6 May
 |
| Magnus Hirschfeld |
1933, Nazi Party Stormtroopers attacked and totally destroyed Magnus
Hirschfeld's Institute. Ludwig L. Lenz,
a gynecologist who worked there at the time, writes, "our Institute was
used by members of every political party. We had a great many Nazis under
treatment at the Institute." Lenz wrote of the real reason for the
destruction: "the answer is simple, we knew too much; one thing is
certain, not ten percent of those men who, in 1933, took the fate of Germany
into their hands, were sexually normal. Our knowledge of intimate secrets
regarding members of the Nazi Party and our other documentary material-we
possessed about forty thousand confessions and biographical letters-was the
cause of the destruction of the Institute for Sexology."(Haeberle, Erwin
J., Hidden From History, Swastika, Pink Triangle, And Yellow Star: The
Destruction Of Sexology And The Persecution Of Homosexuals In Nazi Germany, New
York: A Meridian Book, 1989: p. 369.)
1969 Salt Lake City’s right to hold known prostitutes for
venereal disease testing was upheld by 3rd District Judge Merrill C. Faux. The city attorney explained his office
interprets the ruling as applying not only to “known prostitutes” but all
persons arrested on such moral charges.( 05/07/69 SLTribune Page 24A)
1987- Mark Bluto of the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ died in
Orange County CA from the AIDS Epidemic.
1987-Beau Chaine asked Ben Williams to be on the Board of
Directors of the Aardvark Café a quasi Community center.
 |
| Dale Sorensen |
1989-Dale Sorensen came out of the closet at LGSU University of
Utah. “I was born on December 21, 1968 in San
Francisco. My parents chose to leave SF when I was
seventeen months old. I've never forgiven them for that. From there we went to Mountain View California
(about an hour south of SF) until I was 7. Then we moved to Hollywood,
Florida (just outside of Ft. Lauderdale).
We lived there for two years and then moved again. From age 9 to age 25 I was
raised against my will in Salt Lake
City, Utah. It was
not a pleasant place to grow up. I attended East
High School (the same high school my
father attended) and the University
of Utah. Ironically, my
high school is where in 1995, the founding of the Utah Gay/Straight High School
Students Alliance sparked a controversy that became national news. Brave kids!
I'm the oldest of five children. As such, I had a rather large hand in raising
my siblings. (I've changed more diapers than most straight parents ever will.)
At age 20, on May 6, 1989, I came out of the closet. It changed my life
forever. On that day, I decided I would never again let anyone make me ashamed
for being gay. In one day, being gay changed from being a bad thing to be
hidden, to a good thing to be expressed. Within two months I came out to my
entire family, all my friends and my coworkers. It wasn't always easy. But it
was always worth it. I refer to this as, "Dale's Whirlwind Coming Out Tour
of '89". I joined Utah Gay and Lesbian Youth and later was elected to
serve as one of the group's officers. I joined the Lesbian & Gay Student
Union at the University
of Utah, the Gay and
Lesbian Community Council and started volunteering for the Stop AIDS education
and prevention project of the Utah AIDS Foundation. I went on to become an
executive officer of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) for four years,
including executive director from 1992-1994. GLUD was founded by my dear friend
David Nelson. David is a brilliant political strategist, organizer, PR
consultant and was my political mentor. His decades of volunteer service and
leadership have earned him a place in history, and my undying respect and
appreciation. GLUD operated with great success from January 1990 through
December 1996. In the summer of 1992, I was elected to be the first openly-gay
delegate to a national convention from Utah.
I attended the Democratic National Convention in New York City. While there I met dozens of
Democratic politicians and queer activists, and I also fell in love with New York City. I've held
numerous positions in different campaigns of progressive causes (gay rights,
AIDS, reproductive choice, anti-death penalty, interracial and inter-community
coalition building) and democratic candidates and committees (Congressional
campaigns, state legislature campaigns, county commission campaigns, campaign
for governor and attorney general, state platform committee and more). I served
as member of the board of directors of the Utah Stonewall
Center for two years. I
helped organize events for Utah's
Gay Pride Day and National Coming Out Day. For several years, I was the Utah
Canvas Director for the Human Rights Campaign, Speak Out Project. These
activities put me in the position of being the most-publicly-out gay man in Utah for about three
years. I was in the press at least monthly, often weekly, sometimes daily. It
was not uncommon for issues I was working on to be the lead story on all four
TV news stations and run front page in both daily papers. Not surprisingly,
after five years of full-time volunteer activism in addition to a full-time
career in advertising, I burned out. I discovered that my emotions and I were
strangers. I was so driven, so rational, so cerebral, that I quite literally
didn't know how to feel love or anything else. I realized I had accomplished
everything I could politically, and that my life was at an emotional dead end
in Utah. So,
as an act of self preservation, I left. I decided to go to the place I'd
experienced the strongest emotions I'd ever experienced, New York City. I moved here in October of
1994. Since then I've been much more private. (In fact, this little adventure
in Internet self promotion is the most public thing I've done in years.) I
found myself.... And, here I am. I'm always trying to take maximum advantage of
the cultural opportunities that exist here. I love the theater,
independent/foreign film, dining out and museums. The Guggenheim is a
particular favorite of mine; I'm a member. [The} apartment I lived in for my
first year in the City. It was on 42nd
Street between 11th and 12th Avenues, above a
greasy Greek diner for tourists, between the Chinese Consulate and the NYC
Police Department Cavalry Station. Yikes! To be honest, it wasn't that bad. I
had tons of space cheap, a great view, and it was so far west that it was
actually past the bad neighborhoods.” [Dale Sorensen autobiography]
1999 John Johnson wrote to the SL Tribune: “It is frightening to
witness the ever increasing hatred of people who are different within our own
communities. Kosovo highlights where this road leads, as we continue to focus
more on our differences rather than our similarities. Shamefully and
consistently religion/Christianity is used as the rationale for our
"moral" abhorrence of each other, "for surely God agrees with me
in my condemnation of you." America has witnessed 13 murders of Gay
individuals since the slaying of Matthew Shepherd in Wyoming. The frequency and
ferocity of these attacks are rapidly escalating in our oh-so-civilized
society. The frenzied cries of parents to the East High School principal to
resign for simply including everyone’s children in a multi-cultural assembly
show us where our children are learning to fear and hate each other, for
children must be taught to fearor hate so passionately. My education at Ricks College, BYU and
experience as an LDS missionary unfortunately did not prepare me for entering
the work force and living in the real world. Enriching opportunities like East
High's cultural awareness assembly can only better prepare students to
harmoniously coexist with their co-workers, employers, neighbors and even
family members. The verbal attacks of the Gay children by students after the
assembly and previous physical assaults of their parents and vandalism of their
property exemplifies the need for such experiences now. I look forward to the
day when the use of the "F" word (faggot) is as socially unacceptable
as the "N" word is today. Until such time, God help us to learn to
truly love each other unconditionally and appreciate our differences and gifts,
which can make our world a more enriching place to live now, rather than later.
For God obviously celebrates diversity, otherwise why would we all be made with
so many varying sizes, pigments, traits and characteristics? JOHN JOHNSON West Jordan
2003 Chad Keller to Ben Williams: I was thinking about what
you said about the conference for Gay historical societies.... Perhaps on that one as I have thought, we
might not be thinking in the right perspective.... couple of questions.....do we have enough
historical societies regionally to have a turn out? Of the 50 states and Canada....how many Gay
historical societies are there? and what
are your thoughts of inviting them all to form, a stong coalition? and then what are your thoughts on recruiting
people from the states that don’t have one to come. strength in numbers thing....I just
thinking....I might be think of it incorrectly and where I see 200 people there
might be 1000 people lurking....
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| Melissa Sillitoe |
2003 Melissa Sillitoe to Ben
Williams “Ben, Thanks for sending this, it was interesting hearing Dale [Sorensen]
and Rocky [O’Donovan] talk about burnout.
It also made me a little nostalgic.
Utah's gay community will always be my home town even though my current
partner is a guy. I identify myself as
queer. Maybe I'll see you at pride day.
My activism today is really service and trying to make the world a better place
in small ways. I'm a girl scout leader at Bennion Elementary and hope to help
girls feel they can be themselves. I'm
also making dinners at Homeless Youth Resource Center on Wednesday nights. And I'm quietly mentoring some gay employees
at work. Your service really is keeping
SLC's queer history alive. Thanks for doing it. Best wishes, Melissa Sillitoe, Ben
to Melissa Melissa Thank you for your kind words.. You will always be queer to
me...Love Ben
2003 Chad Keller to Marty Pollack
“Marty, Ben is very interested in recording your oral
 |
| Marty Pollack |
history. As one of the Founding Gals, you have a lot
of history that needs to be told. And,
as the May edition of this month in history came out, there are some holes in
the History of the Courts evolution from the ICU regarding Candee and Gordon
Steel. two things: When would you be
available to like to record your Oral History?
When would you be available to complete the story or tell the whole
story of the evolution from ICU to RCGSE and the events that lead up to and
transpired? Marty Pollock to Chad Keller: I am available most evenings and
weekends are open. I prefer either Saturday or Sundays though. It's hard to
collect thoughts and all after work. Marty
 |
| Gordon Steele |
2003 Marty Pollock SUBJECT: Re:
[UTStonewallHS] Correction on 4th Reign of the Royal Court; 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 [Imperial Court of Utah]. 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.
2003 Duane Jennings, “Ben, Can
you add the following person to the UTStonewall History List. He's a history major and doing his Ph.D. on
Queer history in Utah. Doug Winkler
Thanks, Duane. Doug Winkler wrote The Lavender Sons of Zion A History of Gay Men in Salt Lake City, 1950-79
2003 Donald Steward: Dear All,
The Cyber Sluts were approached by the Pride folks to help
with the Pride
Parade on June 8. Our goal is to make the parade look bigger, brighter and more
animated than the semi-funereal parades of the past. As such, we will be
holding a float building workshop (TBA), and have contacted a wholesaler for
bulk amounts of 11-inch balloons. We will be constructing rainbow towers and
arches for along the Parade route (these will be picked up after the Parade and
distributed around the festival site), but we are also helping groups
color-coordinate their entries. For example the Men's Choir has
 |
| Donald Steward |
confirmed using
blue, black and white balloons (how tasteful...!!!) For the Pink Pistols, I can
see a ballistic fantasia of pastel pinks and gun-metal gray ... Mayor Rocky
will probably forego helium for hot air ... you see where I'm going with this...? If you or your group has a
preference, contact me and let us know so we can order your color choice (must
be in lots of 100). By the way, first in
... first served. So, if you want popular combinations like gold and black, or
pink and purple, do it soon. The last thing we want is 30 entries showing up
the day of the parade with one color scheme. Even WE think that's tacky! Also,
we will be assembling and presorting the balloons from 3:00 a.m. in a
storefront on Gallivan Avenue if you want to come volunteer. We will have food,
drinks and the Sluts to keep you company. Think of it as the tasteless calm
before the politically correct storm! Inflatably Yours.... Fergie.
- Chad Keller
to Donald Steward Parade Pride Parade Preparations Oh Gee
Thanks...B*tch....(lol)I didnt realize I threw a funeral
processional. (lol...kinda)On the
float building thing, Bruce and Bruce tried it, and I expanded it and
tried it in a revamped format, sent invites, made calls, and attended
other peoples meeting to get them to come learn to build a float, and
people just did not participate.
More power to you if they do, just dont be disappointed, as most of
how to for the beginner can be found on line as was pointed out last year.
Tell me more on this balloon thing, can the Utah Stonewall Historical Society just make theirs and
bring it?? Chad Keller Funeral Processional Director Utah Pride 2002
- Donald
Steward to Chad Keller Parade Dahling.....
Of course you can build your own! What we are doing is having a central
place where the helium tanks can be delivered and picked up from, and
volunteers can build their entry, and also help with the communal set
pieces (the towers, the arches, etc.), and have a place to store them out
of the wind until the parade. Because we have so many balloons to inflate
we have to start way early. We also have to do it indoors because of city
noise restrictions, so we thought we would make the best of a bad situation
and make a party out of it....You know us! So do you want us to order
balloons for you wholesale? Let us know. Maybe you're still in
mourning....or do you just look fabulous in black? I can never tell.... Love Fergie.
2003 Ben Williams to Chad Keller-
I described this in an article in the SL Tribune back in 1995 when I said that
the Gay community was being taken over by "professionals" and grassroots
activists were being pushed aside. Ben
- "In the following years, the gay
liberation movement become more and more institutionalized. The struggle
shifted from grassroots community groups to legal battles in the hands of lawyers.
In 1973,The Advocate, a gay newspaper, editorialized that the gay liberation
movement should be run by "responsible, talented, experts with a
widespread financial backing from all strata of the gay community." The
problem was that a politics of respectability required a basic trust in just
that capitalist social structure that only a couple of years earlier GLF had
described as sexist, racist, and homophobic. Many had become queer not to fit
in. Countless gays, lesbians and queers, particularly gender/fetish, SM,
leather, or transgender communities had very little interest in fitting into
the status quo. A conflict between the suits and the sluts would characterize
much of the history of the GLBT movement and its inherent divides."
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| Kathryn Warner |
2005 Kathryn
Warner is 'family' SLC: KATHRYN WARNER IN CONCERT MAY 6 Native Utahn born in Spanish Fork
Kathryn Warner is more than just a "girl with a guitar"! Kathryn's powerful, crystal clear voice
encircles the hearts of her audience as she masterfully creates the purest
sounds of folk, gospel and the blues. Her lyrics are healing, revealing, and
delivered with a whole lot of soul! Don't miss this talented local favorite.
Kathryn has recorded multiple albums, and has toured the U.S., Canada,
and South America. Friday, May 6, 2005 at 8:00pm. Jeanne Wagner Theatre Rose Wagner Center 138
West Broadway Salt Lake City UT The performance this evening is to benefit Sego
Lily Center for the Abused Deaf, a non-profit organization that supports
victims of domestic violence who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Tickets can be
purchased through ArtTix. $15 general admission. $18 at the door. ASL Interpreters and assitive listening
devices will be provided. Other accommodations may be requested at the time of
purchasing the tickets. www.arttix.org 6 May 2005 KATHYRN WARNER - BENEFIT
CONCERT Kathryn Warner, Utah
singer/songwriter/guitarist, is doing a solo concert on May 6th at 8:00pm at
the Jeanne Wagner Theater in Salt Lake
City. Tickets
are available now at $15 through ArtTix and $18 at the door. This is a benefit for Sego Lily, a non profit
agency that serves victims of domestic violence who are Deaf and/or hard of
hearing.
 |
| Ralph Goff |
2005 Friday Subject: History of
gay papers From: "Darren
Tucker" To: ben@slmetro.com Hey
Ben! I enjoyed your article in the last Metro. It's a very informative look
back, and as my dad always used to tell me... "Every now and then you
should take a look back to make sure you remember what the road home looks
like." As a former editor of the "Eagle" newspapers (the Murray, West
Valley and South Valley
Eagles when I worked there) I was interested to see Ralph Goff's name among
those you mentioned. Do you happen to know if it is The same Ralph Goff who
used to be the editor of the Murray Eagle? And (this is really not a fair
question, so you don't have to answer it if you don't Want to) do you know if
he is gay? I only ask because I believe I followed him as editor of those
publications, and I would find it more than a little ironic if the most
conservative publisher on the planet, Gayle Staley, had hired two homosexual
editors in a row. Anyway, thanks again for an informative article as usual. As
a news writer for the Metro, I am always pleased at the great stuff our staff
puts out. Darren Tucker
2006 Saturday Hey all! I wanted to pass along a special
invite to our concert at the
beginning
of May. I'm hoping you can make it. We had a great time on our last trip down,
especially being able to meet so many of you on this list. 7pm Saturday, May 6
Salt Lake Men's Choir Concert St. George Opera
House 212 N. Main Street St. George, Utah
Tickets $5 at the door. Salt
Lake Men's Choir returns
for their annual concert with many of
your favorites: "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother,"
"Stouthearted Men" and much more. Thanks! -Michael Aaron
2010 Prior restraint of defendants' blog in DJ
Bell case In Section: News Blog Posted By: Jesse Fruhwirth Salt Lake City
Weekly Tapalululu Latu and the other six folks accused of attacking--or
rioting--DJ Bell and partner Dan Fair are prevented by court order from
publishing a blog because it could facilitate threats against Bell, some of which
he's allegedly already received via Facebook and in person. How does that sit
in your First Amendment craw? This was a decision of 3rd District Judge Judith
Atherton. I don't see any comment on this issue on Injustice801.com, the blog
setup by DJ Bell and supporters while he was still a defendant. Prior restraint
of a blog on the basis that it might some day contain a threat--that's
certainly putting a seat belt on the First Amendment, wouldn't ya say? Are
these potential future threats a clear and present danger? For background read, Charges filed against
alleged attackers of DJ Bell, Dan Fair
2010 From: Michael Aaron Subject: Fabby Awards and 6th Anniversary
Party Hey fab QSaltLakers! You and a guest (or two) are cordially invited to
our 6th Anniversary party and Fabby Awards Ceremony this Wednesday. We have
about 8 restaurants participating, as well as a number of wine makers. Winners
of Fabby Awards will also be present and we will present their plaques to them
there in a short ceremony. It will be this Wednesday, May 5 6-8pm Mountain
Land Design 2345 S Main Street Salt Lake
City UT There will also be an after-party just up the street at Vertical Diner
2280 S West Temple St Salt Lake City UT Dress: smart casual Please RSVP to this email address. Hope to see
you there! –Michael
2011 Nominations for the Kristen Ries Awards- As you know, past award recipients comprise
our selection committee; therefore, we are calling upon you to cast your vote
for one of the nominees. The 2011
nominees are as follows:
Eric Ethington, Michael Aaron, Valerie Larabee, DJ Bell's Attornies
(Susanne Gustin and Roger Kraft). Valerie Larabee has asked I conduct the
voting for this award and is included in this email. Please do not hesitate to forward any questions
to either one of us. You will have one
week (up to May 6, 2011) to review the attached material and cast your vote by
replying to this email. If one of the
nominees does not receive at least 50% of the votes, we will conduct a second
round of voting. I look forward to
hearing from you. The award recipient will be recognized during the Utah Pride Festival’s
annual Grand Marshal Reception and Awards Celebration, which kicks off the 2011
Utah Pride Festival celebration on Friday, June 3. Recipients will also be honored
at the annual Utah Pride Parade on Sunday, June 5. Details for the Grand
Marshal Reception will be located on the official Utah Pride Festival website
at www.utahpridefestival.org. Thank
you for your contributions and for participating in this process. Yours truly, Jon
Jepsen Pride Day Co-Chair
- Michael
Aaron by: David Nelson I nominate Michael Aaron for the 2011 Utah Pride
Center Inc. Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award for outstanding
political service to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
Before publishing QSaltLake magazine and The Q Pages directory, he served
as a chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (later, Utah Stonewall
Democrats). He worked in Utah and California politics including the
campaigns for Utah senators Terry Williams and Pete Suazo. Michael is the
recipient of a RCGSE Lifetime Achievement Golden Spike Award for his work
which started in 1981 with the Lesbian and Gay Student Union (later, Queer
Student Union) at the University of Utah.
- Eric
Ethington by: Ben Williams I would like to nominate Eric Ethington for
this year's Dr
Kristen Ries Community Service Award. Eric represents the
best in a new spirit of community involement and social activism. Eric seems
to epitomize his mantra "Ask yourself now what you are willing to do
for equality." As founder of PRIDEinUtah: the Eyes and Ears of Utah's
Queer Community, he has unselfishly dedicated countless hours and
considerable amount of resources to his blog and social justice causes.
Eric has stated that the purpose of his activism is his dedication to
achieving full equality for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and
queer community of Utah and the nation. Eric managed to unite the Utah
queer community with a 4,500 strong protest at Temple square over Elder
Packer's infamous derogatory remarks. He lead a suicide awareness campaign
last summer. Eric is very much in tune with the mood of the new activist
movement of Utah. I feel from listening to others that he is very well
respected and admired. While all might not agree with his views, his
ardour and love for this community cannot be denied. This award is to
recognize outstanding service to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender community in Utah, and is given to individuals who are
dedicated to continuing that legacy of service. I feel that Eric is indeed
an example of a tremendous role model for Utah’s gay and transgender
community, and like Dr. Kristen Ries will “exemplify everything that the
award has stood for: compassion, leadership and courage.”
- DJ
Bell's Attornies -Susanne Gustin -Roger Kraft by: Mark Kittrell My nomination for the
Community Service Award would be DJ Bell’s attorneys, who I believe
handled his matter pro bono (or at very low cost). Susanne Gustin and
Roger Kraft, I believe. Through their work, they exposed a bigoted,
single-minded prosecution that was clearly driven by the fact that DJ and
his partner were gay.
- Valerie Larabee by: Nikki Boyer
& Marina Gomberg Sorting through the multitude of
reasons why Valerie
Larabee is deserving of the Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award and
subsequently narrowing it down to a reasonable and manageable list has not
been an easy task. So instead of giving you the whole bottle of red wine,
we hope to provide more of a reduction-sauce-version. As two of the people
fortunate enough to work with her most, we know that Larabee embodies the legacy
of Dr. Kristen Ries – a legacy of hope, hard work, resilience, tenacity,
compassion, and bravery all directed toward creating a better tomorrow for
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Utah. Larabee
exudes a confidence that could lead people to believe her work is somewhat
easy. Nothing could be further from the truth. She took the position as
Executive Director for the Utah Pride Center when it nearly had to close
its doors. During her tenure, she
has built it into a thriving $1M agency providing more than 30+
progressive and effective programs and services statewide. A 40-hour
workweek would be a luxury for Larabee. In addition to her long hours at
the Center, she engages in important community-focused groups and
organizations. For example, she sits on the Governor-appointed Commission
on Youth Suicide and also sits as the Treasurer of Centerlink, an organization
dedicated to strengthening LGBTQ community centers across the nation. For
the second year in a row, she is co-chairing the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC) Utah Gala Dinner & Silent Auction. Larabee also works as a liaison
to both the US Department of Justice and the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
who has recently brought representatives from Uganda and Mongolia to speak
with her about strengthening the movements for LGBTQ equality in their
countries. Although her influence reaches the far corners for the world,
her sights are set on Utah, and for that we are incredibly fortunate. We
realize that Larabee works for the organization presenting this award but we
could not pass up the opportunity to shine a light on her. We have all
been recipients of the impact of her hard work, and we believe it is time
she be recipient
2018 Please join us this Sunday for the 39th
Annual Golden Spike Awards presented by the Royal Court of the Golden Spike
Empire and the 39th Reign. The tradition of the Golden Spike Awards honors
members of the community for their contributions to our organization and city. The
show and award presentation will begin at 6 pm and will include performances
from those nominated for "Song of the Year" as well as the newly
revealed candidates for the positions of Emperor and Empress 43!!! This will be
a show you certainly wont want to miss so please mark your calendars and invite
all of your friends out for this fun filled evening. I f you have any question
please feel free to contact Empress 39 MiDori or any sitting member of the
RCGSE Board of Directors. Golden Spike Awards gave out two of the perpetual
awards of the year, Lifetime Achievement Award and Humanitarian award. Humanitarian of the year we chose Brandy
Romero for all her hard work with and dedication to
 |
| Lynne McKenna |
the Utah AIDS Foundation. Lynne
McKenna was given a lifetime achievement recipient. Lynne has been involved
since the beginning reigns of the RCGSE and continues to give love, support,
encouragement and pearls of wisdom for us to be successful. Emperor 20 of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire Peter
Christie received the 2018 Golden Spike Community Service Award .
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| Peter Christie |
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