This Day In Gay Utah History May 9th

9 May

James Dwyer

1913 - First Presidency learns that James Dwyer, co-founder of Salt Lake City's LDS University (now LDS Business College), has been "teaching young men that sodomy and kindred vices are not sins..." Dwyer's daughter, actress Ada Dwyer Russell, is already in long-term relationship with lesbian poet Amy Lowell. Dwyer's bishop and stake president want to excommunicate him, but First Presidency allows Dwyer, now in his eighties, to voluntarily "withdraw his name" from LDS church membership.

1951 Ken Doe, 27, of 809 27^th Street pleaded guilty in Second District Court to charges of Sodomy. Booked into Ogden city police department as Kenneth Bell. Ogden Standard Examiner

1951 Schulte Pleaded Guilty Morals Defendant Gets Life Term- Claude R Schulte 32, of 2806 Eccles today was ordered committed to the

Utah State hospital for life or until a cure is effected by Judge Charles C Cowley of Second District Court. Schulte pleaded guilty last week to charges of sodomy. He was alleged to have committed the act with a juvenile youth. Judge Cowley sentenced Schulte under a new Utah criminal law that makes an examination by psychiatrists mandatory in all sex crimes. The law provides that if the defendant is determined to be a psychiatric case, he will be committed to the mental hospital until a cure is effected. He must then be returned for a disposition of the case under the charge. If th examination holds the defendant is not a mental case he is sentenced under regular  criminal provisions for the crime. Ogden Standard Examiner

1969  Five men were arrested on charges of “offering sex acts” for hire after they approached two police women on the 400 block of 2nd South (05/10/69 SLTribune page 26)

1986-Friday- Salt Lake Men’s Choir Third Annual Spring Concert held at Bryant Intermediate  School  Nearly 400 people attended. Directors were Brent Carter and Farris Cooper.  John Sasserman, Business Manager of Triangle Magazine criticizes the Men’s Choir for not being open about being a Gay Men’s Choir.  Ric Belnap President of the Salt Lake Men’s Choir takes exception to the Triangles criticism.. 

1994- Monday I went to the GLCCU Board of Trustee’s meeting at 7 pm. I was sitting through the meeting taking minutes, listening to Hank Hannah say “Kim and I thought this…” “Kim and I planned this” and “Kim and I agreed on this” and I started to silently fume.  How come I was never included in these plans? After all I am part of the executive committee so when it was my turn to speak I said I was resigning from GLCCU effective June. I said I have too many projects that will take up most of my time this summer and I wouldn’t be very effective. Kim Russo and Hank Hannah seemed shocked. I didn’t care. I don’t have the will to be a Gay community activist any longer if all I am expected to do is sit and watch.  [Journal 1994 of Ben Williams]

Gary and Millie Watts

1999 Gary and Millie Watts wrote to the SL Tribune: The negative reaction of so many parents of East High School students to the presentation by the Gay/Straight Alliance at the recent multicultural assembly saddens us.  It is difficult for us to understand why other parents would want their own children to be so uninformed of the reality of the lives of our gay children.  It can only come from a basic misunderstanding about the causes of homosexuality. Some parents seem to feel that exposure to information about homosexuality will somehow influence their own children to become homosexual. That is a myth.  Homosexuality is not chosen.  It is not contagious.  It is experienced honestly and involuntarily by a small percentage of our brothers and sisters and will continue to be.  Learning about the feelings and perceptions of those that are somewhat different from the majority can only enhance tolerance and understanding and lessen the feelings of isolation and disenfranchisement experienced by those in the minority.– GARY and MILLIE WATTS, Provo 

1999 Letter: Intolerant Community I write this letter from the perspective of a public school teacher of 22 years, a parent of present and graduated East High students, and a member of the heterosexual persuasion. Recently I asked my son, who had attended the multicultural assembly, what was the big commotion about. He replied that he didn't know. He recounted to me that the Gay Straight Alliance presentation merely provided historical information and defined words relevant to gay culture. How enlightened and tolerant is our Christian community here in Salt Lake city? Are we all not human beings desiring peace, love, joy and acceptance in our lives? Where does this fear of diversity come from? Would the tragedy in Littleton, have been avoided had parents taught their children to respect all people? Would Christ shun or embrace gays?– GENE SARTAIN, Salt Lake City 

1999 Sunday Letter: Political Correctness The reason that "political correctness" has become a pervasive part of the dialogue of public life is because it is really a common sense, if overly simplified, attempt at "ethical correctness." Ella Fawcett (Forum, April 24,) was horrified when her son was subjected to the "politically correct" notion that gays and lesbians deserve respect. Political correctness has also advanced the ideas that women and ethnic minorities should not be maligned based on gender or ethnicity. Political correctness makes it not OK to target mentally- or physically-handicapped people for sport. Political correctness even demands that the religious be treated with respect even if many of their beliefs seem absurd or even offensive to others. Introducing high school students to the idea that all of the above are deserving of respect is but a small inoculation against the kind of hatred Ms. Fawcett displays. Assemblies such as the one at East High can send the message that the school does not support the targeting of ethnic or sexually-oriented minorities for derision, harassment or beatings; something that still goes on all the time.  Apparently the Salt Lake City school board disagrees. How many gay students need to be chained and beaten to death before the mainstream shows a bit of compassion? How many school shootings will have to occur before there is any public will to address the hateful mine field our children pick their way through every day? Tolerance will not make your children gay, but intolerance will surely make them ugly and even terribly dangerous. – SUZANNE TRONIER, Salt Lake City

2003 Vigil pays tribute to gay suicide victims By Laura Hancock, Deseret News staff writer May 9, 2003, p. B3 As the sun set over Memory Grove Park Tuesday, candles were lit and names of people who had taken their own lives were read in remembrance of their struggle between being homosexual and active in their religious communities. One was Stuart 

Stuart Matis

Matis, 32, Santa Clara, Calif., whose body was found behind a ward house of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2000 before residents of California were to vote on whether to legally recognize marriages of gay couples. Vigil organizer Duane Jennings said Matis' death could have been an attempt to "preserve his dignity and honor" with the LDS Church, whose leaders were among those urging residents to vote against recognizing such marriages. Jennings said the event Tuesday was to remember gay suicide victims of all faiths. "What the burden in their hearts it must have been," he said. Speakers at the vigil cited numerous studies on the connection between homosexuality and suicide, such as one showing gay and lesbian youths are two to

Duane Jennings

three times more likely to commit suicide than youths who are "straight." "With the leadership of the LDS Church, where absolute authority is given, there is also absolute responsibility," said David Hardy, a former bishop who, with his family, distanced himself from his church after his gay son tried to commit suicide. The people who commit suicide over their sexuality should weigh on the minds of Christians every day, speaker and activist Frank Mensel said. Mensel also said parents should remove their sons from Boy Scouts to let churches that support the program know homophobia is unacceptable. Carlie Hardy said it was difficult to tell her son, who was 16 years old when he tried killing himself, to follow the LDS Church teaching of celibacy for homosexuals. "There's no curriculum to be celibate. Do you stay home every Friday? What if you went to a dance and you might meet someone you're attracted to? Would you send (him) out with all girls?" Nor did speakers at the vigil believe that reparation therapy works. "When you know gay people and hear the story of their pain you know it's not a choice," Carlie Hardy said. Carlie Hardy also said she was discouraged when she heard Brigham Young University suspended two gay students. "If there's an institution that doesn't allow these people, there is a license to be mean and it trickles down to kids" in their treatment of other young people, she said. © The Deseret News

2003 BEN Williams TO Kathy Worthington- Kathy, Thanks for the article...back in 1998 and

Kathy Worthington

1999 I pulled everything Gay and Lesbian related off the Tribune Archives when it was free. I was relentless! ha! I used them for my chronology..I have stuff from 1991 when they went on line and from the DN since 1988 when they went on line. If you need an article from the 1990's I probably have it...not pictures tho. I've used your Kathy's List to save local articles concerning Utah's Lambda folk after they started making you pay to use the archives.  I spent three summers reading the Tribune on Microfilm from 1950 until it went on line and hand copied much of what I could find there.

2008 Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award Nominations- 

• Nominee: Stan Penfold nominated by Jackie Biskupski: Stan Penfold is the Executive
  
  Director of the Utah AIDS Foundation and has served in this position since 1999. He also served as Associate Director for UAF from 1994-1999 and in that capacity was directly responsible for their extensive volunteer program. Stan has been heavily involved in the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt for many years, and helped coordinated the national display of more than 50,000 quilt panels in Washington D.C. in 1996. Stan is directly involved in the planning and evaluation process for all Utah AIDS Foundation programming. He has worked extensively with the United Way of Salt Lake and serves on the local United Way Program Outcomes Mentoring Team, training other non-profit agencies and staff in the use and implementation of Outcome Measurements and Program Logic Models. Stan also provides Outcome Evaluation training for the Utah Nonprofit Association. He has extensive facilitation experience and provides training to nonprofit boards, agency staff, and volunteer organizations. Stan is a past president of the United Way Executive Directors Association and serves on the National Library of Medicine Regional Advisory Committee. He is also a professional mentor with the Fieldstone Foundation. Stan is a former board member of the Utah Stonewall Center and current board member of the Utah Nonprofit Association. He is the Principal Investigator for the NLM Internet Access to Digital Libraries Grant. He serves on the Utah Department of Health Community Planning Committee and is past Chair for the Utah State HIV Housing Committee (HOPWA). He is the Residential Chair for SLC Zoning Rewrite Committee (ZRC) and serves on the Salt Lake City Community Development Corporation Board of Trustees. This man is everywhere and helping our community at every turn. He has earned the recognition. 
• Nominee: Ruby Ridge Nominated by Laura Gray  and Jane Marquardt – I would like to
  
  nominate Ruby Ridge and the Cyber Sluts for the Kristen Ries award this year. If this award can only go to an individual and not the Cyber Sluts en masse, then I nominate Ruby Ridge. For years, Ruby Ridge and the Cyber Sluts have been entertaining us and the greater community, at gay bingo and many other events, and donating the proceeds to worthy GLBT causes. Q Salt Lake recently ran a story detailing their dedication and accomplishments (all done in 6 inch heels, stockings and beehives, a feat beyond most of us) and I was really impressed. Along with raising money for worthy causes, they entertain us and help us keep our sense of humor. I hope they get the recognition they deserve by receiving this award. “Kudos to all the nominee this year.  All all wonderful however I would like to flesh out Donald Stewards' (aka Ruby Ridge )nomination a little. Donald has been tirelessly committed to Utah's GLBT community for over 20 years. He and others created the Horizon House for services for People With AIDS in the early 1990's and also with the help of his partner created Camp Pinecliff an annual mountain retreat for People With AIDS and their care takers of which he is still actively involved with. He created a liason with the police department to help with bridging a level of distrust within our community. During the 2000's for several years Donald volunteered endless hours for several years as director of the Pride Parade all of this outside of his high heels. In his high heels as Ruby Ridge a founding member of the Cyber Sluts he has raised 1000's of dollars for many different and valued organizations within this community.” [Ben Williams] 
• Nominee: Dr. Harry Rosado Nominated by Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder We enthusiastically nominate Dr Harry Rosado for the 2008 Dr Kristen Ries Community Service Award. Dr Rosado is an Infectious Disease doctor at Clinic 1A at the University of Utah. Although he seems shy, he is a long- term compassionate caregiver

  

  Dr. Harry Rosado-Santos

  to many people with HIV/AIDS. In 1986, just out of his medical training, he arrived to practice in Belle Glade, Florida, an AIDS epicenter at the height of the new epidemic now known as HIV. He worked hard not only as a scientific medical doctor, but was compassionate about what care each patient got. He was very disturbed about how some of the HIV patients were treated by others and to this day remains as a role model of providing the best and humanistic care to all people. He came to Utah in 1994 to enter the U’s training program in Infectious Diseases in order to provide better care to his patients. We first met Harry in 1994 when we moved our HIV practice to the University. It was immediately apparent that he was not only an excellent doctor, but that he was totally sure to provide compassionate and trusting patient centered care to all. He understands and respects all humans and is especially sensitive to LGBT issues. He is sure not only that the care he gives is appropriate, but is a role model to colleagues and future caregivers in genuine and compassionate care. He currently serves as a volunteer member of the Salt Lake Valley Board of Health where he represents us well. He remains passionate and never gives up in striving for improvements in the care of “Our People.” 
• Nominee: Mike Picardi Nominated by: Adam Bass -  To the past recipients of the Dr.
  
  Ries Community Service Award: There is no person in Utah more deserving of the 2008 Dr. Ries Community Service Award than Mike Picardi. I first met Mike at a meeting to strategize for hate crimes legislation in early 2002. Senator Alicia Suazo and Representative David Litvack spoke at the meeting. Representative Jackie Biskupski introduced me to Mike. I recall Mike working the room – and as I suspect everyone reading this letter will know already – it seemed like Mike knew everyone. Not only that, but he has a way of making everyone feel welcome, with his friendly and gregarious nature. At that point, Mike was already invested in the leadership of Utah Stonewall Democrats for years. He was also part of the core group of strategist that met on regularly with legislators to strategize for the eventual 2006 passage of hate crimes legislation in Utah. Mike has been an emissary on Capitol Hill and in City and County government buildings for the LGBT community of Utah. Mike is one of the most recognizable faces for LGBT equality among Utah’s elected officials. His partisanship never limited his leadership ability. Mike built strong relationships with Republicans, like Mark Shurtleff and Eric Jergensen to help push LGBT issues with those across the aisle. Not only did Mike dedicate a decade of leadership to the Utah Stonewall Democrats, but he’s been actively involved in numerous other community organizations. Mike has used his own upholstery furniture business to selflessly support other organizations behind the scenes. His company outfitted Equality Utah’s first offices – getting them up and running in style. M. Picardi Furniture is responsible for furnishing Queer Lounge in Park City. Hardly a silent auction has been held by any LGBT organization in the past 15 years that has not included at least one item from M. Picardi Furniture (formerly HMT).His generosity of time and talents are only surpassed by one thing: his heart. Mike Picardi has been the visible face in every crowd – whether that be at Coronation for the Golden Spike Empire or every Utah AIDS Foundation and People with AIDS Coalition event. He’s been a presence in every LGBT and political circle in Utah for so long that when he stepped down as Chairman of Utah Stonewall Democrats in 2006, his absence in those circles was noted by many. Mike Picardi is still active in the LGBT community – continuing his support of LGBT causes and issues from a less prominent role. There are many great community activists who deserve recognition, but as each of you know (as past recipients) there is a level of contribution that goes far beyond the average volunteer – beyond a contribution of time, talents and money. That contribution of one’s passion, soul, spirit and heart is what makes the Dr. Ries Community Service Award recipients stand out from the crowd. Mike Picardi is just such a giant in our community, and I hope you will honor that contribution this year, by selecting him to join your ranks. 
• Nominee: Mike Thompson Nominated by Doug Wortham  I nominate Mike Thompson.
  
  As executive director of Equality Utah, he has lead our politics to the highest levels of professionalism and efficiency. All of the state's political bodies have high regard for Equality Utah. Whatever be the anti-gay legislation at hand, the battle against it is always fought at the highest level of sophistication and professionalism. As one of the founders of Equality Utah, I can tell you that Mike has accomplished all and more of what I and other founders had dreamed for this organization.

Terry Gillman

2017 Terry Gillman created Facebook Group Utah's Gay Men Resource Network. Think of this as your virtual community center.You've all been invited to this open forum. You can discuss anything here. With the Political Climate the way things are, we need each other again. If you're a leader (or even if you're not) of an organization, Please feel free to share your events, or information. Topic's can be anything. Please be respectful to each other. I would ask for voluntary discretion. This page is not intended to be a hookup network, there are other resources available to you for that. If you see someone in this group that you're interested in please Pvt Msg them or contact them through some other means. I really appreciate it. With that said I'm not going to delete any posts, I don't believe in suppressing anyone's right to expression. I just ask that you respect the moderators and members of this group. Thank you so much in advance!