This Day In Gay Utah History November 10th

November 10

Rufus Griswold

1855 Quaker poet and critic, Rufus Griswold, denounces Walt Whitman as a "scurvy fellow...indulging the vilest imaginings" "In the November 10, 1855, issue of The Criterion, Griswold anonymously reviewed the first edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, declaring: "It is impossible to image how any man's fancy could have conceived such a mass of stupid filth". Griswold charged that Whitman was guilty of "the vilest imaginings and shamefullest license", a "degrading, beastly sensuality." Referring to Whitman's poetry, Griswold said he left "this gathering of muck to the laws which... must have the power to suppress such gross obscenity."  He ended his review with a phrase in Latin referring to "that horrible sin, among Christians not to be named", the stock phrase long associated with Christian condemnations of sodomy. Griswold was the first person in the 19th century to publicly point to and stress the theme of erotic desire and acts between men in Whitman's poetry.

1891 A social club to be known as the Bohemian club filed articles of incorporation in Salt Lake City. The capital stock is fixed at $10,000 The incorporators and officers are a B Schweitzer president, I Woolf, secretory S Woolf, treasurer W W McIntosh B S Young K Y Schweitzer

1928-The New York Times reported that forty distinguished witnesses, mostly authors, appeared in a London court to testify in favor of the lesbian novel "The Well of Loneliness." The judge refused to hear any of them.

Harold B Lee

1960 - Ernest L Wilkinson, Brigham Young University's president, tells Executive Committee of BYU's trustees "about a colored boy on campus having been a candidate for the vice presidency of a class and receiving a very large vote." The three apostles present at the meeting want to exclude all African Americans from BYU. "If a granddaughter of mine should ever go the BYU and become engaged to a colored boy," Apostle Harold B. Lee fumes, "I would hold you responsible!" 

Maurine Brimhall

1962-Saturday- The State convention of the Utah Committee on Children and Youth to be held at State Capitol November 16-17 will discuss the problem of pornography and possible action to curb it. Dr. Vaughn M. Hall executive secretary of the committee said petitions urging tightening control on pornography will be presented at the mass media department session of the convention. Mrs. James W. ( Helen Bowring) Ure and Mrs. Smoot (Maurine) Brimhall are co-chairwomen of the department meeting (11/10/62 page 29 col. 1) Maurine Smoot was the founder and director of the Utah Citizens for Decency, working with the national organizations (Morality in Media, C. D. L., The American Family Association and the LDS Church) in her crusade against pornography. Her organization was influential in the passage of strong anti-pornography laws in Utah and other states.Brimhall Obituary

1962-Saturday-Wendall Taylor Checkett , age 37 of 238 South 1100 East, arrested in Liberty Park rest room and charged with being a disorderly person Friday appeared before city Judge J. Patton Neeley and entered a plea of guilty. He was ordered to appear December 27 for sentencing. (11/10/62 page 29 col. 7 Salt Lake Tribune)

1962-Saturday-Utah’s Legislation will be asked to tighten the state’s lewdness and obscenity statutes in 1963. The Youth Protection Committee of Salt Lake City and County Friday approved a final draft of a proposed bill during a meeting in the county commission chambers at the city and county building.  The bill would amend present law to provide more protection against sale of obscene material to persons less than 18 years of age. Present statutes do not carry any age limit.  The proposed bill which includes a US Supreme Court decision on what is considered obscene also provides stiffer penalties for violators.  The proposed bill provides penalties against the introduction of material into family or school when the material is obscene by the standards of the average person in Utah communities. (11/10/62 page 29 col.7)

1985 The Granite School Board of Education is considering a district wide policy regarding students and employees with AIDS.  “I recommend we adopt a policy before the situation emerges, “said Superintendent John Reed Call at the last board meeting. “We are the largest district in the state.  The chances of a student or employee diagnosed is not unlikely.  We should have a policy before the situation arises. This year the death of two children have been attributed to the disease. (11/10/1985 SL Tribune B3)

1987- the first official meeting of Unconditional Support had an estimated 35 people turnout. The topic was “Internalizing Homophobia” After Unconditional Support John Reeves, Jim Hunsaker and his new boyfriend Wayne Snyder, Steve Breckenbury and a few others stayed, after everyone else left, to visit and shoot the bull.  Talked about Gay movies etc. [Journal of Ben Williams]

Ben Barr

1988- Ben Barr stated that the Salt Lake AIDS Foundation. SLAF had received a $180,000 grant for AIDS information, and the Mormon Church was secretly donating office furniture from the Hotel Utah to the foundation. The Mormon Church donated an old ward house to the Red Cross on the condition that they will not allow it to house the AIDS Coalition or The Salt Lake AIDS Foundation because the Mormon Church did not want people with AIDS or Gays using the building. (journal of Ben Williams)

Craig Spence

1989-Craig J Spence, a conservative Republican lobbyist, committed suicide after it was discovered he ran a male prostitution ring. Spence's name came to national prominence in the aftermath of a June 28, 1989 article in the Washington Times identifying Spence as a customer of a homosexual escort service being investigated by the Secret Service, the District of Columbia Police and the United States Attorney's Office for suspected credit card fraud. The newspaper said he spent as much as $20,000 a month on the service. He had also been linked to a White House guard who has said he accepted an expensive watch from Mr. Spence and allowed him and friends to take late-night White House tours. Spence entered a downward spiral in the wake of the Washington Times exposé, increasingly involving himself with call boys and crack, and culminating in his July 31, 1989 arrest at the Barbizon Hotel on East 63rd St in Manhattan for criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of cocaine. Months after the scandal had died down, and a few weeks before Spence was found in a room of Ritz-Carlton Hotel, in Boston, he was asked who had given him the "key" to the White House.

Michael Hedges and Jerry Seper of The Washington Times reported that "Mr. Spence hinted the tours were arranged by 'top level' persons", including Donald Gregg, national security adviser to Vice President George H. W. Bush at the time of the tours were given. When pressed to identify who it was who got him inside the White House, Spence asked "Who was it who got [long-term CIA operative] Félix Rodríguez in to see Bush?", agreeing that he was alluding to Mr. Gregg. Gregg himself dismissed the allegation as "absolute bull", according to Hedges and Seper. "It disturbs me that he can reach a slimy hand out of the sewer to grab me by the ankle like this," he told the reporters. "The allegations are totally false."mOn November 10, 1989 Spence was found dead dressed in a tuxedo in Room 429 the

Donald Gregg

Boston Ritz Carlton, the city's most expensive hotel with three dollars in his pocket. When found by hotel employees he was attired in the style he affected at his lavish dinner parties, according to the police report: "black Tux with white shirt, bow tie, white suspenders, black socks and shoes", with a telephone cradled in his ear and a Walkman headset containing a cassette tape of Mozart's "A Little Night Music". Found hidden in a false ceiling in the bathroom were seven small packets of Xanax, an anti-anxiety prescription drug, with one pill removed. In black felt-tip marker he had written on a mirror of his room: Chief, consider this my resignation, effective immediately. As you always said, you can't ask others to make a sacrifice if you are not ready to do the same. Life is duty. God bless America.As a postscript, he wrote, "To the Ritz, please forgive this inconvenience." During a lengthy interview at a Manhattan apartment a few months before his death, Spence alluded to more intricate involvements. "All this stuff you've uncovered (involving call boys, bribery and the White House tours), to be honest with you, is insignificant compared to other things I've done. But I'm not going to tell you those things, and somehow the world will carry on."

Chuck Whyte

1990-Saturday- The Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah  sponsored Chuck Whyte’s 9^th Annual Unity Show held at Club 108 (formerly Backstreet) which raised $1000 for GLCCU.  “The Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah  sponsored Chuck Whyte’s 9th Annual Unity Show held at Club 10. Today is Kathryn Warner's birthday.  Tonight was the

Kathryn Warner

Unity Show but Kathryn didn't feel up to performing tonight so the Faeries did something else. Fuku (Jimmy Hamamoto) came over about 8 p.m. and we went to Club 108 together.   I really didn't want to go out either being so worn out at school this past week but I was glad to be there when we did get there. We sat at a table near the stage that was reserved or the Sacred Faeries. Chuck Whyte whose show this was also sat with us. Concerning Gays and Lesbians was the 3rd act scheduled so I was glad to get that

Deb Rosenberg

over with but it was fun for sure.  Debbie Rosenberg ended up performing in 3 numbers. One for KRCL, another for the Sacred Faeries, and one also for Pride Day.  She and Kevin Hillman are the Co-Chairs of Pride Day '91. They did the cutest act for Gay Pride Day.  Debbie's such the ham. The Sacred Faeries formed a circle on stage and sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". Fuku and I were having a great time. Bobbie Smith and Julie Pollack were working the door.  Emperor Bruce Harmon and Empress Bianca were tonight's emcees and did an excellent job. 

Bruce Harmon

All in all it was a fun show and I enjoyed the Slip Ups and Empress Jodie Lynn the most.  But then again I really enjoy Camp Humor which is becoming a lots art form. I was drinking Cape Cods and feeling pretty loose so I was having a good time.  Becky Moss was with us and said that her friend is back in town and wants to join the Faeries. Ragnar's real name is Richard McCall but has always gone by his Faerie name. I also heard from Fuku that Tom Henacy was in a car accident yesterday and I think he's banged up and bruised pretty bad but not seriously hurt. The Unity Show was over at 11;30 p.m. and Fuku and I went home soon afterwards. I was in bed no later than 12:30 a.m. thank the Goddess. (Journal of Ben Williams)

Michele Parish-Pixler

1990 NOW [National Organization for Women] held an Awards dinner at the Alta Lodge honoring Liza Smart in recognition for her work in the Gay and Lesbian Community. Kelli Frame, Abby Maetas, Michele Parish-Pixler, and Liza Smart were named the 1990 Women of Courageous Action by the Utah National Organization of Women at 3rd annual awards dinner at Alta Lodge. Abby Maestas SLC feminist and activist for Hispanic communities She said “I would need an arm full of awards if I were to recognize the large number of women who have endured and sustained hardships for their values…” Liza Smart was named as one of The 1990 Women of Courageous Action by the Utah National Organization of Women (NOW).  Liza Smart received her award for promoting the diversity of culture, and working to end patriarchy.  She was also led the campaign for creating the Utah Stonewall Center, a community center for Gays and Lesbians. “Lesbianism and feminism are inextricably linked, “ she said. “You cannot be a feminist without acknowledging the love that exists between women.” (SLTribune 4B 11/12/90)

Ruben Ortega

1992- The Salt Lake Tribune Gay, Lesbian Leaders Question S.L. Chief's Civil-Rights Record By Michael Phillips Several leaders of Salt Lake City gay and lesbian groups demanded Monday that Mayor Deedee Corradini dismiss her new police chief or guarantee in writing that he will protect the civil rights of homosexuals. The gay and lesbian leaders charged that former Phoenix police chief Ruben Ortega was unsympathetic to homosexuals and tolerated an anti-homosexual policy there."We want to make sure that gays feel safe walking the streets," said Michael Aaron, chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats. "And that they feel they can

Michael Aaron

report their problems to the police."Added LaDonna Moore, executive director of the Utah AIDS Foundation: "Mr. Ortega is in a position of leadership, and if he doesn't fight against bigotry, it will flourish in the Salt Lake City Police Department."Mr. Ortega said he's already promised to assign an assistant police chief as gay community liaison and said he would ensure the department will investigate crimes against homosexuals. But he said he now has more immediate concerns."This is not at the top of the list and it's not going to be," Mr. Ortega said from his home in Phoenix. "Salt Lake City has worse problems -- delayed [response to emergency] calls, drugs and gangs. I've got a four-year contract in my pocket, and this is no way to start a relationship with me."David Nelson, of the democratic organization, accused the city of failing to adequately

David Nelson

check Mr. Ortega's background before he was hired last week. Roger Black, a key Corradini aide who chaired the committee that selected the new police chief, has acknowledged the committee did not check with the Phoenix Human Relations Committee or minority and civil-rights organizations before recommending Mr. Ortega for the job. Randy Richardson, editor of Outfront Review, a magazine for gays and lesbians, interrupted Monday's news conference to defend Mr. Ortega and demand that the critics produce evidence to support their contention that the new chief is insensitive to homosexuals. "What's happening here is a total travesty," said Mr. Richardson. "There is nothing here beyond hearsay and rumor." A spokesman for Ms. Corradini dismissed the call for Mr. Ortega's ouster. Mr. Ortega, who begins work in Salt Lake City on December 1, defended his track record, noting that he

Deedee Corradini

created a hate-crimes unit in 1990 that "protected the civil rights of all citizens"; appointed an assistant chief to act as a liaison officer to the homosexual community, and ordered minority and sexual orientation sensitivity training for his officers. But Phoenix gay and lesbian organizations say Mr. Ortega's work was clouded by revelations of a departmental directive that vice-squad officers "familiarize [themselves] with photos of known homosexuals and prostitutes, their vehicle license-plate numbers, home addresses and hangouts." Mr. Ortega said vice officers investigated heterosexual and homosexual prostitution and that he had no knowledge of the directive, which he suggested may have been written before he took office in 1980. The policy was carried out routinely, said John King, owner of Charlie's, a popular gay bar in Phoenix. He told The Salt Lake Tribune that police officers in plain clothes would copy down the license-plate numbers of vehicles in his parking lot. On occasion, they placed dime-size stickers under the bumpers of cars parked there overnight, he said. Mr. King also said police always treated his patrons with respect."They were professional, fair but firm, and dealt with drunks without discrimination," he said. He also said that during Mr. Ortega's tenure, police never raided the city's only "bath house," a place where gay men often engage in sex. In another incident that outraged some Phoenix homosexuals and health officials, Mr. Ortega's department was accused in 1988 of keeping files on people suspected to be infected with the AIDS virus. Mr. Ortega said no lists were kept, but that some officers noted such information in files about some residents. He said he stopped the practice and ordered the information purged."The entries were the result of officers fearful of contracting the AIDS virus," said Mr. Ortega. He said the officers hoped to protect themselves from coming into contact with people infected with the virus.That Phoenix police compiled such information was disclosed after a man saw the words "High Risk: AIDS" flash on a patrol car's computer screen while an officer investigated a burglary at his home. Mr. Ortega said he suspects he's being used by some community leaders to pressure Ms. Corradini to include sexual orientation as a protected class in the city's hate-crime ordinance."They seem to be trying to extract commitments from me that they haven't been able to get from the mayor," said Mr. Ortega. "I don't have any authority to do that. That's up to the city."During Mr. Ortega's administration in Phoenix, the city's hate-crimes ordinance covered discrimination based on color and creed, not on sexual orientation. Sexual orientation was added in 1991, after Mr. Ortega resigned.___  ( Randy Richardson was a scam artist who abscounded from Salt Lake City with thousands of dollars of people who thought they were investing in a fund raising activity for AIDS. He probably in South Florida scamming people there now)

1992 GAY, LESBIAN GROUPS BLAST HIRING OF S.L. POLICE CHIEF By Amy Donaldson, Staff Writer Deseret News Several gay and lesbian organizations held a joint press conference Monday afternoon criticizing the hiring of Ruben Ortega as Salt Lake City's new police chief. The groups, speaking at the Stonewall Center, 450 S. 900 East, accused Ortega of being insensitive to the concerns of gay and lesbian communities. The proof they offered was testimony from members of the gay and lesbian community in Phoenix, government officials and news agencies. They gave reporters a list of quotes from Ortega and a list of quotes they said showed Ortega's inconsistencies and misrepresentations. But at least one prominent member of the gay community believes the allegations are premature. Randy Richardson, editor of Outfront Magazine, said the groups didn't have facts to support their claims and that it was unfair to hold the press conference when Ortega wasn't in town. "What's happening here is a total travesty," Richardson said. And, referring to the handout, "There is nothing here (but) hearsay and rumor. I don't think you have enough here to support what you're doing." The groups accused Ortega of misrepresenting the protection offered on the basis of sexual orientation by the Phoenix hate-crimes unit. Bob Aaron with the Phoenix Human Relations Commission said the unit didn't include investigation of anti-gay and lesbian hate crimes until after Ortega's resignation. Roger Rea, an attorney and member of the Phoenix Human Rights Task Force, said the unit didn't specifically include protection on the basis of sexual orientation, only race and religion. The groups asked for a variety of things ranging from Ortega's ousting to caution on the part of the mayor's office and the police department. "It's an obvious move to try to get them (mayor's office) to make some concessions that they haven't been able to get in the past," Ortega said from his Phoenix home. He said he couldn't name them specifically in a policy protecting gays and lesbians against hiring discrimination and other actions because the City Council or mayor had to do that. "I told them I'd appoint a top-level liaison to work with them," he said. "I told them to give me a chance and not base it on hearsay. These people have made a very tactical error. I'm going to be there for four years. I have a contract in my pocket." He said he would treat and protect them the same as any other resident of Salt Lake City. One of the current liaisons with the gay and lesbian community is Shane Jones. Jones attended the press conference and said he believes Ortega's promises to the gay and lesbian community. "I firmly believe he's going to support those policies," Jones said. "The thing I feel that's real unfortunate is I think there was a better way to approach it." The groups quoted Ortega as saying he created an AIDS task force within the department. They then quoted others on the Human Relations Commission and the Human Rights Task Force as saying Ortega didn't create the task force, the information included in videos was "bad" and that the department refused to allow the community AIDS council or the Phoenix AIDS task force to review the material. "Every organizational leader in the Phoenix gay and lesbian community that we spoke to that had an opinion about Mr. Ortega told us that we had reason for concern," said Michael Aaron, founder of the anti-violence project. Dale Sorenson, executive director of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, urged the mayor to re-consider the hiring of Ortega. He also asked the mayor to establish by executive order a city government employment and services non-discrimination policy that specifically includes "sexual orientation" as a protected class. "I have bent over backwards for them," Ortega said. "I will not be pressured or intimidated. They'll get the same protection and respect as every other citizen of Salt Lake - no more, no less."  Shane Jones

East High School

1997 It's a Bash SL City Weekly By Ben Fulton Despite small inroads of tolerance, harassment of young gays and lesbians continues in public high schools. Four years of high school is a distinctly different experience if you happen to be a young gay or lesbian. Your curriculum can involve slurs, threats and hostile looks. It's an education in taunts, a lesson in pain, an exercise in humiliation. Imagine words like these, said right to your face: "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kick the shit out of you right here?"  Imagine someone saying they will slam a dumbbell over your head during gym class.  Imagine the snide, denigrating remarks of a person sitting next to you every time you answer a question in class. Now, picture little or no response from supervising adults when you present these problems to them, asking for relief. Gabe, a 16-year-old student at East High School who also chose a pseudonym, doesn't have to imagine any of the above. It's all happening to him. "After a while I sort of get numb to it," he says. "Part of it is that I'm used to being harassed. The other part is that I'm so focused on getting to college that I know I have to stay in school. I also know that if I drop out then I will not be able to change the system."  For some, the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that they no longer have the luxury of being tough-skinned idealists out to change the world. For a

few, attending high school is a dangerous proposition. Justin, a 15-year-old student at Alta High School who prefers to go by his abbreviated first name only, came out to his classmates indirectly when he chided them for using words like "queer" and "faggot."  "Everyone knew I was gay, even if I hadn't said it," he remembers. The barrage started almost immediately. First came the name-calling. Threats followed. After a few months, the police were called in. Sitting in class, Justin heard one student remark to another, "Want to kick the shit out of the queer after class?"  Passing others during lunch he heard the words, "You've been warned," and "Those damned queers should be shot."  Rumors circulated that members of the football team would beat him up after the season was over. That way, the team wouldn't have to forfeit games after being suspended for carrying out the threats. To all this Justin rarely gave a retort. He didn't feel the hostility deserved a response. Instead, he reported all incidents to his vice principal, who talked to some of the perpetrators. In some cases, the harassers were reported to their parents. But matters only became worse and, according to Justin, the school office did less and less in response. "The last time I went to my vice principal with an incident I was told, 'Well, this isn't at the top of my list,'" he says. His attendance, and as a result, his grades, plummeted. The last straw was a break-in of his school locker. In the past he had only had epithets like "Queer" or "Poopdick" etched into the paint. This time it was vandalized on the inside. Rainbow stickers, symbolic of gay pride, had been torn out, and it looked as though someone had masturbated onto his belongings. "Either that, or someone went to the chemistry lab and got something that looked just like it," Justin says. The police were notified, but without probable cause no investigation was conducted. Since then, he hasn't attended school for two weeks. "The school knows why I'm not going," Justin says. "I don't even see the point. It's just not safe. The only way I'd go back is if I had eight bodyguards to walk me through the halls. "I think it's great that the school administration is trying to do something, but it's not enough. If it were, it would be stopped."  A CALL FOR HELP  The floodgates, of course, were opened two years ago with the quiet formation of East High School's Gay Straight Alliance. Unable to fathom the idea of young people coming out of the closet at such an early age, much less the reality of homosexuality, Utah's politicians and the Salt Lake City School Board fought the student club with no artillery spared. There was the myth of "recruitment," or the idea that adult homosexuals sweet-talked the young into their lifestyle. There were sentiments that youth should not be "encouraged" into such a life. Finally, the Salt Lake City School Board voted 5-3 to obliterate all non-academic school clubs rather than allow a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual students to meet for support and fellowship. High school students valley wide came together for a protest on the Capitol steps. It was a heady time, exciting, yet full of anger and hope. For perhaps the first time in the Salt Lake Valley, gay students could consider coming out. If only a little understanding waited on the other side. That invitation was promptly canceled by the school board's vote, but the courage of students behind East High's Gay-

Straight Alliance — coupled with dialogue surrounding an issue that had long been undiscussed — left a lasting impression on anyone hesitant about proclaiming their sexual identity. High school students have come out in greater numbers, but the safety net protecting them is only partially constructed, if at all. Individual schools profess a sincere desire to prevent and punish the harassment of any student for any reason, but the school board's cold refusal to allow young gays a gathering place in public schools only validated strong sentiments that homosexuals are less than equals. The chain reaction started by the school board's vote one-and-a-half-years ago leaves high school gays and lesbians on the receiving end of the blow. This year alone has seen the

Jacob Orosco

suicide of a young high school student, Jacob Orosco, and some young gays and lesbians have given up on school, dropping out to live on the margins before deciding their next move.  "The dam has broken. The kids are coming out, and we're not equipped to deal with it. The club was a call for help,

Doug Wortham

and adults are called to help. Meanwhile, the state refused to do anything for gay and lesbian kids," says Doug Wortham, a teacher at Rowland Hall and a member of the Gay Lesbian and Straight Teachers Network (GLSTN). Camille Lee, an East High School science teacher and fellow GLSTN member, agrees. She's also heard first-hand about increased harassment of gay and lesbian students since school began in September. "It started at day one. I had a kid come up to me and start talking about how he was being

Camille Lee

harassed," she says. AN EMERGING PATTERN But if the state is unwilling to step into the controversial arena of gay issues, Wortham and the teachers network gladly pick up the responsibility as best they can, with limited means. Under the Civic Center Act, the students of East High's Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) can meet in the school as citizens, provided they pay a $400 annual fee for insurance purposes. That money isn't hard to come by, as the publicity of the club's past has drawn enough contributions to foot the bill. In the final analysis, the school board's vote did nothing to stop students from meeting, but GSA members know their short history hasn't come without a cost. Gathered in a classroom of undisclosed location every week, they meet to talk about school, offer support and keep journal entries of their experiences. Their fellow students are still bitter over what they view as the loss of their clubs due to the GSA's formation. "One student and his friends wanted to know where the group met so they could crash it and physically assault people," says Gabe. Comments like "that stupid gay club" are commonplace. The bitterness toward the club is so pervasive, it's almost subconscious. Most of the club's members have stories of harassment.

Kelli Peterson

Holly Peterson, sister of GSA founder Kelli Peterson, says she was repeatedly called a "shitty dyke" by a group of boys during the first few weeks of school. "You hear the comments: 'This is so gay. That's so gay.' It sounds innocuous, but you notice it. If you hear someone say the word 'nigger' you know they're going to get trouble, but 'fag' is a word we can toss around pretty easily," says a GSA member who requested anonymity. Lee, the GSA's adult monitor, began to notice an emerging pattern of harassment as club members began discussing their journal entries.  In a culture increasingly weary of the excesses of political correctness, name-calling might not sound like such a grievous crime against individuals. Words, though, cut deep when the hatred behind them is real. Heterosexual students are afforded a whole host of advantages their gay and lesbian students go without. Foremost among them is safety, which in turn allows a student to concentrate on learning. Belonging, or a sense that you're valued as a person, comes next. No one in GSA has any illusions about attaining either of those commodities. "If people would walk in my shoes today I think they would be scared," says Gabe. "They wouldn't be ready for what would come down on them. The fear is destabilizing."  A 17-year-old student attending Bountiful High School in the more conservative environment of Davis County, puts it this way: "It's like a can of pop. Every ime someone says something it shakes it up harder. Sooner or later it's going to get so compressed it's going to blow."  The irony of GSA is apparent. The club was formed as a fortification against bigotry, but once gathered, they found a battle — and latent opposition that can be violently active. Being gay, they know, is viewed by a large portion of society as a lifestyle choice, not an ethnicity. So it is that words like "faggot" and "dyke" live on while the epithets of "kike" and "spic" are lesser known. SHORT OF THE MARK In spite of the harassment they still experience at East High, the GSA gives school principal Kay Petersen high marks. Ever since the club's founding, Petersen has made sincere efforts to understand gay and lesbian issues in schools. At the beginning of this school year, Petersen's administration sent out literature to all students and their families stating, "Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated at East High School." In a list of "most common" groups harassed, "sexual orientation" was named along with race and ethnicity. That language is now part of school policy. But Petersen knows that the administration can't catch every epithet before it's hurled. "It's so far from perfect that it's still very painful for some people," he admits. "I feel good about what we've tried, I feel less good about what we've succeeded. There's a long way to go. We're a society that's evolving in the right direction. My responsibility is to accelerate that process in terms of making my school safe for every kid that comes here."  Even in the face of horrors experience by Justin, Alta High School principal Linda Sandstrom remains optimistic. She admits there are "no specific guidelines" regarding harassment at her school, although every reported incident is looked into. Words like "spic" are not tolerated, and epithets like "faggot," she says, "are worth addressing also." "My own philosophy is that people ought to be nice to one another," she says. "That might sound a bit provincial or archaic. You don't necessarily have to agree with someone or their style, but that doesn't mean you have a license to abuse someone. We're here for education."  No one would argue with that. What's left unsaid is how far short of the mark Utah falls when it comes to protecting gay and lesbian youth. Considering the events of the past two years, that hardly comes as a shock.  Educational administrators at district and state levels will tell you that harassment of any kind, for any reason, will not be tolerated in public schools. But while ethnic and religious groups get specific language for protection against harassment in written policies, gays and lesbians warrant not even a mention. "I don't think anyone even thought of it when this policy was written, to tell you the truth," says Nancy Woodward, director of student services for the Salt Lake City School District. "Sexual orientation was never specified in anything directed from the board."  Instead, talk of sexual orientation is left to training sessions, where teachers can talk about the subject if it's raised. "It wasn't until we started conducting training sessions that someone mentioned sexual orientation," Woodward says. The Utah Department of Education is even more complacent. Statistics about the harassment of gay and lesbian youth are not recorded, and there are no programs addressing the needs of sexual minority youth. "We have no data at all," says Suecarol Robinson, education specialist for the Utah State Office of Education. "Most schools have a zero-tolerance policy [for harassment]. It should be the same with this issue. But [gay and lesbian] kids at school feel that harassment does take place, and the schools put up with it."  Suicide by gay and lesbian teens is another issue the state is ill-equipped to deal with. Utah has the fifth-highest rate of teen suicide in the nation, and studies are underway to find the best routes of prevention. For now, however, young gays and lesbians are out of the equation, despite the estimate that they are twice as likely to kill themselves. The reason for that, studies show, is fear of claiming their sexual identity in a hostile world. "It [staying in the closet] almost killed me," says Justin "When you can't be yourself, you suffer. It's like asking someone who wears Gap clothes to start dressing Gothic. It's just not going to happen." Helping them cross the bridge to coming out is a vital step to saving their lives. That's a bridge the state department of education is too timid to build.  Stepping out of her position with the department of education, Robinson says, "That would be something desirable to have, from my own personal view. But from the state office's view it would seem an unreasonable request. We're bound by community standards and a moral climate that the state office of education complies with."  LIABILITY While Salt Lake City and Utah sit in stagnancy, or in the case of the club issue, move backward, other school districts nationally have taken bold steps forward. Consider the Portland School District of Oregon, which oversees the education of 56,000 students. In addition to providing money for special programs addressing the needs of gay and lesbian students, the district boasts a sexual diversity committee that meets monthly, with the school superintendent attending. The committee's goal is clearly stated: "To promote a climate for learning which enables all students regardless of their actual or perceived sexuality to feel successful, safe and supported in academic and social situations in group identification and in group or individual expression." Although fraught with complications, protecting students isn't rocket science. When it comes to harassment, there is no middle ground. For every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. If you don't want kids harassed, support them. In the Boston Public Schools District, nothing happened overnight, but school administrators and counselors developed over time what many consider a model of support for gay and lesbian youth in public schools. According to Deb Jencunas, coordinator of student support services for Boston Public Schools District, it started with counselor training. Gay and lesbian youth knew they had people they could talk to if they saw a pink triangle in a counselor's office. Students could also get information about support groups in their community. These first steps offered a small refuge in which students could come out. "You can't tell kids it's safe to come out when it's not," says Jencunas. "That's the reality we live in." Besides the usual moral issues lobbied between liberal and conservative sides, there is another dimension that should concern anyone worried about lawyers knocking at the door.  Based on legal precedent, public schools can be sued for monetary damages if they fail to respond to a student's complaint of harassment. In November 1996, the Ashland, Wis., school district agreed pay out more than $900,000 to student Jamie Nabozny after the district did nothing to prevent harassment from fellow students over his sexual orientation. If schools can't find the moral fortitude to prevent harassment of gay youth, then legal reasons might suffice. "We're talking about basic rights for all people. More than a religious or moral issue, it's one of civil rights," says Jencunas. "It's about engaging people around the issue in a way that's constructive. It must be understood that schools, teachers and administrators are responsible for providing a safe and nurturing environment for students, and may be liable if they choose to ignore repeated incidents of harassment."  Boston, with its past battles over school bussing and desegregation, has a civil rights history that in some ways lends itself to the same civil rights understandings behind gay rights. In Utah, parallels have been drawn between past persecutions of Mormons and homophobic bigotry to build bridges of empathy between the gay community and the dominant religion, but to no real effect. So, while Salt Lake Valley schools all agree that harassment is a bad thing, no one seems anxious to imitate schools on either coast of the nation that truly reach out to youth in support and understanding. But if the Salt Lake Valley is bad, rural Utah is even worse.  "There are no openly gay people at my school, and I wouldn't want to be the first," says James, a 16-year-old student at Pleasant Grove in Utah County. "Here [Salt Lake City] it's still not accepted, but down here it's not something that's even spoken about." Back at East High, Gabe can't wait for his high school years to draw to a close. "At the U. you can report to the campus police, who will actually handle this stuff. We won't have to report to a vice principal."

10 November 2000 The Salt Lake Tribune Page: D7 Abuser, LDS Leaders Dispute Confession Timing Molester says that the time limit for prosecution is up

BY STEPHEN HUNT   THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE LOGAN -- It was a confessed child molester's word against that of two LDS religious leaders in a 1st District courtroom Thursday, in a battle over whether charges should be dismissed.    Jay Toombs -- who had pleaded guilty to molesting two boys nearly 10 years ago -- claimed he had discovered entries in his old journals that show he confessed his crimes in 1994 to his LDS bishop. The bishop, Toombs claimed, then told a stake president, who also happened to work for the Cache County Attorney's Office. Toombs said the journal entries proved the crimes were reported six years ago, which meant the statute of limitations expired in 1998. State law requires prosecution of child sex crimes within four years of the time a crime is reported to police or child welfare authorities. But the bishop and stake president testified they only learned Toombs was a child molester within the past two years. Relying on the testimony of the church leaders, 1st District Judge Clint Judkins denied Toombs' motion to dismiss the case. Toombs, 43, of Benson, faces a mandatory 5-years-to-life prison term when he is sentenced Dec. 11.    Charged with four counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child, Toombs pleaded guilty to a single count in August. But days later, Toombs claims he found entries in an old Day-Timer journal detailing his conversation with Bishop Brent Bryant. "I want to clean everything up," Toombs claims he wrote on July 11, 1994. Toombs also wrote that Bryant had relayed the crime information to LDS stake president and deputy county attorney Patrick Nolan. Toombs' ex-wife testified that she and Toombs did indeed meet with Bryant in 1994. But Bryant testified that any 1994 conversations with the couple were about Toombs' "homosexual problems," not child sex abuse. Bryant recalled being "shocked" when he learned several years later about the child sex crimes.   It was Toombs' ex-wife who finally reported the abuse to the state Division of Child and Family Services, which reported the case to the sheriff's detectives, according to Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt. The case has been spotlighted by the media because three other bishops of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints apparently knew of Toombs' crimes, but did not report him.    Wyatt has said that he could not prosecute the three bishops for failing to report the abuse because the statute of limitations had expired. Wyatt also said fail-to-report cases could not be brought against Nolan and Bryant for a number of reasons, including that their discussions with Toombs were protected by the confidentiality of the confessional. Confessions to clergy from perpetrators are legally protected under the First Amendment's guarantee of free exercise of religion. But under Utah law, any knowledge of child abuse received by clergy from other sources must be reported to police or child welfare authorities.    Toombs pleaded guilty to molesting a boy who was 11 years old at the time, as well as a second boy, who said Toombs abused him from the age of 7 until he was 11. Evidence at a March court hearing included a tape-recorded conversation between Toombs and one boy's mother in which Toombs can be heard vigorously denying that he had oral sex or other intimate contact with the boy.  Yet Toombs admitted: "I only fondled him . . . " Also, Toombs told a sheriff's investigator it had been "quite a few years" since he had been sexually involved with any young boys, and that he had skin-to-skin contact with only two of them. Prosecutor Wyatt said the Toombs case has sent a message to the public and clergy about their duty to report child abuse.

Rocco Kayiatos

2005 Thursday, Nov 10 – Homo Hop artist: Katastrophe – Live! – Multi-Purpose Room (7pm) Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender  Community Center of Utah Katastrophe (aka Rocco Kayiatos) is a hot-XXXX, gendermessin' FTM hip-hop MC who has rocked the mic, charmed the ladies, and educated the masses across the USA. With his tongue twisting rhyme style, political frankness, and a disarming sense of humor, he has become a primary player in the growing national queer hip-hop underground. "smooth-talking...tight, electric homo-hop...that fully embraces the 'play' in genderplay while still hitting all the issues he feels strongly about..." - SF Chronicle Magazine (June 22, 2003)

Billy Lewis

Adam Frost

2006 • Records needing an update? Billy Lewis and Adam Frost of Salt Lake City received a letter last week from Mitt Romney's Commonwealth PAC stating that because they are among a "specially selected group of Republicans that we're contacting nationwide . . ." the PAC wants their views. One problem: Lewis and Frost have never been Republicans. They are registered Democrats. They were, at one time, Mormon missionaries, however, and remain on the LDS Church's rolls, even though they since have become inactive. They wonder if that's why they are on the list. According to Lewis and Frost, not only is the Republican's PAC contacting Democrats as part of a select group whose advice is wanted, they are soliciting gay Democrats, like them Rolly Report 11/10/06 SL TRIBUNE Billy Lewis and Adam Frost were co-Chairs of Utah Gay Pride Day in 2000 with Kim Russo. Frost also founded the Out Cycle a Gay bicycling club.

2009 On Nov. 10, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Public Affairs Managing Director Michael R. Otterson endorses a Salt Lake City Council bill which would amend the city Code by prohibiting discrimination in business employment and housing based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Council members vote unanimously for the bill, and it is adopted. The city government and 14 other local governments in the state (Salt Lake County, Park City, Summit County, Taylorsville, West Valley City, Murray, Midvale, Moab, Grand County, Ogden, Logan, Alta, Harrisville and Springdale) adopted such laws.

Jim Dabakis

2009 Salt Lake City adopts pro-gay statutes -- with LDS Church support Dialogue » Ordinances would protect against housing and employment discrimination and are a first for Utah By Matt Canham, Derek P. Jensen And Rosemary Winters Salt Lake Tribune  Hours after the LDS Church announced its support Tuesday night of proposed Salt Lake City ordinances aimed at protecting gay and transgender residents from discrimination in housing and employment, the City Council unanimously approved the measures. "The church supports these ordinances," spokesman Michael Otterson told the council, "because they are fair and reasonable and do not do violence to the institution of marriage." They also are consistent with Mormon teachings, he said. "I believe in a church that believes in human dignity, in treating people with respect even when we disagree -- in fact, especially when we disagree."  Normally more deliberate, the council opted to vote after dozens of residents in the overflowing crowd

Jill Remington Love

expressed their support.  "Guaranteeing a right to fair housing and fair employment is not an issue of compromise," Councilwoman Jill Remington Love said. "We are a stronger, better city this evening. I'm proud to serve on a City Council where this isn't even controversial."  The LDS Church's endorsement was hailed by leaders of Utah's gay community -- some of them stunned -- who called it a historic night they hope will set the stage for statewide legislation.  "This is a great step," said Will Carlson, director of public policy for the advocacy group Equality Utah. But, he noted, four out of five gay Utahns live outside the capital and should be afforded protection as well. "Equality Utah will continue to work for that."  Councilman J.T. Martin

JT Martin

said some will dismiss the church's move, arguing LDS leaders blinked or caved to pressure. "That's not the case," he said. "I can tell you they do have compassion. They have church members who have gay sons and daughters, and they know this is an issue that touches everyone's life."  Tuesday's announcement and subsequent vote follow more than two months of secret meetings between midlevel LDS officials and five of Utah's most prominent gay leaders. Those meetings have their roots in the "kiss-in" protests that took place after LDS security detained two gay men spotted hugging and kissing on the church's Main Street Plaza. Former City

Deeda Seed

Councilwoman Deeda Seed organized the first kiss-in and called Council Chairman Carlton Christensen to talk it over. Christensen suggested to LDS leaders that a dialogue with Utah's gay community may ease hostilities.  The officials reached out to leaders of Equality Utah and the Utah Pride Center, proposing they huddle at the Church Office Building. The gay leaders suggested a coffee shop at the Utah

Carlton Christensen

Pride Center. They settled on a neutral location -- the Avenues home of Sam and Diane Stewart. The Stewarts are active Mormons and close friends of Jim Dabakis, who helped found Equality Utah and the Pride Center.  Suspicion marred initial meetings. "These were two communities living in the same town that just had no understanding of each other," Dabakis said. "It was quite uncomfortable in the beginning."  Slowly they built a level of trust and good will. They searched for common ground, understanding that the LDS Church wasn't about to back gay marriage and Utah's gay community would not stop pushing for what it considers civil rights. The meetings fizzled a few weeks ago, but then Dabakis got a call from an LDS official asking to reconvene the "gang of five." They met four times since Thursday in the lead up to Tuesday's announcement. The LDS Church sees its move as an olive branch to the gay community after months of growing tension over the church-backed Proposition 8 vote -- barring gay marriage in California -- and the kiss-ins. Dabakis hopes it isn't the end of the discussion, but a high point in a burgeoning "friendship."  "They are really trying to put some of the Prop 8 stuff behind them," Dabakis said. "The discussions we have had over the last several months have shown what a caring, loving, concerned institution [the LDS Church] is."  The discussion, he said, "changed all of our lives."  Seed describes the tone of the meetings as sincere. "What everyone found is that we really liked each other. There was a good rapport," she said. "It reaffirmed for me the power of people talking to each other -- even if you have incredible differences. You start to see the humanity."  The meetings were emotional, Seed says. Gay leaders recounted "horrible" anecdotes about being shut out of decisions regarding a partner's will and medical care. "It's the power of stories," she added. "We had tears in our eyes."  Salt Lake City's newly passed measures are firsts for Utah. A campaign promise by Mayor Ralph

Ralph Becker

Becker, they apply to allegations of bias that occur in the city and set up a complaint process.  "We ultimately fashioned ordinances," Becker said, "that reflect the needs of our community."  More than 100 U.S. cities have enacted similar protections for gay and transgender people.  The Sutherland Institute, a conservative Salt Lake City think tank, reaffirmed its opposition to the anti-discrimination laws and repeated its call for the Legislature to overturn them. "Each new inclusion in the law of such vague terms as 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity,' " the group said, "represents a mounting threat to the meaning of marriage."  Utah has a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage.  Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah, applauded Becker for introducing protections she would "love to see" take hold across the state. Her group pushed a collection of "Common

Brandi Balken

Ground" bills in the 2009 Legislature that would have enacted protections, including safeguards from housing and employment discrimination, after the church said it does not oppose certain legal rights for same-sex couples. Advocates plan to try again next year.  State Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City and one of three openly gay Utah lawmakers, hopes the church backs such statewide legislation. "If this is good and right and OK for Salt Lake City," he said, "why wouldn't it be good and right and OK for all the citizens in Utah?"  Participants in the secret meetings note both sides spoke philosophically about the need for public policy to be formed without fear of reprisal from the Legislature. House Speaker David Clark, R-Santa Clara, said the press has been more active in talking about a possible legislative repeal than lawmakers themselves. But he said it would be "interesting" to watch how the church's statement moves public opinion.  "History has proven that the side of the issue [church officials] take has public-opinion sway," Clark said. "Public-opinion sway has a sway on legislators." At least one legislator isn't swayed. Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, said he does not plan to run a repeal bill himself, but he would vote for one if someone else does. "There are people who are working to that end," he said. "My opinion was mostly based off of the harm that it can and will cause to businesses and private property owners. That principle still stands."  In Tuesday's passion-filled public hearing, speakers emphasized the ordinances do not create special classes, but simply afford the same rights straight residents enjoy.  ""I want my family and my friends to have the same protections I have," said Gail Turpin, a stepmother and sister of

Gail Turpin

lesbian women. "I see no reason on earth why they shouldn't." 

Jon Jepsen

Jon Jepsen, a member of the city's Human Rights Commission, pointed to a UCLA study that reported Utah has vaulted from 38th to 14th in the nation for people living in committed same-sex relationships. "There are LGBT people everywhere in our community. Maybe we should raise the terror alert to rainbow."  But Jessica Rodrigues argued homosexuality is akin to pornography and said residents should have the right not to associate with gay people.  ""It is a moral wrong to pass this ordinance," she said, "It is awful that you get the support of the LDS Church on this."  Still, the council's unanimous passage drew an extended standing ovation. Text of LDS statement on anti-bias proposal "Good evening. My name is Michael Otterson, and I am here tonight officially representing The

Michael Otterson

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The nondiscrimination ordinance being reviewed by the City Council concerns important questions for the thoughtful people of this community. "Like most of America, our community in Salt Lake City is comprised of citizens of different faiths and values, different races and cultures, different political views and divergent demographics. Across America and around the world, diverse communities such as ours are wrestling with complex social and moral questions. People often feel strongly about such issues. Sometimes they feel so strongly that the ways in which they relate to one another seem to strain the fabric of our society, especially where the interests of one group seem to collide with the interests of another. "The issue before you tonight is the right of people to have a roof over their heads and the right to work without being discriminated against. But, importantly, the ordinance also attempts to balance vital issues of religious freedom. In essence, the church agrees with the approach which Mayor [Ralph] Becker is taking on this matter. "In drafting this ordinance, the city has granted common-sense rights that should be available to everyone, while safeguarding the crucial rights of religious organizations, for example, in their hiring of people whose lives are in harmony with their tenets, or when providing housing for their university students and others that preserve religious requirements. "The church supports this ordinance because it is fair and reasonable and does not do violence to the institution of marriage. It is also entirely consistent with the church's prior position on these matters. The church remains unequivocally committed to defending the bedrock foundation of marriage between a man and a woman. "I represent a church that believes in human dignity, in treating others with respect even when we disagree -- in fact, especially when we disagree. The church's past statements are on the public record for all to see. In these comments and in our actions, we try to follow what Jesus Christ taught. Our language will always be respectful and acknowledge those who differ, but will also be clear on matters that we feel are of great consequence to our society. "Thank you." The proposed ordinances would: 

• » Forbid housing and employment discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity in Salt Lake City. 
• » Exempt religious organizations, businesses with fewer than 15 employees and some small landlords. (The exemptions mirror those in state and federal laws.) 
• » "Not create any special rights or privileges," the ordinances state, because "every person has a sexual orientation and a gender identity." 
• » Create a complaint and investigation process. The complaint could be resolved through mediation or a fine of up to $1,000. 
• » Not create a "private right of action" to sue over alleged discrimination. 
• » Require annual reports by the city's Human Rights Commission on the effectiveness of the statutes. Source: Salt Lake City