This Day In Gay Utah History May 13th

Valentino & Rambova 

13 May

1922 While vacationing in Palm Springs, silent film star Rudolph Valentino and Utah Native Natacha Rambova (great granddaughter of Heber C. Kimball) cross the border and marry in Mexicali, Mexico on May 13, 1922 as a part of a Lavender Marriage arranged by Alla Nazimova.

1965 -John Clell Plympton, 44, SLC was charged with use of foul and abusive language and was sentenced by Judge Horace C. Beck to 60 days in jail (SL Tribune page B10 Col. 7)

1976 First Meeting of Young Gay Association (YGA) was held at the Unitarian Church 569 South 1300 West SLC, Utah. GYA was an organization for males and females of all ages as a social alternative to the bars and parks by Metropolitan Community Church of SLC.

1980- Dr. Paul Salisbury, a professor at Utah State University and founder and publisher of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought spoke at Salt Lake Affirmation. He had observed the modernization of Mormon ideology and will discussed his experience with liberalizing influences on Church policy with special emphasis in the plight of the homosexual. Name of the talk: The Evolution of Contemporary Mormon Thought: Can the Gay Latter Day Saint Have Hope?”

Pam Parson

1983 Pam Parson, Basketball Coach for the Lady Gamecocks of and Tina Buck signed for a membership to enter Puss-N-Boots, a lesbian bar in Salt Lake City

1985-US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Georgia's sodomy laws were unconstitutional. The Georgia State Attorney General appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.

1988 Three day Desert and Mountain States Conference held in Denver, Colorado. James Kepner Director of The International Gay and Lesbian Archives  keynote speaker. Virginia Apuzzo past Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spoke at Sunday brunch. US Rep Pat Schroeder gave opening remarks to Ms Apuzzo The Utah delegation included, Curtis Jensen, Val Mansfield, Greg Harden, Joe Dewey, David Sharpton, Rob Ivey, Chris Brown, Dave Omer, Gary Boren, Adrian Ruiz,  Dr. John Reeves,Jim Hunsaker and Ben Williams.  Curtis Jensen was able to convince members of the DMSC to hold next year’s conference in Salt Lake over the strenuous lobbying of delegates from the Southern States Conference to hold a joint regional conference in Texas. Dr. John Reeves was a facilitator at a workshop on coming out. The best workshop in my opinion was Discovering the Faggot Within. 

• Perhaps the most significant organization/event inspired by Lesbian and Las Vegas' Gay Academic Union and originally sponsored by it was the Desert and Mountain States Lesbian and Gay Conference, founded by LGAU president Mike Loewy, first held March 30-31, 1985 in Las Vegas. Where the gay community till then had been focused on Las Vegas, Loewy wanted to "get Las Vegas in the larger picture." Loewy had a telephone call one evening from a man named Bill in Phoenix who had learned about the human rights seminars LGAU sponsored as part of the Las Vegas Gay Pride celebrations. Bill said they were doing the same thing in Phoenix and there was another group in Albuquerque called Common Bond doing something similar. Bill suggested everyone get together to sponsor a broad Southwest conference on gay activism and developing leadership in the gay community similar to--but predating by several years--the Creating Change conferences sponsored since 1993 by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The planning conference Loewy set up drew participants from throughout the Southwest, including Judy Corbisiero, one of the Las Vegas gay community’s most important activists. It was decided to hold the first conference in Las Vegas because the LGAU had a presence on the university campus, which no other group involved had, and because the organization had had two years' experience with its human rights seminars The shape of the conference itself became an issue when the planning committee decided not to invite California because Western states outside California shared a far more repressive political climate. “We felt so isolated in our communities,” Loewy says.”California didn't even know that we existed. We were going to have this conference that was going to provide supportive networks [but] we felt we had no support from California which was the big guy on the block." That first Desert and Mountain States Conference, whose theme was Empowering Each Other, had an impressive list of speakers: Jeffrey Levi of the National Gay Task Force; Nancy Roth, director of the Gay Rights National Lobby; gay city councilman Steve Schulte of the newly formed city of West Hollywood; and U. S. Army Sergeant Perry Watkins who sued the military in 1981 over being discharged for his homosexuality. The conference also drew UNLV President Bob Maxson’s ire. Under the impression that, because LGAU was an officially recognized campus organization, they could host the conference at UNLV, Maxson refused permission after all the PR had gone out. In the end, since the LGAU had contracted with the nearby Continental Hotel for accommodations for conference-goers, the hotel allowed the conference itself to be held there as well. The Continental staff were welcoming and professional, and the conference was successful—over 100 people attended. Subsequent conferences were held in other cities in the Western states, including a return to Las Vegas in 1990 and 1991, which was the last conference. Interestingly, even though the Desert and Mountain States Conference itself died, it was money left over from the last event in 1991 that bankrolled repeal of Nevada's sodomy law in 1993 Senate Bill 466.

1989 Saturday A full day at the Mountain and Desert States Conference. I got up about 7 a.m. to be down at the Marriott Hotel at the Crossroad Mall by 8. I started off with a continental breakfast before the keynote address was given by

Carmen Vasquez

Carmen Vazquez of the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force. She was excellent, speaking  strong radical rhetoric saying we need a new dream and a new stream because main stream is too narrow for us. She had strong separatists views which I agree totally with.

Chris Brown

Chris Brown said that 161 people have registered for the Conference and they were only expecting 150. The first workshop was my own- "Building Community". I had a much larger attendance the I anticipated. I wish I would have had more hand outs but I was doing the best I could.  Many people came up to me afterwards and said they really got some good idea from this workshop so that was great. I met Craig Miller who does Utah Traditions at KRCL right after Concerning Gays and Lesbians. He's darling. The next workshop I attended was Rocky O'Donovan's on the Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Utah.  Excellent as always with a large turn out. Perhaps 50 people. Because the weather was in-climate the luncheon was 

Saliva Sisters

held inside with Saliva Sisters performing. Wonderful as always. Joe Brown from Albuquerque who reminds me so much of Billy was at the conference  again this year.  When ever I am around him I can't take my eyes off of him.  After lunch there were two more workshops.  Gay Men's spirituality which was not as good as the class on Discovering the Faggot within  last year in Denver.  It was mostly meditation and some touchy feely stuff.  After that I went to Brent Cochran's workshop on the Mormon Church but I thought he was being too much of an apologist but otherwise the information was good. For dinner, Jim Hunsaker, Robert Austin and this boy Ron from Albuquerque went to LaFrontera's on 4th South for some Mexican food. I had a guacamole salad. Our evening entertainment was moved from the Marriott to the Red Lion because the Utah National Guard was having a formal ball and they said that Gays and Lesbians couldn't even be in the same hotel or they would take their business somewhere else so we were pushed out. At the Red Lion Greg Harden and Curtis Jensen's in drag performed as The Lovebirds which was the opening act for SuZ and the

The Love Birds

Grateful Heart, a gospel/country.folk singing group. They had performed at Unconditional Support's community Thanksgiving dinner last November. They were really good.   After listening to SuZ and Grateful Heart I called it a day and walked home with David Sharpton. He's heavily involved with people from the National People With AIDS Coalition trying to get a conference set up here in Utah. He sure is getting thin. I got home about midnight and feeling kind of blue. Don't know why. Not the same excitement as last year with John Reeves in Denver. I guess I would like to have someone special in my life. Who wouldn't?  [Journal of Ben Williams]

Jim Sandmire

989 Los Angeles Times The Rev. James Earl Sandmire; Founded Gay-Oriented Church The Rev. James Earl Sandmire, founder of the All Saints Metropolitan Community Church in West Hollywood and an international leader in that gay- and lesbian-oriented church, died Friday. He was 59 and died of AIDS-related causes in a San Francisco hospital. Sandmire was a Harvard graduate who as a young man was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rev. James Sandmire, Gay Rights Leader, 59 Published: May 14, 1989 New York Times The Rev. James E. Sandmire, one of California's best-known gay rights leaders, died of complications from AIDS Friday at San Francisco General Hospital. He was 59 years old and lived in San Francisco. Mr. Sandmire founded the homosexual-oriented Metropolitan Community Churches in San Francisco and Oakland and was an elder of the Universal Fellowship, the international governing body of the 27,000-member denomination. He was also a leader of an unsuccessful effort by the Metropolitan Community Churches to join the National Council of Churches. Only last week, in referring to mainstream Protestantism, he told the council's 260-member governing board, meeting in San Francisco, ''The reason people come to our church is because they can't come to yours.''  Mr. Sandmire was a native of Miami, Okla., and a Harvard University graduate who held a master's degree from the University of California. He was the longtime companion of Jack Hubbs of San Francisco. Surviving are a daughter, Kimberly, of Dallas; a son, James 3d of Salt Lake City; his father, James Sr. of Miami, Okla.; three sisters, Ruth Ann Hudspeth of Tulsa, Okla., Elizabeth Williams of Miami, Okla., and Jane Graves of Logan, Utah, and a grandson.

 1989 In the British Medical Journal Myra McClure and Thomas Schultz wrote a paper on the "Origin of HIV" and quickly disposed of the idea that AIDS is connected to germ warfare. They simply state: "Lack of supporting evidence precludes serious discussion of such a bizarre hypothesis. This review deals with the theories on the origin of HIV that are scientifically plausible." Thus, medical science ignores evidence suggesting AIDS originated as a secret experiment. Most physicians and microbiologists steadfastly hold on to the illogical and improbable green monkey theory of AIDS. And the major media remain silent, often dismissing the bio-warfare theory as communist propaganda of the most malicious sort. Forgotten is the connection between the National Academy of Sciences and the military bio-warfare establishment in the development of biological weapons for mass killings.

1990 Sunday-I went to Affirmation this evening and there was a very small turn out only about 15 people but that was okay with me because for what I wanted to do, it didn't require a lot of people.  Both Keith McBride and Duane Dawson were gone, leaving Walt Larabee to

Walt Larabee

conduct the meeting. I had everyone sit in a circle, and then I lit a candle placing it in the center of the circle.  I talked the group through a meditation and then I had them reach back to the child within. After bringing them out of their meditational state, I then broke the circle into three groups of five people to discuss what they had discovered about themselves. Later I brought the groups back into the main circle again and we discussed what it means to be a community and what as Gay people, besides are sexuality, do we have in common with each other.  It became evident to those who truly were open to the idea, that we indeed are a common people with unique and special gifts which sets us apart from heterosexuals.  Willie Marshall said it was the best meeting Affirmation had in six months. [Journal 1990 of Ben Williams]

1994 I went to GLCCU [Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah] and at the Stonewall Center they were hosting a wine and cheese reception for the “Turning of the Century Conference. We met in the back room with only about 20 people were in attendant. Nobody sat up chairs again as usual so Melissa Sillitoe and I sat up chairs. Renee Rinaldi was elected Secretary of Community Council since I resigned. Lynn Gillman also resigned as Stonewall Librarian so its just Russell Kracke  there now.

1998-Timothy McVeigh was promoted to master chief petty officer, the Navy's highest enlisted rank. He was chosen from a pool of 168 candidates. The Navy had attempted to discharge him after discovering his AOL profile said he was Gay.

1998 A preliminary hearing for Todd Dean Koolmo a 31-year-old man charged with killing

Todd Koolmo

his wife28-year-old Melissa Koolmo, a flight attendant last month during an argument at their Salt Lake City home was held. According to detectives, Koolmo had accused his wife of carrying on a lesbian relationship.   

2003 AUTHOR TO SPEAK AT PFLAG MEETING ON MAY 13  Marc Adams, author of the Lambda Literary Award finalist and Silver Pen Award recipient autobiography, The Preacher's Son, will speak to the Salt Lake City Chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) on Tuesday evening, May 13. The meeting will be held at the City Library, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, and will begin at 7:00 p.m. The library closes at 9:00 p.m., so we're starting half an hour early so there is ample time for questions and answers at the end of Marc's presentation. Parking can be accessed only by

Marc Adams

driving eastbound on 400 South. Watch for the sign at the east end of the library directing you to the underground parking. Or, if you'd prefer not to drive, Trax stops at the library. The Preacher's Son chronicles Adams' life growing up gay as the son of a fundamentalist Baptist minister in rural Pennsylvania.  He went on to attend - by choice - Jerry Falwell's Liberty University.  During his time as a student there, he was also employed by the university in the student recruiting/ university relations department.  His book articulately reveals life at Liberty and the struggle to conform to the standards for which he was prepared to die.  The book culminates with his coming to terms with being gay and his coming out to his fundamentalist family. In his talk at PFLAG, Adams will share much of his life's story, share from his other books, Light, Still Water, Do's and Don'ts of Dealing with the Religious Right, as well as talk about HeartStrong.  Adams co-founded HeartStrong with his partner as an outreach to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students (current and former) at religious educational institutions.  It is the only outreach of its kind in the world.  The talk will be followed by an open forum Q& A session with Adams. "Being born into fundamentalist Christianity and a practitioner and fundamentalist recruiter for almost 20 years," Adams illustrates, "I am aware of what they are doing as well as the belief system responsible for all they do." "I remember a decade ago when I was an open fundamentalist Christian," Adams continues, "I spent a lot of my free time proselytizing and doing everything I could to recruit people into the fundamentalist Christian lifestyle.  I believed that if I did not bring everyone I came in contact with to my side, that their blood would be on my hands.  That was my motivation." "However," Adams continues thoughtfully, "Even though I managed to break the chains and free myself, millions of others have not.  I climbed the hill and made it.  Everything I do now is to show the path to others."   All of Marc Adams' books and resources will be available to purchase at the event.   The event is free of charge and is open to the public. Receptacles will be available for donations of canned food such as peanut butter, soup,  stews or canned meat, which will be given to Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Utah for use by the youth. I think it will be a very informative evening.  I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday evening, May 13. Joyce Cottrell

Paul Canuto

2003 BEN Williams To Paul Cunato “ Dear Paul,   I read in the Pillar about your generous donation to the Utah Stonewall Historical Society. I would like to personally thank you and your kindness towards our organization. Could you please convey to your board our appreciation from the USHS Board of Directions. Paul you probably was not aware that the USHS had agreed to make historical kiosks for Pride Day in conjunction with Charles Milne of the LGBT Resource Center at the U. We had submitted a donation request to Home Depot for the material to build the kiosks and after an initial positive response they informed as  today that because of their district's over commitment to the Boys and Girls Club they were unable to fulfill our present request. Although they said they were very excited about our project and will keep our request on file the bottom line is that that portion of the kiosks project fell through. We would very much like to keep our commitment to Pride Day but this is where we need your help if you are able. We have no membership dues and there for no general funds to work with. We had just incorporated and filed the necessary paper work to be registered with the state and so what little money we had is tapped out. Is there anyway that a portion of your donation could be advanced so that we could buy the wood and material we need?  We have a committed works force who are willing to put them together but since there are only three weekends before Pride Day and one of them is coronation we are fast running out of time. We are co-sponsoring the Pride Dance at Hard Rock Saturday night as our first real fundraiser but alas that is too late for our purposes. Not to sway you at all but I was planning on highlighting the history of Gay Rodeo on one panel. :) Appreciate all your hard work. Best Regards Ben Williams USHS Historian

2005 Friday, 7:00 pm Multi-Purpose Room Gay Bingo! Last month this event SOLD OUT!  So get there early to reserve your game board for a night of wickedly funny entertainment, prizes, and friendly cutthroat competition with the Cyber Sluts and GAY BINGO!  Have fun, win prizes, and raise money for our Community Center.  Admission is only 5 dollars and includes your first game board.

2006 QVinum Wine Tasting & Dinner hosted by the Silver Jack Inn & Lectrolux café - Baker, Nevada May 13 & 14,  2006   Saturday – Sunday Package price for Sat + Sunday: Food & Wine Package = $ 50 (Tips not included) Special room rate for Friday and/or Saturday:  2 Twins ($30),  1 Dbl Bed ($30), 2 Dbl Beds($40), 2 Dbl Beds  1 Twin in a separate room ($50).  One private bath for each room.  If Friday night arrival, meals at a 10% discount at the Lectrolux Café. Food & Hike package includes the following (approximate times): Sat. 4:00 PM Wine Tasting  Sat  7:00 PM Dinner with wine Sun  8:00 AM Breakfast Sun  9:30 AM Hike (about 3-4 hours, 4 miles) guided by our host Terry Marasco to the Bristlecones (3-4,000 year old trees) atop Mt. Wheeler, home of Nevada's glacier.  Terry will discuss the geology, history, and natural environment of the Great Basin & the Great Basin National Park, as well as give you photography tips (he is a fine art nature photographer). Be sure to bring your cameras. ** Things to do: Lehman Cave tour – This is a great cave  system (Park Fee $10)  You may want to leave Friday night in order to do the Caves Sat. AM before the wine tasting. Hiking to the Glacier at about 11,500 Feet Great Basin National Park  & Caves Baker is about a 4 + hour drive south of SLC through Delta, Utah. ( I-15 South   &   Route 6/50 West ) Make reservations w/ Terry Marasco via the internet or phone.   Say you are with QVinum.  Please also send email or call Dan Fahndrich with your reservation number and quantity in party....  Terry will provide shots of the group and scenery for you to take home on CDs. Enjoy an evening of fine wine & food, then get out to our grand outback and

Dan Fahndrich

find out why Terry Marasco moved to this grand & peaceful place near Great Basin National Park, Baker Nevada after 25  years in San Francisco.  Terry has significant wine expertise from 15 years in the wine business in the Bay Area – as a negociant, wholesaler, and retailer. Join us at the Silver Jack Inn & Lectrolux Café Worry NOT & Chill with qVinum friends sharing wine and food in Nevada's spectacular Outback.  This serene landscape with the assistance of fine wine will relax you for the return to civilization. Dan Fahndrich.

Christine Johnson

2010 Utah lawmaker Christine Johnson to work for South Carolina gay rights group By ReporterDeseret News Published: Thursday, May 13, 2010 SALT LAKE CITY — A Democratic Utah lawmaker is resigning to become the executive director of a gay rights group in South Carolina. Rep. Christine Johnson said Wednesday she will begin her new job at South Carolina Equality in July. Johnson lived in the state previously and still has family there. The two-term Salt Lake City Democrat frequently has fought for the legal rights of gays and lesbians during her time in the Legislature. Johnson, who is a lesbian, is carrying a baby boy for two gay friends who can't legally adopt in the state. Johnson agreed to a moratorium on seeking any gay rights legislation last session to protect a Salt Lake City anti-discrimination ordinance from coming under assault by conservative state lawmakers. Johnson already had said she would not run for re-election.

2010 Utah Log Cabin Republicans Is this their year? By Marty Foy Salt Lake City Weekly

Mel Nimer

Jesse Fruhwirth interviews Utah Log Cabin Republicans president Mel Nimer, legislature candidate Daniel Thatcher, (now former) U.S. Senate candidate Cheryl Eager, legislature candidate Rick Raile and Utah Log Cabin Republican vice president James Humphries at the 2010 Republican Convention. Humphries provided the following list of Republican candidates for state legislature that he considers "open to discussing GLBT issues." •Rick Raile, House 25 •Noel Fields House 22 •Richard Barnes House 23 •Jeremy Patterson House 9 •Sinama Meli House 30 •Samuel Fidler Senate 5 •Daniel Thatcher Senate 12  At the convention, he said he would have a list of six candidates that were at least as gay friendly as Lt. Gov. Greg Bell, who sponsored gay-friendly legislation as a Republican state senator. But, only time will tell just how warmly these candidates embrace political priorities of the LGBT community either on the campaign trail, or in office.

2016 Fox 13  News  SALT LAKE CITY — Mayor Jackie Biskupski put up the first street sign that renames a part of 900 South as “Harvey Milk Boulevard.” The Salt Lake City Council recently voted unanimously to rename 900 South after Milk, who was one of the country’s first openly gay elected officials until his assassination in 1978. "I am where I am because of people like Harvey,” Biskupski said, referencing her election as the first openly lesbian mayor of Salt Lake City. The LGBT rights group Equality Utah (which raised money for the street signs) is planning a celebration Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. at 9th and 9th to commemorate the street name change. Neon Trees front man Tyler Glenn is scheduled to perform at the event.

2020 Connell O'Donovan submitted this letter: May 13, 2020 Utah Pride Center Board Chair, Members, and Center Director:

It is with immense sadness that I hereby resign from the Utah Queer Historical Society, a program of the Utah Pride Center, effective immediately. I will also be returning the Lifetime Achievement Award I received in 2019 from the Utah Pride Center.

I will not be a party to why and how Liz Pitts (in particular) was fired from her vital position at the Center. In fact, with the whole slate of callous and sometimes absurd firings, you have expelled nearly the entire core group of people who made the Center feel like a refuge for me and countless others. I cannot let this injustice happen without openly expressing my sadness, anger, and disappointment.

Connell O'Donovan

 A few comments about Connell’s actions were from community activists such as David Andreason, Terry Gillman, Sue Robbins and Ben Williams.  

David Andreason wrote "Sad to hear this but proud of you, Connell. I left the community a few years ago because I didn't recognize it anymore. Being the same age and having lived through those years when these organizations didn't exist, I think we see things very differently than folks today. We assume everybody values the same things we always have but they don't. Love to you--and you should keep your award. It belongs to you." 

Terry Gillman  stated "As I don't have any of the facts of the current situation of the center I have yet to form an opinion. I am concerned that if the employees were Terminated, rather than furloughed or laid off than it complicates the back-filling of those positions once the center returns to full staff. My greatest concern, which stems from 27 years of trends in this community, is that individuals who are looking to build on their "Queer, Inc." resume's will be looking to fill those positions. The bliss of the last two years of the center has been it's community focus and the restoration of beloved programs. I am greatly saddened that Liz has been put aside, as she was one of the last of the "old guard" who really has put so much sharp focus on OUR community for so very long. If you are reading this, and you are a past recipient of the Kristen Reis service award, please take Liz into your hearts for consideration as you make your nominations this year.

Sue Robbins commented Terry, just a note on the last part. The recipient for this year has already been announced and is Karrie Galloway. Now if someone wants to submit her next year, that would be great!
Ben Williams I have not posted for a while as I have not been as involved with the history project as much as I have been with other projects lately... But I am proud of what this project of the Pride Center has accomplished; the oratories, displays, material saved, and last years Pride Day Booth by a few dedicated people. As a Gay Senior I have to limit what I can commit to but I still plan on working with board members by Saving and preserving artifacts from our collective histories...AT this trying time I think it's even more important to record and keep our history.  I too am sadden by the financial impact this pandemic is having on the Pride Center and Gay Bars and other LGBT businesses. I feel that everyone is doing the best they can in this new reality that has knocked us down to our foundation. This is the 2nd plague I've lived through that I have been among those being at the most risk; , once being a Gay man and now as a senior... but I have every confidence we can come through this, even as reality, as we had known, it dramatically shifts. Gay people are incredibly resilient. I am grateful to the Pride Board and Executive Director for their support of the Historical Society and I realize how traumatizing it must be to make hard decisions during this period of uncertainty... I am also thankful that I am still able to make a monthly financial contribution to the center no matter how small... I have lived long enough to know this too will pass but the Center will still be needed for this 21st century generation of Gay and Trans folks...I don't know the financial situation of the center... I know it must be pretty dire especially with Pride Day's revenue not coming in. As someone who had volunteered for many years I know what service and sacrifice is and hopefully this will all play out when this is all over. I feel upset over everyone who has lost their jobs or have had reduced hours and benefits. I wish everyone well. I have always been proud of how courageous we as a community can be...