This Day In Gay Utah History January 2nd

January 2

Oscar Wilde
the Sunflower Apostle

1882-Oscar Wilde arrived in New York to begin a lecture tour. He told a customs agent, "I have nothing to declare except my genius."

1901 Ogden Standard Examiner SALT LAKE CRIME Sheriff John F Howells completed his annual report late yesterday afternoon The report shows that in 976 civil cases processes were served and in 863 criminal cases warrants were served.  It further states that $7851.04 was collected as gross fees and for the various offenses named below 250 arrests were made. Petit larceny 18, polygamy 1, willful destruction of property 1, battery 5, vagrancy 6, trespass 2,  prostitution 3,  resisting an officer 1,  assault 6, attempt to break jail 3, incorrigibility 5, disturbing the peace 11, highway robbery 1, robbery 8, carrying burglar tools 3, cruelty to animals 1, procuring females for immoral purposes 1, obtaining property by false pretenses 1,  peddling without a license 1, adultery 7, sending obscene literature through the malls 2, assault with deadly weapon 9, burglary 31, housebreaking 11,  rape 2,  grand larceny 29, attempt to commit grand larceny 5,  obtaining money by false pretenses 8,  insanity 28, drunkenness 2, murder 4, abduction 1, embezzlement 7, interfering with united states mall 1, attempting to commit murder 1,  impersonating united states officer 1, fugitives from justice 3,  sodomy 1, selling liquor to Indians 1, defaulting jurors witnesses etc 17 Twenty seven persons were taken to the state prison.  Nine to the reform school and 29 to the insane asylum, property to the value of $6891.50 was stolen and of $5271.50 which was recovered and restored to the owners. From the report it would seem that good service has been rendered by the sheriff’s force in this county

1965 -Saturday-The lacerated nude body of a South Salt Lake Man was found early Saturday in the snow in North Ogden divide just east of here. The victim was identified as George Roy Moriarty, 33, who lived with his mother Mrs. J.H. Moriarty at 164 West Burton Avenue in South Salt Lake.  The discovery was made about 8 a.m. in the canyon near 3100 North 1300 West. Mr. Moriarty apparently had been savagely beaten then taken to the top of a 100 foot cliff and thrown to the road below said Weber County Sheriff Leroy Hadley.  The victim was last seen in Salt Lake area Friday about 8:30 p.m. when he left Willie Café and Lounge 1776 South Main. A bloody automobile seat cover and signs of a struggle were found about a ½ mile from the body.  A trail of blood and bare foot prints in the snow led from this point to the cliff and on to where the man was lying curled beside the road.  The victim’s leg injuries plus some other evidence led officers to believe he had been hit by a car after he had staggered through the snow after the fall.  A trail of personal paper and clothing apparently thrown from a  moving car led down the canyon for a mile and ½ into North Ogden.  Sheriff Hadley said the man died sometime during the night from injuries or exposure or a combination of the two. His head, chest, and legs were lacerated deeply.  Lt. Allen R. Sexton of South Salt Lake Police said a bar tender, Frank Miller, told him the man left alone.  He had been brought to the bar earlier by his brother and was without a car.  He was divorced and a veteran of the Korean War. He was a member of the Catholic Church and a welder for American Steel Company. (01/03/65 page B1 col.2 SLTribune)

1978- The “Gay Activity Society” was formed to “get folks together in a social atmosphere and to attend movies, plays, rock concerts, dinners, drag shows, art receptions, sport events and meetings.”

1982 “Parsons denies quitting” Deseret News A5 Columbia SC- University of South Carolina President James Holderman has confirmed Lady Gamecocks basketball coach, Pam Parson, a Utah, native has resigned. ..Parson, a native of Richfield, Utah, she earned a Master’s Degree from Brigham Young University and began her coaching career at Old Dominion University. In 1977 she moved to South Carolina. Her career record is 191 wins against 73 loses.

1985-Having been refused permission to participate in the New York Veterans Day Parade by the American Legion, the Gay Veterans Association filed an application to hold their own parade on Veterans Day. The request was denied.

1988 Saturday- Sam [a stranded native American BYU student] wrote a note thanking me for my hospitality. He’s Gay but had never been around Gay people before, especially a Gay Party so it was a unique experience.  Well he could have done a lot worse because we were all well behaved and Unconditional Support doesn’t have sex parties. [1988 Journal of Ben Williams]

1991 Prostitutes: Crowded jails deter prosecution, making S.L. a haven for AIDS-infected hookers. HEALTH OFFICIALS SCRAMBLE TO CONTAIN DEADLY DISEASES Law-enforcement officials say Salt Lake City is becoming known nationwide as a haven for prostitutes who can knowingly spread the AIDS virus without prosecution because the jails are too full. And Salt Lake City/County health officials are worried about a link they see between AIDS and tuberculosis. Both diseases are deadly, but tuberculosis is more troublesome because it is spread through casual contact. Somewhere in the Salt Lake Valley, county health officials are trying to hold a homeless man who has a form of tuberculosis that resists all drug treatments. Anyone he coughs or breathes on could contract the deadly disease. But the man, who they refuse to identify, doesn't want to be quarantined. In fact, officials have caught him in the past panhandling and eating at shelters for the homeless. Salt Lake City/County Health Director Dr. Harry Gibbons said the man was seen three days ago using his welfare check to buy alcohol. Salt Lake City/County health officials want Salt Lake County to build a quarantine facility at the jail currently being built in South Salt Lake City. That way, when police arrest people with contagious diseases, they have a place to keep them. They also are endorsing a bill that would put prostitutes who carry the deadly AIDS virus or other deadly diseases behind bars. Health officials believe a recent revival of tuberculosis is connected with the AIDS epidemic. They site statistics that show 18 percent of Utah tuberculosis patients have AIDS as well. They suspect most AIDS patients carried the tuberculosis virus in a dormant state for years until AIDS weakened their immune systems. But the Health Department's stand is not universally popular. The proposed bill and the quarantine facility do not have the support of the Utah Department of Health's AIDS Advisory, who favor improved treatment strategies instead. And it has put the local health department at odds with AIDS support groups who believe jail time for prostitutes may be discriminatory. "I think such legislation would be constitutionally suspect," said Michele Parish-Pixler, executive director of the Utah American Civil Liberties Union. The concept of a quarantine center doesn't sit well with the founder of Utah's People With AIDS Coalition, either. David Sharpton said he thinks it will turn into "a witch hunt" for people with AIDS. He thinks that unless the individual has a known history of prostitution, officials can't prove the person is out spreading the virus. He doesn't think the quarantine center would be effective. Meanwhile, health officials are holding the homeless man in a trailer, but they aren't able to watch him all day. A county employee delivers a meal to him each day and makes sure the man still is there. "Drug-resistant tuberculosis is, in our minds, more dangerous than AIDS," said John Inch Morgan, deputy director of the Health Department. But AIDS also is a serious disease, and the two often are linked. Prostitutes with AIDS still work Salt Lake City streets. Morgan said officials have identified seven of them, but there may be more. In fact, law-enforcement officials say Salt Lake City has become a haven for prostitutes from around the United States who can practice their trade - and knowingly spread the deadly AIDS virus - without prosecution. Sgt. Terry Orton of the Salt Lake Police vice squad said 145 prostitutes were arrested in Salt Lake City alone from May to July, in addition to 134 "Johns" or customers. Another 58 people were arrested for sex-related disorderly conduct. "There are so many out there, we don't know who does and doesn't have AIDS," Orton told a Legislative committee recently. "Many who do say they don't care what happens to anyone else because they (the prostitutes) are going to die anyway.” The legislation health officials endorse calls for a mandatory AIDS test and counseling upon a first conviction for prostitution. A second conviction for a person testing positive would be upped from a Class A misdemeanor to a second-degree felony, carrying a one-to-15 year prison sentence. ( Deseret News).

1992--Bobbie Smith, Jeff Workman and I went to Unconditional Support tonight. We are still meeting at the Stonewall Center and Michael Bryant led the meeting for a little while before he had to go home to take some medicine. After the meeting we went to the Rhino Nest for Coffee.

1993 Saturday Charles Edward ``Chuck'' Griggs, Jr. age 30 died in Newport Beach, California after a long and valiant battle with Aids. He was employed by Federal Express for nine years. Step-brother of Julie Brizzee, Lesbian activist in SLC. Survived by long time companion, Rob Quest He attended Kearns High School and then graduated from the University of Utah with a B.S. degree in mass communication in 1987. He had a great love for reading, art, music and traveling.. He was very dedicated and involved in many hours of community service in Out Reach programs and educating in Aids awareness.

1996-Publishers of Deneuve, a lesbian magazine, announced they would change the name of the magazine after actress Catherine Deneuve threatened to sue.

1997 Salt Lake City Weekly 1996: Year in Rear View Political Menopause By Katharine Biele It as the year of Short, bad and ugly. Nineteen ninety-six was for Utah politics what PMS is for women. No one’s quite sure what's causing all the internal havoc, but they know damned well it's at a boiling point. Over the silliest things. Thoughtful pundits would tell you that the issue of campaign financing was paramount this last year. Utah's two newest congressmen spent tons of their own money in quest of public service. Big election losers were those who refused to take money from political action committees and the like. And President Clinton came under fire for nuzzling Indonesian interests, granting special favors in return for big campaign bucks. Nobody cared. Nobody but the candidates themselves ranted and raved and most Americans were assured that things would continue status quo into the next election. The really hot political topics in Utah were personality-based, incendiary and inflated as to their consequence. Salt Lake County government has been the best and most lasting example. The county commissioners and County Attorney Doug Short disagree on the most basic way to conduct business by communicating. Never mind that all the players have their own agendas, they can't even seem to get an animal control ordinance hammered out.Short has been anything but deferential to the county troika, and that has been part of the problem. The county attorney has been trying to investigate allegations against the commissioners specifically Brent Overson while acting as their legal counsel on county matters. And the commissioners, who incidentally have sued Short, trying to bring him in line, believe he wants to make policy as well as scrutinize the legalities. All of this came to a head when commissioners first cut Short's pay and then, in a screaming match at the end of the year, sent him packing for a day before he returned with a judge's order. The upshot Short's an elected official and can't be put on administrative leave. Ultimately, the solution will be some kind of legal fix in which either the county attorney's job is redefined or the commission form of government is scrapped. Whatever, the whole thing gives the word "politic" a bad name. Those wily commissioners are also involved in another pissing match, this one with the Utah Transit Authority and Salt Lake City over who has the power to appoint board members. The controversy has made for some interesting alliances. The county, labor interests and light rail opponents have plotted a coup d'etat against UTA general manager John Pingree, a 19-year veteran of the bus company. Secret meetings, name calling and insinuations of impropriety mark this episode, with its underlying dissatisfaction over UTA's unilateral decision to push light rail into the 21st Century. Of course, the UTA debate resulted in a lawsuit, too. When people can't talk, they go to court. Ironically, the courts in this one refused to rule and passed the bus buck to the 1997 Legislature. The Legislature: Where Utah will be trying to put civility and good sense into the law. Where they'll try to figure out how to prevent mayors, like Salt Lake City's Deedee Corradini, from secretly soliciting personal contributions from influential friends. Where secrecy is as much a part of their own operations as it is of Corradini's. The Legislature is fending off a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union for holding a secret meeting to discuss the fragile topic of high school gay clubs. But what was said publicly was almost as controversial. The issue revived homophobic responses from those who believe the gay lifestyle is a choice and sometimes a coercive choice. Rep. David Bresnahan, who later distinguished himself for using his concealed weapon while chasing down bad teen-age drivers, bared testimony on his gay brother to the House of Representatives. On his deathbed, his brother confided that he and numerous other Boy Scouts had been abused by a Scout leader. As it turned out, Bresnahan's impassioned speech was much exaggerated. Something significant has begun to happen in Utah's gay community, although it's not yet apparent how it will pan out. Almost as a political sidelight, Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) disbanded its lobbying, fund-raising and PAC work, leaving only its caucus within the Democratic Party. GLUD founder David Nelson said he was fed up with the lack of activism among Utah's gay and lesbian community, and so he resigned. Whether Nelson was just burned out had that political PMS or was truly reflecting the anomie of the Utah community won't be known until another hot-button issue arises. If 1996 created uncertainty for the gay and lesbian community, it created near chaos within the Democratic Party. The elections saw lifelong Democrats distancing themselves from what they perceived as the left-wing element of the party. A faction of the party that could permanently disenfranchise Democrats throughout the state, they say. The gay issue was a good example. Too fractious for the population as a whole. Certainly, Democrats winning office in the state are few and far between, but whether the Party can remake itself without becoming Republican Lite is the challenge. In the 2nd Congressional District, the primaries saw Kelly Atkinson beating up on Ross "Rocky" Anderson for his "liberal" views. Ultimately, Merrill Cook's repetitive references to Anderson as a supporter of gay marriage put Cook over the top and gained him a much-sought political office. Oddly, Merrill Cook is not the story of the 96 elections, despite his earlier disaffection with the Republican Party and his successful return to the fold. The story's unfolding on the other side in the Democratic camp where the question of survival is being played out. And the debate over how to survive is perhaps more important to the public as a whole. Certainly, Utah Democrats were demoralized by Clinton's back-door designation of the Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument. While some Democrats would have liked to have a chance to, well, explain to their constituencies, most shrugged with a sense of resignation that Clinton's actions have heightened not only conservatism in the state, but intense states rights feelings, as well. All in all, 1996 was an emotional roller coaster politically. It ended at the top of the loop with everyone's hands in the air, screaming, laughing and waiting now for the precipitous drop Ñ somewhere. To menopause, maybe?

1998-Friday... “David W. Olson (Forum, Dec. 9) arrogantly and erroneously thinks that he is the voice of collective society. He also misses the point about Wendy Weaver being ordered to ``shut up or else.'' Gays and lesbians should be able to talk about their lives in the same manner that heterosexuals take for granted. Everybody, especially gay and lesbian youth, should know that it is OK to be homosexual. I personally know the tragedies that can result by telling them otherwise. It was the Nebo School Board, and all the bigots who supported them, who crossed the line when they illegally banned Weaver from discussing her personal life with students, staff and parents, thus alienating her from the community in which she lives. This sent the wrong message to gay and lesbian students; indeed, it was an affront to decent society. Furthermore, it was hypocritical, since virtually no one, including school board members, refrains from talking about their personal lives with those whom they work with. Olson and his kind need to wake up and realize that in spite of a decidedly conservative atmosphere, ``we as a people'' are accepting gays and lesbians in our country on an unprecedented level. Doubters need only look to social meters to verify this. There are more openly gay characters shown in a positive light on TV and in the cinema than ever. Also, more and more businesses and government are passing laws and policies to protect their gay and lesbian employees.   Unfortunately, there are still a lot of people who don't know how to accept or even betolerant of those who are different from themselves.   LORE GONZALES  West Valley City (01/02/1998 Page: A16 SLTribune)

2000  Page: AA7 Vegan First Amendment Rights Should Be Recognized By Utah Schools BY RACHEL DECKER In Utah Schools, the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States seems to change somewhere around 66th South, or maybe it changes between courtrooms at the federal courthouse. Recently in a suit concerning gay students in Salt Lake City Schools, Federal Judge Bruce Jenkins called the First Amendment "sacred ground."  Salt Lake City school officials agreed that all students, including gay students, have First Amendment Rights, and school officials publicly promised to respect those rights.  In contrast, Federal Judge Dee Benson recently seemed to rule literally that vegan students have no First Amendment Rights in the Jordan School District. In Salt Lake City, gay students may choose to present their point of view in all extracurricular activities. That's their First Amendment Right. School authorities have promised to respect those rights and the federal courts stand behind them.