Friday, November 15, 2013

This Day In Gay Utah History November 15th

November 15th
1636- A set of laws was enacted for the Plymouth colony. Eight offenses were deemed punishable by death, including sodomy.

1915 George Taintor charged with “Crime Against Nature” and was sent to Utah State Prison for an “in determined sentence”.

Heinrich Himmler
Frank Kameny
1941-Heinrich Himmler announced a decree that any member of the Nazi SS or the police who had sex with another man would be put to death

1961 A Washington, DC, chapter of the Mattachine Society is formed. Activist Frank Kameny is elected president.


1980- The Salt Lake Chapter of Affirmation hosted the Affirmation National Conference In November a National Conference was held by Affirmation in Salt Lake City. Officers and members attended the conference from the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City chapters. Sessions began with a continental breakfast which set the informal but respectful atmosphere for the conference. All who attended seemed to enjoy the opportunity of becoming acquainted (or reacquainted) with those who were there from the other chapters. Ideas and suggestions were exchanged openly. One of the major points of discussion was concerning the future of the national organization. Was it to survive? What were its purposes? How could it serve most effectively? Was the constitution as now written accurate and sufficient? Elections were held for national secretary. Dale Elam became successor to Paul Mortensen for that position. All present expressed gratitude to Paul for the great job he had done in his term of office. Other national officers were to be appointed by the new secretary and Dale asked for suggestions for national newsletter editor and took the suggestions home to deliberate. During December all chapters should have received his choices for sustaining. The national offices as appointed by Dale Elam are as follows: National Secretary:    Dale Elam (San Francisco) Assistants to Secretary:    Ron Stevens (Salt Lake City) Ina Mae Murri (San Francisco) Newsletter Editor:    Bill Blevins (Salt Lake City)  Correspondence Secretary:    Kim Everingham (San Francisco) Dale has listed the areas of responsibility for these officers as follows: Secretary: a. formation of new chapters b. advertising c. council communiqué Assistant (Ron) a. Church Communicator b. Director at large (shepherding the individual members who do not have access to a chapter) Assistant (Ina) a. Lesbian affairs Editor (Bill) a. compile and publish a monthly news letter beginning January 1981 Correspondence Secretary (Kim) a. assisting national secretary in communication with chapters. [Excerpts from the December 1980 issue of Affinity, page 1.]

1986 The Right Reverend George Bates, newly ordained Episcopal Bishop of Utah spoke of those terminally ill with AIDS saying they are among those who need ministering the most.  Jesus Christ was on earth to minister to the sick not to those who are well.

1986-Salt Lake Tribune prints lengthy article- “Homosexuals Endure at BYU Despite a Strict Code of Honor-All those interviewed consented to be interview if their full names were not used.  BYU spokesman Paul Richards acknowledged that homosexuality is nothing new for BYU.  However he said the school’s treatment of Gays is changing.  There is more of a “let’s talk about” about it attitude now,” he said.  “I would say there is a more understanding approach used now.”  During the late 1970’s BYU came under fire for its use of aversion therapy in its treatment of homosexuals. Richards said while there were other college campuses experimenting with the same thing, “BYU did get a black eyes for that.”  Several ex BYU students remember the extremes that the school
Duane Dawson
went to in what they refer to as the “purge of 75-76”. During that period several homosexuals were expelled some of them claiming they weren’t even allowed the chance to defend themselves.  Duane (Dawson) an employee at a Salt Lake City hospital, who says he was expelled from BYU in 1983, said a dangerous myth is being forced on many homosexuals BYU students by some church leaders. ”They tell you ‘You’ll meet some sweet little woman, go to the Temple, get married, and all your problems will be over,’ Well it just doesn’t work that way.

Tony Feliz on the left
1987- former prophet and founder of the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, Antonio Feliz spoke at Wasatch Affirmation on the subject of guilt.

Gordon Church
1993 The U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal by condemned murderer Michael Anthony Archuleta, who tortured and killed Gordon Church a Southern Utah University student five years ago. The top court's refusal sends the case back to 4th District Court in Millard County, where prosecutors will request a new execution date for Archuleta. Archuleta and Lance Wood, both of whom had been paroled from Utah State Prison less than a month earlier, then took Church to a remote site about 75 miles north, where they beat him about the head with a tire jack and sexually tortured him with battery-jumper cables and a tire iron. Wood led investigators to the body the next day. An autopsy showed Church had suffered severe injuries to the head and liver, a broken arm and jaw and a cut on his neck. A
Michael Archuleta
judge originally ordered Archuleta to be executed in February 1990, but that order was stayed pending the outcome of an automatic appeal to the Utah Supreme Court. In March, the Utah high court rejected the appeal, ruling that the jury's conviction was supported by the evidence and that the death sentence was justified and appropriate because the murder was "especially heinous, atrocious, cruel . . . (and) exceptionally depraved. Lance Wood was convicted of capital murder, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping in March 1990 but was spared the death penalty, largely because of his young age at the time of the murder. He is serving a life sentence in Utah State Prison but may be paroled someday.

1994-Tuesday- Brad Burton Weaver, 43, of San Jose, Ca formerly of Kaysville, passed away following a courageous battle from complications of the AIDS virus. He was reared and educated in Kaysville, graduated from Davis High and attended Weber State University.  He had lived in San Jose, Calif., where he worked as an employment consultant. He was a Eagle Scout. He held various positions in the Scouting program. At the time of his death he was a
participant in the AIDS Foundation and involved with the AIDS Quilt Block. Survived by special friend and companion, Steven Jordan, of San Jose, Calif.;  Obituary

1994 NO GUN SO NO ABDUCTION? JUDGE UPHOLDS KIDNAPPING Byline: By Tom Quinn THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Page: D1 OGDEN -- Because Weber State
Stanton Taylor
University administrator Phillip O. Austin did not use a gun when he propositioned a passenger in his car, defense attorneys hoped to get his kidnapping conviction overturned. Instead, 2nd District Judge Stanton Taylor Monday dismissed the defense motions and set sentencing for Nov. 28. The jury's Sept. 13 verdict found Austin, 43, WSU director of student advisement, was guilty of a lesser charge of second-degree kidnapping, despite being on trial for first-degree aggravated kidnapping. The jury found no gun was used.  Colby Clifford, 20, of Davis County, testified he was picked up March 12 by
Philip Austin
Austin in Clearfield, sexually propositioned at gunpoint and escaped by leaping from Austin's car in Roy. At last week's sentencing hearing, Austin's lawyer, Don Hughes, told the judge that since no gun was used, his client could not be guilty of any kidnapping. Hughes said the trial evidence showed there was no prolonged restraint by Austin, and that Clifford was not exposed to serious bodily harm if there was no gun used. Without waiting to hear Weber County Deputy Prosecutor Bill Daines argue why the motions should be dismissed, Taylor ruled that the moving car was the restraint and that the risk of serious harm came from Clifford's escape from the moving car.
  • Where is the Justice for Gay people in Utah? In 1994 Phillip O. Austin, a Gay man and director of student at Weber State, was sentenced to 1 to 15 years for the sexually motivated kidnapping of Colby Clifford of Ogden. He was convicted of second-degree kidnapping based solely on the testimony of Clifford who said he was picked up by Austin in Clearfield and sexually propositioned at gunpoint, then escaped by leaping from Austin's car. Austin claimed that while he did propositioned Clifford he did not have a gun nor had he ever owned one. This same year David Thacker, who was convicted of the shooting death of a Gay man, Douglas Koehler, was given a reduced sentenced by Judge Young of a total of just zero to five years with a one-year penalty enhancement because a gun was used in the commission of a crime. I wonder if the institutionalized homophobia that is fostered by the dominate culture in Utah could have affected the "judgement" of these justices! Ben Williams
James E. Faust
1994 James E. Faust, Apostle in a BYU address, "Trying to Serve the Lord Without Offending the Devil"; reproduced as the First Presidency Message in the September 1995 Ensign under the title, "Serving the Lord and Resisting the Devil," pp. 2-7. "There is some widely accepted theory extant that homosexuality is inherited. How can this be? No scientific evidence demonstrates absolutely, absolutely that this is so. Besides, if it were so, it would frustrate the whole plan of mortal happiness. Our designation as men or women began before this world was. In contrast to the socially accepted doctrine that homosexuality is inborn, a number of respectable authorities contend that homosexuality is not acquired by birth. The false belief of inborn sexual orientation denies to repentant souls the opportunity to change and will ultimately lead to discouragement, disappointment, and despair." (emphasis in original)

Mary Tebbs
1996  SL Tribune Page: E10 Laughter rang out. As the members of Sweet Loretta gathered together for brunch, Mary Tebbs threw an insult at the band's latest addition, keyboard player Mark Ricker. ``Just breaking him in,'' said a grinning Tebbs, band leader, guitarist and main songwriter.   As the other four members chuckled, Ricker joined in. He didn't have much of a choice. You can't join a group without enduring a bit of playful harassment.   Bassist Ken Critchfield then offered his take on the Salt Lake City band's personalities and political leanings: ``We're all neurotic as hell.'' ``You should see us in the decision-making process,'' added drummer Adam Sorensen. ``We had secret ballots for the songs on the CD.'' The CD is ``Taste Your Kiss,'' the first from Sweet Loretta. It captures the melodic pop, funk and groove that makes this Salt Lake City-based six-member group among Utah's most popular.   While the musicianship within the band is first rate, what separates Sweet Loretta from the pack are the lead vocal dynamics and harmonies of Tebbs and Michael Hessling. Hessling, a native of Lander, Wyo., spent her youth singing in church choirs. That influence is clearly heard in her emotional and energetic vocals.   ``They're probably one of the premier local bands,'' said Sam Callis of the Zephyr. ``I love them. They have a style of their own when they begin singing like that.'' When Hessling was invited to join the band last year, her audition didn't last long. ``The decision was made halfway through the first verse,'' said Critchfield.   Sweet Loretta unveils the 12-song album tonight at the Zephyr Club and Saturday at the Ashbury Pub.   Also on Saturday, the band performs at 3 p.m. at Blockbuster Music at 2107 S. 700 East, Salt Lake City.   ``It feels weird,'' said Tebbs about the long-awaited compact disc. ``Now, we have to be responsible to the product.''   ``It was mixed to keep a live feel,'' said Hessling.   ``But it's not just a reminder of how the band is live,'' added guitarist Page McGinnis.   Come December, Sweet Loretta will attempt to build its fan base outside Utah. The group has already played at several influential festivals, including the 1995 North by Northwest Music and Media Conference in Portland, Ore., the Gay and Lesbian Music Awards in New York City, and, closer to home, the Utah Arts Festival and the 2002 Olympic Bid Party. Sweet Loretta has opened for national touring acts Luscious Jackson, Weezer, X and The Samples during the bands' Salt Lake stops.   Now, Sweet Loretta is set for a tour of its own, planning performances on the West Coast from San Francisco to Portland.   ``We want to see how far we can take this,'' said Hessling. Considering the starts and stops it has experienced since its inception, Sweet Loretta is finally on the right track. The band began as MaryMonique with Tebbs teaming with vocalist Monique Lanier. McGinnis and Critchfield were impressed watching a performance of MaryMonique at the Lazy Moon Pub in Salt Lake and approached Tebbs about forming a band.   ``We were blown away and half drunk,'' said McGinnis. ``It put me over the edge of courage. ``I was wondering who this nice gentleman was,'' Tebbs said.   MaryMonique's new friends sat in for a performance the next week. The partnership clicked, and new members were billed as MaryMonique and the Trip.   ``I looked over Mary's shoulder and followed along,'' said McGinnis.   Later, Critchfield and McGinnis introduced Sorensen to Tebbs as a drumming replacement. The old drummer wasn't ``subtle enough for Mary.''   ``When Adam is not in his [other] band, he's subtle and Mary likes him,'' said Critchfield with a laugh.   In 1995, Lanier left the band.   ``When Monique left the band, I didn't know what we were going to do,'' said Tebbs. ``I didn't even know if we were going to have another singer.''   Enter Hessling, who added a different texture to Tebbs' music. Where Lanier was soft and smoky, Hessling had fire. The new lineup was a hit with Utah listeners, as the band was selected Salt Lake City's Best New Band of 1995 and Best Original Band of 1996, in a Private Eye readers poll.   Ricker, previously with Band and His Dog, was the final piece of the band's puzzle. ``I wanted this gig,'' he said. ``I hung out until they were ready for me.''   ``Mark's keyboards change how some of the stuff sounds,'' said Tebbs. ``It changed Page's approach to what he does.''   ``It gives me room to be more melodic,'' added McGinnis.   All of that is captured on ``Taste Your Kiss.'' It is the start, the band hopes, to something bigger.   ``Our ultimate goal is to make a living as a band,'' said Tebbs.   ``I see the band's [versatile] music and realize that we don't have to worry about turning 30 like Pearl Jam and having to do a Christmas album,'' said Sorensen.   More laughter.   Sweet Deal   Sweet Loretta performs Friday at the Zephyr Club, 301 S. West Temple, and Ashbury Pub,22 E. 100 South, Salt Lake City, on Saturday. Both performance times are 9:30 p.m. with a $3 admission. Anyone wearing a Sweet Loretta T-shirt gets in

David Litvack
2005 Hate Crimes Law: When a crime against one is a crime against many Salt Lake Tribune When the law in America not only allowed, but compelled, the violence of racial bigotry, it was called segregation. The law no longer supports or tolerates such behavior, but when individuals commit acts of violence that terrorize whole groups of human beings, they are called hate crimes. Hate crimes are a particular kind of violence that need their own treatment by the law. Not because they victimize a person due to race, religion or sexual orientation, but because they victimize all persons of that race, religion or sexual orientation. That is why Utah needs what most other states have, a constitutional and enforceable hate crimes statute that expresses the state's intolerance, not just for acts of violence, but for acts of terrorism that send waves of fear through whole communities. After years of trying to pass such a law, state Rep. David Litvack has consulted with legal experts and law enforcement officials in order to bring a new approach to the next session of the Legislature. Previous attempts ran up against a legislative Catch-22. In order to have legal teeth, previous versions sought to mete out additional punishment to criminals who selected victims due to their race, religion, sexual orientation or some other definable qualities. But that raised red flags among those who openly worried that "The List," as it was known, was discriminatory in itself, and those who not-always-so-openly feared that it could be read as giving gays and lesbians some kind of special status. Those objections were always unfounded and, with their new bill, Litvack and his allies have brushed them aside. First, the bill will contain no list. It will target illegal acts that were intended to, or obviously do, instill fear among a larger community of those who share characteristics with the victim. Second, it will not make a hate crime a different class of crime than the same action carried out for other reasons. It will instead follow the common legal practice of listing it as an aggravating factor that could justify a harsher sentence if, in the opinion of the judge or the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, it was an act that caused fear and conflict throughout a wider community. Acts that victimize many have always deserved harsher punishments than acts that victimize one. That's the wisdom of Litvack's bill. That's why it should become law.

Donna Rose
2006 •  Guest Speaker, Donna Rose Transgender in the Workplace: A Survivor's Perspective 3:00p.m. – 4:00 p.m. and 7:00p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Please join nationally renowned expert Donna Rose as she speaks about her personal experience in the workplace and why transgender- supportive practices and policies make good business sense. The afternoon session is tailored towards HR, diversity and business managers, but is open to everyone. The evening session is tailored towards transgender individuals, GLBT business groups, community groups, and others interested in learning and sharing more about transgender issues and experiences in the workplace. Light refreshments will be provided at this event. Location: Room 315, Council Chambers, City & County Building, 451 S. State Street

2008 10:30AM WEST COAST, 11:30AM MOUNTIAN TIME ZONE, 12:30PM CENTRAL TIME ZONE, 1:30PM EAST COAST, PRINT OUT THE SIGNS - TAKE THEM TO THE PROTEST Prop 8 Protest: A Call to the LGBTQ Community, Friends, & Family I’m sure all would agree that with the election of Barack Obama, this week has been one of amazing wins in the world of equality! Still, Tuesday night was a bitter-sweet celebration. We came together to witness the first black man who will become our president, yet watched in sadness as Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, and California all voted down equal rights for all citizens. Pundits and bloggers alike have put their focus on Proposition 8, trying hard to find an explanation for the anti-gay wins in the face of a huge swell of support for equality elsewhere. Some have blamed the voters, others blame religious groups, and even others blame the LGBTQ community for not being able to mobilize on a larger enough scale. And you know what? There is truth in each argument. As a community, we have to admit to the fact that we are polarized in various ways. Honestly, I’m not sure what community isn’t and I believe that our polarization is proof to our humanity - we are no different than anyone else, regardless of color, creed, or sexual orientation. Still, our polarization has hindered us from mobilizing as one strong voice. We all come together in the month of June to celebrate Gay Pride, but few of us are even aware of why Gay Pride exists
. Gay Pride is a celebration to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Many say that the Gay Rights Movement began in 1969, which means that we are still a young movement and have accomplished a great deal in such a short amount of time. The generation that fought for us in 1969 deserves our gratitude and respect. This is a generation of amazing people who fought for our ability to hold hands in the street, to speak out against hate, to dance to our own “thumpa thump”, witness television shows with a queer cast, and come together in the streets celebrating for an entire month! This is the generation that opened the doors for us to even have a conversation about gay marriage, and this is the generation that deserves our help and our voices now. On June 27th, 1969, this generation came together in protest, jumping from closets, taking to the streets, and mobilizing in ways this country had never seen before! And what happened? The country was forced to respond. The Queer identity was forced onto the front pages and coffee tables of people’s worlds and people had to once and for all accept that we are human too! Now, almost 40 years later we NEED to come together again. We need to show this nation that we are ONE LOUD VOICE THAT DEMANDS TO BE HEARD! We need to be one organized unit. Our gay pride shouldn’t be something we celebrate one month out of the year. Our gratitude towards the ones who came before us shouldn’t be ignored and wasted away with one party after another. We beg to be given a right that requires responsibility and commitment, yet we, as one strong community, have not proven to this nation that we deserve to be taken seriously! The gay pride parade has become a great party, but it has lost the memory of Stonewall and therefor given the nation another reason to cast us aside as irresponsible. It’s time we come together for debate, for public recognition, and for LOVE! Let’s move as one full unit, on the same day, at the same hour, and let’s show the United States of America that we too are UNITED CITIZENS EQUAL IN MIND, BODY, SPIRIT AND DESERVING OF FULL EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW! On the steps of your City Hall on November 15th at 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST, our community WILL take to the streets and speak out against Proposition 8 and all of the other pro-equality losses that we have faced in our lifetimes, in our parents’ lifetimes, and for many generations before us. WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE! WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need organizers in every major city to work with us and get out the protest! I know you’re all tired from all of the work you’ve done for this great election year, but I’m asking for one more push! Let the country hear our voices together. Let them see that we are a strong, adamant, and powerful community that deserves equal rights, and CAN’T BE DEFEATED!

Brandi Glines
2009 Transgender community pushes for acceptance, awareness Discrimination » Many who come out worry about reaction of family and work. By Rosemary Winters The Salt Lake Tribune :11/15/2009 Brandy Glines has felt the sting of being referred to as "it" by her co-workers. Jesse Fluetsch thinks about becoming a special-ed teacher, but he worries whether a Utah school would hire a "transgender boy."  Joni Weiss kept her gender identity secret for 50 years, fearing the rejection of family, friends and her employer. Awareness of transgender people has grown in the past decade, advocates say, but the community still struggles to secure widespread acceptance and gain legal protections. The "T" on the end of LGBT -- the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender -- is a minority within a minority that faces distinct challenges. "Trans-awareness is a decade or so behind gay-lesbian awareness," says Terry Kogan, a University of Utah law professor who sits on the board of Equality Utah. "If one looks at the arc of the rights of gay and lesbian people in our country," he adds, "as more and more people realize they
know [family or friends who] are gay or lesbian ... the knowledge makes that particular difference less threatening, less something to be afraid of."  The same is happening with transgender people, he says. Kogan points to the inclusion of gender identity in addition to sexual orientation in Salt Lake City's newly minted anti-discrimination ordinances as a sign of progress. Congress also is considering a law that would protect transgender people from employment discrimination. And President Barack Obama recently signed a national hate-crimes law that covers acts against transgender people.  Increasingly, transgender individuals are coming out at younger ages. Society's gender norms have become less rigid, and gender-bending behavior is more acceptable. Transgender youths are more likely to learn the term that describes what they are experiencing -- a sense that their gender identity does not match their assigned sex. "We didn't have the Internet," says Kerry Bell, a 42-year-old Bountiful police
Kerry Bell
officer who recently transitioned from female to male. "We didn't have role models." Joni Weiss, who came out as transgender five years ago, agrees. She lived her first 48 years as a man, vowing to take her desire to live as a woman to the "grave." She realized her "bigger and bigger" closet was suffocating her so she finally stepped out. "I thought I would lose everything," recalls Weiss, a Salt Lake City woman who serves on the Utah Pride Center's board. "I thought it would be a death." To her surprise, coming-out proved a "rebirth." Family, friends and her employer supported her decision to switch to a female identity. "The world is different" now for transgender youths, she says. "Kids, by and large, are much more accepting. Being different
Joni Weiss
is not the stigma that it was." Jesse Fluetsch, a 23-year-old University of Utah student, came out as transgender when he was 18, dropping the female identity he was given at birth. As a child, he hated pink and wanted to be Luke Skywalker, not Princess Leia, when he watched "Star Wars." At 15, he came out as a lesbian because he knew he was attracted to women. Later, he realized it was more than that. "I was taught: There are men, and there are women," Fluetsch says. "It took meeting people who kind of don't fit into those categories to become OK with who I am and to realize that gender diversity is a beautiful, positive thing in our world." The Utah Pride Center, celebrating November as Transgender Awareness Month, serves 150 to 200 transgender people a month. "There's a huge, huge need for services for transgender people," says Jude
Jude McNeil
McNeil, the center's director of youth programs. The Salt Lake City center offers social activities, support groups and referrals to therapists and doctors. Having medical treatments to alter your sex requires a letter from a therapist. So does changing your name and sex on a driver license and other government-issued identification. The center also educates employers about how to treat transgender workers. (Employees want to use the restroom that coincides with their gender identities.) It offers support to parents and other relatives of transgender people. Even as a lesbian mom, Bonnie Bills was stunned to learn her "little girl" was transgender. "Why didn't I even see it? I was blindsided," she says. "I gave birth to a little girl who was never really a little girl. ... I tried very hard in his life to make him a little girl. That didn't work." One of the hardest things for Bills, was giving up the name she had waited nine years to give a daughter: Stacia. But at age 19, Stacia chose a new name, Tylar. He let his mom and her partner pick out his middle name. They chose Braxton.  Tylar Bills, now 20, says he is "happy" with his transition and the calming effect that hormone treatments have had on his body. He also is pleased by the support of his mother, grandmother and other relatives. "It's just brought our family closer," he says. Brandy Glines, a Salt Lake City transgender woman, came out at age 40. Nine years later, she says she still grapples with the judgments of others each day. She is attending Salt Lake Community College to switch from the health-care industry to accounting. In a past job, she says, co-workers would call her "it" instead of "she." At job interviews, she has been told she should move to San Francisco, because she won't be accepted in Utah. "People have a real tendency to discriminate against people they don't understand," she says. "Hopefully, in another 20 years, we'll see more progress." 

Glossary Gender identity » One's internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman or in between. It is different from sexual orientation, which pertains to whether a person is attracted to men, women or both sexes. 
Transgender » An umbrella term for individuals whose gender identity or expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term may include people who identify as transsexual or gender queer or who cross-dress. 
Transsexual » A person whose gender identity is other than his or her biological sex. Transsexuals may alter their bodies through hormones or sex reassignment surgery to align their anatomy with their self-perception. 
Cross-dressing » To occasionally wear clothes traditionally associated with people of the other sex. Cross-dressers usually are comfortable with the sex they were assigned at birth and do not wish to change it. "Cross-dresser" should not be used to describe someone who has transitioned to live full time as the other sex or who intends to do so in the future. 
Gender queer » A person who rejects the traditional two-gender system. It is an evolving concept, but generally refers to those who do not consider themselves solely masculine or feminine. Transition » A complex, long-term process of altering one's birth sex. It can include coming out, changing one's name and sex on legal documents, hormone therapy and, possibly, surgical alteration of the chest and/or genitals. Some forgo surgery because of the cost and risk. Not all transgender individuals wish to transition to the other sex.  Source: The Utah Pride Center and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Transgender Awareness Month events Day of Remembrance » Candlelight vigils, honoring transgender victims of homicide, at 7 p.m. Friday at three locations: South Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 6876 S. Highland Drive, Cottonwood Heights; Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, 705 23rd Street, Ogden; Community United Church of Christ, 175 N. University Ave., Provo.

Stan Roberts 
2011   Stanley "Stan" Dean Roberts, Age 78, passed away on November 15, 2011. As bishop of the San Francisco Singles Ward (1984-1989), he pioneered a more open attitude toward LDS LGBT people, who were in the 1980s a significant percentage of his ward. Stan is remembered for his support of the San Francisco Singles Ward LDS AIDS Project and a ward home evening group for LGBT people unofficially known as The Far Side. "I think it's far more important to be a pastor than be[ing] an administrator because pastoring is really what touches people's lives," Stan said in an interview with Sunstone magazine in 1990. "We need to be trained to be better pastors. It's interesting, if you have a pastoring problem it takes a long time to get help. But if there's a mistake on your tithing report you get faster reaction. We need immediate reactions on pastoring people, too." Stan was born and raised in San Mateo, CA, graduated from San Mateo High School, attended the College of San Mateo and Brigham Young University. With his entrepreneurial spirit he founded and ran a number of companies, including Roberts Spray and Roberts Industries. He served his community as a member and President of the East Palo Alto Rotary Club, and as a member and President of the Belmont Unified School District. He was an active member of the LDS Church, and served in several leadership and teaching positions, including Bishop of the Belmont Ward, Bishop of the San Francisco Singles Ward, and as a Seminary and LDS Institute Instructor.

  • Tribute by Marty Beaudet: Stan was a kind and humble man who changed many lives for the better as bishop of the San Francisco LDS Singles Ward, especially the dozens of gay men who found refuge there during his tenure. I will always remember him fondly.

2014

Genderevolution is the pinnacle event of Trangender Education and Awareness Month.

The purpose of the Genderevolution is to: Foster community building among trans* folk and allies alike, to help create a strong and safe space to push gender boundaries in the Salt Lake City area. Educate employees, cisgender/non-trans* folk, trans* folk, health and mental care providers, and allies about the myths and realities of gender. Celebrate trans* identities in an inclusive, healthy and positive way. Pat Manuel, also known as "Cacahuate(Peanut)" is a transmasculine QPOC who has shaped his masculine identity in boxing gyms around Los Angeles, CA. A 5x national amateur champion, Pat was a participant in the first ever Women's Olympic Boxing Trials and was the only vocally out queer fighting in the history of USA Boxing's Olympic Box-Offs. Medically disqualified after the first fight of the tournament, Pat struggled with ways other than visibility to aide his community. Since joining the Brown Boi Project in 2013, he has decided to use his knowledge as a trainer and athlete to empower other through physical fitness. Pat created Buffbutch.com, a website intending to fill the void of queer fitness interests. When he isn't training, Pat is usually fond of enjoying cookies and dreaming of becoming a giant robot pilot. At the 6th Annual Gender Conference, we aim to deconstruct gender mythology, explore the implications of socially constructed gender norms, and integrate our many intersecting identities.  When: November 15th Where: Rowland Hall - 843 Lincoln Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84102




No comments:

Post a Comment