December 13
1898 Peter Steen
who was convicted of sodomy was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary in Pocatella, Idaho Salt Lake Herald
1932 The Utah
Supreme Court reverses the sodomy conviction of a man that was based on the
uncorroborated testimony of a consenting partner and the admission of evidence
of earlier acts with another partner. The reported sodomy case was State v.
Gregorious, decided in 1932. In this case, a male about 15 years of age
willingly submitted to an act of sodomy with the defendant. The witness stated
in the trial that Gregorious started "kissing me and loving me and then he
slid down my pants" and then pushed him onto a bed. He made no effort to
resist, saying that he "did not see any reason why I should resist from
it." The state contended that, because of his youth, the witness’s
testimony required no corroboration. By a vote of 3-2, the Court reversed the
conviction, saying that corroboration was needed and noting other errors in the
trial.
 |
| Jim Jones |
1973 In MacArthur Park, Los Angeles Jim Jones founder of the
People’s Temple and mass murderer was arrested and charged with soliciting a
man for sex in a movie theater bathroom known for homosexual activity. The man,
as it turns out, was an undercover Los Angeles Police Department vice officer.
Jones is on record as later telling his followers that he was "the only
true heterosexual", but at least one account exists of his sexually
abusing a male member of his congregation in front of the followers, ostensibly
to prove the man's own homosexual tendencies. “Sex in Peoples Temple” by David
Wise
- Not
long after the formation of the L.A. church, Jim ran into a serious legal
problem. He was arrested in the restroom of a late night movie theater
where a lot of gay men hung out. Apparently, he approached an undercover
agent with an erect penis in a provocative way. This incident threatened
to bring down Peoples Temple, and those who knew about it teamed up to
prepare for the possible backlash. While the lawyers worked to get the
arrest sealed, Jim became more and more threatened and paranoid, convinced
that he would still be exposed. To reduce the fallout, we were told to
invite people from a local “homosexual church”, but members of the church
did not return after their first visit. Jim still needed some homosexuals.
He was determined to make Peoples Temple a more openly homosexual church
to stop insiders and outsiders from turning against him in case his own
homosexual arrest became public. After the arrest, Jim told Karen Layton,
“No more sex with strangers.” He was forced to find outlets for his
sexuality within the church to avoid being destroyed from without. He used
the preposterous notion that he had to “relate” to other men’s
homosexuality, to reach them on their level, or he would propose to
introduce men to their inner homosexuality. Although Jim was the one who
was actually guilty, the arrest led him to spread a new ideology: that all
men were latently homosexual except for him. With revolutionary,
dedicated, uncompromising enthusiasm, members of the Temple’s inner staff
had helped create healings for the cause. (Not all healings were fake,
though. When the whole church worked together on healings many of them
ended up being real.) The same importance for the cause – perhaps even
greater – was placed on some men to fake homosexuality to protect Jim. Men
didn’t have to say that they had had a homosexual act, but they had to
remain quiet if Jim stated in public that he had sex with them. Many were
asked to raise hands falsely when he asked who all he had sex with. One
former member of Peoples Temple has written a book which claimed that Jim
hated men. This is simply not true. Jim claimed that every homosexual act
he had was for the cause. This is also not true. Jim had homosexual
affairs from the beginning and with men outside of the church that had
nothing to do with furthering the group’s cause. I remember well before I
was a pastor in Los Angeles, sitting in a church service in Ukiah, Jim
introduced a classical pianist. He played so beautifully for us all. Jim
told the story of how he had met him in a homosexual bar. He told that
what impressed him the most was that the pianist came up to him and said,
“I know what I want, you know what you want, let’s just do it.” Jim said
this was great honesty and held it up like it was an exemplary thing. This
same man showed up on my doorstep later, when I was a pastor in
.jpg) |
| Ken Kline |
1977- The Salt Lake Gay Services Coalition's Board of Directors
officially registered the Open Door with the state of Utah as an arm of Gay Service
Center. Gay Services Coalition Board of Directors met at Ray Henke’s home. In
attendance were Ken Kline, Chuck Harding, Mike Reid, Bill Woodbury, Ray Henke,
John Meng, and Steve Barker.
1977 -" I have been attending a group meeting at the
1985- Salt Lake Men's Annual Christmas Concert held at St. Ann's
Church
1987 “Laura (Laura L. Ferreira) called me again about the Names
Project just excited about a fund raising idea she and her lover Terry came up
with. Terry is a co-owner of a water
slide in Ogden and she wants to have an all Gay
day there where half the funds will go to the Names Project Utah (Memoirs of Ben Williams)
1988 Unconditional Support Meeting “I had Chuck Whyte open up Crossroads Urban Center
1989 TRIAL IN SLAYING
POSTPONED TO FEB. 6 A trial for
Marty Ray Withers, accused of murdering a West Valley Salt Lake City ,
originally was scheduled for trial this week before 3rd District Judge Timothy
Hanson on a charge of second-degree murder. Withers is accused of killing
Darrell N. Webber, 38, who was stabbed in the leg and chest during an
altercation in a parking lot at 4070 S. State on April 7. Witnesses said Webber
had given a ride to Withers, who had been hitchhiking on State Street . (Deseret
New) Jury acquits killer
1989 ARCHULETA MIGHT TESTIFY ON HIS OWN
BEHALF BEFOREJURY BEGINS DELIBERATIONS By Michael Morris, Staff WriterJurors in
the capital-homicide trial of Michael Anthony Archuleta might hear the
defendant testify on his own behalfWednesday before they begin deliberating his
guilt or innocence.Defense attorney Michael Esplin said Tuesday he was
considering putting Archuleta on the stand. Esplin said he andco-counsel Brent
Bullock probably will need less than a day to present Archuleta's defense,
depending on the admissibility ofcertain evidence. Archuleta is being tried for
the slaying Nov. 22, 1988, of Gordon Ray Church, 28. The victim's badly beaten
body was found a day later in Dog Valley , north of Cove Fort, Millard County West
Valley City
 |
| Walter Larabee |
1990 – Walter Larabee's drag comedy ensemble -The Slip-Ups
presented their annual Christmas Show at Aardvarks.
1991- The Utah AIDS Foundation will start the new year with a 400
percent increase in clients and a 10 to 20 percent budget cut. Some private
grants have run out and the state isn't picking up the slack, says foundation
director Ben Barr. Most of the 400 active clients make less than $700 a month.
1991- If Queer Nation thinks it can make us accept homosexuality by
rubbing our noses in its public displays, it has made a serious mistake. It's
as if dog owners suddenly decided that the public would more readily accept dog
mess all over the sidewalks if there were more of it and if it were more
visible. In either case, more of it doesn't make it stink less! If I and my
family are ``treated'' to any of these demonstrations, I will certainly take
the opportunity to teach my children once again that God has condemned that
``lifestyle'' in easily understood terms. DONALD B. GUNDERSON Salt
Lake
.jpg)
1992- STONEWALL CENTER A `SAFE HOUSE' FOR GAYS, LESBIANS By Lance
S. Gudmundsen) -Scott Carpenter of the Utah Stonewall Center was interviewed by
the Salt Lake Tribune- Scott Carpenter, at Stonewall Center, said the Salt Lake
facility was named after symbol of gay pride. On a hot summer night in 1969, New York police began harassing a group of patrons -most
of them in drag -- at a Greenwich Village gay
bar. It was routine occurrence at the Stonewall Inn. But instead of again
meekly leaving, the homosexuals surprised police. They fought back. Several
nights of violence, later called the `Stonewall Riots,'' marked the start of
the gay-liberation movement. The Utah Stonewall
Center in Salt Lake City bears the name of the bar,
considered a symbol of gay-lesbian pride. In a nondescript office building at
450 E. 900 South, the facility is a refuge -- a combination meeting place,
library, resource center, sometimes lecture hall, potluck dinner party site and
art exhibit hall -- for lesbians and gays. It fields dozens of telephone
inquiries weekly, directing callers to appropriate agencies, from Travelers Aid
to the Utah AIDS Foundation. Callers ask
about gay-friendly employers, real estate agents, apartment owners, retailers,
entertainment, and health-care providers. ``We like to think of it as a `safe
house,' '' says Scott Carpenter, center treasurer and board member. Anticipating the obvious, the affable St.
George native adds: ``And yes, I was named after the astronaut who went into
space the year I was born: 1963.'' The
center, he believes, exists ``to assure local lesbians and gays that they're
not alone.'' Funded by donations and occasional grants from private
foundations, the center opened in
June 1991. Its interim director is Melissa
Sillitoe, 22, an English student at the University of Utah Today, it's the regular meeting place of such
diverse groups as a gay historical society; a youth organization; the 50-Plus
club for gay men; Affirmation (lesbian and gay members of the Mormon Church);
and Queer Nation. The parent
organization for the Stonewall
Center Stonewall Center Stonewall
Center Utah .
Titles range from thick psychiatric tomes to an oversized picture book for
children of a gay parent. It's title: Daddy's Roommate. The most ``provocative'' volumes, says
Mr.Carpenter with a laugh, ``probably are the gay equivalent of Harlequin
Novels.'' A library card is $10 or $5
for students. Reshelving a book, Mr.
Carpenter says, `We're not fighting for `special' rights. We're simply seeking
the equal rights due all citizens --gay or straight.''( 12/13/92 Page: B4 SLTribune)
.jpg) |
| Melissa Sillitoe |
 |
| Tony Kushner |
1992 12/13/92 Page: E1 -2:. LOS ANGELES -- Playwright Tony Kushner
vividly remembers the first Mormon he met. Her name was Mary. She was 13. It
was the summer of '80. Mr. Kushner, 24 at the time, was in Louisiana , serving on the faculty of the
Governor's Program for Gifted School Children. Mary was a student in his
theater class. ``I was very impressed
with her,'' Mr. Kushner said last week from his Brooklyn
home. ``She had a wonderful singing voice, and unlike some teen-agers who can
be a pain in the butt, she was a great kid -- incredibly energetic,
straightforward, sincere, intelligent -- characteristics I associate with
Mormons.'' He paused, took an audible breath, then continued in his soft-spoken
manner. ``Her family, however, held
conservative views that were deeply distasteful to me. They were decent people
who nevertheless oppose what I consider to be a generally progressive
agenda.'' Mr. Kushner talked about
Mormonism as a theocratic religion, comparing it to Catholicism, only much
newer, with a smaller, less diverse population. It is also more conservative,
he believes, because it lacks some of the doctrinal contradictions that give
Catholicism its liberal side. ``Most people I meet who are on the political
right are rather disagreeable. They have a distinct lack of compassion as well
as a lack of knowing what is going on in the world.'' When Mr. Kushner said goodbye to his
students on that August graduation day, Mary handed him a present, a copy of
The Book of Mormon. ``Dear Tony,''
the inscription read, ``I'm giving you this book as a book from my heart. My
whole life is based on this, therefore I'm sharing a part of my life with you
as you have with me. . . I challenge you to read it.'' He never saw her again, though he
speculates that perhaps she has heard about ``Angels in America : A Gay
Fantasia on National Themes.'' His seven-hour epic in two parts -- ``Millennium
Approaches'' and ``Perestroika'' -- is the talk of the theater world. Abundant
with biting humor and painful in its depiction of a self-absorbed society, the
play has captivated an astute public starved for more than musical pablum. Mr.
Kushner is being heralded as a genius; ``Angels in America '' touted as an electrifying
breakthrough for political theater in this country. Its searing, wide-sweeping
themes include Mormonism, Reagan-era self-absorption, AIDS, the depletion of
the ozone layer, and homosexuality. Heaven is described as a city similar to San Francisco . According
to the play, God disappeared on April 18, 1906, the day of the great
earthquake. The central characters include an LDS Republican lawyer struggling
to come to terms with his suppressed homosexuality; his LDS wife, who seeks
solace in Valium; a liberal young Jew who deserts his lover dying of AIDS; and
the demonic lawyer Roy Cohn, who spent a lifetime denying his homosexuality.
The numerous scenes crisscross between New York ,
Salt Lake City , Washington Los Angeles . It was presented in association
with the New York Shakespeare Festival. Critics from the national press
attended the marathon opening. Celebrities, including Robert Altman, Barbra
Streisand, Anne Bancroft, Mel Brooks, Jodie Foster and Linda Hunt, were seen in
the audience during the sold-out, five-week, extended run that concluded last
Sunday. Now the first part of the production is headed for Broadway, opening
April 25 at the Walter Kerr Theater, directed by George C. Wolfe. Mr. Kushner
is revising ``Perestroika,'' and it will open at a later date. The play was
originally scheduled for February at the off-Broadway Joseph Papp Public
Theater. Tony Kushner, a relatively unknown author, came to Utah in the summer of '90, a participant at
the Playwright's Lab at the Sundance Institute. The first act of ``Millennium
Approaches,'' set in 1985, was complete, but the second act was waiting for the
muse. Lab artistic director David Kranes recalls that Mr. Kushner ``was ready
to trash the project when he arrived. He thought it was too large, too
overwhelming.'' Then something unlocked and ``Tony wrote and wrote and wrote. I
don't even remember him being at many of the working sessions. He stayed up in
his cabin and just kept sending the pages down the mountain.'' Actors involved
in workshopping the new material included Utahn Joyce Cohen, who portrayed
Harper, the Mormon wife. Ms. Cohen described the writing as exquisite and
remembers Mr. Kushner as an ``extremely nice man with a gentle spirit.'' ``Sundance was a wonderful place to work,''
said Mr. Kushner, adding that the visit allowed him to spend three afternoons
in Salt Lake City .
He toured Temple Square ,
talked with several Mormons and looked at the Wasatch Mountains LDS Church Salt Lake New
York after learning that her lawyer son is
homosexual. ``Look at that view!'' says
Sister Ella, ``a view of heaven. Like the living city of heaven, isn't it, it
just fairly glimmers in the sun.'' She continues to praise the beauty of the
city, trying to talk Hannah out of leaving. ``Know why I decided to like you?''
she asks Hannah. ``I decided to like you 'cause you're the only unfriendly
Mormon I ever met.'' Hannah shrugs, saying she won't be sorry to leave. God
hasn't spared her much. ``It's a hard place, Salt Lake Utah
now on a writing fellowship in Minneapolis ,
served as dramaturg for ``Millennium Approaches'' at Sundance. He continued
with the project when Mr. Kushner completed ``Perestroika'' last year. Grieving
over the death of his mother from cancer in 1990, Mr. Kushner left New York for
a while and retreated to a cabin in northern California near the Russian River
to work on ``Perestroika.'' ``On April 11 he finished it,'' said Mr. Davis,
``and a group of us sat around a table in San
Francisco and read it. It was seven hours long. When
we got to the final 20 minutes, everyone started to cry. Tony had written the
ending and we were hearing it for the first time.'' Prior Walter, the Christlike figure who is
dying of AIDS, wants more life, even though he knows it will only get worse.
``What Prior is saying about faith,'' said Mr. Davis, ``is that the world only
moves forward. Change is not something you can change. But he is also telling
people to recognize the world for what it is. He asks that we look at the world and what we are doing.
It is like the Queer Nation slogan, `We're here, get used to it.' You cannot
wish us away.'' Mr. Davis, a
homosexual who was raised in an LDS Utah family, said Harper leaves her
religion by play's end. He is not certain about her husband, Joe. ``If your belief is killing you, you have to
find something else,'' Mr. Davis said, ``but it would be difficult for Joe. Is
he going to accept who he is? He can if he wants, but admitting his
homosexuality means he is a failure as a Mormon. You can't be a Mormon and a
homosexual. Belonging to an organization that actively wants you to die, how
could you remain part of that?'' Jeffrey King, who portrayed Joe in the Mark
Taper Forum production, said it is his hope that the public will be
compassionate toward all the characters, that struggle is struggle and that
nobody is unscathed. ``Tony talked to us about the conflict between order and
chaos. That there are people, like Joe, like Roy Cohn, who give the impression
of great order, but, in fact, beneath them there is nothing but chaos. The play
has a lot to do with that, as well as love, forgiveness and responsibility.
People are not necessarily consistent. They live with contradictions. The
ending says we are citizens of the world and we can't go back. The world moves
forward. It is always moving.'' Last
Sunday night in Los Angeles , after the standing
ovation and prolonged applause lavished on
this remarkable ``Angels in America '' cast, a lone man in a
white cap stepped out of the theater and into the drizzling rain. His walk was
light, jubilant. He reached his car, started to get in, then stopped. Without
addressing anyone in particular, he turned his gaze back toward the theater and
in a gleeful voice asked, ``If there is no God, who are we to thank for Tony
Kushner?''
 |
| Enid Greene |
1995 DID
WORDS AMOUNT TO GAY BASHING? By Lee
Davidson, Washington Correspondent and Chip Parkinson, Staff Writer Democratic and Republican homosexual advocacy
groups are bashing each other over whether Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz, R-Utah,
intended to use code words to suggest that her estranged husband, Joe, may be
homosexual - and if she therefore is "gay bashing" to help her
political and child custody battles. It began during Enid 's 4 1/2-hour press conference on Monday
when she said she had found in recent weeks that Joe had made
"questionable lifestyle choices" beyond financial misdealings, but
she would not elaborate. Gay groups often describe homosexuality as an
"alternative lifestyle." David Nelson, founder of Gay and Lesbian
Utah Democrats, said, "It
seemed to me that's what she's alluding to, and
she is trying to use it in a negative way. Yes, it's probably gay bashing and
at least gay baiting. "It's nothing short of what Joe McCarthy used to do
with Communism, asking are you now or have you ever been a sympathizer,"
adding that it's no secret that Joe Waldholtz has friends who are gay. "In
divorce proceedings, couples do this all the time." But Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz,
president of Log Cabin Republicans of Utah, a group for gay Republicans, said,
"I don't think she's engaging in the gay bashing that Democrats say she is.
"Questionable lifestyle choices' in Utah
could mean anything from being extravagant with money to not liking
Jell-O." He said if Enid wanted to accuse Joe of being homosexual, she
would probably do it directly - and questioned if Democratic groups started a
whispering campaign about Enid's choice of words to try to make her look like a
homophobe, which he said might hurt her politically. Nelson responds,
"That's pretty funny because the Democratic Party is on the record in Utah and nationally as
being pro-gay - and being gay in our party is not seen as a negative. We would
have no reason to start a whispering campaign." When asked if Enid would like now to alter words that could have
inadvertently seemed to suggest Joe is
gay, LaDonna Lee - president of the Eddie Mahe Co., which has been hired to
help with Enid 's
public relations - said, "She made her statement and said she will have no
further comment on it. It is now a matter for the custody hearing." One of
Enid 's attorneys, Charles Roistacher, said he
could neither confirm nor deny that Enid
was alluding to homosexuality or drug use - about which rumors had circulated
in recent weeks. Roistacher said, "Those are matters for the divorce
proceeding and are better addressed there." However, the public may never
learn from the divorce hearings and records what specific behavior Enid believes would make
Joe an unfit custodian of their baby daughter. Utah law and judicial rule say custody
evaluations and any psychological assessments supporting them are confidential.
The media may fight the closure of such records if they are ever compiled in
the case, but legal precedence argues against public access. That had some
national Democrats also complaining - but not on the record - about Enid 's choice of words.
"There was a lot of moaning and groaning in Democratic circles when they
heard what she said," said one source close to party leaders. "They
saw it as a ruthless move to get the news out in a vague way and saves
releasing details for a rainy news day, if ever. . . . It didn't make her look
any worse and may have made Joe look worse, and therefore made her look
better." Ironically, while gay advocacy groups argue about Enid 's choice of words,
most say they don't believe that Joe is gay - but said they have heard plenty
of rumors claiming that he is. Joe and his attorney did not respond to Deseret
News inquiries on the matter. David Greer, spokesman for the national Log Cabin
Republicans, said, "In a small state like Utah , if Joe Waldholtz were gay, we'd likely
already know about it" - but his group actually has heard the opposite
from its members. Agreeing with that is Nelson from Gay and Lesbian Utah
Democrats. He said such rumors about Joe had come up before, but his group's
members also do not think he is gay - but say he does have friends who are.
"It's no secret that he's very openly pro-gay," Greer said. Ryan,
with the Utah Log Cabin Republicans, acknowledged, for example, that last year
he asked Joe for and received some frequent-flier mileage credits to allow Ryan
to obtain an airline ticket to attend a national Log Cabin Republicans
convention in Los Angeles .
Ryan said, "In my experience with Joe Waldholtz, he is very friendly with
everyone and not judgmental." Some of Joe's friends in Pennsylvania also said they have heard
rumors about Joe being gay but also do not believe them. "It's been
rattling around back here for two weeks. I've never seen any evidence of that,
but this was a huge act (by Joe), and who knows what's behind it," said
Michael E. O'Connell, a longtime friend who met Joe through political
activities in Pittsburgh .
Jeff Leibmann, a Pennsylvania
lawyer-friend of Joe who has official court custody of him and with whom Joe is
currently staying, said he knew "absolutely nothing" about the rumors
and would not elaborate. O'Connell said he also has seen nothing that would
suggest drug use by Joe - which other rumors have also suggested. He said he
had never perceived any compulsive behavior on Joe's part. "He wasn't a
heavy drinker at all, and you would think that one would go with the
other." © 1998 Deseret News
Publishing Co.
.jpg) |
| David Nelson |
- December 15, 1995 Deseret News Judge
frees Joe; charges may come later Enid's lawyer says gay porn was found in
husband's closets. By Lee Davidson, Washington Correspondent and Bob
Bernick Jr., Political Editor Sixteen hours after Rep. Enid Greene
Waldholtz, R-Utah, testified at length to a grand jury, a federal judge
set Joe Waldholtz free Friday as he continued his silence on allegation of
financial misdeeds. Meanwhile, the congresswoman's lawyer, Charles
Roistacher, confirmed that "male, gay pornographic materials"
had been found in Joe's closets at both the Waldholtzes' homes in
Washington and Utah. But he would not comment on if that is what Enid
Waldholtz meant earlier this week when she said she had recently
discovered "questionable lifestyle choices" by her husband
beyond financial misdealing. Meanwhile, a former aide said she saw Joe
Waldholtz take large amounts of prescription drugs, raising questions if
that is what she meant. Joe Waldholtz
reported to U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Friday for an
update on negotiations with prosecutors on what areas he may be willing to
testify on before the grand jury - and was given and early Christmas
present of total freedom. Deputy U.S. Attorney William Lawler III said
because the grand jury's probe is expanding into many complicated areas in
Utah and Washington, prosecutors are not sure what they want to ask Joe
Waldholtz under oath - and are not likely to know for some time. So Sullivan
quashed the warrant that had compelled Joe Waldholtz's appearance as a
material witness - issued when he disappeared for six days last month -
and rescinded all custody orders that had limited his travel to between
Philadelphia (where he had been in the third-party custody of a
lawyer-friend), Washington and Pittsburgh (where his family had been suing
him for embezzlement). Joe Waldholtz still agreed to check in daily with
the FBI - although Sullivan noted he has no legal requirement to do so.
When Joe Waldholtz was later asked where he might go, he told reporters,
"It's a big country. It's a big country." Roistacher, Enid
Waldholtz's attorney who is a former federal prosecutor, still predicted
that Joe Waldholtz will eventually be charged with financial misdeeds -
and said prosecutors have not had him criminally arrested yet only to
avoid speedy trial act provisions that require an indictment within 30
days of arrest and a trial within 180 days. Prosecutors had no comment on
that. Roistacher said, "We're only two-thirds of the way through the
bank records on this ourselves, and we're ahead of the FBI."
Prosecutor Craig Iscoe confirmed, "We are only in the early stages of
our investigation." But Joe
Waldholtz's lawyer, Harvey Sernovitz, hinted that Joe is trying to work
out a deal to testify against his wife. "Joe had told you he is cooperating with this investigation. I think you've all been
around the courthouse long enough to understand what the significance of that
is." Lawler said prosecutors have no comment on whether Joe Waldholtz is
seeking a deal to testify against his wife. Joe also made a short statement to
the press: "This is a very deep, personal, family and political tragedy.
My statement, when I make it, will be made in a court of law as it should be.
As I said before Thanksgiving, have a great holiday. To my wife and daughter, I
miss you and love you very much." Roistacher also told reporters a sign
that Joe Waldholtz - and not Enid - is being targeted by prosecutors is that
Justice Department rules normally prohibit issuing subpoenas to people it
intends to charge - and Enid Waldholtz had been given a subpoena. Iscoe said
that rule is true in most cases, but exceptions do occur. As a sequel to the
congresswoman's 4 1/2-hour press conference on Monday, she testified behind
closed doors for three hours Thursday to the grand jury investigating possible
check-kiting, embezzlement and campaign law violations involving joint accounts
by the Waldholtzes. "I answered every question that was asked me as fully
and as honestly ad I can. We didn't finish today. There is still a lot of
ground to cover," she said afterward. "It's four years of my
life." She added: "I told the U.S. attorneys that I'll make myself
available as often as I can and as much time as they need. That's really all I
can say." Enid Waldholtz may have testified even longer on Thursday - but
some members of the grand jury arrived almost an hour late, and the
congresswoman testified until the court building closed at 5 p.m. A media
circus of TV cameras followed Waldholtz as she arrived and left the courthouse. At one point, she, Roistacher and a TV
cameraman momentarily became wedged together between two parked cars as she
tried to make her way to the courthouse door. Roistacher said Enid Waldholtz
will likely not return to the grand jury until sometime in January. Meanwhile,
Roistacher confirmed that gay, male pornographic material - none of which involved children - had been found in Joe Waldholtz's closet at the Waldholtzes' homes. He would not comment on whether it included videos, magazines or other material. He said he was commenting on that only to correct a TV story asserting such materials had been seized from the Waldholtzes' homes by the FBI. Roistacher said such materials had merely been observed in Joe's closets before federal authorities had ever been contacted about the case. Possession of such material is not illegal, but could figure in the custody battle between the Waldholtzes over their daughter, Elizabeth. Earlier this week, the Deseret News reported that Gay and Lesbian Democrats of Utah felt Waldholtz was gay-bashing when she charged Joe with "questionable lifestyle choices," which it said seemed to intentionally suggest in a negative way that Joe Waldholtz is gay because gays describe homosexuality as an "alternative lifestyle." "It's nothing short of what Joe McCarthy used to do with communism, asking are you now or have you ever been a sympathizer," said David Nelson, founder of that group. He noted that Joe Waldholtz has many gay friends and is known to be pro-gay - but gay groups do not believe he is a homosexual himself. Nelson said it is also common in divorce cases for spouses to accuse each other of homosexuality in custody battles - which his group especially condemns, saying that should not be a determining factor in custody cases. Meanwhile, David Harmer, a former campaign manager and congressional chief of staff for Enid Waldholtz, while responding to questions at a press conference he called on Thursday, said, "Joe was always popping pills" - raising questions if that may also be part of what Enid described as "questionable lifestyle choices." Other members of her congressional staff have told the Deseret News that large amounts of prescription drugs were delivered to Enid's House office for Joe. Harmer said he'd see Joe walk into Joe's campaign office and take two or three pills at a time, adding that Joe said they were pain killers for a bad back. Harmer added that he had not seen Enid Waldholtz taking prescription drugs.
Joe Waldholtz - December 1994 Pillar Page 23 "In Memory" Gregory Lance Snow Gregory Lance Snow died on October 17, 1994 in a courageous battle against cancer. Mr. Snow was born in Troy, New York on October 16, 1931. He was the founder of Children's Charities of New York, a non-profit organization for orphaned, sick and abused children where he served as chairman of the board until 1978. Mr. Snow was also a benefactor for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay Men's Health Crisis and the New York City's Gay and Lesbian Community Center. He not only donated countless hours of his time to these organizations, he also donated large portions of his estate. Mr. Snow relocated to Utah two years ago with his longtime companion, Michael, to live out his final moments in the peace and serenity of Salt Lake City. Mr. Snow was buried in his hometown of Troy in late October. He is preceded in death by his father, mother and Sister Susan who passed on in September from a car accident. All who knew this fine man were inspired by his dedication and courage in the face of adversity. He was never afraid to speak his mind. What he wanted to do most in life was to open people's eyes to other people's views and their own closed-mindedness. In lieu of flowers, his family requests that you give a donation to your favorite local gay organization or AIDS charity.
 |
| Al Gore |
1999-Vice President Al Gore
announced that he was opposed to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy
and, if elected, would propose legislation to end discrimination against gays
and lesbians in the military.
1999-US Defense Secretary
William Cohen ordered a full review of the "don't ask, don't tell"
policy. The policy had recently been criticized for creating a hostile
environment.
2001 From Chad Keller to Becky Moss: Hey
Beck, We are preparing to make some changes to how we hang things at the center
as far at the art and plaques. The Dr
Ries Awards will be hopefully upon their return be hung in a location that will
better suit and celebrate the award. As
the hanging of items at the center fall under the Visual Arts Committee I
needed to get some information about the new plaque. Do you know what size it will be? I would like so see if it is too late to have
is created so that it is bolt able to the wall to prevent theft, you know how
things walk out of the center at times.
This usually can be accomplished with holes in the for corners, that
have a decorative piece that covers the actual attachment after it has been put
in place. Was wondering too what color
wood or type of plaque it would be. I
need to know as soon as possible so it can be included in the proposed awards
wall where the many community awards and community acknowledgements will be
hung as a collective, permanent presentation for guests of the center. We would like to do a small opening for the
wall to be unveiled too, so any idea when it will be done? I would like to see it be a focus as Pride is
such an important part of our community, and the center. Would like to do it in January or February.
Let me know Hope the holidays are
wonderful...I struggle with them, lets do lunch next week??? Love ya!! Chad
- 19 December 2001From Becky Moss to CK Chad, I have been trying to contact you for a few days. My e-mail at work is down and messages are not going out or coming in. I did receive a message from you a few hours ago that made it clear to me that you have not been getting my updates on the plaque. I apologize for that. Also, I do not know anything about Pride, rumors or anything like that. If I was being sneaky, I sure wouldn't have made sure that everyone and their dogs knew that I was the person who was taking the Plaques and replacing them with a new big one that can accommodate more recipients in the future. I am going out of town in a few hours and will not be back until January 2. Please call me today if possible in my office, my direct line is 299-5439. I did leave a voice message for you on your home line. It has taken me a little while to get to this e-mail to try to contact you. I really did not want to cause you any stress and I repeat I am not in anyway involved in anything suspicious, nasty or back biting. I have never been involved like that and I am not interested in being like that. Best Becky PS. I found a small thing for you for Christmas and I have not been able to get it to you. I may try to leave it at the coffee shop or just get it to you after I get back. Please do not reciprocate; this was just something that I hoped you would like to have. Becky
2004 This issue Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2004 14:38:05 -0700
Hey Ben, I'm realizing I didn't send you this email before
our papers hit the stands again. We ended up having to cut 4 pages out of the
paper, which meant that we had to cut some of the articles and columns that
weren't time-sensitive out of this issue. This meant that your column was
unfortunately bumped again. We are looking at it for the January 6 issue,
unless you wanted to put something else there. We are doing a Year in Review
issue for Dec. 23. The email you sent with the first half of the year will
definitely be used as a resource to compile that. I'm wondering if you have any
more of the year already compiled. You may want to write your own take on the
year in your column, but we will be putting together the actual year in review
story. Sorry that I didn't tell you about this sooner. -Michael
- Mon, 13 Dec 2004 21:43:41 -0000 Subject: [slmetro_staff] Upcoming Writers Meeting We will be having our next quarterly staff and writers meeting for the Salt Lake Metro on Monday, January 10 at 6 p.m.Agenda topics to include: * the results of our recent readers poll * 2005 editorial calendar * upcoming special events * "State of the Company" report Of course, we'll also have Q&A time, a chance to meet and mingle with your fellow writers and staff, and I will set aside time for one-on-one meetings with anyone who wishes to chat after the formal meeting. Further details about the meeting forthcoming, but if you have any questions, please feel free to call me. Thanks, Jere Keys Editor, Salt Lake Metro Office: 323-9500 (M-F, 1 to 5) Cellular: 520-1398
2004 From: Ben Edgar Williams
S To: Michael Aaron Subject: Re: This issue I am
almost
finished with my chronology for the year. I was waiting for Metro and Pillar to come
out especially the Pillar since they are monthly- to finish off December- since
unlike Gordon B. I am no prophet. That
is why I sent it in two parts. I still haven't picked up the Pillar so not sure
when Snow Ball other annual December events are being held but I will send you
what I have through the end of November. If you use it at all please
acknowledge the Historical Society you know what they say-no such thing as bad
press. Thanks for info on the former column. I never get feed back so never
know what is going on with anything, whether too long, too wordy, not interested
etc. One thing about doing a history column its already old news. LOL Hope you
are having a stress free Holiday. Best
Regards Ben
.jpg) |
| Michael Aaron |
- Michael Aaron wrote “You are funny. Snowball is this weekend. Starts Friday night, but the actual "Snow Ball" is Sunday night. I think I put a blurb on it in the Gay Agenda section. Jere is putting together another quarterly writers' meeting the second week in January. He's also like anyone looking for feedback to maybe schedule a sit-down with him. I will definitely credit you and the USHS for the Year in Review stuff. Thanks, Ben. –Michael
- From: Ben Edgar Williams Sent: Monday, December 13, 2004 8:08 PM To: Michael Aaron Subject: RE: This issue Here attached is the 2nd half of the Year in Review. Hope you realize its a pain in the butt to keep track of..Good thing I enjoy a good pain in the butt now and then. Ben
- Michael Aaron wrote: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 I can imagine how much of a pain in the ass it is. Huh. I tend to like that once in a while too. Is that part of being gay? Thanks so much, Ben! -Michael
2012 Don't
call it love I'm tired of "compassion" and "empathy" from
well-meaning Mormons toward gays ("New Mormon church website has softer
tone on gays," Tribune, Dec. 6). I'm tired of people trying to show love
for me in my struggles and pains. I don't feel struggles and pains in being
gay. I like my life. I don't want solace. I want to be treated just like my
straight friends. When a straight man yearns for love, we don't say, "Let
me hold your hand while you endure this temptation that you mustn't act on. It
must be very hard for you." No, we rejoice in his hopes for love and companionship.
I'm tired of Mormon "friends" wanting to share my (nonexistent)
pains; share my joys. Life is happiness, love. None of that was in the report
on the new Mormon gay website. Instead, there was loads of
"compassion," "empathy," "understanding" — a lot
of pain. Well, it's a phony, socially constructed pain. If Mormons really loved
gays and wanted happiness for them, they would channel them into committed,
permanent couple relationships. To deny them the growth from the love and
sacrifice of marriage and family can hardly be called "compassion,"
and not at all love. Gregory Mitchell
2014Lambda Lore by Ben Williams What is a community
center? More importantly what should be the vision for a community center for
the Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Trans Community of Utah? Do we even have a vision
anymore? Where are the visionaries and leaders in whom we can place our
confidence and trust as we prepare to go into the second half of the decade?
Shouldn't we be asking what actually is the purpose of a community center and
who gets to decide what that might be? Some advocate that the
center should be a mental health and counseling resource. Others a show place
for the elite to meet. While still others argue that a center's main goal
should be to promote youth activities and programs. While all these goals are
worthy in of themselves, is that what a community center should look like? If
so then truly we should drop the word community from this non profit which
often is view as only running programs and servicing clients from which grants
can be obtained to pay salaries and up grade the facility that houses is staff. Last year as a crisis in
the confidence in the leadership of the Pride Center came to a head, nearly a
hundred members of the GLBT met in an open forum for nearly a month to express
their disappointment in the direction the center was going. Board and
Staff members who attended these meetings were defensive and often patronizing
to those in attendance and while great promises were made at reform and
transparency, promising a new day at the Center, in reality business went on as
usual. The center has floundered with no real leadership, which connected it
with the community at large. Staff came and went. Promises were not kept and
the entire building has even gone on lock down. As 2015 is upon us, it
appears that "the new boss is same as the old boss" with priorities
placed on a building rather than the people for whom it was intended to serve.
Well heeled individuals voices are listened to far more than simply surveying
the general population to assess our needs. We still have a top down hierarchy,
telling us what our goals should be and where we should put our resources
rather than seeking our opinions. A leadership that is perpetuated from
among its own board certainly does not reflect the diversity within our
community and can hardly represent its concerns. It was not always so. In 1989, at a meeting of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah
[GLCCU], Garth Chamberlain, a representative of the Utah Gay and Lesbian Youth
Group, stood up and proposed the formation of a committee to look into the
feasibility of a Gay Community Center for Utah. The motion was sustained
and passed and a committee was formed with Jim Hunsaker, a representative of
the Lesbian and Gay Student Union of the University of Utah [LGSU], elected
chair. Elected is the operative word here. Our
first community center was planned by elected leaders who worked under the
direction of a body of representatives of individuals and representatives of
community organizations that existed at the time. As a member of the
community center committee I have first hand knowledge of the struggle to
create an organization that would represent the vision of GLCCU. I had the
distinction of suggesting the name of the proposed organization to be the Utah
Stonewall Center. I felt a need to connect us historically with the struggle
for civil rights for homosexuals in America. The vision of a center,
as I understood it, was to be, as mandated by the GLCCU, first and
foremost a welcoming home for Gay folks and their friends. It was to be a safe
zone. It was to be a place of resources, information, and education. It was to
be a space open to just drop in and hang out. It was to be a facility to house
and provide meeting space for various community organizations. It was to be
under the direction of the GLCCU and subject to it’s internal audits and
purvey. At
each monthly general meeting of the GLCCU, which was open to all; with voting
privileges extended to paid members, the USC committee chair would give an
accounting of minutes and finances. Transparency was not an issue. We old
timers who established the GLCCU and the USC cannot see why the issue of
transparency is so difficult today except for the fact that no one making
decisions is accountable to anyone in the larger GLBT community. It’s easy to
dismiss people’s views if one is an autocrat or is enabled by a board to be
one. The Utah Stonewall
Center had its grand opening on June 1, 1991 mostly due to the efforts of
Charlene Orchard who replaced Jim Hunsaker as chair of the USC committee. The
first director of the center was Craig Miller chosen by Orchard and who was
sustained by the GLCCU. Almost immediately there was a clash of interest in
what was the purpose of the USC. Orchard and Miller, who had never actually
participated in the democratic process of the proceedings of GLCCU, began to
ignore the stated purpose of having a center and focused on it becoming more of
a social worker clinic ran by professionals rather than by volunteers from the
community. I and others were
troubled that the USC was moving in a different direction, under the direction
of a few people, rather than following the vision set forth and approved by the
GLCCU. USC's first year was a tumultuous one as a struggle ensued to
establish the purpose of the center. Hard feelings occurred, harsh
accusations were made but in the end it was the GLCCU which made the decision
in which direction the center should go after hearing all sides. Keeping
the mandate for the center to be a safe zone and drop-in space for the
community, Marlin Criddle was elected to replace Orchard and Melissa Sillitoe
of the Youth Group was selected as director to replace Miller. The Utah Stonewall
Center had an all volunteer staff which kept the center open seven days a week
12 hours a day. At it’s peak, it housed the largest lending library of GLBT
books, videos, and music west of the Mississippi. It housed the Utah Stonewall
Archives, a collection of resources and history of Utah’s struggle for
equality. A monthly newsletter called the Center of Attention was
published listing various activities. Women Community
organizations led by Kathy Worthington helped paint and make curtains for the
large meeting space with architects and builders putting up walls to provide
more meeting space. A large binder with all the resources and numbers of
bars, organizations, counseling and legal contacts was in the front station
where volunteers were trained to look up information for the center’s clients.
People scrubbed floors, cleaned the bathrooms, swept the place because it was
OUR community center. The youth group even had their own meeting space in the
back which they decorated with spray painted murals. Then of course the
center housed a slew of groups as vastly different as Wasatch Affirmation
for Gay Mormons and Power Play a pansexual bondage group. All the while reporting monthly to the GLCCU the programs being developed, financial reports, and just
a general accounting to the public. Along the way there were some that pushed
to have the Center separate from the GLCCU and form it’s own non profit status.
They felt that being monitored by the GLCCU was cumbersome and intrusive.
As it eventually worked out, interest in the GLCCU was waning as the old guard
became fatigued from fighting two fronts, Utah’s bigotry and the AIDS epidemic
which peeked in 1995 but had sapped much of the vitality out of the men’s community.
The same year, probably not out of coincidence, GLCCU stopped formally meeting.
At the conjunction, the USC took that opportunity to break away and form it’s
own 501c3 status. The old GLCCU’s nonprofit status however was maintained by
the Gay Pride Committee even after the parent organization disappeared. Without the GLCCU
oversight, in 1997 the Utah Stonewall Center, without warning or community
input, closed its doors. None of the well heeled community members
stepped in to save it. Additionally with out community oversight the chair of
Gay Pride Day became involved with criminal fiduciary conduct. There's a
lesson in there for those who pay attention.
No comments:
Post a Comment