25 April 25-
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| Cato |
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| Jean Sinclair |
1965:
An estimated 150 people participate in a sit-in when the manager of Dewey’s
restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania refused service to several people he
thought looked gay. Four people are arrested, including homophile rights leader
Clark Polak of Philadelphia’s Janus Society. All four are convicted of
disorderly conduct. Members of the society also leaflet outside the restaurant
the following week and negotiate with the owners to bring an end to the denial
of service.
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- Mary X: There must be more understanding of why homosexuality develops because I believe homosexuals are being punished for something which really isn’t their fault. A very important part of this problem is prevention- a new thing. Studies completed recently show what kinds of families lead to homosexuality, what the signs are in small boys and what can be done to stop it while they are small boys.
- Tribune: Do you think it’s a physiological problem?
- Mary X; Its not a physiological thing. It’s a learned patterned of behavior stemming from influences through life particularly during childhood. It’s a family situation. A family in which the mother is particularly closed to a son, binds him to her, and the father is either detracted, or hostile towards the son, very, very frequently results in a homosexual boy, according to studies done on the subject.
- Tribune: Are you a homosexual?
- Mary X: No I am not. I got involved through studies on the problems, studies both here and in San Francisco where there is a high rate of homosexuality. However my research is on the male homosexual. I know little or nothing on Lesbians. Kinsey did a study and he discovered about 17 per cent of males around the age of 35 have some sort of bisexual orientation or are completely homosexual. They estimate for the country as a whole that there are between 3 to 5 per cent homosexual. There are a lot of men who are mainly heterosexual who have some homosexual activity. That leaves about 83 per cent who never have this kind of activity at all.
- Tribune: What about it Sergeant, how big is the problem in Salt Lake City?
- Sgt. Yopse: Over a period of years we’ve had a problem here which is growing. We have a lot of bisexual men who are apparently happily married, are staunch pillars in their community, have families, have respectable positions, and are active in civic and church affairs. Every couple of months they have this tremendous urge to get out and get involved in homosexual activity. Over the years many of the homosexuals from the coast have moved in- the hippie movement- as we call it for example.
- Tribune: What about women homosexuals?
- Sgt. Yopse: Women homosexuals are a horse of another color. Most men homosexuals are sympathetic-that is they respond to sympathetic approaches and sometimes are seeking help. A Lesbian is something else. She’ll challenge anyone who suggests she’s a lesbian. She’ll fight to the bitter end that her relationships with other women are more meaningful and longer enduring then they are with the male. We don’t think too much of seeing two women holding hands or showing other physical endearments to each other, so it’s almost acceptable thing to the public. But it’s intolerable to many people, moralistically speaking, to see two men showing endearments, or tokens of affection to each other. The female is more able to keep her activities under a blanket while the man can’t very well get a way with it.
- Tribune: Isn’t it true that with so called Lesbians you find many times they are women with husbands and children?
- Sgt. Yopse: Yes the majority of female homosexual cases brought to our attention involve Lesbians who have recruited- and I use the word deliberately-female companions who are married and may be disillusioned with married life, problems of finances, maybe with an indifferent husband and a brood of children who are rather confining to her.
- Tribune: How about so called “queer” jokes supposedly humorous stories about homosexuals?
- Mary X: They can be pretty brutal and they’re not really very funny. The negative attitudes against homosexuals make these people sometimes feel inferior, that they are morally wrong, that they shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing. Some of them can get over these feelings, but a lot of them can’t. And they are a product of their family environment through no choice of their own. Society’s joking about these situations just makes them feel worse.
- Tribune: What about the laws governing homosexuality?
- Sgt. Yopse: Looking at it from the stand point of a police officer; we are sworn to uphold the law and as far as the law is concerned, the law is the will of the people. And if the community’s morès are such that they don’t condone this type of action, then we’re sworn to uphold the law. Basically we do not break into people’s homes seeking homosexuals. But our problem is, the law states any time a man has a sexual relationship with a person of the same sex, that its against the law. Its called sodomy in its various degrees.
- Tribune: These are felonies, aren’t they?
- Sgt. Yopse: They’re felonies and many of these acts are not between two men of equal age. They’re generally- and we find this to be the ever prevalent thing- that these men tire of their relationships with other males of their own peers and they seek out- we call it “cruise”- and indoctrinate youthful victims to this type of thing. It’s not uncommon to have male homosexuals spend countless hours of seductive way to get young people recruited. The women maintain their activities under a cloak and you don’t hear too much about them, although we do maintain a file. Here again, they’ll go after women of younger and more tender years. Homosexuals have to be screened out on jobs such as scout masters, life guard- male and female. You’d be surprised how many times overt homosexuality occurs among adult-youth, groups generally respected and believed to be strictly above board and beneficial to youth.
- Tribune: What about it Mary do you think the laws are too severe?
- Mary X: I don’t think they do much good. The law against assault is 1 to 10 years in prison. The law against sodomy is 3 to 20 years. I don’t understand why? But that doesn’t stop it.
- Sgt. Yopse: What the law provides for punishment is not up for you or me to say individually. That is a matter of legislation and if we object to it then we should strive to have a more uniform law provided with more uniform sentencing.
- Mary X: : My feelings is that the law- we’re talking about the provisions of the law and punishment. We’re talking about whether we condone homosexuality or we don’t. But it doesn’t stop it. I feel two consenting adults in private- I accept- in private.
- Sgt. Yopse: That would be lovely wouldn’t it? To have it abolished-as it has been in England- to have a homosexual couple move in next door to you- perhaps a married woman with a family- and begun to make their amorous approaches on the patio to have children look out of their windows and see this type of activity going continuously. And as they grow up, they will think there is nothing wrong with it. Two men can go out and make love to each other and have sex relations-abnormal in that they are non productive and have no Godly satisfaction.
- Mary X: I said in private-not on a patio or any other place open to public view but in private
- Sgt. Yopse: How are you going to regulate it in private anymore than England has been able to do? It hasn’t worked there? You say you feel. We’re not interested in your feelings, Mary, we are interested in facts, in documentation in statistics. You say you don’t feel the laws keep homosexuality from going on. Sure there are lots of things that go on, but how much more prevalent they would be if we relaxed the laws. You talk about homosexuals who’ll be honest with you and he’ll soon tell you that he’s been a homosexual for any length of homosexuality or bisexual- he’ll go out to the public rest rooms, to the libraries, and to rest rooms in parks, and solicit activity with younger men and boys. I have some books here entitled Oh Boy!- photos of nude boys from about 10-16. These men have these books. They’ll tell a youngster they have pictures of naked women to get them interested but its black market books on boys which turn them on. Our officers constantly are striving to better understand homosexuals. And I agree with you about prevention. I think its time we realize there might be something wrong with that nice young unmarried boy down the street who’s taken such an interest in my little boy and wants to take him on fishing trips and sleep with him in a pup tent. People would think it terrible to say, a 13 years old girl go with a 20 year old man under these circumstances, but they think nothing about it with a boy. By the time many of them find out how wrong they were its two late. (04/26/1970 SLTribune B6-1)
- 1924 - 2007 Max Yospe dies from complications that arose from Alzheimer's disease By Nate Carlisle Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated:01/30/2007 Max Yospe, the LDS convert and Salt Lake City police officer who helped start the department's chaplain service, died Thursday at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Salt Lake City. He was 82. His wife, Elaine Yospe, said he suffered complications from Alzheimer's disease. Yospe was an officer at the Salt Lake City Police Department and was appointed chaplain in 1975. Two years later, he organized a chaplain corps at the department. Today, the corps has 16 chaplains, representing seven denominations, according to the department's Web site. Elaine Yospe said The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints suggested the unit to the department. Yospe thought clergy could help police officers tell people their family member had died, Elaine Yospe said. "It was a way to help the public receive bad news," Elaine Yospe said. The chaplain unit took on other responsibilities, including counseling youths, crime victims and police officers. "If a guy runs into the room and blurts out that he just raped two women and killed one, you can't expect a police chaplain to keep that in confidence,'' Yospe told The Tribune in 1994. "But if a guy comes in and says he needs to clear his conscience - 'I've been stealing from my boss or cheating on my wife' - then we would keep it in confidence." The chaplain unit spread to the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office in the mid-1990s and the two agencies operated a joint chaplain unit before separating about two years later, said Steven Kirts, the sheriff's senior chaplain. Yospe was born July 25, 1924, in Chicago to Russian-Jewish parents. Elaine Yospe said her husband had practiced Judaism. During World War II, the Army posted Yospe to Tooele and he converted to Mormonism. An LDS Church spokesman said church records indicate Yospe was the first LDS bishop of Jewish descent. Yospe's family said he joined the Tooele police force in the late 1940s, serving 4 1/2 years. Salt Lake City police said Yospe joined as a patrolman in 1951 and retired from full-time duty in 1983. He remained a chaplain until 2001, the department said. His survivors include his wife and three children. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today at East Millcreek 2nd Ward chapel, 3750 S. 2500 East in Holladay. ncarlisle@sltrib.com
.jpg) |
| Pepper Emperor I |
.jpg) |
| Deanna Empress I |
1978:
St. Paul, Minnesota, voters repeal a provision in the city’s human rights
ordinance that protects gays and lesbians from discrimination. The ordinance is
repealed by a 2-to-1 margin; 54,096 in favor of repeal, 31,694 against. This was part of a national backlash against the Gay Rights Movement spurred on by Anita Bryant's Save Our Children movement.
 |
| Dan White |
1979-Jury selection began in the trial of
former police officer and city supervisor Dan White, who killed San Francisco
mayor George Moscone and out Gay city supervisor Harvey Milk. Among those
selected was a retired police officer who was a friend of White's uncle. City
police officers had contributed $100,000 to White's defense fund.
1982- Kim Shirtliff elected director of Salt Lake Affirmation
1982- Golden Spike Humanitarian
Award was given to Nancy Kelly a non-Gay woman by the Royal Court of the
Golden Spike Empire of Utah
1988 Monday, VERY SPECIAL ARTS FESTIVAL
SATURDAY IN U. BALLROOM Utah's
Very
Special Arts Festival is scheduled for Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., in
the Olpin Union Ballroom at the University of Utah. Exhibits and activities
will involve about 100 young artists, according to Barbara Pioli, executive
director of Very Special Arts Utah. Students from as far away as Price and
Layton will attend. "The arts are learning tools that build self-esteem,
communication and socializing skills among the handicapped," said Pioli,
"and the festival is a platform to show what the handicapped can do, leading
to integration with the non-handicapped." She invites the public to join
in the fun and experience the arts. Admission is free. Trevor Cushman, general
manager of Ballet West will be keynote speaker at the luncheon, and awards will
be given to three handicapped Utahns Carla Gourdin, Heather Horman and Dirk
Douglass. Gourdin, who was disabled by a trampoline accident at age 14, has
since earned a B.A. from BYU in 1980 and is now studying computer programming.
She began painting in 1975, also does wood carving, leather work, lithographs
and small sculptures, and has shown at many shows. Some of her work will be on
display.
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| Carla Gourdin |
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| Ben Williams |
1989-The Advocate ran a cover story titled
"Married with Boyfriend" which denied the existence of bisexuals and
suggested that all polyamorous relationships are sick.
1992 Marce Alvarez Gonzales passed away of AIDS age
38 Obituary
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1992 Representatives of the Roman Catholic,
Episcopal, Unitarian-Universalist and Jewish faiths discussed their religious
responses to AIDS as part of AIDS Awareness Week activities at the University
of Utah. Salt Lake Tribune
1993-The third March on Washington for GLB
rights was held, with an estimated 750,000 to 1 million attending. About 100 activists from
Utah joined the "1993 March on Washington for Gay, Lesbian and Bi Equal
Rights and Liberation". Speakers and performers at the rally following the march
included Judith Light, Melissa Etheridge, RuPaul, Martina Navratilova, Ian
McKellen, Eartha Kitt, Lani Ka'ahumanu, and Urvashi Vaid, Jesse
Jackson, and Martha Wash
- -A Salt Lake City rally for those not attending the Washington march is planned for Saturday at the downtown federal building, 100 S. State St.
- UTAH
LOGAN MARCH IN 1993 DREW ANTI-GAY PROTESTORS. When there was an equal rights
demonstration in Logan, Utah in April,1993 because everyone couldn't go to the
national March on Washington), some 350 gay and gay-friendly people gathered
for speeches, and a march, several blocks through town past the newspaper
office and back to the county courthouse. The protestors had great interactions
with local police and great protection, especially as they were forced to pass
single file through a crowd of 250 anti-gay counter-protestors who were gathered
at the newspapers office. There were no physical altercations, although several
of the anti-gay people were led away, some extra-curricular items were
confiscated, and a young jack-booted nazi became the face of the anti-crowd. It
was way too good! (Memoirs of
Kelly Byrnes MCC Bridgerland, Logan, Utah
Kelly Byrnes - Today is the historic March On Washington for Gays and Lesbian Rights. I was with them in spirit, while marching here in Utah. Yesterday I made arrangements with Utah Stonewall Center's director, Melissa Sillitoe and Michelle Davies to go with them to Logan for the Cache Valley Gay and Lesbian Alliance's first ever march and rally. The folks in Logan were protesting that Logan's Herald Journal had dumped the "For Better Or Worse " comic strip from the paper because of its positive homosexual theme. Anyway, the rally was held at 2 p.m ,so we left at noon to get there on time and oh my, was it ever festive. I was impressed. Perhaps two hundred or more Gays and Lesbians with their supporters showed up on the county court house lawn, carrying balloons, rainbow flags, and multicolored signs and posters. It really put Salt Lake's rally to shame. The media was out in droves and I had to ask TV cameramen not to put my face on camera. Now that I am a teacher, I am relunctant for parents to see my face as a Gay Activist on the evening news. The speakers were excellent especially Rebecca Wheeler of N.O.W. and Darryl Ferman of the ACLU. Ken Johnson, this gorgeous blond man, was the main organizer of the event along with Kelly Byrnes of MCC. I was glad to see that a lot of people came up from SLC to lend support. Ken said he was only expecting about fifty to show for the rally so he was very grateful for the large turnout. After the stirring speeches we marched ½ mile to the Herald Journal. On the way this very sweet little old lady came up to me at one point, and told me that she was the mother of a Gay son who had died horribly last year. She said she knew that the Lord loved him and that He loves us also. That was a very compassionate thing for this woman to say, and she also warned us that there were a lot of hateful people over at the Herald Journal, who were professing to be Christian. She said she couldn't even stand to be over there on their side of the street because they were so full of hate and she said she could sense that we were full of love. I thanked her for her kind words and that her true Christian love is what will keep Gay people in the faith. Over at the Herald Journal there were about three hundred people acting as a counter demonstration, spewing "hate" jargon, and carrying signs trying to show Bible verses for why God hates Gays. Skinheads, and cowboy trash tried to block the march but the police, who were out in force, made the bigots let us pass. But we nearly had to walk single file, as hateful catcalls were hurled at us. I have marched in New York City, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City but only here in Logan, was I ever concerned for my personal safety and those who were marching with me. I took notes for an article for the Pillar and tried to be brave. I copied down the malevolent slogans, and looked into the faces of the people who hated us. It was not pretty. Many of them wore red arm bands, (which ironically is what the Nazi's and Hitler's Youth wore), to show they were there to protest our march. But as one of our speakers later pointed out, if we are so different from them why do they have to wear arms bands to tell themselves apart from us? To bolster my courage from the anxiety I was having, I kept saying to myself as I walked through the jeering, hate spewing crowd, "Tho I walk Throught the Valley of Death I will fear no evil," and I meant it too. We all had anxious moments. I walked along side this older woman who was marching with us, and said to her that this really does draw a line in the sand between the hatemongers, and those who stand for social justice, and that I know what side I want to be on. Needless to say it was an anxious but exhilarating day, and a true historic occasion for Logan and Utah. I was glad I was there to march with the brave souls of Logan especially since I couldn't be in Washington DC this time. (Journal of Ben Williams)
1999 Salt Lake Tribune Editorial: In a month
in which the whole country has been attuned to the ugly consequences of teen
alienation, it is regrettable that the East High School community could not
summon more tolerance for some of its outcast students, namely the members of
the Gay Straight Alliance. …It is hard to believe that six minutes of
information on the Gay-lesbian experience can be perceived as insidious
propaganda, as the overwrought parents seemed to think. However, the East High administration did
make a mistake in not allowing offended students to leave.25 April 1999Page: AA1 : Tribune Editorial Out of Proportion at East In a month in which the whole country has been attuned to the ugly consequences of teen alienation, it is regrettable that the East High School community could not summon more tolerance for some of its outcast students, namely the members of the Gay Straight Alliance. Prohibiting their presentations at school assemblies does not advance the cause of greater understanding. The latest controversy surrounding East High's gay club, which now meets unofficially due to the Salt Lake School District's three-year-old ban on noncurricular clubs, erupted earlier this month when the alliance made a six-minute presentation as part of the school's multicultural assembly. Some students were upset that they were not permitted to leave the assembly, and angry parents turned out by the dozens at an East High Community Council meeting three nights later to protest. To his credit, Principal Kay Petersen took responsibility for approving the alliance's segment. He had previewed it and, given the recent history at East, he showed courage in allowing it to be shown. It is hard to believe that six minutes of information on the gay-lesbian experience can be perceived as insidious propaganda, as the overwrought parents seemed to think. However, the East High administration did make a mistake in not allowing offended students to leave. If the central element in this whole gay-club controversy is freedom -- freedom to speak, to express, to assemble -- then it is contradictory to deny other students the freedom to choose not to be exposed to gay presentations. Offended students should have been allowed to leave, with alternative activities available to them. If that had been the case on April 9, it is unlikely that this incident would have escalated as it did. But that has been the sorry history of East High's gay-club controversy: Miscalculations mushroom into overreactions, exposing the community's anti-gay feelings in the process, and ultimately leading to solutions worse than the original problem. In 1996, it was the mistake of not granting club status to the Gay Straight Alliance turning into a ban on all clubs. This time, it is the mistake of making students watch an uncomfortable presentation turning into a ban of any such future presentations by the alliance at the school's multicultural assemblies. Again, a disproportionate solution. In the midst of all the commotion this month, U.S. District Judge Bruce Jenkins heard motions on a lawsuit filed last year against the club ban and offered some sage words: "I sometimes wonder if school boards at more levels ought to add to their curriculum a class in tolerance, a class in compassion, a class in human dignity, a class on recognizing that not everybody's the same." Or, if not a full class, perhaps six minutes?
1999Page: AA2 Public Forum Letter Bogus Culture Group East High Principal Kay Petersen is right that "every student has a right to feel safe at school," even gay ones. But he is wrong that a group such as East High's Gay Straight Alliance belongs in the school's multicultural assembly along with groups from Africa, Fiji, Tahiti and Samoa. How is "gay" a culture separate and different from the culture in which the members of the group were raised? Does it have to do with Judy Garland and Broadway musicals? There are gay Africans, for example. Is their culture different from that of the other Africans in the assembly? If gay Americans have a culture deserving of its own place in the school’s multicultural assembly, why were no other American subgroups represented? Where was the Future Motorcycle Gang Alliance? Where was the Heavy Metal Rock Head Banger Club? The Students Who Couldn't Get A Date to the Prom? For that matter, where were the Students of Mixed European Ancestry? Over the years, I have had gay friends at school, at work and as neighbors. Not for a minute did I consider any of them as belonging to another culture. We shared some tastes, differed in others. I would hope that all of them consider themselves Americans, period, and that the notion they are of another culture is insulting. By claiming that the gay rights movement is an extension of the civil-rights movement, groups such as the Gay Straight Alliance pressure some, like Kay Petersen, into accepting the notion that homosexuals are a special group, deserving of special privileges. If that is true, then so are Teen-agers Who Actually Like Classical Music, and Mormons For A Two-Party System. WILLIAM BROUGH Sandy
1999Page: AA8 Guest Column; Op Ed Column NCCJ Supports East High Principal for Promoting Dialogue With Gay Students Byline: BY BRIAN FOSS and JOAN W. SMITH Through more than 33 years of serving the people of Utah, The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) has striven to pursue our mission: to fight bias, bigotry and racism by promoting understanding and respect through advocacy, conflict resolution and education. NCCJ feels a responsibility to teach the human relations skills that lead to a shared sense of mutual respect and understanding for one another. It is with this responsibility in mind, that the Utah Region of NCCJ strongly supports Kay Peterson, retiring Principal of East High School, in his efforts to stand up for the rights of all students. It is through the actions of people like Mr. Peterson that others can learn to overcome the destructive barriers of prejudice and discrimination, to recognize our shared humanity. Through his actions, Mr. Peterson teaches us that regardless of whether we agree or disagree with person's sexual orientation, no individual deserves to be treated with hatred and contempt. NCCJ recognizes that the issue of sexual orientation is a difficult matter for many. We know that sexual orientation is especially hard to talk about, because we are under informed or focused on debates about the teachings of religious traditions. Many of us never had the opportunity to discuss, in an open and honest format, issues that were considered highly sensitive. Our "information" came from comments we overheard or that were spoken to us on the school playground, at home, places of worship, or through the media. The same is true today. How, then, are we and our children going to learn to treat one another with mutual respect? The answer is by openly and honestly talking with each other. We believe that there is no better indicator to the need for dialogue than what is happening to many of our children. According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control in 1995 for 4,000 high school students: 37 percent of gay youth have attempted suicide (contrasted to 9 percent of the total student population); 20 percent of gay youth had skipped school in the prior month because of feeling unsafe (compared to 4.5 percent of all students); and 67 percent of gay youth had been threatened or injured by a weapon at school in the prior year (compared to 29 percent of all students). Why dialogue? Through honest and meaningful conversations we become more aware of and strengthen our understanding of one another, in turn, overcoming our own fears and lack of knowledge. It is too easy to discriminate against an individual when he/she is merely a label (i.e., homosexual). Open dialogue forces us to overcome our obstacles to see the human being before the label. Conducting such dialogues are part of NCCJ's responsibility to be responsible. We believe that each of us has a responsibility to ourselves, our friends, our children, and our co-workers to become more educated about these issues. Doing so is, not only critical for our community to progress, but because without open and frank discussions, our children are at risk. In the words of the Catholic Bishop's pastoral letter of 1997, "Always Our Children," we must all confront and overcome our own biases to reach a realm of mutual respect and responsibility for all: "We call on all Christians and citizens of good will to confront their own fears about homosexuality and to curb the humor and discrimination that offend homosexual persons. We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society bringing additional prejudicial treatment." The people of Utah can confront homophobia by continuing to educate our community about the challenges faced by gays and lesbians. Let us expand the breadth and depth of these conversations that have prevented us from effectively working on shared concerns, and have the courage and strength to examine our own biases--and we all have them. For then and only then, will we move toward having a community that allows all of our members to live in an area that respects each individual for who they are. And let us look to individuals, such as Kay Peterson, for strength and guidance, who taught us all a valuable lesson: to make this community just, respectful and inclusive we must learn to follow the Golden Rule--do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Brian Foss is vice president of public policy for the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). Joan W. Smith is executive director of the Utah Region of NCCJ.
1999Page: AA2 Public Forum Letter Bogus Culture Group East High Principal Kay Petersen is right that "every student has a right to feel safe at school," even gay ones. But he is wrong that a group such as East High's Gay Straight Alliance belongs in the school's multicultural assembly along with groups from Africa, Fiji, Tahiti and Samoa. How is "gay" a culture separate and different from the culture in which the members of the group were raised? Does it have to do with Judy Garland and Broadway musicals? There are gay Africans, for example. Is their culture different from that of the other Africans in the assembly? If gay Americans have a culture deserving of its own place in the school’s multicultural assembly, why were no other American subgroups represented? Where was the Future Motorcycle Gang Alliance? Where was the Heavy Metal Rock Head Banger Club? The Students Who Couldn't Get A Date to the Prom? For that matter, where were the Students of Mixed European Ancestry? Over the years, I have had gay friends at school, at work and as neighbors. Not for a minute did I consider any of them as belonging to another culture. We shared some tastes, differed in others. I would hope that all of them consider themselves Americans, period, and that the notion they are of another culture is insulting. By claiming that the gay rights movement is an extension of the civil-rights movement, groups such as the Gay Straight Alliance pressure some, like Kay Petersen, into accepting the notion that homosexuals are a special group, deserving of special privileges. If that is true, then so are Teen-agers Who Actually Like Classical Music, and Mormons For A Two-Party System. WILLIAM BROUGH Sandy
1999Page: AA8 Guest Column; Op Ed Column NCCJ Supports East High Principal for Promoting Dialogue With Gay Students Byline: BY BRIAN FOSS and JOAN W. SMITH Through more than 33 years of serving the people of Utah, The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) has striven to pursue our mission: to fight bias, bigotry and racism by promoting understanding and respect through advocacy, conflict resolution and education. NCCJ feels a responsibility to teach the human relations skills that lead to a shared sense of mutual respect and understanding for one another. It is with this responsibility in mind, that the Utah Region of NCCJ strongly supports Kay Peterson, retiring Principal of East High School, in his efforts to stand up for the rights of all students. It is through the actions of people like Mr. Peterson that others can learn to overcome the destructive barriers of prejudice and discrimination, to recognize our shared humanity. Through his actions, Mr. Peterson teaches us that regardless of whether we agree or disagree with person's sexual orientation, no individual deserves to be treated with hatred and contempt. NCCJ recognizes that the issue of sexual orientation is a difficult matter for many. We know that sexual orientation is especially hard to talk about, because we are under informed or focused on debates about the teachings of religious traditions. Many of us never had the opportunity to discuss, in an open and honest format, issues that were considered highly sensitive. Our "information" came from comments we overheard or that were spoken to us on the school playground, at home, places of worship, or through the media. The same is true today. How, then, are we and our children going to learn to treat one another with mutual respect? The answer is by openly and honestly talking with each other. We believe that there is no better indicator to the need for dialogue than what is happening to many of our children. According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control in 1995 for 4,000 high school students: 37 percent of gay youth have attempted suicide (contrasted to 9 percent of the total student population); 20 percent of gay youth had skipped school in the prior month because of feeling unsafe (compared to 4.5 percent of all students); and 67 percent of gay youth had been threatened or injured by a weapon at school in the prior year (compared to 29 percent of all students). Why dialogue? Through honest and meaningful conversations we become more aware of and strengthen our understanding of one another, in turn, overcoming our own fears and lack of knowledge. It is too easy to discriminate against an individual when he/she is merely a label (i.e., homosexual). Open dialogue forces us to overcome our obstacles to see the human being before the label. Conducting such dialogues are part of NCCJ's responsibility to be responsible. We believe that each of us has a responsibility to ourselves, our friends, our children, and our co-workers to become more educated about these issues. Doing so is, not only critical for our community to progress, but because without open and frank discussions, our children are at risk. In the words of the Catholic Bishop's pastoral letter of 1997, "Always Our Children," we must all confront and overcome our own biases to reach a realm of mutual respect and responsibility for all: "We call on all Christians and citizens of good will to confront their own fears about homosexuality and to curb the humor and discrimination that offend homosexual persons. We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society bringing additional prejudicial treatment." The people of Utah can confront homophobia by continuing to educate our community about the challenges faced by gays and lesbians. Let us expand the breadth and depth of these conversations that have prevented us from effectively working on shared concerns, and have the courage and strength to examine our own biases--and we all have them. For then and only then, will we move toward having a community that allows all of our members to live in an area that respects each individual for who they are. And let us look to individuals, such as Kay Peterson, for strength and guidance, who taught us all a valuable lesson: to make this community just, respectful and inclusive we must learn to follow the Golden Rule--do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Brian Foss is vice president of public policy for the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). Joan W. Smith is executive director of the Utah Region of NCCJ.
1999. An Audio tape presentation by Dr.
Allison Bingham, Affirmation Youth Director, regarding the establishment of
Affirmation's Youth Services on the national level, with suggestions and helps
for being proactive in our communities to provide service, support and leadership
was held in Provo. .
 |
| Jay Bell |
2003 The executive committee of the Utah Stonewall Historical Society consisted of Chad Keller, Ben Williams, Chuck Whyte, and Mark
Swonson.
 |
| James Hicks |
2006 Tuesday Subject: Neo Cons Attacking
Liberties Through Marriage Amendment LDS Church backs marriage amendment To
U.S. Constitution: Religious leaders sign the petition that would guard
'traditional' unions By Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune The
LDS
Church has joined a national religious coalition to push an amendment to the U.S.
Constitution that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. LDS
Apostle Russell M. Nelson joined 50 prominent Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox
and Jewish leaders in signing a petition explaining why they see a need for
such a constitutional amendment. "We are convinced that this is the only
measure that will adequately protect marriage from those who would circumvent
the legislative process and force a redefinition of it on the whole of our
society," reads the petition released to the public on Monday. The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement acknowledging its
involvement with the Religious Coalition for Marriage, but spokesman Dale Bills
declined any further comment and said Nelson was granting no interviews. The
petition isn't the first attempt to amend the Constitution in regard to
marriage. A similar effort failed in 2004, but it did generate significant
opposition to same-sex marriage that helped bring many conservative voters to
the polls in some pivotal states in 2004. That same year, Utah amended its own
constitution to define marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman -
a move the LDS Church endorsed. The church has issued two previous statements
in support of a constitutional amendment on marriage, and its position is
clearly laid out in the 1994 document, "The Family: A Proclamation to the
World." Valerie Larabee, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian
Community Center of Utah, said she was disappointed but no
t surprised by this
new drive to amend the U.S. Constitution. "The Constitution is a very
empowering document," Larabee said Monday. "This is the first time it
would be used to take away rights, rather than extend them." The U.S. has
many bigger problems to face than how to define marriage, she said. "It's
time to stop discriminating against [gays and lesbians] for something they have
no control over." Since the passage of Utah's marriage amendment, many
gays and lesbians have gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid discrimination in
the workplace and protect their families, Larabee said. "If Utah voters
truly knew the impact of Amendment 3, they'd be disgusted." This new
effort is nothing more than "political pandering and an electoral
distraction," said Scott McCoy, an openly gay state senator who helped
organize
opposition to Utah's marriage amendment. Congress is not likely to
pass a constitutional amendment, nor should it, McCoy said. "Domestic
relations law has never been a federal issue, not for 200 years."
Proponents of a traditional marriage definition say a constitutional amendment
would immediately shut down all legal challenges to it across the nation.
Currently, there are court cases in Washington, California, Iowa, New York,
Connecticut, New Jersey and Maryland, said Monte Stewart, executive director of
the Marriage Law Foundation in Orem. "They are demanding that the court
redefine marriage as the union of any two people," Stewart said. "It
would end all the pending court cases and would give the U.S. a uniform definition
of marriage." Both the organizers and gay rights groups said what was
striking about this new petition drive was the direct involvement by high-
ranking Roman Catholic officials, including 16 bishops. Although the church has
long opposed same-sex unions, and the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops had previously endorsed the idea of a constitutional amendment banning
such unions, evangelical Protestants generally led the charge when the
amendment was debated in 2004. The petition drive was organized in part by Robert
P. George of Princeton, a Catholic scholar with close ties to evangelical
Protestant groups. Aides to three Republican senators - Bill Frist of
Tennessee, the Republican leader; Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania; and Sam
Brownback of Kansas - were also involved, organizers said. Organizers said the
petition had brought together cardinals from both the left and right sides of
the United States bishops' conference, including the liberal Cardinal Roger M.
Mahony of Los Angeles and the conservative Cardinal Francis George of Chicago,
as well as Cardinals Edward M. Egan of New York, Theodore E. McCarrick of
Washington, William H. Keeler of Baltimore and Sean Patrick O'Malley of Boston.
The prominent conservative Protestant figures included leaders of the Southern
Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination, as well as the
president of conservative Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and a handful of
Episcopal bishops. Matt Daniels, founder of the Alliance for Marriage, an
umbrella group that supports the proposed amendment, said the religious leaders
represented "huge numbers" of people. His group has set up a Web
site, http://www. religiouscoalitionformarriage. org, which includes the
petition, pew handouts and suggested notes for sermons. pstack@sltrib.com --The
New York Times contributed to this story.
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| Valerie Larabee |
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| Scott McCoy |
- 2006 Tuesday MaryAnn Martindale Re: NEO CONS
Attacking Liberties Through
Marriage Amendment I am so sick of this. I have decided that I am boycotting any wedding that takes place or has the participation of any of the church groups that oppose gay marriage. For every invitation I receive from someone getting married by one of those "churches" I'm going to make a donation in their name to HRC and send them a congratulations card explaining it! I am through throwing my disposable income away on registry gifts for people who think I'm less worthy than them. I won't boycott people getting married independently - people who I know believe that we should have the same rights -- as long as they don't get married in a church that opposes us. Okay - who's with me?!
MaryAnn Martindale - 2006 Tuesday Mike Picardi Re: [gay_forum_utah] Re: NEO CONS Attacking Liberties Through Marriage Amendment Count me in!!! I have quite a hard time with my Catholic background and all the relatives who get married in the Church, let alone the friends…but this is a great idea. My sister who is a nun, always gives a donation in my name to some charity, now it's my turn. Mike P
- 2006 Tuesday James Hicks Re: [gay_forum_utah] Re: NEO CONS Attacking Liberties Through Marriage Amendment Sounds like a good plan.
- 2006 Tuesday Deb Rosenberg Re: NEO CONS Attacking Liberties Through Marriage Amendment Very cool idea. I guess we can extend this "gifting" to birthdays, anniversaries, and deaths too. Deb
- 2006 Tuesday Marianne Martindale Re: NEO CONS Attacking Liberties Through Marriage Amendment Obviously, anyone is free to incorporate it any way they feel will work. Personally, I'm really going to try and only incorporate it into events that are "endorsed" by anti-gay groups (i.e. blessings/christenings, baptisms, weddings, and the like). I think if it is applied to every occasion regardless of religious affiliation, it dilutes the message and could come off as just a way to get out of giving a gift. I don't want to be seen as cheap, I want to be recognized as being offended at the discriminatory practices of their chosen religion. Just my two-cents.
2006 Ben Barr wrote: Hey Ben How are you -- I
was wondering what happened to the Utah history group? It just seemed to disappear.
Did you shut down the group? All the best Ben--- Ben-David Barr, MSW Doctoral
Candidate, Graduate Student Researcher Center for Social Services Research
School of Social Welfare University of California, Berkeley 120 Haviland Hall,
#7400 Berkeley, CA 94720-7400
- From: "Ben Williams" To: Ben Barr Yeah, I did last January. No one was that interested LOL. I created a Utah Gay Community Forum Yahoo Group so people could spout off about community events and leaders and besides my blog where I am recording my journal from 1986 I am not actively keeping the history site going. I write a column for Michael Aaron's paper QSL on history and am trotted out to talk to school groups but that is about it. Keep touch and I hope your life is good. I just turned 55 years old so I am now officially a Senior Baby Boomer LOL. Best Regards and happiness Ben Williams
- Ben Barr wrote: Hi congrats on turning 55 - I just became a grandpop.
- Ben Williams wrote- Grandpa Ben LOLLOLOL and I thought I was old! Congrats
.jpg) |
| John Griffin aka Nova Starr |
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| Troy Williams |
The authors describe Dixon as "the voice of courage" who realizes she needs to stand up against authority to do what she feels is right. Frost, who was raised in Spanish Fork, said the character was inspired by his mother and her friends, and he's planning to dedicate the first performance to those women. The play loosely follows the plotline of Joan of Arc's life. The audience watches as Sister Dottie grapples with her son, Donnie, as he comes out of the proverbial closet. When it came time to casting Dixon, there was never any question that it would be played by Frost himself. Active in the arts most of life, Frost belongs to the Actors Equity Association and the Screen Actors Guild. One of his high-profile local roles was creating the character of the father in Plan-B Production's premiere of Carol Lynn Pearson's "Facing East." Playing Sister Dottie, however, in the premiere production directed
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| Laurie Mecham |
2014 ·Bob
Gray (1923-2014): “You Cannot Conceive” by Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. · in About Us. · Author
Charles Francis. I
interviewed Washington “Power House” lobbyist Robert Keith Gray almost two
years ago (when he was approaching 90) on-the-record for the Mattachine Society
of Washington, D.C. More than fifty
years prior to the interview, Bob Gray
had served as Appointments Secretary and Secretary of the Cabinet for President
Dwight D. Eisenhower. He very kindly
fielded my questions as I took notes with his assent, over coffee in
Washington. I worked for Gray &
Company at “The Power House” in the 1980s and respected him greatly then, and
now in remembrance.
CF:
Bob, I have been researching and writing about Arthur Vandenberg, Jr., son
of Senator Arthur Vandenberg
(R-Michigan). Vandenberg, Jr. was gay. He was named Appointments Secretary by
President Eisenhower in 1952 and fired in 1953—just before the inaugural. (FBI Director) Hoover outed him to the
President.
(CF
shares with Bob Gray the letter from President Eisenhower terminating
Vandenberg: “Dear Arthur, When Mamie and I go off to Washington this weekend,
one of our great regrets will be that you are unable to be with us. I am very
distressed about your health…I feel in some respects guilty. …Meanwhile, as I
know you understand, we have to go ahead with our setup.” (Correspondence,
President Dwight Eisenhower to Arthur Vandenberg, Jr., January 17, 1953.)
CF:
Did you know Vandenberg Jr. ?
- RKG: No, I did not. I did know his father.
CF:
What do you think of Eisenhower’s letter firing him?
- RKG: This letter make me nervous, itch and sweat on his behalf. When I read that, the awful pain to hide something like this! The sweeping totality (of the ban, Executive Order 10450) to not hire a single homosexual…it was a witch-hunt invitation to the entire country.
CF:
You were appointed to the exact same job as Arthur Vandenberg, Jr. three years
after his firing at the hands of Hoover. How did you miss his fate, fired for
“health reasons”?
- RKG: It took six weeks to get a clearance. I remember how relieved I was when the Naval Department said, “you got your security clearance. I tried to act as nonchalant as I could, even though my heart was pounding. I was still trying to make myself straight, dating women. If I had been in any way sexually active, I would have been outed. I was an open book, working twenty -hour days. That was fulfilling enough for me.
CF:
What was it like to be gay in 1956 at the White House?
- RKG: You cannot conceive what it was like. Eisenhower was a fair guy, but the law was the law.
CF:
But what about J. Edgar Hoover?
- RKG: There would be no reason anyone would know my story. I knew I was different, and I knew what I’d do if I were going to be accused. I told myself, “I’ll march right over to J. Edgar Hoover and tell him all about it. Of course, I didn’t know he was a homosexual then.”
CF:
Help me understand Nebraska back in the day.
- RKG: It is so very hard to appreciate how far we have come. The younger generation doesn’t realize this at all. In my hometown (Hastings, Nebraska, an old railroad town, population around 10,000 in the 1920s), there were two known queers. The two “town queers” is what people said.
- RKG: When I was a kid, I knew all about the “Golden Spike”, the last spike driven into the rails of the transcontinental railroad. At my grandmother’s house there was a picture on the wall of the final spike ceremony, and I remember thinking in later years there were two thousand workmen who built that railroad, so one hundred of them were gay. Men who spent their whole lives thinking they were the only ones, thinking that they were one of nature’s mistakes, misfits.”
CF:
Your memory combines one of the mythic American moments with imagined outcast
men. So how do you feel now about President Eisenhower firing his family friend
and political counsel Vandenberg?
- RKG: Those letters show how kind and understanding a man Eisenhower was. He treated it (homosexuality) as a sickness which is what intelligent people did in his time. The letter to Vandenberg is very impressive and a nice thing he did –for his age, at that time—providing a cover– ‘health’. Most people would have said ‘these queers’. (Studying the letter): It is a very warm letter. He underscored the cover. Ike was a very decent guy. Obviously, he felt for him.
CF:
At age ninety, what do you say to young people about the distance gays and
lesbians have traveled?
- RKG: It is so tough to take yourself as far back as that, to the “Golden Spike” days. Back then there were no outlets at all. There was no way to know if there was anyone else in the world.
CF:
So, how did you find your way into the highest levels of Washington, working
for President Eisenhower?
- RKG: I should write a book, “how to look for a job”! That first month, I walked the pavement. I had been a poli-sci major, and had enough money to last thirty days. I was up all night writing letters! When I would talk to two people, those two would recommend me to four. Eventually, I got to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Navy for Manpower and got my first job. I also wrote a letter to Fred Seaton, publisher of my hometown newspaper, “The Hastings Tribune”. Seaton owned several Midwest newspapers, had been a Senator. (note: Seaton had been appointed to the seat vacated by the death of Nebraska’s notoriously anti-gay Senator Kenneth Wherry, a leader of anti-homosexual witch-hunts along with Senator Joseph McCarthy). “Seaton called me one morning. He had become Sherman Adam’s Deputy Chief of Staff. He asked, would I come for breakfast. “Seaton told me that they were looking for someone to head-up “the patronage jobs”, at the White House. They were looking for a thirty-day part-time replacement. Three months later, I had become chief of staff to Sherman Adams. Adams was a tyrant. The rumor was “Sherman Adams eats babies for breakfast”. I was scared to death of him, and loved him.
CF:
Looking back, do you think it is ironic that you, a gay man, had been chosen by
Sherman Adams to essentially replace a gay man who had been fired for being
homosexual, Arthur Vandenberg, Jr.? (Note: Vandenberg was fired in 1953 and
replaced by Tom Stephens. Gray took over from Stephens.)
CF:
Here is Adams again choosing someone with no family, able to put in twenty-hour
days?
- RKG: I don’t want to be known as the gay guy who worked at the White House! Being gay is a miniscule part of who I am, not my whole being; nor am I a standard-bearer. I was not hired because of it, nor was I hired because I was heterosexual.”
CF:
So how did the gay issue play-out in later years, after you had left
Eisenhower?
- RKG: I remember the Campaign of 1964 when I was working for Barry Goldwater. LBJ’s closest staff aid Walter Jenkins was arrested at the YMCA and was hospitalized as having had a breakdown. They beat the story to death. The media couldn’t leave it alone; it was incessant. Finally, Johnson had enough, saying “we Democrats are too decent for this….we knew it was a sickness.”
CF:
And by the Kennedy administration, you never heard from J. Edgar Hoover?
- RKG: My first secretary at Hill & Knowlton was Marie Tolson, Clyde Tolson’s niece! (Note: Hoover’s companion, Clyde Tolson was Associate Director of the FBI from 1930-1972). Some years later, I remember getting a call from President Nixon’s personal assistant Rosemary Woods. She said that her brother Joe—worked for the FBI, had ten kids—“if you ever run across anything good for Joe….”. I didn’t do anything, but Hoover must have found out—you did not leave Hoover. There must have been a buzz about Joe looking for a new opportunity. Hoover called Rosemary’s brother, Joe Woods, and fired him. “You’re out of here”, Hoover said, according to Bob Gray.
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