen. "It will also serve as an information outlet for issues
that are not well understood by a lot of the campus community." Although
Machen is excited to have the center on campus, he wanted the resource center
on campus earlier. "It's better late than never," he said. Karen
Dace, associate vice president for diversity, agrees. "I think it is
important to serve all of our students," she said. "The center is a
place where we can learn about one another and ourselves." Student Body
President-elect Bill Edwards attended the event to show his support for the
center. "An important part of our platform is to support student
endeavors, that's why we're here," he said. The Lesbian and Gay Student
Union, although a separate queer group on campus, supported the building of the
resource center. They hope to see the center grow quickly. The center currently
provides a resource library and programs to help educate the campus about the
issues facing the LGBT community. The Queer Peer Counseling program allows a
student who is coming out to talk to a student who has already gone through the
process. "I would like to see the
center serve more students directly, and become a staple in the LGBT
 |
| Kalina Duncan |
community," said Kalina Duncan, LGSU co-president. Kay Harward, associate
vice president for enrollment management, also hopes the center will expand
outside of the U. "I would like to see the center make connections with
other organizations, like Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays," he
said. "We want to join in the effort to make a better life for both
members of the city and the campus." Rushforth became director in
mid-February, after a four month search, and serves as a part-time employee.
Before she was hired, work-study students operated the center for limited hours
throughout the week. Harward would like to see the center's director moved from
a part-time position to a full time position. She would also like to have stronger
funding. "There is very little university funding. Most of the money we
raise ourselves," he said. Last fall, the center received a $20,000 grant
from the Gill Foundation, which donates to LGBT and AIDS foundations across the
country.
 |
| Courtney Moser |
2002 USU fires gay club
adviser Loss of food services job over misuse of university e-mail leaves club
without leader Friday, April 12, 2002
Arrin Brunson There will be a damper on this
years Gay Pride Alliance celebration at Utah State University as the leader of
the gay and lesbian student club has been suddenly fired from his USU job and
will no longer serve as the clubs official university adviser. Courtney Moser,
manager of The Hub food services establishment at USU, was fired for what
university officials have described as inappropriate use of university e-mail.
Although officials would not comment further, The Herald Journal has learned
independently that the e-mail in question was an invitation sent out by Moser
for a homosexual underwear party in Logan. John DeVilbiss, director of public
relations and marketing at USU, declined to explain the details of Mosers
dismissal. This is a personnel matter and we don’t publicize when we let
employees go and the reasons why, just out of respect for their privacy,
DeVilbiss said. The Gay Pride Alliance organization is alive and well and the
university continues to support them. They are a recognized student university
organization. However, Craig Simper, USUs legal counsel, confirmed that Moser
was fired for inappropriate use of the universitys e-mail system. Simper could
not elaborate on Mosers termination because the disciplinary action was not
final. Moser has one year to appeal his termination. Repeated calls to Moser at
his home were not returned on Wednesday night or Thursday, and his lawyer
declined to respond to questions about the termination. USU Police Chief Steve
Mecham said Moser is not under investigation for any criminal activity. The
Herald Journal has independently obtained a copy of the e-mailed party invitation
sent by Moser on his USU account. The message was an invitation to an underwear
party. Moser suggested a $5 donation which was apparently to be used to help
underwrite the financially struggling gay film festival held on campus, which
took place in January. Due to the fact that the Gay Film Festival went $2,000
into the red this year, we are going to ask you to bring a $5 donation to this
party to help retire some of this debt, the invitation said. The party was to
be held at Mosers Logan home. This party is for Gay and Bi-sexual Men only. You
are welcome to bring other like minded male friends to this party. You may also
forward this invitation to like minded guys, the invitation said. Dozens of hot
guys have been asking to be added to this invitation list. The age ranges from
19 to 50ish. With most being in the 20s and 30s. Moser encouraged guests to
bring alcohol, but not drugs, to the party if they pleased. Among other things,
guests were asked to wear their clothes into the house before undressing in a
designated room. Moser touted the party as The closest thing to a good bath
house in Utah. Expect to see dozens of hot guys in their skivvies or less.
Porno in every room. Condoms will be provided. The e-mail invitation did set
out some rules of engagement in the invitation, encouraging guests to respect
each others personal boundaries. Any activity must be by mutual consent, it
said. In closing, Moser told potential guests that they could spend the night,
saying that in the past many guys have slept over. This will be handy,
especially for the out of town guys. Im sure you can find something or someone
to snuggle with, he said. Mosers absence as Gay Alliance adviser threatens to
leave the Cache Valley gay community with no clear spokesperson. In the past,
Moser has adamantly defended the rights of gays and lesbians and their place in
mainstream society. When a few USU employees objected to the USU Pride Alliance
history display at the 2001 film festival in the Taggart Student Center, Moser
offered strong words in defense of gay people. If the Pride Alliance had put up
a display of offensive pictures with vivid descriptions of lewd acts, people on
campus would be well within their rights to block the view of said material, he
wrote in a letter to The Herald Journal that was published on February 13,
2001. Gay people are a part of the community. We always have been and we always
will be. However, we are no longer willing to be treated as second-class
citizens, staying invisibly in the closet so that the majority may remain
comfortable in their ignorance of our existence. We claim our full, rightful
and equal place at the table of humanity. I feel sorry for people who cannot
even bear the sight of us, let alone try and learn something from us. Mosers
passions for his convictions, as well as some insight into his belief in
personal privacy, are also evident in that letter to the editor. Individuals
have the freedom to erect walls of division and exclusion in their own homes,
in their churches, in their private clubs and businesses, according to the
dictates of their own beliefs, but not at a public institution, he said. We
cannot and should not try to govern peoples personal beliefs. Alessa K. Smith, a USU student and Pride
Alliance board member said she is sorry Moser is gone. I really liked him, she
said. What he did in his personal life was no business of mine. The Pride
Alliance website features a message from the board members beside Mosers
picture. Courtney, we thank you for everything you do for the community and
especially for us, the students whom you inspire with your leadership and
stalwart heart in the perseverance of forwarding the cause of the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgendered community, the message says. We love you! The
mission of the club is to provide a safe meeting place and support group for
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students, community members and their
allies and to promote the acceptance and understanding of diversity through
education.
• 2002 Regarding the article printed in the Herald Journal
Friday April 12, 2002. It was very interesting to note that the article in the
Herald Journal about me covered about 34 column inches front page above the
fold with a large headline. In the subsequent 30 days, in the pages of the Herald
Journal, there have appeared no less than 16 different stories about 14
separate Cache Valley cases involving heterosexual rape and forcible child
sexual abuse. Some of the victims were as young as 7 years old. These stories
were buried on page 3 or deeper. None had a large headline. They all averaged
less than 9 column inches each. Actual laws were allegedly broken. Police
investigations and prosecutions are proceeding. There are real people who had
been hurt. Were there no tantalizing, sensational, scandal manufacturing
details from these stories? It seems perhaps that they were given less
prominence because they were all about heterosexuals. The treatment of
homosexuals is apparently very different. I was a manager in USU Food Services. Also as a community service I was the
volunteer advisor to the Pride Alliance, the GLBT Student club on campus. In addition to that, I was also chairperson
of the Cache Valley AIDS Council, and Kelly was pastor of the Metropolitan
Community Church here in Logan, and I was activities coordinator for the
church. At about this same time there
was a Power Lesbian Named Beth York who was quietly working behind the scenes
to try and get control of the GLBT community and she was able to take advantage
of this event and destroy most of what Kelly and I had worked on creating over
the years. At the time I was fired, she
came forward and approached the USU administration and told them that the Gay
community would not support me, which essentially gave USU permission to fire me. At the same time, she got the board of
directors of the building where the Church had been meeting for 12 years to
throw us out, Remove Kelly from the board, install her self on the board and
have a separatist Lesbian group take over the meeting space. Then she tried to set herself up as advisor
to Pride Alliance, but the students wouldn't go along with it. This has caused great divisions in the Cache
Valley GLBT community and virtually all activities etc have ceased. This is when I started to participate with
the Salt Lake Men's Choir. Trying to
find a new place for myself in the community.
But I have trouble trusting anyone, and am reluctant to step up into
leadership positions as of yet. I am including the original newspaper article,
a message that I wrote to the members of the community and a letter from Wayne
about these issues. I was indeed very foolish to have used my Work Computer to
send the E-mail advertisement for the "Underwear Parties". I was most hurt by the betrayal from within
the community and the subsequent attacks by people who were supposed to be
Friends and Allies, especially the anonymous person that forwarded the E-mail
to the newspaper. In recent months, it has been reported back to me that He has
identified himself to a few people and it turns out that he used to be a
friend. He was just acting out some sort of revenge on me for some perceived
but non existent issue in the past. The article in the Herald Journal. Remember it was on the front page, above the
fold, with a 3 inch headline all across the page. When This hit the paper, the USU police came
to my office and escorted me off campus.
I was told not to go onto campus nor to have any contact at all with
students, faculty or staff. I went home
and didn't leave the house for 5 weeks.
I didn't even open the curtains for 3 weeks. Now here is My message to
the pride Alliance. After the attacks by
The Lesbian had begun. Dear members of Pride Alliance, It was very nice to have
you all here at our house last week for the closing social. A lot has happened
this last month. I'm sure that some of you have been wondering just what was
going on. I would liked to have written you before, but I was under orders from
the administration not to communicate with any students, faculty or staff. I
would like to thank everyone who expressed concern about my and Kelly's
welfare. Editors of the Herald Journal ran an editorial in the March 5th
edition, written for the Salt Lake Tribune, that questioned the Legislature's
wisdom in funding the state porn czar ($150,000) while cutting other family
(FACT), foster care and child protection programs entirely. On Sunday, March
24, editors of the Herald Journal opined "`Family values' a vague catch
phrase" and "makes us cringe." In closing, editors noted that
"in a state where child poverty, divorce, teen pregnancy and child abuse
are all at or above the national averages, may we suggest that that agenda has
not worked so far and re-labeling it is not going to do Utah families a whole
lot of good." What would do a whole lot of good is for Utah schools,
churches and families to begin now to eliminate the mystery, stigma, shame,
guilt, and fear that arise from the present, inadequate ways that most people
are still educated with in regards to sex, gender and human sexualities. The
schoolyard and locker-room shameful and uninformed whisperings must be replaced
by accurate, unbiased, non-judgmental information about the complete spectrum
of human sexual expression. While some with loud voices would like Utah's
parents (only) to handle this aspect of children's education, the fact is that
parents everywhere very rarely talk about sex with their children, much less
model an informed and open dialogue themselves without guilt or shame.
Throughout the history of Western society, the power of the establishment,
including the press has often been used to vilify gay people. The heterosexual
majority has continually exerted efforts to eliminate gay people from society
through strict social enforcement of very narrow gender roles and preaching a
narrow view of morality, state sponsored legislation to control behavior,
punishments including imprisonment, torture, and death. When it has become
evident that despite the majorities best, and continuing efforts, gay people still
continue to exist, there has evolved a very uncomfortable and destructive
"Love the Sinner, and Hate the Sin" social construct that some
conservative people call tolerance. In other words, if you gay people hide and
don't in any way let us know that you are gay, if we never have to see you or
think about you, we won't hurt you. As an example, I recently attended a movie
at a local theater with some of my gay friends. During the movie, one of my
friends put his arm over the shoulder of his companion of several years, and
held his hand. A simple gesture of affection that several other heterosexual
couples were doing in the same room. A man sitting behind us made it loudly
known to the people he was with, and so we could hear, that he did not have to
be subjected to this kind flaunting of our sinful sexuality. He was endeavoring
to get the ushers to have us removed from the theater. When his girlfriend
talked him out of that course of action, he then made several threats of
physical violence, which would take place upon exiting the theater. It is
within the framework of this often-hostile climate that I have tried to be a
fierce and unbending advocate for the equal treatment of gay people in Utah and
American society. I choose to live my life free of lies, denial, and
self-hatred. I refuse to accept being defined by others as evil. Gay people are
not just fun loving folks who love to shop, have the ability to accessorize
well and are the amusing next door neighbor on a TV sitcom. Yes, Virginia, some
actually have sex. Some of us aren't even ashamed of it! In association with
the advocacy of gay rights, I am also an advocate of the larger and
contributing issue of lessening the shame and negative hysteria often
associated with open discussion and healthy expression of human sexuality.
Following the examples of such notable public figures as Dr. Ruth Westheimer
and others, I have advocated that openness about sexual expression between
consenting adults is a healthy thing. A friend of mine has often stated,
"Repression breeds perversion. If you suppress the healthy outlet of human
sexual expression long enough and strong enough, it will eventually manifest
itself "sideways", often in an unhealthy way, possibly doing
irreparable harm to the individual and others." I have known hundreds of
repressed gay men, who do not value themselves and because they believe that
they are going to hell anyway, engage in unsafe and unhealthy sexual behaviors.
One result being that I have witnessed more than 2 dozen of my own personal friends
die from AIDS. Unless and until the legal and social constructs which provide
heterosexual relationships with a degree of stability are available to the gay
population, that is unlikely to change. Those who understand their homosexual
orientation, in an accepting environment, have fewer difficulties adjusting,
are less promiscuous, and have a better chance of achieving a healthy
self-image and a positive lifestyle. I have tried to be supportive of everyone
and not act as a moral policeman of someone else's behavior. I wholeheartedly
support people who believe that celibacy or monogamy is best for them and I try
and celebrate with and for them in their relationships. Likewise, I support
other people who feel that celibacy and/or monogamy will not work for them. I
do not feel it is moral for any person or group of people to force their
personal beliefs about sex or anything else onto other people. I believe there
is room on the planet for all views and that all views can live side by side
without contention or condemnation. It is absolutely true that I hold differing
views about human sexuality than the majority of Utah's citizens and even from
some members of the gay community too. The unfortunate effect of this
repressive culture on gay people is evident in my current situation. It's too
bad that anonymous individual who sent the message to the newspaper, didn't
feel that they could use their own name and that he/she could deal with their
dissatisfaction with me personally before going to the newspaper. Yes it made
for some heavy drama. Something at which our community excels. It also
demonstrates the level of "Oppression Sickness" that our community is
suffering from. Victims of oppression sickness often lash out against their own
community, thereby making the attacks from the outside oppressors that much
easier and effective. After all, isn't the gay liberation movement about sexual
freedom from oppression? How can we expect straight people to allow that we
love differently from them, while within our own ranks, some have become
oppressive moral police opposing anything that may be different from their own
sexual habits? We often think that if we put forward to the straight community
a "politically correct" image of the gay community that they will
like us and give us acceptance. The painful truth is that mostly what they will
accept is an A-sexual vision of us being just clowns and eunuchs. They don't
want to think about us having sex. Whether it be monogamous or not, It's just
too much for them to deal with. It's just like when you first realized that
your parents had sex. It was just to gross for you to even think about. The
Party referred to in the article was not any different than an average toga
party that would be perhaps sponsored by a fraternity or some other group or
individual. An attendee of both has described the underwear party as resembling
a quilting bee in comparison. The only difference was that I dared to write
truthfully, openly and without shame. The wording was provocative. The announcement
went specifically to a private list of men over 21 who have previously
indicated an interest in an event of this kind. Members of Pride Alliance were
not the targeted audience. Shame is a major contributing factor to unsafe
sexual behavior. It is established behavioral theory that to eliminate or
reduce shame from a thing, the thing must be named. We are working to reduce
the stigma, guilt and shame that arises from the way that gay men express
themselves sexually. These type of events work. As part of a longstanding
commitment to HIV/AIDS prevention, I and others in the Cache Valley have tried
a number of different ways to present HIV prevention messages. The parties are
one more way, a very popular way among gay men. It is established behavioral
theory that as a group learns to humanize each other, learning names,
histories, etc., they tend to care for themselves and their partners more. This
leads to conversations around HIV, status, responsibilities, condom usage,
etc., that makes the sexual encounter occur more safely than had it occurred in
any of the other non-traditional locations gay men tend to meet to find other
men. Participation is optional. The space we provide was, for that night, a
safe place to meet, talk, and for some, to express themselves sexually in a
private place. It is called an underwear party because that gets more attention
than a "participate to the degree you're comfortable party." A
significant percentage of the participants do not undress at all and even fewer
actually have any kind of sexual activity. One of the hosts' main duties is to
remain above the fray, that is, to not participate with the men at the event.
This helps to establish a safe place for them and for me. Again, an idea
grounded in accepted behavioral theory for behavior change on a group level.
Our efforts have been noticed. The Utah AIDS Foundation and the Utah Department
of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS, have both sent representatives to several of our
efforts including the party. New and effective ways of presenting a very old,
and for gay men, passé message of safety when having sex are treasured
commodities, not to be guarded but shared. We are regularly supplied with
condoms and educational materials to give away by the State Department of
Health. They are very pleased with our efforts and our ingenuity in reaching
this traditionally hard-to-reach population. In regards to my role as advisor
to Pride! Alliance, I was an unpaid, volunteer advisor, chosen by the students
themselves annually for the past several years. I am a very open book on
campus, doing panels for many different departments and classes on both being a
gay man and HIV/AIDS education and prevention and have done so for more than a
decade. A great many students have come to me privately over the years for
assurance and strength as they journey through the coming out process. There
have been a great deal more that have only had the strength to look at me, look
at how I conduct myself and what I say as they may take several years still to
feel good about telling themselves the truth of their sexual orientation. My
public life on campus has been completely above board in all instances. My
private life as a gay man is my own, conducted away from Pride! Alliance and
campus in every way possible. It should not come as a great surprise that I 1)
love and care deeply about my gay and lesbian friends and family, and 2) that
my life and the lives of the rest of the gay community may include private
sexual expression. About anonymous E-mails and messages: I have tried to be
honest and Straight forward in my convictions. For the past 12 years when the
right wing has launched an attack against the gay community, I have been
willing to put my opinions out there in defense of the gay community. In
signing my name to them, I have often become the target of vicious personal
attacks by the religious right. I respect differing opinions. I may not agree
with your opinion, but I appreciate hearing a differing viewpoint. In this
recent exchange, many messages, beliefs and accusations have been leveled by
anonymous individuals. If you want your
opinion to be respected, have the courage and conviction to sign your name to
it. This business about unsigned E-mails must stop. I hope that this unpleasant
event, can be a catalyst for people to begin to be more open, honest and less
sensational in their discussions about human sexuality. It is further my hope
that we can strive to learn greater understanding from each other and treat
each with greater respect and concern. Have a great summer. Courtney
2003 Resource Seminar
Topics Emergency Funds Food Certificates Ryan White Supportive Services Social
& Support Groups Great conversation and light refreshments. A great way to
spend a couple of hours. Date:
Saturday, April 12, 2003 Time:
2:00 thru 4:00 pm Location: People With AIDS Coalition of Utah 1390 S.
1100 E., Suite 107 SLC, UT 84105 RSVP by
2003 This
will be a great seminar for Providers as well as
 |
| Toni Johnson |
people infected with HIV.We
hope to see you there! Toni Johnson, Director People With AIDS Coalition of
Utah
2005 The Center Space” Community Center of
Utah and LGBT Resource Center at the U are co-hosting a reception featuring
Andy Wong to commemorate the National Day of Silence and Asian-American
Awareness Week. Not only has Andy been a highly active and visible gay rights
leader, he was also once Mormon, which
he says was “the biggest mistake of my
life.” He still struggles with
being gay in his traditional Chinese immigrant family. He recently co-authored “Unite Against
Violence” in the upcoming 50 Ways to Support Lesbian and Gay Equality (Inner
Ocean Publishing).
2005 Pink Pistols Our monthly
indoor shooting-range meeting is planned for April 12 at 7:00 p.m. at Doug's
Shoot 'N Sports () at 4926 South Redwood
Road (1700 West) in Taylorsville, Utah
(16-minutes from Salt Lake City),
(801)966-1802.
2006 From: "Ben
Williams" To: "Kellie Anne Foreman" The first year of grand
marshals for the Pride Parade began only in 1995. Doesn't the Pride Day
Committee keep records of who are given awards and honors. Four of the grandmarshalls where national
celebrities and the remaining six were locals.
Sherry Booth should know ran the outfit after it was taken over by the
center. Ben.
- Kellie Anne Foreman wrote:
Grand Marshal ok, well I will try to contact Sherry and Kathryn. She is not on the pride committee and this is
my first year doing grand marshal. Val is new and as far as I know nothing was
left behind to reference for this particular piece of information. I can
remember Charlene Orchard, Rocky, Bruce and that is about it. I lived out of
the country for many years. I can also contact Todd Dailey. Thanks Kellie.
- From
Ben To: "Kellie Anne Foreman"
Nothing against you but people at the Center haven't always been honest about
giving credit for information I have
provided them. Paula Wolfe was very stubborn about it. Lately pride postings
have also put out erroneous dates most noticeably stating that the Utah
Stonewall Center was founded in 1992 when it was founded in 1991. It would be nice if people would fact check
first. But since you are not with the
old crowd this is what I have in my archives. Grand Marshals 1995 Dr. Kristen Ries 1996-Chasity Bono,
27, spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project;
1997- Gay-rights activist Candace Gingrich, sister of US Rep. Newt Gingrich;
1998-The Grand Marshalls and keynote speakers
Deb Burrington and Charlene Orchard of HRC Utah; 1999- Grand Marshal was
Gay actor Dan Butler, "Bulldog" from the television series
"Frasier,"; 2000- State Rep. Jackie Biskupski; 2001-SLC Mayor Rocky
Anderson; 2002-Steve Kmetko Host, E!
News Live; 2003-Kate Kendall former ACLU Attorney; 2004-Bruce Bastian
philanthropist;, 2005-State Sen. Scott McCoy I hope this will help. Ben
Williams.
- Kellie Anne Foreman wrote: Ben I agree with you about Paula, I think
she was a total &^%$1. I am happy that you have shared, and I appreciate
you very much. I was there the day the
center opened and I am always shocked to find that our new leaders have never
even heard of Monique or why she left the leadership position. They just think
that Doug was the Director before Paula.
Again I thank you.
- From:
"Ben Williams" to: "Kellie Anne Foreman" Monica was shafted. I was on the board of the
USC before they closed
2006 • Rights tour again busted at BYU Second day: Soulforce members and
students cited with trespassing By Todd Hollingshead The Salt Lake Tribune Salt
Lake Tribune PROVO - The sign said "Enter to Learn . . ." but
Soulforce protesters were determined to enter and be arrested. For the
second-straight day, members of the gay-activist group were peacefully escorted
off Brigham Young University's campus after violating school policies. This
time, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender group marched from the Provo
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple down to BYU's west entrance
and proceeded to stage a memorial, lying down on campus lawns and holding
Easter lilies. In the end, 24 Soulforce members, along with a couple of
participating BYU students, were escorted off campus by BYU police and cited
for trespassing. The Soulforce Equality Ride team has stopped in Provo as part
of a nationwide tour of schools they believe discriminate against gays. Equality
Ride co-director Jacob Reitan, who was cited Monday along with four others for
trespassing after violating school policy, acknowledged their intent was to get
arrested. "We would not have left unless they placed us under
arrest," Reitan said. "Our Riders do not leave until they are told,
'You are under arrest.' " But the long-winded ordeal - it took an hour for
the demonstrators to stage their memorial as LDS gay-suicide stories were read
- hardly resembled a mass arrest: No handcuffs were used, and Soulforce members
had told BYU officials where they'd be and what they'd be doing prior to the
staging. "Last night they let us know exactly how this was going to take
place," said BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins. "It was coordinated how
the citations would be issued." Few students observed the noon procession.
Some caught parts of it while walking to and from campus between classes.
"It's a joke," said BYU student and passer-by Kent Curtis. "I
don't know why it's being covered [by the media]." Gay BYU student Emil
Pohlig was happy to see the protest and said he is planning to transfer from
the school this year. "I would rather go to a school where I can express
myself," Pohlig said. "I'm skeptical whether [Soulforce's protest]
will produce any kind of action." Besides the 33-member Soulforce team,
news media made up the majority of the small gathering at the corner of Canyon
Road and Bulldog Boulevard. One camerman for KUTV-Channel 2 had a disagreement
with campus security after he insisted he was on public property. Security
personnel told him the sidewalk he was on was private and asked him to return
to the spot designated for reporters. When the camerman didn't comply, Jenkins
and KUTV News Director Tanya Vea said, security pushed him back to the
designated area. The Soulforce procession marched silently to the campus in a
line, holding up traffic slightly at intersections after passing by a
barricaded Missionary Training Center. Leading the march was gay BYU student
Matt Kulisch, the first to be arrested. "I'm proud to say that I'm
gay," Kulisch said prior to entering campus and dropping to the ground, as
if dying. "I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God loves me as I
am." thollingshead@... -Tribune reporter Nate Carlisle contributed to this
story
 |
| Jim Dabakis |
2015 Gay rights, religious rights and a compromise
in an unlikely place: Utah State Senators Jim Dabakis and Stephen Urquhart were
at the heart of a bill that created state-wide protection from discrimination
in Utah. The Washington Post By Niraj Chokshi SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s historic compromise aiming to balance gay and religious
rights had yet to be unveiled, but on that fateful night last month, it was
already unraveling. A handful of legislators and other negotiators were seated
around a squat wooden table in the blue-and-gold
 |
| Steve Urquhart |
Senate lounge, struggling to
resolve the remaining — and seemingly irreconcilable — differences between gay
rights activists and the influential Mormon Church. Tempers were flaring. “The
tornado and hurricane and typhoon arrived in that room that night and the wind
was blowing, and the tree of our whole effort was down at 45 degrees,” recalled
Sen. Jim Dabakis (D), the state’s only openly gay legislator. But the two
sides, drawing on an unlikely trust nurtured during years of quiet
rapprochement, were able that night to reach a breakthrough. Within days, they sent a bill to the state
legislature — and a message to a politically riven nation that compromise was
possible, even on one of the most divisive social issues, even in one of its
most conservative states. In late 2013, a federal judge had struck down Utah’s
ban on same-sex marriage, giving a lift to activists such as Dabakis who had
been pushing the state to adopt legislation protecting gay men and lesbians
against discrimination in such areas as housing and employment. And as the
question of same-sex marriage worked its way through the courts, ultimately
winning a date before the U.S. Supreme Court this month, the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints grew eager to reach an amicable compromise on gay
and religious rights. It was determined to avoid what church officials saw as a
polarized debate in several other states. [Supreme Court agrees to hear
gay-marriage issue] “We realized that what had happened last year —
particularly in 2014, in a number of state legislatures — was that the extremes
were dictating the game,” said church spokesman Michael Otterson. “We felt
there was a better way.” In the end, the negotiators in the Senate lounge had
recognized that their differences were limited. The church wanted the Boy
Scouts treated like religious organizations and exempted from the bill’s
employment regulations. It was a compromise on which all could agree. Eight
days after the bill was introduced, it was signed into law with support from
the gay rights group Equality Utah, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah
and the church, uniquely influential in a state where about 3 in 5 residents
are Mormon. At the well-attended bill
signing in the state Capitol, leaders of the Mormon and gay communities embraced,
a dramatic contrast to where their relationship stood a few years ago. Push for
‘common ground’ When residents of California went to the polls in 2008 to vote
on Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man
and a woman, the Mormon Church called on its congregants there to support the
ballot measure. That position troubled many in Utah’s gay community and earned
the church sharp criticism elsewhere in the country. A day after the vote, the
church issued a statement urging “respect and civility.” Its position on
marriage was doctrinal, it said, but it did “not object” to same-sex couples
getting other rights in regard to health care, housing and employment. Equality
Utah took note and launched a “common ground” push for statewide protections
against discrimination. Tensions were still high when, in the summer of 2009, a
gay couple were cited for trespassing on church-owned property in downtown Salt
Lake City for what the church described as “belligerent and profane behavior.”
The couple said they were targeted over a kiss. Incensed, the gay community
organized a “kiss-in” protest. Soon after, the church and the LGBT community
agreed to an unprecedented face-to-face meeting,
 |
| Diane Stewart |
arranged by a former Salt Lake
City Council member. Diane Stewart, a
Mormon gay rights supporter and friend of Dabakis’s, offered her 85-year-old
neoclassical home as a neutral venue. The church officials, including lobbyist
Michael Purdy, arrived first and in dark suits, Stewart recalled. The more casually
dressed LGBT
 |
| Mike Purdy |
contingent included Dabakis and four others — a so-called Gang of
Five. What began as an introductory meeting quickly morphed into an exchange of
stories of prejudice and misunderstanding. “I don’t think anyone intended to be
overtly emotional, but you know when you’re talking about your spouse or your
partner or your children, it’s hard not to be,” said Brandie Balken, a former
head of Equality Utah who attended the meeting. After a few hours, and herbal
tea and snacks in Stewart’s red-and-gold dining room, the session ended, but a
seed was planted. The group would meet several more times at Stewart’s hillside
home and elsewhere, creating enduring and emotional
 |
| Brandi Balken |
friendships. The participants would in some cases invite
one another into their homes, leaning on each other and helping to defuse
confrontations. Six years later, Dabakis and Purdy would again be at the table
together, this time in the Senate lounge, closing the deal on the
anti-discrimination bill. A narrowing gap The gap between the church and the
LGBT community began to narrow. Later that year, the church announced support
for a Salt Lake City housing and employment nondiscrimination ordinance and
invited the Gang of Five and their significant others to a popular Christmas concert.
When activists from the Human Rights Campaign came to town in 2010 to deliver
petitions calling on a senior church leader to apologize for what were seen as
anti-gay remarks, members of the local LGBT community helped arrange an
amicable presentation of the demands rather than a march on the Salt Lake
Temple, Balken said. Along the way, Balken began visiting state lawmakers in
their districts, eventually making it to St. George, a city in southwestern
Utah. There, she tried to make the case for nondiscrimination legislation with
Steve Urquhart, a Republican state senator and a former Utah House majority
whip. He said he understood but couldn’t support the bill. Not long after,
Urquhart’s eldest daughter told him that she was becoming the president of the
Gay Straight Alliance at St. George’s Dixie High. “If this is something that
you’re doing just to do, how about you don’t?” Urquhart recalled telling her.
It was a political headache he didn’t need in conservative St. George. “Then I
said, ‘But now, let’s talk not politician to daughter. Let’s talk father to
daughter, because that’s the conversation that really matters,’ ” he continued.
“ ‘If this is something that matters to you, then to hell with political
concerns.’ ” She responded that it wasn’t about her sexuality but about her gay
friends. Life was extremely tough for them, and she wanted to offer her
support, she told him. “I said, ‘Great, then this is something we’re doing. I’m
with you,’ ” he recounted. Urquhart said his thinking began to shift. He
stopped seeing sexual orientation as defining a person. When Equality Utah was
looking for a sponsor for its nondiscrimination bill in 2013, Urquhart agreed
to become its first Republican shepherd. Roadblock to debate That December, the
federal judge ruled that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage was
unconstitutional. For a time, this froze efforts to reach a deal on
nondiscrimination and religious rights. Republican leaders feared that emotions
were running too high for a considered debate and worried that comments made in
the heat of the moment could undermine the state’s legal appeal. Urquhart
insisted that lawmakers take up his bill, taping his demand to the Senate
doors. Protests mounted. But the legislation languished. Then, in October, the
U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, removing the roadblock to debate.
The day after the state’s short legislative session began in January, the
Mormon Church held a rare news conference in response to tense fights in states
such as Arizona and Georgia over religious freedom. Four senior church leaders
urged passage of religious freedom and nondiscrimination protections, giving
the campaign an unexpected boost. Stuart Adams, the state
 |
| Stuart Adams |
Senate majority whip,
guided the effort, joining forces with Urquhart and Dabakis, and launched the
late-winter negotiations involving Purdy, the church lobbyist, and Clifford
Rosky, Equality Utah’s board chairman. When the Senate bill was finally
unveiled, the Human Rights Campaign called it an “extraordinary moment” for
Utah. The group said the measure represented progress
 |
| Clifford Rosky |
because it offered gay
men and lesbians the same housing and employment protection as other groups —
but more important, it demonstrated how religious conservatives could
collaborate with advocates elsewhere. (Adams also introduced another bill,
which conservatives said was needed to address their concerns about marriage.
It would pass, but only after Adams worked to address the concerns of the LGBT
community, some of whom described the measure as unnecessary.) Gov. Gary R.
Herbert (R) made clear that he would sign the bill if the legislature got it to
his desk. Both houses of the Republican-dominated legislature passed the bill
by overwhelming margins.
 |
| Brad Dee |
State Rep. Brad Dee (R), a former majority leader who
was the bill’s House floor sponsor, had the final word during the legislative
debate. “Please understand, I did not ask for this — to be this sponsor,” he
said, his voice shaking. “But I believe tonight there is a reason I was. Vote
your conscience. Let’s send a message today from this Hill.”
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