This Day In Gay Utah History May 4th

4 May

1848-Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson wrote in a letter to Karl Alexander, "I think of all the dear memories of every hour of our life together, and my heart melts."

1887 Salt Lake Tribune JAMES MARSHALL 1887 SLC PANSY James Marshall used so much nose paint yesterday attempting to beautify his complexion that he was quite carried away with his own beauty and seeing his reflection in a street window pane made violent love to it. When arrested for disturbing the feelings of the party who owned the window, James expressed his indignation in the Basque language which nearly wrecked all the neighboring awnings. Fined $10.00

Spencer Kimball

1954: Spencer W. Kimball, “Be Ye Clean,” Speeches of the Year, (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press 1954), Spencer W. Kimball BYU talk: “I explained: One must come to the realization of the seriousness of error. There are sins that cannot be forgiven, but fortunately most can be remitted. * * *Next to the unpardonable sins come the diabolical crimes of sexual impurity which raise their ugly heads in many different forms, including aberrations of self-pollution {masturbation} and the abhorrent and unnatural practices {homosexuality} involving other people. Conscience tells the individual when he is entering forbidden worlds and continues to prick until silenced by the will or by sin's constant pressures. Can anyone truthfully say he did not know such things were wrong? These unholy practices, whatever may be their unmentionable names with all their approaches and numerous manifestations, are condemned by the Lord and His Church. Some may be more heinous than others, but all are sin, in spite of the statements to the contrary of those who falsely pretend to know. The Lord's prophets declare they are not normal. The world may have its norm; the Church has a different one. It may be considered normal by the people of the world to use tobacco; the Church's norm is a high plane where smoking is not done. The world's norm may permit men and women social drinking and cocktail parties; the Lord's Church lifts its people to a norm of total abstinence. The world may countenance pre-marital sex experiences, but the Lord and His Church condemn in no uncertain terms any and every sex relationship outside of marriage, and even indecent and uncontrolled ones within marriage. And so, though many self-styled authorities justify these-practices as a normal release, the Church condemns them and could not knowingly send such people, unrepentant into the mission field or give them places of trust or positions of responsibility. Such unholy practices were condemned by ancient prophets and are today condemned by the Church. Paul lashed out against these unholy evidences of the vulgar mind and of uncontrolled passion and desire: Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. (Romans 1:24) There are those who with vicious tendencies or weak wills say "The Lord made me this way, gave me these desires and passions, and He will not condemn me," This is untrue.   5.Speech given May 4, 1954.

1989  Large turnout at Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah. David Sharpton

David Sharpton

resigned from the AIDS Subcommittee tonight due to his other commitments in the Gay Community, such as trying to bring a National AIDS Conference to SLC in October. He also said that The PWAC is going to sue the Red Cross for discrimination since they refuse to use moneys allocated for AIDS education towards educating Utah's Gay Community. Robert Austin was chosen to take David's place as chair of the subcommittee. [Journal of Ben Williams]

1991 A fund raising Western dance was held at the Northwestern Multipurpose Center with all proceeds going to the Utah Stonewall Center.

Phillip Austin

1994 PHILLIP AUSTIN SEX CRIMES (05/04/94 Page: D3) JUDGE APPROVES KIDNAPPING CHARGE  byline: By Tom Quinn SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE  OGDEN -- A Weber State University administrator was bound over Tuesday to District Court to face charges in the kidnapping of a 20-year-old man at gunpoint for the purpose of committing a sex act. Phillip O. Austin, 42, WSU director of academic advisement, was ordered Tuesday by 2nd Circuit Judge Pamela Heffernan to stand trial on a first-degree felony charge of aggravated kidnapping following his preliminary hearing. Colby Clifford, West Point, was the only witness to testify. He said he was picked up at a bus stop in Clearfield on March 12 by a man he identified as Austin. According to Clifford, Austin asked him directions to McKay-Dee Hospital and then offered him a ride to Roy. Clifford said Austin asked for oral sex. When Clifford refused, Austin used the automatic door-lock button to lock all the doors, pulled a gun, and said he was driving Clifford to Austin's Ogden apartment where the sex act would take place. On April 14, Clifford was at WSU's Office of Academic Guidance getting a transcript of grades when he recognized Austin. Clifford called police and Austin was arrested.

1995 Utah Power Play- Utah Power Play started out as a 3x5 card posted on the board at the Utah Stonewall Center in Salt Lake City in the spring of 1995. It gave a brief description to the effect that they were looking for other people interested in BDSM and the sharing of knowledge and information. It had a phone number and was signed with the pseudonym of Spike. Hazel J was the originator of the group and five other people responded to the ad: Ronnie N, Sunny C, Beverly B (aka Phoenix), Rachael M, and Grant H, most of whom Hazel already knew through other avenues. The first meeting to discuss the formation of a group for those interested in BDSM in the Salt Lake area was held in Hazel's parents' driveway, while Hazel changed the oil in her car. This meeting occurred in mid-April of 1995 and various people among those gathered volunteered to do the jobs that were needed to get the group started, including checking out the Stonewall Center as a meeting place and arranging to use a room as a meeting space. Hazel set up a phone mailbox so that people could contact the group for information. A half page flier was written up announcing the formation of the group and the scheduled time and date for the first meeting and several hundred fliers were printed. In the following couple of weeks, several people distributed the fliers everywhere they could think of that seemed appropriate: all the sex stores, the few slightly kinky stores, the Stonewall Center, and at the Gay and Lesbian Pride celebration. That was the only planning/organizing meeting held before public meetings began. Power Play was officially founded in May of 1995, with their first open public meeting held on May 4th at the old Stonewall Center. It's Purpose: "Power Play is a non-profit, pan-sexual educational/support group open to all adults 18 years or older. They help to teach the safe practice of the many varieties of BDSM and other activities. They offer a place to meet others with common interests, while providing a supportive network for the leather community." Hazel and Ronnie became co-presidents and Phoenix was named the secretary, with Grant becoming the treasurer. Sunny held a major part in the group's organization as she was asked to fill in for various positions. As personal matters took some of the founders away from Powerplay or Utah and no new elections were held, Sunny eventually became the only officer left, although there were others at the time who were still helping to run the group. However, rather than burn out, she called a meeting and told everyone who came that she was unwilling to be the only one with any official duty to run Powerplay. It was at this time that the first Powerplay Council was formed and it has continued to have responsibility for running the group ever since. A decision was made at that meeting that some of the people would serve a six month term and some a three month term, and that all terms would be three months long after that, with the seats that were up for election alternating with each election. The original council was composed of five council members and one alternate. Those six were all the people we could muster who would agree to actually make the commitment and do the work to make Power Play continue. Once the Council was in place, Power Play began to stabilize and to become better organized, eventually becoming a legally incorporated organization. As things continued to get better and increasingly stable, council members were willing to commit to a six-month term. Some of the first activities of Power Play included walking as a group at first Pride Day Parade in Salt Lake City and selling Pepsi products at the Pride Day Celebration as a fundraiser for the group. They also handed out flyers to promote the group to interested individuals. They have made an effort to have a booth at every Pride Celebration since. Shortly after the weekly meetings began, many of the attendees started to meet at Dee's restaurant for coffee and more informal conversation after the meeting ended. Meeting at Dee's was never an actual Power Play meeting. It was always a social time after the regular meeting. It became a regular practice to go out for coffee after meeting for Power play for a very long time and we met at Dee's most every week, though occasionally meeting somewhere else. Dee's got so used to us coming that they started having our table space set up for us before we arrived. In early 1997 some of the people started going to the Deer Hunter (a local gay bar) for drinks instead of to Dee's for coffee, so the after-meeting get-togethers became divided. After the Stonewall Center closed, the group was held at a private residence of one of the members until the Gay and Lesbian Center opened and the meetings were moved there. The group most recently was holding their meetings at a private residence that had been converted for gatherings. The group dissolved due to legal difficulties in 2003.  During the time that they were holding the meetings at a separate residence after the Stonewall closed, there was dissention from a group of people who came from Ogden (a town about 45 miles away) as to how things should be run and they decided it was kind of far for some of them. So a small group of around eight members ended up leaving Power Play and holding their own meetings in a separate residence in Ogden. Their group lasted less than a year before disbanding.

1996 Saturday,  SEX CRIMES UTAH INMATE CHARGED WITH RAPING ANOTHER INMATE  A Utah State Prison inmate was charged with raping another inmate Thursday afternoon in 3rd Circuit Court. An inmate told corrections officials that another prisoner entered his cell and forced him to have sex with him, court documents said. An examination of the inmate indicated he was telling the truth about the rape. The 26-year old suspect was charged with forcible sodomy, which is a first-degree felony and punishable by life in prison.  Deseret News Publishing Co.

Andrew Sullivan

1997 Sunday, Spare young gays from lonely lives, advocate says  By Spencer P. Young, Staff Writer Andrew Sullivan remembers what it was like to be young and gay. It hurt to think he would never have the opportunity to marry. It was painful to know that his Catholic religion denounces the type of relationships he wanted to have.  "You are taught that you cannot (be gay) so you do your best to push it away, forget about it or ignore it," Sullivan said. "But the vast majority of gay people - no matter what denomination they belong to - find that impossible."     Sullivan, a 33-year-old advocate for gay and lesbian rights, gave the keynote address at the Intermountain Conference on Homosexuality at the University of Utah Friday. The conference was sponsored by the Graduate School of Social Work and Graduate School of Education at the U., in conjunction with Family Fellowship and PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).  He said he chose to be a gay-rights advocate because he doesn't want anyone to have to go through what he did as a young homosexual. Sullivan talked about his latest book, "For Better or Worse? Same Sex Marriages, Pro and Con," during the speech. The fact that homosexuals cannot marry gives them a sense that they will live lonely lives, he said. It's social factors like this one that causes the suicide rate to be much higher among gay teenagers. © 1997 Deseret News Publishing Co.

1998-The Arizona state senate approved an amendment prohibiting state and local government from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Jan Graham 

1998- A feud developed between Gov. Mike Leavitt and Utah Attorney General Jan Graham over whether the state should oppose efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Vermont. Leavitt believes Utah should join the fray; Graham does not. `Your reasons for wanting me to join this brief are purely and simply so (the conservative group) Eagle Form will not be mad at you,'' Graham wrote to Leavitt. ``You have no interest in the case, legally or policy-wise, as your letter so carefully states. ```Political sensitivity' was all you could speak on Wednesday on the telephone, and you even took it upon yourself to warn me of the `political consequences' to myself.... Why do you allow them (the Eagle Forum) to push you around?'' 

Gayle Ruzicka

1999 Outspoken conservatives from Utah's Eagle Forum are waging opposition to proposed changes in the health curriculum for the state's junior, middle and high schools. Gayle Ruzicka, president of the politically powerful organization, led the group's position against adding any talk in classrooms about contraceptives, communicable diseases, self-exams for genital cancer and gender roles at a public hearing Monday on the revised lesson plans.  "I suggest the committee throw out (this) curriculum and start over," Ruzicka said from a classroom at Orem High School. Her prepared comments were broadcast to schools statewide over the Utah Education Network's video-conferencing system. Ruzicka's group and other concerned parents prepared similar statements to read during the public-comment period of the meeting. In contrast, many parents and educators supported the plan, saying that teens need solid health and medical facts to help them make decisions. Members of a committee that updated the 12-year-old curriculum only took comment and did not respond to questions or comments. Within the revamped curriculum, teachers would be asked to explain to students the reproductive anatomy of males and females, help identify means to prevent early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and list options, including adoption, for young women who are pregnant. Teachers also would be asked to explain the importance of some nutrition, medical and health issues, including nutrition supplements, breast and testicular self-exams and Pap smears. Ruzicka said a "mixed message" is sent when information is given about both abstinence and contraceptives. Condoms, she said, are obviously not as effective as abstinence in the fight against HIV, AIDS and pregnancy. "I would strongly suggest that programs such as these . . . run counter to beliefs of people in this state," added Scott Bradley from a site in Logan. He said the lesson plans would further strengthen secular bureaucracies and usurp the authority of parents to deal with sex education. State law requires teachers to receive parental approval before starting discussions about contraceptives. In addition, the Utah State Board of Education's policies restrain teachers from advocating contraceptive use for unmarried minors. Utah teachers also must advocate abstinence and cannot discuss erotic behavior, sexual stimulation or homosexuality as a preferred, alternative lifestyle, said Margaret Rose, health education specialist of Utah's State Office of Education. "Some of the health issues our young people face have changed," said Rose, explaining why the curriculum was rewritten by a committee of educators, health professionals, parents and administrators. "Back then, there wasn't such a thing as Creatine and breakfast-in-a-can." Rose said that in two public hearings, parents on both sides of the debate about teaching safe-sex methods have spoken out. "Parents are addressing both sides of that issue," she said. "Really, it is a parental rights issue." Added teacher Sandra Vauser, a proponent of the curriculum: "More students are going to make poor decisions if they haven't been given the facts." Also included in the curriculum are ways to help teens develop healthy relationships with their peers and parents. Teachers also would broach issues swirling around suicide, anger management, mental illness and nonviolent ways to settle conflicts. Given the tragedy at Colorado's Columbine High School and the rash of deadly threats in schools across the Wasatch Front  “we need at our schools to address being kind to one another," Rose said. "These character values are values we would want for members of our community," she said. "We are all aware that this is an area we need help in. Spend time in any junior high or high school and you'll see we need to take an active role in that." A draft of the changes can be found on the Internet. Rose said members of the state education board will receive the final recommended copy at the end of this week and plans to address the proposals May 14. Parents can submit written comments about the health curriculum until that time.  DN

Rick Santorum

2003 Salt Lake Editorial Consenting Adults It might seem odd that one Republican senator is catching holy heck in the national press for condemning homosexuality -- equating it with polygamy -- while another has received almost no notice beyond his home state for remarks that have been heard by some as acceptance of polygamy. Perhaps the polygamy remarks, by Utah's Orrin Hatch, are being written off by a condescending press establishment as the kind of thing Utah politicians are expected to say to their constituents. Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's slam on gay sex, meanwhile, may be seen as noteworthy for going against the grain of his more cosmopolitan state.   Whatever the reason, it does seem that it is Hatch who has drawn, or stumbled upon, true ethical distinctions rather than issue the kind of blunderbuss condemnation favored by Santorum. Santorum, you'll remember, recently expressed concern that if the Supreme Court overturns a Texas law that criminalizes certain acts when performed by same-sex couples, but not identical acts between heterosexual partners, it will be no holds barred. Allowing adults to engage in gay sex in the privacy of their bedrooms, the Pennsylvanian opined, means the law will also have to allow incest, polygamy, adultery and, in the senator's words, "the right to do anything."     No, it won't. Not all sex acts are created equal. Those involving consenting adults, adults who are not married to someone else or related by blood to one another, generally do not present a hazard to individuals or society. Adultery and incest are prohibited because they have serious potential to damage those not willingly participating -- unsuspecting spouses in the case of adultery, inbred offspring as a result of incest.  Even then, the lack of a complaining victim means those laws are seldom enforced. The level of police snooping that would be necessary to enforce them -- snooping that occurred in the Texas case only after a bogus report of a man running amok with a gun -- is intolerable in cases where no unwilling or underage victims are involved. Meanwhile, even as gay rights activists objected to the way Santorum compared their relationships to polygamy, Hatch was describing some polygamists of his acquaintance as "very fine people," and challenging those who allege widespread child abuse within polygamous families to present him with evidence.  While largely unnoticed by the national press, Hatch's remarks did draw attacks from Utah groups campaigning against polygamy, particularly the sort that drags under-age girls into plural marriages. And, if Hatch were casting a blind eye on the abuse of children, then he would deserve to be castigated. But the Utah senator's inability to work himself into high dudgeon over matters of other adults' sex lives should not trouble the true small-government conservatives of his state or his party. Maybe that is why his remarks have drawn little attention. Rick Santorum should take note.

Gordon Steele

2003 Ben, Although I wasn't involved in the 4th reign of the Court, I am 99% sure Gordon Steele and Candy Steele are two different people. Gordon was a man, Candy is his cousin. Gordon left town after the scandal. Candy still contends the ICU is a valid organization and she proclaimed herself Emperor 5. Check with Marita, but this is what I remember. Alan [Anderson]

•  2003 [Marita] Marty Pollack- Gordon Steele was about to be impeached as Emperor 4 for mis-use of court funds and his attorney was present when the entire congregation turned in their court cards and walked out, leaving him and Candi Steele to run the de-funct ICU. The court had already filed new papers to form the new RCGSE upon the night of the resignations in mass. He left shortly after his scandalous affair with the court members in 1980 and move to Chicago.

Larry Tidwell

2005 Lavender Tribe Larry Tidwell    Topic:  "Crystals and Crystal Healing" Larry has been a student and teacher of crystals and crystal healing for about 6 years. He will discuss different attributes of crystals and different ways to work with them. Lavender Tribe is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping others find a spiritual path. We meet at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah (GLCCU) in the black box room (across from the Stonewall Coffee Shop). 361 N. 300 W. Although the group is centered around the GLBT community, ALL are welcome. Please join us and bring a friend. If you know someone who would like to speak to our group, please let us know!

2005 Wednesday, 7pm Front Meeting Room Diverse City Writing Group This is a diverse creative writing group that is open to everyone.Facilitated by the Community Writing Center.  Come try out your writing and get helpful feedback for improvement!  1st & 3rd Wednesdays of every month.

2005 For all Graduating Seniors out there!! Mark your calendars for May 4th, 2005, at 7:00 PM The 2nd Annual Lavendar Graduation will occur. If you are a graduating senior and identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender, we would liketo celebrate the completion of your degree at the University of Utah.  Please email me so I can put you on the list of honorees.

 2006   The new 2006 Utah Pride policies and venues are a welcome change to include

David Nelson

gender- and sexual-minority firearms owners and advocates at all pride events in June. More pride venues than before are welcoming of legally concealed firearms and no venue prohibits them. Instead, the policies reiterate federal and state laws by prohibiting "illegal weapons" which don't include legally concealed firearms. The change is commendable. I hope that this leads to future full inclusion of firearms owners and advocates at every part of Utah Pride. David nelson

Nova Starr

2006 Thursday,  Pride in SLC Salt Lake City pride day is right around the corner, a time that gay and lesbian men and woman get our day in the sunshine here. A day were everyone whomever you are can come out and be seen and make a statement that we're here and queer get used to it.  But I have an issue with pride day... Salt lakes pride has turned into a political statement of "Utah Pride Day" instead of Gay and Lesbian Pride Day. The word Queer used in place of the word gay men or lesbian or bisexual or transgender.... I am most certainly not Queer... I'm not strange, I'm a self affirming cock sucking drag performing flaming gay man in the United States of America. AMEN. And I think the pansy pride committee herein SLC needs to get off their damn asses and start representing the people who make pride what it is. THE GAY AND LESBIAN COMMUNITY. Not a bunch of scared politically correct morons who hide from cops and politicians. We need to stand up more, represent more, be who we are as it is protected under our federal and human rights. Change happens from within not without. And how can we expect to make a change with our own voice if that "voice" is not representing right? Oh yeah by the way GOSSIP the club I work for has booked AMERICAN IDOL KIMBERLY LOCKE for Pride Day. And it's gonna be one hell of a party. With her first album going platinum with 8th World Wonder and her new album coming out 3 days before our pride event we are doing her first album release party and it's gonna be fantastic. Her new MTV show debutes the Monday after our pride and we can't wait to see what’s in store. We expect a sold out show that day at tickets going for $7 a piece right now. I wonder what else or who else we have planned to be there..... hehehehehehehehhe Nova Star

Andrea Moore Emmett

2010 NOW's New Director Women's-rights advocates look to the future. By Stephen Dark Salt Lake City Weekly In January, National Organization of Women’s National President Terry O’Neill asked Andrea Moore-Emmett, a former president of Utah’s NOW chapter, to find a new volunteer director for Utah. Moore-Emmett’s trawl of Utah-based feminists she knew from her NOW days of grass-roots advocacy was made more urgent by multiple bills in the Utah Legislature targeting women’s reproductive rights. In late April, she found her woman. She wasn’t a high-profile professional, but rather a fresh-faced newcomer to politicking for Utah women’s rights, Westminster College graduate student, Eva Rinaldi. “I’m not sure what I got myself into,” laughs Rinaldi, who says she’s “over 35.” She’s currently operations director for the Park City-based arts nonprofit Sundance Institute during the day and pursues a master of arts in community leadership at Westminster at night, encompassing a two-year women’s studies program. A former City Weekly contributor, Moore-Emmett’s experiences may well be a salutary introduction. “In Utah, feminism is the other f-word,” she says. When she took over NOW in January 2004, it had disintegrated. All that was left, she recalls, “was a rain-soaked cardboard box with checks that hadn’t been deposited and had expired.” Moore-Emmett learned a Utah NOW chapter president is “a lightning rod.” That’s because, she

Eva Rinaldi

says, Utah “is behind enough in its mentality of men and women’s roles and their equality that feminism is seen as destructive to the roles that [conservatives believe] women are supposed to have—in the kitchen, mainly.” She kept a folder of hate mail, which included a letter from one man telling her, “You are the leader of the most diabolical organization in the world.” The NOW phone rang 24 hours a day, mostly calls from women dealing with sexual abuse or harassment at work. “There’s not a lot you can do to make change in Utah, but you can be in their face,” she says. She and her 14-member board increased NOW’s visibility by campaigning for reproductive rights, gay rights and Walmart employment issues, among others. In the years following Moore-Emmett stepping down from NOW’s leadership in January 2006 to move to California, NOW, which claims half a million membership nationally, eventually saw its Utah arm languish into inactivity. Even their Website has not been updated since 2007, despite a promise of a new home page soon. Her quest for a new Utah chapter head proved trying. The Utah feminists that Moore-Emmett approached in recent months to front NOW, she says, complained of exhaustion and burnout. “They asked, ‘where are the younger women, the new generation?’” she says. “It’s their turn.” NOW National Vice President Erin Matson says media trend stories about young women ignoring NOW are inaccurate. “A shift is taking place in feminism right now, a transition to including more young women in the movement,” she says. While the core fight for equality hasn’t changed, the tools have. She identified online activism by “women engaged to protect women’s health” as a growing movement. Nationally, she added, NOW is focusing on expanding abortion access, work-life balance, fair pay for women and NOW’s “Love Your Body” campaign. Former ACLU

Dani Eyer

Executive Director and Westminster College lecturer Dani Eyer suggested Rinaldi, one of her students, as a potential NOW chapter leader to a frustrated Moore-Emmett. After so many “nos,” a “yes,” even from someone relatively unschooled in the demanding art of women’s-rights advocacy in Utah, proved welcome to Moore-Emmett. Rinaldi, who acknowledges, “NOW is looking to revitalize here,” is initially focusing on assembling a board. She hopes the board, in conjunction with other women’s groups, will help shape an agenda for her chapter. She credits her single mother with having raised her as an independent spirit. “[She taught] me to speak for myself.” She will perhaps bring a different approach than Moore-Emmett’s more confrontational style. “I don’t want to be antagonistic,” Rinaldi says. “I don’t think it helps.” When Moore-Emmett left NOW, it had 300 due-paying members. A NOW spokeswoman declined to release the current number of members. Rinaldi, who agreed to take on the two-year position at the end of April, is keen to cultivate new members. “I hope there are women out there looking for someone to represent their voice,” she says, regardless of religious belief, whether they are homemakers or professionals. “I don’t want to be a judge. I recognize women are equal to men, whatever form that takes.”

2010 Valerie Larabee wrote: Dear Past Recipients/Members of the 2010 Award Selection Committee, The following are the nominees for the 2010 Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award (see attached for detailed nominations): 

Nominees  Christine Johnson Nominated By Lucia Malin, 

Donald Steward (Ruby Ridge) Nominated By  Ben Williams, 

Gary Horenkamp Nominated By Barry Gomberg,  

Josh Newbury  Nominated By  Matthew Siemionko, 

Jude McNeil  Nominated By Jackie Biskupski, 

Kerry Bell Nominated By Brook Heartsong 

Mark Swonson Nominated By Lucia Malin 

Michael Nabor Nominated By Rev. Bruce Barton 

Troy Williams Nominated By  Lucia Malin Your vote is valued and important!  Please cast your vote for one nominee by replying to this email. Please vote by 5PM on Monday, May 10^th Thank you in advance for your quick response! Valerie

Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award 2010 Nominee Submissions

Troy Williams

• Troy Williams Nominated by: Lucia Malin Troy Williams is a smart, young leader who is always pushing the envelope by raising the hard questions. He challenges the status quo while at the same time respecting the community elders. He is tireless and outspoken. His ability to bring Sister Dottie to life in such a big way to create a kind, funny and poignant character who disapproves of and works to eliminate discrimination against gays and lesbians is phenomenal. He delivers strongly needed political messages raising the level of debate about LBGT issues within the LDS community to a higher level. He uses his voice to reach many people who otherwise have no conduit to learn how to accept differences in lifestyles or even to realize that different ways of living are an option. He realizes the privilege he has as a good looking, smart, white man and at the same time he is aware that sometimes he needs to compensate by sitting in the back of the bus.
• Christine Johnson Nominated by: Lucia Malin Christine Johnson has given her all to

  

  Christine Johnson

  represent the LBGT community at the legislature. She fearlessly initiated conversations and successfully created liaisons with very unlikely old, white, male, LDS legislators - those whom we most need to be on our side. I believe we need activists who push back at the system and refuse to go along such as Troy, but we also need leaders who work to change the system from within. This is a much harder task because so many don't recognize this as an appropriate political strategy. Making alliances though negotiation necessitates compromise. Walking on egg shells comes to mind as to how one has to behave when attempting system change from within. Christine has weathered attacks from all sides but remains steadfast in her convictions that it is possible to improve the attitudes of many Utahns who are uneducated about the realities of the lives of LBGT people. It could not have been fun to create these pathways with the likes of Howard Stephensen and then get lambasted by the very people she was working for. If you make people mad at both ends of political spectrum, that means you are doing something right. Christine has exhibited the utmost in personal sacrifice by agreeing to carry a baby for a gay couple who could not otherwise have a child. I was shocked when I first read about this in the Tribune. But as I have seen Christine so matters of factly proceed with her life in a totally open way that I only have admiration for her integrity, courage and resolve. I saw her exhausted and discouraged at the end to the 2010 legislative session, but never beaten down. She is even now, in her last trimester, working hard to make sure her vacated seat is filled by a dedicated progressive who will vocally support LBGT issues.
• Mark Swonson Nominated by: Lucia Malin Mark Swonson is one of those behind the

  

  Mark Swonson

  scene guys who is everywhere. Mark is at every event, volunteering his time, manning a booth, selling tickets, always contributing to make LBGT events a success. He never seems to say no. I can’t imagine the number of hours he dedicates to various organizations but it’s a lot. The community needs leaders but it also needs the pack mules who steadfastly plod along and provide the elbow grease it takes to get the job done. He uses Facebook to great advantage and constantly disseminates information and publicity for events. If just a few other community members would show half as much dedication to taking on the unglamorous tasks that need to get done, imagine how much work could get done!
• Kerry Bell Nominated by: Brook Heartsong I have known Kerry Bell for at least 15

  

  Kerry Bell

  years. I first knew him as an out lesbian police officer. He is now an openly transgendered police officer. Kerry belongs to the LGBT Public Safety Committee which is an informal group of representatives from several police agencies. These committee members work to help LGBT and transgender people understand the police but more importantly they coach police on how to respond to cases of same-sex domestic violence and other related issues. In November Kerry was profiled in the Salt Lake Tribune. The article was in depth and contained pictures of Kerry. Kerry is performing an invaluable service by living openly and honestly and volunteering to educate people about our community. Kerry also serves as a role model for the youth in our community. Kerry truly does “exemplify everything that the award has stood for: compassion, leadership and courage.”
• Donald Steward (aka Ruby Ridge) Nominated by: Ben Williams Donald Steward (aka

  

  Donald Steward

  Ruby Ridge) has been an active member of the community for 25 years and personified the meaning of community service. Few in this community have given their time, energy, and money as unselfishly as Donald. Among his contributions to our community are: · One of the founders of Horizon House for People With AIDS · One of the founders and organizers of Camp Pinecliff for People With AIDS and their families · One of the founding member the Cybersluts- a fundraising group that raises thousands of dollars for charity · Chair of the Utah Pride Parade for 5 years or more · Organizer of 3rd Friday Bingo Fundraiser which has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Gay and non Gay non-profits. Donald Steward is long over due to be recognized as a Dr. Kristen Ries Award recipient, an award that epitomizes unselfish service to building and nurturing our Queer Community.
• Michael Nabor Nominated by: Rev. Bruce Barton From before the beginning of the Court in Ogden Utah, Michael Nabor has worked tirelessly for all kinds of programs and fundraiser's to improve the LGBT community of Utah. I have watched him as he spent

  

  Michael Nabor

  many hours and personal finances to meet goals and enact change. I have seen him tired and not really ready to try again, yet he did-and does-try and succeed. I believe that one of the areas Michael has been influential and highly successful has been in raising funds and awareness for not only for Northern Utah but our whole state has been for HIV causes. He has been involved in the formation of organizations or supporting organizations that have made a huge impact on the challenge that continues in our lives and with our friends. This has been for the most part without recognition and without expectation of being recognized. I sincerely believe that OUR people like Michael Nabor gives us the guidance and role models for your next generations to follow. We are helped and guided by examples like Michael, and I, for one, am humbled and blessed by him.
• Jude McNeil Nominated by: Jackie Biskupski Although Jude McNeil isn’t looking for

  

  Jude McNeil

  recognition, she certainly deserves it. She began her career working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people 10 years ago when she completed an internship with the University of Utah LGBT Resource Center. During graduate school, Jude worked with Pride Counseling as a therapist serving LGBT clients of all ages. She volunteered with the Utah Pride Center for two years before being hired on as the Director of Youth Programs in 2006. That same year she completed the Master’s of Social Work program at the University of Utah earning her MSW. In her time at the Center Jude has been responsible for a very successful training programming regarding homeless LGBTQ youth. According to the Volunteers of America Homeless Youth Resource Center, 42% of Utah’s Homeless youth identify as LGBTQ. In an effort to prevent youth homelessness Jude played a leadership role in establishing a collaborative effort with the Department of Human Services to deliver youth safety trainings to professionals working for DCFS, Juvenile Justice Services, and with foster parents statewide. Very few states are doing this work and are slow to acknowledge the over representation of LGBTQ youth in out of home care. As a result, LGBTQ youth are not receiving equitable care and often end up homeless. Jude has trained over 2,000 professionals and has presented at several local and national conferences including the National Foster Parent conference. Jude has been a visionary with the programs she has created at the Utah Pride center to meet the needs of LGBTQ youth. In her first year at the Pride Center, Jude started and facilitated a support group for transgender youth and a support group for parents with transgender youth. Due to the success of the program she has been able to greatly expanded resources for the transgender community and their families. Jude has helped many professionals working with transgender youth gain a better understanding of how to best support and create safety for transgender youth. Following this effort she pioneered two more support groups, one for LGBTQ youth and one for their parents. Now all support groups are facilitated by licensed mental health professionals. Jude also supervises a youth activity center that serves LGBTQ youth ages 14-20. The youth center offers a safe place for LGBTQ youth to socialize with peers, receive positive adult support, and positive feedback about who they are as people. Her work does not end there. Jude created a gender variant play group for children and a gender activist group, known as TransAction. TransAction has gone on to be the community voice for transgender people living in Utah. TransAction had its first annual gender conference in 2009 and is they are organizing the first annual trans march in the State of Utah during Pride 2010. In addition to her work at the Pride Center, Jude’s compassion for homeless youth has lead her to co-found Operation Shine America (OSA) and currently serves as the board chair. OSA is an organization that works to raise awareness of the homeless youth epidemic in America. As part of her work with OSA, Jude helped to organize youth nationally to participate in a conference and successful march on Washington which took place in October 2009. Jude’s outstanding service extends even further and she currently serves on the Salt Lake County Commission on Youth (COY) to advocate for and develop a 5 year plan to improve services and education for youth. She also is a member of the Volunteers of America Homeless Youth Task Force. A committee that addresses youth homelessness by bringing together community members and organizations that work with homeless youth to look at existing services, identify potential gaps in our community, and find ways to fill those gaps. Last but not least Jude is on a committee that is looking for alternatives to youth incarceration through prevention and effective interventions.
• Josh Newbury Nominated by: Matthew Siemionko I began formally working at the Utah

  

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  AIDS Foundation two months ago; prior to that I was a student intern, and before that a general volunteer with the organization. During my two years of experience at UAF, I have seen Josh Newbury in two capacities: as a case manager and now as our HIV Prevention Specialist. Volunteering in the office, I was able to see Josh working with clients, many of whom are gay or bisexual, to obtain critical services and access to medications and medical care. His ability to work with people living with HIV/AIDS to face the unique challenges they encounter as a result of a dual stigmatization (for being gay and being HIV+)in their daily lives was remarkable. The number of times I saw him interact with a client not only as a professional, but as a caring and compassionate person made me come to respect and admire him all the more. Now that he is our HIV Prevention Specialist, his primary job is to work with young gay and bisexual men to reduce the risk of HIV infection in young people. Through innovative programming and coordinating our Test Site for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Josh comes into contact with a variety of people, again, many of whom are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Through his coordination of the Test Site specifically, he works with a group of dedicated volunteers (again, many of whom are LGB and our allies) to promote healthy sexual behaviors to keep Utahans safe from infectious disease. Being a gay man myself, I have always felt at ease with Josh, and feel that he is a strong advocate for members of my community. In addition to the work I have seen him do with people regarding healthy sexuality and behavior with primarily gay and bisexual men, I know that Josh is also extremely passionate about his volunteer work at the Inclusion Center. He has been involved with the center since his early teen years, first as a participant in their Camp Anytown program, and then moving on to become camp counselor and eventually a camp director for the program. He continues to this day volunteering time for the organization, facilitating workshops and raising funds to help support the program. His dedication to an agency who's core values include confronting oppression, building community, and fighting for justice makes him a strong candidate for an award that is focused on community service. The Inclusion Center's determination to confront prejudice includes heterosexism and homophobia; it also targets racism, classism, sexism, etc. He is determined to work towards reducing the stigmatization of LGBT individuals, but also to reduce prejudice against people of color. This again shows Josh's dedication to working with communities that might face a dual bias (for being LGBT and a person of color). To me it is a great strength of a person to not only care strongly for and about people in the LGBT community, but for those at potentially greater risk of oppression, prejudice, and discrimination because of their HIV status or the color of their skin. His hard work and dedication to this agency and a community partner makes him a truly amazing person, but also a passionate, dedicated member of our community working towards a brighter, less prejudiced future for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Salt Lake. I am grateful to be able to work with him, and I feel he is a strong candidate for this award.
• Gary Horenkamp Nominated by: Barry Gomberg . OUTreach Resource Center The
  
  OUTreach Resource Center nominates Gary Horenkamp for the 2010 Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award. Gary is a tireless and courageous pioneer in creating a stronger and safer GLBT community in Northern Utah. In the past six years, he has served as the only paid Program Director of OUTreach. During that time he has implemented programming for the GLBT community three nights each week. Activities include a youth drop in center, an adult drop in center and a youth focus group. He has mentored countless teens, many of whom do not have other supportive adults in their lives. A measure of his compassion is the invitations he accepts every year to attend high school graduations of OUTreach participants. Gary has also facilitated longer stays at the homeless shelter for youth whom he refers. Gary has established strong ties with local gay organizations - Weber State University's Gay Straight Allliance, the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah, and Ogden's new PFLAG group. He was awarded Board Member of the Year by the Northern Utah Coalition, HIV/AIDS Project. Gary has faithfully facilitated a twice-amonth gay/bi men's group at the Pride Center. Sadly, it still takes courage to be "out" in Ogden, but less so, thanks to Gary. He has joined a dozen community organizations, and in all but one of them, he is the only openly gay member. For example, Gary is a community presenter for NU Hope, a youth suicide prevention program. He was also elected Treasurer for the Ogden Area Youth Alliance. Finally, Gary was the first spokesperson for the sexual minorities in the Coalition for Tobacco Free Utah. These achievements would be admirable for a person supported by a staff. The amazing thing is that Gary has accomplished all this while working only part-time. These accomplishments speak to Gary Horenkamp's passion to improve the lives of GLBT people throughout Northern Utah
• Jane Marquardt wrote: These nominations are really impressive.  It's good to be reminded of how many people work so hard on behalf of our community.And - maybe we should give Luci Malin a special award for taking the time to put three nominations together.  Thanks Luci! Regards - Jane Marquardt

2010 Val Holley Subject: Michael Aaron's Solicitation of Nominations Taking the liberty of

Michael Quinn

sending you my suggestion of Mike Quinn: D. Michael Quinn would make a fine honoree because of his courage and grace under pressure. He has survived a lot of intense effort by the Mormon Church to disgrace him and discredit his achievements. Formerly a top scholar in the BYU history department, Quinn apparently reached a point where 1) he could no longer submit to the academic muzzling they imposed on him, and 2) despite having a wife and children, could no longer deny his homosexuality. To me, Quinn represents the finest of what a gay person can achieve in academics. His work on Mormon history is superb. You could say he beat the straights at their own game. It took an amazing amount of guts to for him to publish Same-Sex Dynamics Among Nineteenth Century Americans: A Mormon Example. The Mormons have done all they can to make life impossible for Quinn, seeing to it that he can't be hired anywhere. I don't even know where he lives. In a cover story in the Wall St. Journal 2-3 years ago, he was living in his mother's condo in L.A. In any case, Quinn, for his courage and grace under pressure, would be a deserving recipient of your award, and it would also be a nice nose-thumbing at the Mormon Church.