4 April
1902 Collins Throat Cut By a Boy
Clyde Felt a Fourteen Year Old Lad Confesses to Having
Killed the Victim at
Latter’s Instance Has He Told All? “Did I kill old man Collins?” asked Clyde
Felt a fourteen year old boy, under strong official questioning this morning
after he had lied to and baffled the police for days. “Yes,” he said with no
Indication of regret. “I cut his throat with a his razor. He asked me begged me
to do it and I did so.” This confession
on the part of the youthful slayer clears up a mystery the like of which Utah
officials have never before attempted to solve, The deed is simply without
parallel or precedent In the annals of local crime. Whether the boy has told
all the truth remain to be seen. He claims that he did the killing single
handed and alone: that he did so simply
as an accommodation to his aged victim who appears to have been a moral pervert
of the worst kind. There are those who doubt the accuracy of this contention
and in support of their disbelief say that the lad has already told so many
untruths and made so many corrections that what he says should be accepted only
after strong corroboration. That a fourteen year old boy neither large nor
strong for his age could has handled a dead man the way he did is almost beyond
comprehension though he may have done so. He has had juvenile associates in
other unsavory escapades with his victim and It may transpire that he had them
In this horrible culmination of vicious conduct and dime novel reading. BOY’S
CONFESSION Young Felt Smilingly Tells How He Killed Hls Victim- At 11: 45 this
morning Officer Roberts arrived at the police station with Clyde Felt In his
custody. The boy walked Into the hall carelessly swinging a lantern. He was at
once taken into Chief Hilton’s private office where he was interviewed by representative of the “News”. He was asked to
make a full statement of the facts in the case and expressed a willingness to
do so. He prefaced his statements of the details of the awful crime by saying
that he had known old man Collins since 1900 and that ever since he made his
acquaintance he has been shockingly Intimate with the dead man who according to
his tale is a moral degenerate of the worst type. He told the story in an
apparently straight-forward manner and repeatedly declared he was holding back
nothing. “On Monday afternoon,” said he, “I went with Mr Collins Into Hells
hollow and for a long time he walked around as though looking for some place.
When we got to the cave he undressed himself took all his clothes off and told
me he was going to crawl into the cave to get some money he had there. Then he
asked me to get in there with him and I did.
He had some stakes, a hatchet, and a rope and he told me he wanted me to
drive the stakes into the ground and tie his feet and hands so he could not
flop around and then cut his throat. He begged and begged me to do it but I
refused. Then he took the rope and asked me to help tie him with it. At first I
would not do even that but he kept begging me and then I helped him wrap the
rope around his body Both of his arms were tied and he laid down on his back I
took the razor then and made a quick cut across his throat I got scared then
because he began to flop around and jerked one of his arms free.” WASHED OFF BLOOD “How was it you did not get
any blood on you?” was asked. “I did.” replied the boy smiling. “I took off my coat first but I got blood on
my hands and feet but I guess I wore it off my shoes. This happened about 5
o’clock Monday afternoon. When I got scared I got out of the cave and piled
some rocks up at the mouth but did not complete it. I ran down home than and at
the spring I washed the blood from my hands.” FINISHED JOB TUESDAY “On Tuesday,
that was the next day, I went back and finished the job of building up the wall
of the cave and then I burled the clothes under some rocks and I never touched
them after that. I took the razor and flung It up on the rocks where got it
from yesterday afternoon for the police. I don’t know that that old butcher
knife belonged to Collins. I don’t believe he owned it. I put the towel in the
sleeve of the coat. All the money I got was $5.60 and I got a watch and chain.
“Why did Collins want to die?” Clyde was asked.
“I don’t know. Guess he was a little crazy or a little off,” he answered.
Continuing: BEGGED BEFORE “He said the reason he wanted to die was because he
was sorry for what he had been doing to us boys and he was afraid someone would
find It out. I didn’t want to kill him but he just about made me. He had been
coaxing me for months to do it and he had coaxed three other boys to do it.
Once he coaxed Harry Potts and me to kill him. When I got into the cave with
him I didn’t know what he wanted to do. I was scared and he begged me so hard
and said ‘Please kill me’. I was not
fixed up between us at all and there was not another soul with us. We were all
alone and none of the other boys knew anything at all about it.FATHER’S
STATEMENT Collins Baleful influence and Dime Novel are Responsible: “My boy has
been the victim of the baleful Influence of a depraved moral degenerate and the
evil effects of dime novel reading.” That was the statement of Mr D P Felt,
father of Clyde Felt this morning to the “News”. And even while this was
sorrowfully stated by the stricken parent the sharp b-r-r-r-r-r of the city
editor’s telephone almost startled the listeners and a moment later it became
the painful duty of the head of the local staff to inform Mr Felt that his son
had just confessed to having cut Collins’ throat. A deep sign from the father
was the onlt reply and for a time the usually bustling office was as silent as
a tomb and the men bowed their heads in the presence of a grief that was deeper
and more heart piercing than that inspired by death itself. RESPONSIBLE
INFLUENCES Collins nurtured the beast that eventually arose up and slew him
according to Mr Felt’s opinion. “Not only has my boy been the victim Of that
degenerate fiend but others have come under the spell, as I firmly believe will
come out when all the details leading up to this horrible culmination shave
have been brought to light. For over a year past there has been something peculiar the actions of Clyde that
I could not fathom. When he was set to work at anything, he would do a little
of it and then leave It and fearing that perhaps that the boys with whom he
associated helped to foster this inattention to duty, his mother and I have
begged him to remain away from them. During this time too Collins has
frequently beseeched us to allow Clyde to sleep with hlm, but with the
exception of one night the permission was never granted. Then Mrs Felt was so
upset that she spent a tearful night and I determined that Clyde should never
go there again. NOVELS AND PISTOL “In my search about the house I looked
underneath the building and found hidden below the rafters 11 dime novels of the “Dick Brady” and “Frank
Meriwether” variety and a revolver, This latter Clyde purchased with the $5
that he took from the old man’s pocket.
I cannot understand it at all, except from the point of view that
Collins exercised a hypnotic Influence over the boy. I have never seriously thought of hypnotism
as practical science or potent manner of exerting an Influence over others but
now I cannot possibly think of any other explanation of my boy’s conduct. NEVER WEAKENED In order to try and bring the
boy to a realization of his position Mr Felt took his boy into a prison yard at
the city jail and a rough bed of blankets was spread upon rougher slats and the
Iron doors and grating clanged a
frightful accompaniment to the fathers pleading’s with his son. “Clyde this is
the first blot of disgrace that has ever come to the Felts. You are the first
Felt that was ever detained a minute In a jail.
Don’t you feel sorry? The lad
remained stolid inspite of all and appeared to feel little regret for the
bloody tragedy In which he has played so prominent a part. WERE ENSLAVED “I
believe the boy is relieved to think that Collins Is dead,” said Mr Felt later
on. “The old man had enslaved Clyde and others and it Is my belief that when
they killed him they felt that they were suddenly freed from their chains and
knew no regret for their actions. I say
they because it is my firm opinion that Clyde was by no means alone. When speaking
of his actions in the tragedy, Clyde would always tell me that “we” did this
and “we” did that and from this expression I form the opinion which I give.
HENRY POTTS Henry Potts the lad who first gave Clyde Felts story got all the
old man’s furniture and removed It to his own home. How it had been left to him
Is yet to be told. [Born 6 March 1887
SLC, UT- 9 August 1944 Los Angeles CA CLYDES EXPRESSIONS “Oh I wish I’d never
seen him!”, are the only regretful words that have yet escaped the lips of
Clyde Felt as he referred to the dead man. Another expression of the boy
evidently prompted by dime novel reading was “Pa, will they let me read the
newspapers?” HOW STORY WAS OBTAINED Chief
Hilton Outlines Method of Getting Young Slayer To Admit Guilt- The shocking
developments of today were the direct result of a plan of operation outlined by
Chief of Police Thomas Hilton yesterday afternoon. At 5:30 o’clock this
morning, Chief Hilton, County Attorney Christensen, Sergeant Burbidge, and
Officers Gillespie and Roberts left the police station mounted on horses. One of the officers had a buggy in which were
some provisions as they expected to be gone several hours. The boy who had been
detained in the woman’s ward of the city jail was taken along and the party made
all haste to Hell hollow. The boy had
told the officers the night before that he knew about where the grip was. From about 6:20 until after 10 o’clock they
tramped over Hells hollow and not a yard of the ground was left unexamlned. All
the surrounding gulches were carefully examined but no trace of the grip was
found. After accomplishing the object
the officers had In view the party made preparations to return to the city
arriving here about 11:45 a m. When Interviewed by the “News” Chief Hilton made
the following statement. “We left here about 5:30 this morning and we lost no
time in getting out there. The first thing we did was to have the boy tell us
where the old man went. We then made a thorough search and came to the
conclusion that the boy was lying about the grip. We began to talk to him and after awhile he
admitted that there was no valise in the case and never had been. Of course
then we knew he would soon tell the rest of the story. Gillespie and Roberts took him down the mountain and he confessed to them.
He and Collins never went on Ensign Peak at all. The old man had been guilty of
committing a “Crime Against Nature” with this boy and with others and the boy
thought he went up there for that purpose. When they got to the cave he begged
the boy to kill him and after some coaxing he told the boy he wanted it to
appear that he had been murdered. That’s why he had those stakes there. He
wanted the boy to tie him down to the stakes so would look like he had been
tied there and murdered. The boy and Collins then wrapped the rope around the
old man and with one slash Clyde cut his throat. He had coaxed Clyde for a long
time to kill him and had offered three other boys all he had if they would kill
him. The motive of it was this he had committed that crime so many times he was
afraid of being discovered and he was conscience smitten. The attitude of the
boy is something wonderful. At first
when we talked to him he began to cry but after that he smiled and even laughed
while he was telling the details and was as cool as though he was reciting some
picnic event. OFFICERS WEPT Details So Shocking that Police Break Down and Cry-
With large beads of perspiration standing out on their foreheads, tears
streaming from their eyes and sick at heart, Officers Gillespie and Roberts
returned from Hell hollow this morning. After briefly announcing the confession
of the boy Officer Gillespie sank into a chair exhausted and for several
minutes was unable to control his emotions. When pressed for a statement
Officer Roberts broke down and wept like a woman. “I can’t now,” said he. “Oh
that little follow that poor boy boy!” Sergt Burbidge had nothing to say
relative to the case. He was almost worn out from the effects of the long
journey and announced his intention of seeking a much needed rest. This afternoon Officers Glllesple and Roberts
told their story. “There Is one thing that we want you to understand,” said the
former, “and that Is that everything
that has been done has been under the direction of the chief of police and to
him belongs the credit for the day’s developments. I can’t understand why the
boy did not tell us his story before he did. I took him over the roughest part
of the country we could find and walked until after 10 o’clock and he let us
look for that valise when he knew there was no valise In the case. The little
fellow was tired out and every time I would stop he would sit down and say “Oh
Gee!” He made that expression a hundred times, Of course when we had searched
for hours we were convinced the boy was lying to us and we knew he knew more
about the case than he told last night In the chief’s office. When we went up
there we went in good faith thinking the grip would be found but he never
acknowledged there was no grip until we went down to the buggy for lunch about
10 o’clock. When he admitted there was no grip we knew there was something
coming and yet when It did come we were both completely overcome. The boy cried
at first but when he told the story of how he killed the old man there was not
a tremor about him and at times he smiled. He first confessed to John Roberts
and me. Officer Roberts said, “We talked
to him kindly but told him of his poor mother who was crying at home for her
boy. We told him it would be better for him in every way to make a clean breast
of the whole thing and finally he said he would on condition that we would not
tell the reporters anything about It and on condition that I would take him
home this evening. Of course we couldn’t promise anything except the request
that I take him home and that I am going to do if it takes a leg off. Than he
told us everything. Just as he told it to you and he not only related it once
but several times. The facts leading up
to the killing are simply horrible. I told the boy I would do all I could for
him and I will do it. I have been on the
police force now for 12 years but I want to tell you that although I have had
deep trouble in my experience and have seen many touching scenes, I never In
all my life had anything hurt me like this has.” BEFORE HIS UNCLES Boy Recites
Spme Details In the Presents of Relatives- This afternoon Messrs Joseph, George and Charles Felt
together with the father were at the office of Chief Hilton and were discussing
with the officers the possibility of bailing the boy out but it was thought
that would be impossible under the circumstances. County Atty Christensen was
tired out from his work of last night and was taking a needed rest and his
presence was necessary before the matter could be definitely settled In the
presence of his uncles Clyde said, “Collins told me to tell the valise story
and to build the rocks up In front of the cave so that people would think that
he had gone to New York. He told me that If they got too hot after me to tell
them that I had carried the grip and that he had hidden it in a secret place.
When he crawled into the cave he told me to cut his throat. I jumped away when
I cut him. I didn’t want to see him. I heard him jump around in the cave. Gee,
I couldn’t do such a thing again. Every day he would ask me and Hen Potts if we
were going to kill him. He began at first by asking us if we would like to
dress a sheep. Then after that he said ‘How would you like to dress a man the
same way?’ After a while he would ask us how we would like to dress him? Nearly
every day for about a month he would say ‘Well have you thought about it? Are
you going to kill me as I want you to?’ Sometimes when Mr Collins would call me
I didn’t want to go but I didn’t like to refuse him. When we went to the cave
Colllns undressed himself so that no one would know it was him by his clothes
if he was ever found. I didn’t know Collins wanted me to kill him that day till
he was all undressed and in the cave.”
It was a horrible recitation and was listened to with awe by those
present. TEACHER OVERCOME Miss Qualtrough principal of the Washington school
which Clyde attended broke down when she entered the boys presence this
morning. It was only I week ago that Mlss Qualtrough had been at the Felt
residence and congratulated the parents upon Clyde’s progress in school. Murder
In Second Degree When Asked if he had anything to say as to the legal phase of
the case County Atty Christensen said “As to the complaint or anything of that
nature it is too early to speak at present. Technically the case is murder In the
second degree. There may not have been and probably was not what Is termed
malice aforethought but the case shows a malignant and depraved heart on the
boy’s part.” Asked what would be done with the boy in the immediate future, Mr
Christensen said “He will not be sent to the county Jail but will remain in the
custody of the chief of police at least until a complaint is filed. Whether
that will be today or tomorrow I cannot say at this time. Sold Collins Effects- There has been a great
deal of speculation as to what has been done with Colllns’ effects that he was
known to have had at his room at the Wasatka bottling works. The facts in
relation to them were ascertained by the “News” today. The old man had a bed,
stove, and some other articles of furniture which was disposed of a week ago
last Wednesday by Clyde Felt, Henry Potts and Clyde Woodward. The stove and bed
were sold at a second hand store on State street [Charles Clyde Woodward born 12 Oct 1887 died
8 Sep 1954 Los Angeles CA] Looking for Potts- The police this afternoon are
keeping a sharp lookout for young Henry Potts the 15 year old associate of the
Felt boy thinking he might be able to throw further light upon the awful
tragedy. He was seen several times during the day but disappeared during the
afternoon. He will however be found before long. [Notes: Samuel Collins was
born 1834 He was killed 24 March 1902 .He worked as a watchman of the Wasatka
Mineral Springs. Next door to the Felt Family
was the Potts family. William H (Harry) Potts was implicated as a victim
of Colliers and a friend of Clyde Felt. Felt was freed on 25 December 1902]
Erin Alberty Wrote This is the second of two columns about a murder near the
Ensign Peak trail more than a century ago. Narrative retold from details in The
Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake Herald, Salt Lake Telegram, Deseret News and Ogden
Standard Examiner. To stand in Hell's Hollow is to realize there is no better
place within city limits to hide a dead body. The mini-gorge behind Ensign Peak
digs into the mountain above a gravel mine and below a series of rock walls
that crumble under the slightest weight. There's obviously some foot traffic in
this ravine. But the empty bottles, abandoned camps and dumped appliances
evince a crowd that probably won't run to police with the misdeeds of others.
It wasn't always this way. A century ago, Hell's Hollow's most notorious killer
found no sanctuary here. His only protection was that he was just a kid. A kid
with serious issues. A group of boys found the body of Samuel Collins while
camping on Easter Sunday, 1902. He was walled into a cave in the hollow, naked
and tied up with rope, with a missing eye and a severed esophagus. No weapon
was found. It was suicide, police said.
Plain and simple. "Old Man Collins" took off his clothes, gouged out
his own eye, slashed his own throat, walled himself into a cave, tied himself
up and died. Obviously. Case closed. Right. Even in the Wild West, this was a
brutal murder. Turning a blind eye didn't sit well with anyone. The media called
for the police chief's head. The public demanded the killer be brought to
justice. Until they found out Old Man Collins was the neighborhood child
molester. And the killer was his favorite victim. The confession of 14-year-old
Clyde Felt seemed ... weird at first. Clyde claimed Collins had lost all his
money and was tired of life but didn't have the nerve for suicide, so could
Clyde, the dear neighbor boy/sexual plaything, please cut his throat and hide
the body where no one would find it? Oh, and take off his clothes and tie him
down first? As more of Collins' young "friends" were interviewed,
another story took shape -- one that was more plausible and yet profoundly
twisted. The newspapers put it in dainty terms: Collins asked Clyde "to
perform an operation calculated to cure him of his abnormal desires." It
made more sense that Collins would undress, take chloroform, and tie himself
down in preparation for having his testicles cut off. Clyde himself said that
Collins had offered him and a friend $25 to do this the day before they went to
Hell's Hollow, even detailing the three knifestrokes to do the job. The medical
examiner said it was "a common thing for moral perverts" to seek a
surgical cure. But Clyde staunchly denied that he went to Hell's Hollow to
castrate Collins and, once the man was tied up, killed him instead. Collins
wanted to die, Clyde insisted. Police let it go. Why get into it? Clyde Felt
wasn't going to be punished. The detectives wouldn't even write an affidavit;
the chief finally had to sign the murder charge, which was later dropped
because no jury was ever going to convict this kid. Clyde Felt had become a
minor national hero. Letters of sympathy and offers of assistance were sent to
the Salt Lake County jail from all over the country. At that time, child sex
abuse wasn't swept under the rug. I first heard about the murder of Samuel
Collins at a seminar by Doug Miller, director of the Davis County Children's
Justice Center. Miller researched nearly 3,000 abuse cases covered in Utah newspapers
from 1870 to 1910. Back then, it was handled as publicly as any violent crime.
It wasn't until the 1920s that these cases disappeared, Miller said. I wonder
if people thought it would be better for the victims to keep it quiet.
Eventually, even the case of Clyde Felt dimmed to a whisper in local memory.
But walls of Hell's Hollow carry a long echo. Some things can't be undone. They
can only fester or heal.
1935 New York Day by Day by O.O.
McIntyre The gradual decline of the female impersonator too, has come to a full
stop. Such performers cannot be booked save in remote sections of honky tonks.
Even a burlesque of the the idea gets the bird.The fact is these androgynous
antics havealways proved precarious, yet there were many exponents.
Julian
Eltinge was the only actor to surround feminine gestures with dignity. So much so a big theather was named for
him. Bert Savoy, in the same field, tinged
his fly-up-the-creek lady portrayal with a guttery commonness that created a
Winter’s Garden following. When Elthinge retired and lightening killed Savoy,
there were none to take their places. Caroyl [Karyl] Norman, as the Creole
Fashion Plate came nearest to recapturing a smidgeon of the interest with an
engagement or so at the Palace, but never quite made the grade. Deservedly or not, moderns began to look on
female impersonators as pathetically psychopathic. They either jeered or they walked. Ogden
Standard Examiner
1951 The last Gay friendly President of the
Mormon Church, George Albert Smith, died
at his home at 1302 East Yale Street, SLC UT
 |
| Julian Eltinge |
 |
| Frank Kameny |
 |
| Jean Sinclair |
 |
| Victor L Brown |
 |
| David Susskind |
1973-Montana revised its sodomy
laws. The law was renamed "Deviate Sexual Conduct" and applied only
to same-sex activity, carrying a penalty of up to ten years.
1976-Pope Paul VI publicly denied
that he was a homosexual. Rumors persists that as Archbishop of Milan he had an
homosexual affair with an Italian Movie Star.
 |
| Scott Matheson |
1986 2nd Annual Desert and
Mountain States Conference was held in Phoenix, Arizona. Scott Mills a member of the Salt Lake City
planning committee attended. The Theme of the Conference will be “Pride in
Diversity, Strength in Unity”. The Salt Lake delegation of the planning
committee withdrew from the conference and did not attend. Scott Mills stated
that Phoenix Co-chair David Lilly had informed him that the conference was
going to be scaled back because of speaker cancellation and inability to get
equipment for a dance. Lily denied that
the conference was scaled back.
1987 - LDS First Counselor Gordon
B. Hinckley tells priesthood session of conference that "marriage should
not be viewed as a therapeutic step to solve problems such as homosexual
inclinations of practices..." This reverses decades long policy formulated
by Spencer W. Kimball. LDS Priesthood Session of General
Conference discussed AIDS and homosexuality.
 |
| Evan Meacham |
 |
| Marc Christian |
1990-In Massachusetts, the state
human services department announced it had dropped a policy that automatically
gave preference to heterosexuals in the placement of foster children.
1996 Private Eye Weekly –Randal
Meyers Interviewed by Marsha Barber for Salt Lake
 |
| Randal Meyers |
City’s independent weekly
paper. “Artist Randal Meyers Protests
LDS Church Doctrine against Homosexuality while plunging his own Psyche”. The
article Gallery of Defiance became the cover story, on the week Meyers exhibit, “Fear of Graven Images”, opened at Surface
Gallery, Salt Lake City, Utah.Notes from website- Artist / Designer Born: 1961
Salt Lake City, Utah Nationality: American PROFILE: Meyers moved to New York
City in 1979. He designed windows for
Bergdorf Goodman while completing a degree in Fashion Design at Parsons School
of Design, 1983. Meyers designed women’s
fashion for numerous fashion houses in New York, Paris and Tokyo, including: Ilie Wacs, Geoffrey Beene, Perry Ellis, and
Hanae Mori. At Perry Ellis, Meyers made
a significant contribution with his idea to develop a collection inspired by
the 1920s French artist/designer Sonia Delaunay, 1984. At Hanae Mori, in Paris,
he created ideas based on the couture drape of Mme Grès. And Meyers developed successful designs for
the Mori house with knitted patterns based on the paintings of Joan Miró and
Henri Matisse, 1987. He left the fashion design industry after being diagnosed
with blood based tumors in his brain. Returning
to his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, he studied Art at the University of
Utah, 1996. He produced a large body of
Art about the Mormon religion, their abuse of homosexuals, and their use of
secrecy and power, 1996. He was proudly
excommunicated from the Latter-Day Saint Church for this work and the press it
received. Meyers moved to California for
graduate studies at CalArts in Valencia, 1997.
But he dropped out after being told by faculty of the Disney-owned
school, that they considered his work about the Mormons to be unethical. Meyers has maintained that it is the Mormon
church who is the unethical institution and that CalArts was also unethical in
taking their position. Meyers was proven
correct when in 2008, the Mormon Church made political strides to end gay
marriage in California. His health caused him to again return to Salt Lake
City, where he has remained a digital
artist, using the internet to explore concepts about gender identity and
sexuality.
- Randal Curtis Meyers, American sculptor. Recipient Parson School of Design and Fashion Inds. Gold Thimble award, 1983, University Utah President award, 1991-1992, 92-93; Florence Ware scholar College Fine Arts University Utah, 1992-1993, College Fine Arts Advisory Board scholar, 1994-1995; research grantee University Utah, 1994. He left the fashion industry after being diagnosed with brain tumors. Returning to his hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah, he studied Art at the University of Utah, 1996. Meyers produced a large body of Art about the Mormon religion, their abuse of homosexuals, and their use of secrecy, fear, & power, ‘96. He was proudly excommunicated from the Latter-Day Saint Church for this work and the press it received.
1999 WASATCH AFFIRMATION Wasatch
Affirmation 5pm MCC music and refreshments Conference Sunday Fireside with
inspirational speaker Trevor Southey Guest speaker for Wasatch Affirmation’s
7th Gay and Lesbian Missionary Reunion was Trevor Southey. Southey, an internationally recognized
artist, was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
High school was a boarding school in South Africa where he met the
Mormon missionaries. Lorenzo Snow's
famous couplet, "As man is God once was, as God is man may become,"
resounded in perfect harmony with his personal philosophy. He quickly converted. That life changing
event was followed by art school in England, serving an LDS mission, and then
immigration to the United States to attend Brigham Young University. There he
immersed himself in a philosophical revolution that shaped the course of his
art, and the art of Utah, for the rest of the century. Southey quickly found
himself among a group of students, including sculptor Dennis Smith and poet
Carol Lynn Pearson, who formed the nucleus of the Mormon Art and Belief
Movement. During this period he also
married and became a father. He also
became a faculty member of the BYU Art Department. His art, both painted and sculptured, graces
several church temples and visitor centers. In 1979 Southey left his post at
BYU, and started his coming out process. This period brought him in contact
with Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian
Mormons. To many Gay Mormons, Southey's most well known piece of art may well
be the jacket cover of the book Peculiar People: Mormons and Same-Sex Orientation.
- 1999 WASATCH AFFIRMATION 5:00 p.m. - Conference Sunday Fireside at Metropolitan Community Church(MCC) 823 South 600 East in SLC. Music, guest speaker Trevor Southey and light refreshments. Guest Speaker Bio: Trevor Southey, an internationally recognized artist, was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). High
school was a boarding school in South Africa where he met the Mormon missionaries. Lorenzo Snow's famous couplet, "As man is God once was, as God is man may become," resounded in perfect harmony with his personal philosophy. He quickly converted. That life changing event was followed by art school in England, serving an LDS mission, and then immigration to the United States to attend Brigham Young University. There he immersed himself in a philosophical revolution that shaped the course of his art, and the art of Utah, for the rest of the century. Southey quickly found himself among a group of students, including sculptor Dennis Smith and poet Carol Lynn Pearson, who formed the nucleus of the Mormon Art and Belief Movement. During this period he also married and became a father. He also became a faculty member of the BYU Art Department. His art, both painted and sculptured, graces several church temples and visitor centers. In 1979 Southey left his post at BYU, and started his coming out process. This period brought him in contact with Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons. To many Gay Mormons, Southey's most well known piece of art may well be the jacket cover of the book Peculiar People: Mormons and Same-Sex Orientation. However, those who have followed art in Utah know well his acclaim, the power of his art and the controversy that some of his work has caused. Two of his better known paintings are "Flight Aspiration," and "Prodigal Son." "Flight Aspirations" was commissioned by the Salt Lake Airport Authority and was displayed there in the early 1980s for a few months - until a few voices created such a controversy, that the airport took it down. One indignant viewer huffed, would "inspire children to rape and murder." That accusation, was far more reflective of a troubled libido than of Southey's painting. "The fact is," Southey later noted, "that people looking for the painting were disappointed. It was not at all prurient." Southey's "Prodigal Son," not only created controversy when it was first shown several years ago, but again in 1997 while on display at the University of Utah during the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Affirmation and the 19th annual Affirmation International Conference. The controversy created news for local T.V and newspapers, as well as campus newspapers across the United States. "Prodigal Son" was part of an art show of several famous Gay Mormon Artists connected with the conference. Trevor Southey is a spiritual man who has much to share through his art and in person. One profound quote if his is, "Life is a cyclical process . . . Innocence is an important part of that changing. Innocence, not ignorance, is an ongoing optimism within one's own heart." Southey currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area.Affirmation members, family and friends, and all interested are welcome to attend.
Trevor Southey
2000 Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky
Anderson signed an executive order to protect gay and lesbian city workers from
discrimination. "This goes beyond legal ramifications. It's not merely
symbolic," Anderson said. "It's going to be very effective in sending
the message that we will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation in Salt Lake City."
2001 The Utah Supreme Court
pondered the appropriate criminal charges for four members of a Sandy family
who allegedly beat another family member, 23-year-old Muna Hawatmeh, because
she is a lesbian, and then attempted to send her back to their native country
of Jordan. Prosecutors that because the four threatened to kill with a knife,
they should be tried on charges of first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping,
punishable by up to life in prison.
Muna Hawatmeh, a 23-year-old woman, was born in the Kingdom of Jordan and came to the United States in or about 1995. Muna resided with her family in Sandy, Utah, until December 1998, when she moved out of the family residence and began residing with a woman named Leticia Rivera, with whom she had developed a romantic relationship. During the next several months, Muna and her family were involved in turmoil and unrest concerning Muna's sexual orientation and her romantic involvement with Leticia. Muna's family made numerous phone calls to her, urging her to return home and stop being a lesbian. Muna's brother, defendant Shaher, left messages on Leticia's answering machine saying, “lesbians must die.” The crimes at issue were allegedly committed over the course of two days in October 1999. On the evening of October 13, Muna went to the Hawatmeh family residence, intending to spend the night. When Muna arrived, defendants were waiting for her. Her brother, defendant Iehab, slapped her hard on her face, and Muna fell to the floor. Muna's mother, defendant Wedad, and her two brothers then locked the door, closed the windows, and turned up the volume on the television. They proceeded to hit Muna, pull her hair, and kick her all over her body as she lay screaming on the floor. At some point, Wedad stopped participating in Muna's beating. Muna's brothers, however, beat Muna continuously for about four hours as her mother and father sat on a couch and watched. During the beating, Shaher called Muna “bitch” and “whore” and made her say, “I'm a bitch and I deserve to be killed.” He held up a large knife and told Muna he was going to kill her and “make [her] ugly” with the knife. He threatened that she was “going to die tonight” and “going to go to hell tonight.” Iehab made similar threats, calling Muna a “bitch,” telling her she did not “deserve to live,” and saying, “you [are] going to die tonight. We [are] going to kill you.” They also told Muna they were going to “put [her] in a bag” in the trunk of the car and “throw [her] somewhere which [sic] is nobody going to find you.” At one point during the ordeal, Iehab held Muna's arms and told her father, defendant Jamil, to hit her and beat her. According to Muna, her father “was just looking at [her], and [she] was looking at his eyes, don't do it, don't.” He hit her anyway. Muna kissed her father's feet and begged for her life, saying she would change and would not be a lesbian any more. Eventually, Muna implored her father to take her back to Jordan where she would be a different person. After repeated pleas, Jamil finally agreed to take her back to Jordan. After the beating, Muna's face, neck, arms, legs, and back were bruised, her stomach and shoulders hurt “really bad,” and she could barely walk. Muna's mother helped her to the bedroom and told her that if she had just changed from the beginning, they would not have had to beat her. The next morning, October 14, Iehab woke up Muna and told her to get ready to leave for Jordan. Defendants had Muna's passport and green card in their possession. Iehab took Muna downstairs and dictated a letter in which Muna told Leticia that she was no longer a lesbian. The Hawatmehs packed their bags and headed for the airport. A short distance from home, the family encountered Leticia who had been driving in her car looking for Muna. Iehab stopped the family car and had a verbal confrontation with Leticia. Iehab told Letitia that Muna didn't want to see her anymore and told her “if you want to live, get the f* * * out of here, you whore.” Iehab got out of the car and tried to grab Leticia, but Leticia drove away and went to the Sandy City police station where she reported Muna as a missing person. While the family was on the way to the airport, a Sandy police officer called Iehab's cell phone. Iehab directed Muna to tell the police officer that she was spending time with her family. The officer requested that Iehab bring Muna to the Sandy police station so the police could make sure Muna was all right. Iehab finally agreed and then told Muna, “you're not going to tell them the truth[,] right?” He instructed Muna to tell the police that the bruises on her face and neck were hickeys. Shaher threatened Muna, saying, “the knife is going to be in your stomach if you tell the truth.” Defendants then took Muna to the police station. While being questioned by the police, Muna “tried to lie because [she] was scared, afraid of [defendants].” She could “not hold it,” however, and told the police what had happened. At the preliminary hearing, Muna testified about the foregoing events of October 13 and 14. The State asserts that the evidence presented against defendants was sufficient to support the charge of aggravated kidnaping.
2001 Rosemary Russo, the co-president of the
Lesbian Gay Student Union, said LGSU has felt the support of the U's
administration. “I feel the administration has been backing us a lot
recently…they helped us get a space for [the LGSU Resource] Center,” she said.
2003 Fairmont Park. I was there
late two nights ago. Police cruise regularly and will stop you, even if you're
just parked. It’s not worth it anymore."-Anonymous Posting
2003 Man arrested after restroom
incident A 33-year-old Layton man was
arrested after a mall customer complained a man had snapped his picture while
he was in a bathroom stall. Police Lt. Quinn Moyes said the 20-year-old
customer said he was in a Layton Hills Mall restroom stall Tuesday with the
door closed when a camera appeared over the top and a photo was taken. The man
quickly left the restroom, spotted a man carrying a camera, confronted him and
motioned to a mall security guard. Moyes said the man appeared in
2nd District Court in Layton Wednesday on a misdemeanor lewdness charge.
2003 Kathy Worthington to All:
Yay,Wendy! Lesbian Teacher Wins Utah Court Ruling By KERSTEN SWINYARD .c The
Associated Press April 4, 2003 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah Supreme Court on
Friday left it up to education officials whether to fire a lesbian high school
teacher.The ruling was a victory for psychology teacher Wendy Weaver, who came
under attack from parents and students at Spanish Fork High School in a heavily
Mormon part of Utah. Teachers are required by law to be moral models for their
students. A lawsuit accused Weaver of failing to be a good role model because
her lifestyle conflicted with state laws prohibiting sodomy. Weaver, who now
uses her unmarried name Wendy Chandler,
said the court's decision was a
relief.``What they were going after was not really within their right as citizens
to do,'' Weaver said of her critics. ``I also believe that they're scared to
have their kids see someone who is gay but who functions and is happy and they
like. That doesn't go with their perception that gay people are evil or
unhealthy.'' Weaver, a 1979 Brigham Young University graduate, continues to
teach at the school because her ex-husband, children and partner's children
live nearby. She disclosed her sexuality when asked by curious students in
1997. Shortly thereafter, the high school barred her from talking about her
sexuality, and Weaver later won a federal lawsuit against the Nebo School
District for that requirement. Parents and students tried to remove Weaver by
complaining to the local school board, but the district did not fire the
award-winning, 20-year teacher. They then pursued the case in the state's 4th
District Court, but Judge Ray Harding Jr. dismissed the lawsuit in 1999. Those
seeking to oust Weaver then sought a declaration from the state Supreme Court
saying she was unfit to teach. The declaration would have forced the school
board to dismiss Weaver, attorney Matthew Hilton told the Supreme Court in
October. The court declined, saying Weaver's opponents ``lack a legally
protectible interest in this controversy.'' Disciplinary action and complaints
must be handled by the Professional Practices Advisory Commission, the
disciplinary arm of the state board of education, the court ruled. Any
complaints against teachers ``must be taken before the only bodies authorized
to act in this regard: the local school district, the Commission, or the State
Board of Education,'' the court said. Hilton was disappointed with the ruling,
but he is seeking clarification from state education officials about the
requirement that teachers be good role models. ``At least we're entitled to
have the state office to tell us if we're right or wrong,'' Hilton said.
 |
| Wendy Weaver |
2003 SLC: GLBT youth center in
need of soup The Youth Activity Center (YAC) is in need of soup. These last couple of months I have seen too
many gay young people enter the youth center in need of food. Many of them haven't eaten for 2 days or
more. So, I am asking all of you to
donate some soup. We just need cans, or
big packets from Costco that we can add water to and throw it into a crock pot.
Soup Kitchen has agreed to donate bread sticks The Youth Activity Center is the
only drop in center for lgbtq youth in Utah. It's mission is to provide
support, education, advocacy, leadership opportunities and fun for LGBTQ youth,
their families, and their allies in a safe environment, free of discrimination
and drug/alcohol free. Bring your soup
cans to the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah, with your name attached
so that we can identify you as a donor.
Thanks for your support!
"bob" director of Youth ProgramsGay and Lesbian Community
Center of Utah
 |
| David Knowlton |
2004- The RCGSE's Imperial Crown
Prince XXVIII Chad Keller and Imperial Crown Princess XXVIII Paris present CP
Ball 2004: Purgatory Where Heaven and Hell Collide April 04, 2004 @ the Trapp
Door* Cocktails 7:00pm Dinner at 7:30pm
Cabaret starts at 8:00pm Tickets are $10.00
to benefit the philanthropic mission of the RCGSE Don't miss a Heavenly evening of Hellish proportions in celebration of the
Last Days! Fetish, Fantasy or Formal Attire requested As earlier stated the
evening will begin at 7:00 at the Trapp Door.
At around 8:00 (The cabaret will begin.
The Emperor, Empress and Princess Royale will enter and be introduced
through parted curtain. Once Mark, Heidi, and Krystina have been seated or take
their place in the audience, they will announce Mike Picarrdi of the Utah
Stonewall Democrates. You will enter
through the same parted curtain that the Imperials and the Royale entered though. Please stand on the stairs. A podium of some sort will be provided with
reading light. You have 3-4 minutes (longer if you're real good baby) to Pay
Tribute to the Empire, and Call the Community to Action. The Call to Action is a compromise to hanging
the American flag upside down, a sign of distress. At the completion of the
Call to Action you will need to take the following steps of Protocol. (Commentary--Truly, and I don’t care who
knows, if the marriage amendment passes,
I think that the National Anthem and American Flag be banned from every
Gay event, and until this is all decided that the flags be posted in silence
with those who which to remain seated can without guilt. But that’s why I don’t sit in Political
Chairs. Paris and Bobby would have my
head if I tried it at CP Ball or anywhere....)
1) Call the UGRA Color Guard to
attention
2) Invite the audience to rise
for the symbol of democracy and freedom
3) Call UGRA to Post the Colors
 |
| Syren Vaughn |
2006 Tuesday [A felony would keep
the perp from going on a LDS Mission! What a Shame-Ben Williams Gay Forum
Utah] Parents outraged by deal in
camp-sodomy case 18 victims: An Arizona senator's son could get little or no
jail time, possibly on one charge By Robert Anglen The Arizona Republic Salt
Lake Tribune The son of Arizona's Senate president confessed that he and
another counselor shoved broomsticks and flashlights into the rectums of 18
boys in at least 40 incidents at a youth camp in June. Now Yavapai County
prosecutors say they will drop all but one assault charge and likely recommend
little or no jail time if 18-year- old Clifton Bennett agrees to plead guilty.
A similar agreement has been offered to co-defendant Kyle Wheeler, 19, who
faces an additional assault charge for choking three of the boys until they
passed out. The plea agreements were first presented in court last week and
could be completed at a hearing Monday. Prosecuting attorney James Landis
explained the plea agreement in court, saying the ''broomsticking'' was a
hazing ritual and a punishment, not sexual assault. But legal experts,
sex-crimes prosecutors and victims'-rights lawyers say the acts clearly fit the
definition of sexual assault. The pleas, which describe the assault charge as
''a non-dangerous, non-repetitive offense,'' have outraged parents who say
their sons were victims of violent sexual attacks. The boys, who were 11 to 14
years old at the time, have had trouble going to the bathroom, sleep with
clothes on, are afraid at night, and have undergone sexual- assault counseling.
The parents want Bennett and Wheeler to face sexual-assault charges, undergo
psychosexual evaluations and spend several days in jail per victim. ''Our
biggest concern is that these kids are going to do it again,'' said the mother
of an 11-year-old Tucson boy. Landis said in court that the case was never
viewed as ''sexual in nature,'' in part because prosecutors could not prove
Bennett and Wheeler had sexual intent. ''We would certainly start from a
different perspective if it was girls [as victims],'' he said in court. Victims
are victims: Bennett and Wheeler were arrested in January and charged with 18
counts of aggravated assault and 18 counts of kidnapping because the victims
were held down. Experts who specialize in sex crimes say sexual intent is
rarely a factor in charging sexual assault; and sexual orientation has nothing to
do with it. ''They could have been charged with sexual assault,'' said Sue
Eazer, supervisor of the Pima County Attorney's Special Victims Unit. ''Sexual
assault is oftentimes not motivated by sexual desire.'' Eazer said she has
prosecuted several sexual-assault cases involving objects being shoved into
children's body cavities. ''It makes no difference to me if it is a male or
female [victim],'' she said. The Yavapai County case has national implications
for the legal system, said Andrew Vachss, a lawyer specializing in child cases
and a best-selling author who uses profits from his books to fund legal work
for abused kids. ''This is a theory of prosecution that is based on taking the
word of the perpetrators,'' Vachss said. ''That's what you have juries for. Let
the perps tell a jury, 'I inserted a foreign object into the rectums of little
boys, but I had no sexual intent.' " In court last week, Bennett
apologized for his role. ''The actions that occurred there, none of us
considered the consequences that would follow,'' Bennett said. ''The next time
I saw these boys, I never expected to see them here.'' Bennett said he was
''trying every way he can to rectify the situation.'' Parents of the victims
described Bennett's remarks as self- serving. Bennett's father, Senate
President Ken Bennett, R-Prescott, sat behind his son in court. A Prescott
native and influential businessman, he has said little publicly about the case.
Mission in jeopardy: Lawyers described Bennett as an honor student and active
member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, planning to go on a
mission in September. ''A felony conviction for assault will make his desire to
complete his mission impossible,'' they wrote. Under the plea agreements
Bennett and Wheeler could face a maximum two years in prison. But the court
could reduce the charges to a misdemeanor and no jail time.
- 2006 Tuesday Willy Marshall Re: [gay_forum_utah] A felony would keep the perp from going on a LDS Mission! What a Shame So I guess the Mormon guy who killed Matthew Shepherd won't be able to go on a mission either? Well, that's a relief! This is despicable. I can hear the bishopric and stake pres rationalizing about it now. "Well, yes, he did do this thing, 40 times, to 18 boys, but it was just a boyish prank. He didn't have sex!" AAAARRRGGGHH!! Willy
2007 From: "Ben
Williams" The whole point of the Kristin Ries award was to recognize outstanding
service to the community because of love for the community and not simply for a
pay check. It began to concern me when Jackie
Biscupski won, when while I have no doubt she's a wonderful woman, how does she
serve the Gay community except as being an elected politician who just happens
to be Gay? Her constituents are in her district. If anything I see her as a symbol more than a
community activist.
- Stuart Merrill wrote: Ben, I really hope they listen to your email, especially about the part where they are not supposed to get paid for their work. These awards have turned into an insider gay-for-pay method for the insiders to pat each other on the back. Hope your well Ben, Stuart
2007 Dan Fahndrich wrote: Ben,
what can you tell me about this camp? Presenting Gay Camp!USU Pride Alliance
will be having our yearly Bear Lake retreat April 6th - 8th. Some of the things
that we have planned for this years retreat are a sexuality discussion and safe
sex presentation with the Genesis Project from Idaho State University, an
exercise and physical health seminar, gay-themed self defense training
(including firearms training for those wishing to participate), a presentation
on the gay identity by Ben Williams, a discussion on breakups and how to move
on with Charles Diviney from Pride Counseling, team building exercises, and many
other games and activities. Last year everyone had an amazing weekend and
benefited greatly from this retreat and this year will be even better. The cost
of the retreat is $25, to help pay for the cost of the facility, food, and
activities. Please RSVP by April 3rd If you have any questions or would like to
make a reservation email me Jaydee Blackburn. From: "Ben Williams" To
Dan Fahndrich: It's part of the Gay
student Union group at USU in Logan. The
university has a place on Bear Lake kind of dormitory like that the retreat
uses. I was a speaker there last year
and they've asked me up again. It's
generally small about 20 people mostly college age students. Tim Keller is one of the organizers.
2014 Utah
lesbian couple’s adoption stalls despite court order Legal limbo • State says
it’s reviewing the case complicated by the gay-marriage fight. BY BROOKE ADAMS
THE
SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Kimberly, left, and Amber
Leary play "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" with their 15-month-old daughter
Thursday, February 2,7 at their home. They are among an unknown number of gay
couples in Utah whose efforts to pursue second-parent adoptions have been
thwarted by a stay of a court decision overturning the same-sex marriage ban
and intervention by the Utah Attorney General's Office. A lesbian couple have
gone from elation to frustration in their quest to be equally recognized as mothers
of their daughter after the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics on
Tuesday refused to accept a court order approving their second-parent adoption.
Attorney Shane A. Marx, who represents Kimberly and Amber Leary, presented the
office with a final adoption order signed March 26 by a 3rd District Court
judge and requested a new birth certificate listing both women as parents of
their 16-month-old daughter. Only Amber Leary is currently named on the birth
certificate for their child, whom the couple conceived through assisted
reproduction. Marx said a clerk requested the couple’s marriage certificate —
something Marx said is not required of heterosexual couples, but the office
says is routine — and couldn’t issue the document without proof the Learys are
validly married. “Legally, that’s not a distinction they’re allowed to make,”
Marx said. “If a judge orders it, they are not allowed to choose. That is not
the role of the Office of Vital Statistics. It is the judge who decides if a
couple is legally qualified to adopt.” Two assistant attorneys general joined
the hours-long dispute and eventually told Marx the Utah’s attorney general’s
office would review the matter. Marx left without an amended birth certificate.
Tom Hudachko, spokesman for the Utah Department of Health, said it is “standard
practice” to request a marriage certificate in all adoptions involving married
couples. As for the status of the Learys’ request, Hudachko said, “the
department is reviewing the court order with our attorneys to determine our
options for proceeding.” But Marx said the basis for the adoption order is
clear: “Once you grant somebody a right, it can not be taken away,” Marx said.
“Once all these couples married, they obtained rights, and the state can’t
revoke them because of a stay in a separate case in which they are not
involved. That’s a clear violation of due process.” An estimated 1,243 same-sex
couples married between Dec. 20, 2013, when U.S. District Court Judge Robert
Shelby overturned Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage, and Jan. 6, 2014, when the
U.S. Supreme Court put the ruling on hold. A number of the those couples
subsequently sought second-parent adoptions of their children, which are being
opposed by the state. Amber and Kimberly Leary, who have been together more
than six years, married in the first hours after Shelby’s decision was released
and filed an adoption petition in state court on Dec. 24 — a move they expected
would finally resolve Kimberly Leary’s ongoing worry about not being legally recognized
as one of their daughter’s parents. But following the stay order, 3rd District
Judge Andrew Stone, who is handling the adoption, required Marx to notify the
attorney general’s office and gave the state 45 days to respond. On Feb. 24,
the Utah Attorney General’s Office submitted an opinion — also filed in several
other adoption cases involving same-sex parents — asserting that with Shelby’s
ruling on hold while the state appeals it, the ban on same-sex marriages
remains in effect and any marriages that took place are invalid. The AG’s
opinion asked judges to stay adoption proceedings or that the couples
voluntarily withdraw their petitions. Under Utah law, couples who are in a
cohabiting relationship are not allowed to adopt. In response, Marx argued in a
court that the Learys were acting under a valid law at the time they married
and thus had vested rights granted to them by the state. In a hearing held last
Wednesday, the state judge agreed, Marx said. As the Learys, their daughter and
relatives who had flown in from out of state listened, Stone approved their
adoption. According to Marx, the judge found the state failed to file a motion
requesting a stay or to intervene in the case; it also did not file a motion
addressing the constitutional issues the couple raised. Stone then found the
Learys were validly married under the state’s laws and were entitled to have
their marriage recognized regardless of the stay of Shelby’s ruling and the
eventual outcome of that case, which involves different plaintiffs and issues,
Marx said. Marx said the judge also found approving the adoption was in the
child’s best interests. “It was not only
a gift to us but to our family as well,” Kimberly Leary said. “My dad got to
sit there and hear the judge say our daughter is legally my daughter. It was
the best day of our lives. It was a big celebration. When that ruling was
handed down, it was like this bubble went around my family.” And then came
Tuesday. After waiting hours to hear from their attorney, the Learys got the
bad news. “It was completely deflating,” Kimberly Leary said. “To think we’d
gone through all of this, we followed the law to the ‘T,’ submitted all the
paperwork, answered all the questions — whether it felt intrusive or not, we
did it. After we did all of that, for the Office of Vital Statistics to not
recognize this is a judge’s order and require our attorney to provide other
information to supplement that any other heterosexual couple wouldn’t is just
not right.” Adds Amber Leary: “Our judge made a ruling and nobody seems to be
following that,” she said. Marx adamantly disputes that the office routinely
requires marriage certificates, saying he has never been asked to provide a
license in an opposite-sex clients’ adoption. Nor is it on a list of required
documents contained in a letter advising couples how to get a new certificate
by mail, he said. And an administrative rule directs the state registrar to
issue a new birth certificate “upon receipt of a court order of adoption or a
[certified] court report of adoption.” “Most importantly, they have no
authority to ask for a marriage license,” Marx said. “That is evidence that is
presented and weighed by the judge before he grants the adoption and orders
amendment of a birth certificate. Adoption attorney Wes Hutchins, who is not
involved in the Leary case but was asked about his experience, said he has only
been asked to provide a certified copy of the adoption decree and report of
adoption. “Never, ever in the 23 years that I’ve been doing it have I been
asked for a marriage certificate,” Hutchins said. While the agency did contact
the A.G.’s office, “nobody from our office told anybody from the recorder’s
office not to comply with” the judge’s order, said Parker Douglas, chief of
staff. “It’s a valid court order until somebody challenges it,” Douglas said. But
with the ongoing litigation over Shelby’s ruling, the status of couples such as
the Leary’s is “wide open” to legal interpretation, he said. Meanwhile, Utah’s
law stands. “What Utah’s law says isn’t intended to demean any child or
parent,” Douglas said. “What it upholds is a model of gender complementarity
and diversity as the best model of parenting.” Douglas said the attorney
general’s office is reviewing its options, including whether to seek a stay or
appeal the order. The situation is complicated because the state is technically
not a party in the case, though it has authority to intervene on its own
initiative in cases involving constitutionality of state laws. He expects a
decision on what action to take by early next week. “Everybody is trying to
take these things seriously and move as quickly as possible,” Douglas said,
given that children are involved and the relationships are “felt very deeply.”
2016 I received a message due to the donation Gay Men Aloud made that the "Zachary
Lusk Memorial Mexican Orphanage Dorm has completed funding, and raised
$13,278.00 including pur donation. Thank you for your generosity!" It
needed $25,000 for its goal. Zachary was a young 18 year old Gay intern for Sen. Jim
Dabakis who died last December in an accident. Jim wanted to raise money to
build a dormitory wing for a Mexican orphanage of a poor village as a memorial.
2018 It’s a new day for the Utah Pride Center —
the Salt Lake City organization that serves the LGBTQ communities has a bright,
new building and a new, energetic director. Gay marriage may be legal, said Rob
Moolman, the nonprofit agency’s executive director, but there is a lot of work
still to do for people and their families who don’t fit into the heterosexual
norms of this culture. Known for the Utah Pride Festival and Parade, the center
also seeks to support its constituents with social connections, emotional
support and mental health needs. “We have an opportunity to help people in
crisis,” Moolman said. “That’s one of the wonderful things this organization
can offer.” The Pride Center’s new home at 1380 S. Main St., near Smith’s
Ballpark, is an architectural delight of open space and sunlight. It once
housed a bank and, later, the Mexican Consulate. The outgoing executive
director, Carol Gnade, made the center’s new home a priority and now is
retiring. Moolman, who is stepping in as executive director, is a native of
Australia who has lived in Utah for two years. A graduate of the University of
Stellenbosch, South Africa, he earned a Master of Education Leadership at the
University of Melbourne and is completing a Ph.D. in education with emphasis on
LGBTQ youth. At the Utah Pride Center, Moolman said a top priority will be
building an inclusive model for all members of the LGBTQ communities — adults
and youth. The center will begin a new outreach effort, he said, to welcome
people who have strayed from the organization or those who have not yet sought
its services. “We need to understand the marginalization of different people in
different communities,” Moolman said. “One of the things I want to get across
is that we need to work together. I want an open-door policy to invite people
into the center to tell us what is relevant to them.” Whether with youth or
adults, the center always has focused on suicide prevention. The center
specializes in psychotherapy for LGBTQ people and welcomes all cultures,
ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities. It also provides counseling
for families who have relatives in those groups. The organization offers
Survivors of Suicide Attempt, an eight-week support group that acts as a
suicide prevention strategy by providing support and coping skills. Men’s and
women’s support groups, a trans adult support group and trans parents and
caregivers group are included among the nonprofit’s programs. The organization
also offers individual therapy. Services are provided on a sliding scale based
on ability to pay. Among other things, that means the Pride Center must do a
lot of fundraising, Moolman said. The organization also operates a Youth
Activity Center for ages 14 to 20. It offers such things as Trans and Gender
Exploring Support Group, Queer Youth Activist Council and social get-togethers,
such as Youth Activity Night, Teens Like Us, and Kids Like Me Group. The new
building provides a warm environment and will allow the agency to expand
programming and activities. “We own the building free and clear,” Moolman
explained. “But our services have to be paid for by massive fundraising.
Maintaining our financial stability will be a continuing challenge.” The new
building was purchased with the aid of Elizabeth “Beano” Solomon, a stalwart
underwriter of the Utah Pride Center. Its grand opening is slated for May 19
from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tours will be offered, along with a chance to meet the
staff. For more information on the center, visit www.utahpridecenter.org
2016 I received a message due to the donation Gay Men Aloud made that the "Zachary
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| Zachary Lusk |
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| Rob Moolman |
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