This Day In Gay Utah History December 8th

December 8

1898 Peter Steen was convicted of Sodomy. Court at Pocatello. Salt Lake Herald

1978The Utah Daily Chronicle by Andrew Welsh published an article about a documentary made for television on homosexuals in the Mormon Church. The documentary was based on a feature article by Jeff Howery. Donald Attridge was a participant but would lose his job at the University of Utah's hospital because of it.

1981-The New York City Gay Men's Chorus performed a Christmas concert at Carnegie Hall, making them the first gay musical group to play there.

1986--Mitchell.Roy Beauchaine held a meeting at the Gingerbread House Café offering its use to as a mean of permanently establishing a Gay Community Center.  Beauchaine  as part of the Utah Community Services Center and Clinic.  He reorganized the lapsed Community Service Center into the Cabaret Community Services an entity under the Cabaret Corporation and continued to operate the Gay Help line.

1987-Greg Stanger began compiling the first record of Gay and Lesbian organizations in Utah on a computer disk.

Ken Francis

1987- Unconditional Support discussed the topic Promiscuity and Being Gay facilitated by Ken Francis. “Most people basically said they saw nothing wrong with it as long as people practiced safe sex and it didn’t interfere with a relationship.” (memoirs of Ben Williams)

1987-In the United Kingdom, Conservative Member of Parliament David Wilshire introduced Clause 28 as an amendment to the Local Government Bill. The proposed amendment made it illegal for local authorities to "promote homosexuality or promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality."

1989  “A Gay Professional activist for the first time was elected to the Community Council since he collects a pay check from the Utah AIDS Foundation.  I think the era of Gay volunteerism is closing and the era of Gay professionalism is beginning.  (Memoirs of Ben Williams)

Gordon Church

1989 MORE TESTIMONY IN ARCHULETA TRIAL STATE EXPECTS TO REST CAPITAL-HOMICIDE CASE SOMETIME NEXT WEEK  By Michael Morris, Staff Writer Michael Anthony Archuleta's former live-in girlfriend was expected to take the witness stand Friday, following a day of testimony centering on evidence found where investigators believe Gordon Ray Church was murdered. The state expects to rest its capital-homicide case against Archuleta sometime next week. The defendant is one of two men charged in the Nov. 22, 1988, torture slaying of Church, whose body was found a day later north of Cove Fort in an area known as Dog Valley. On Thursday, Millard County Sheriff's Deputy James Masner testified that he found several bone fragments and hair samples within a large bloodstained area on a dirt frontage road about half a mile from I-15. Church's half-nude body was found nearby covered with dirt and tree limbs. Masner said the defendant's fingerprints were found on a small lamp in the trunk of the victim's car and that fingerprints of co-defendant Lance Conway Wood were located near the car's trunk area. In addition, hair was found on a bumper jack that had been in the car's trunk. No discernible fingerprints, however, were found on the jack. Testimony from Masner and other investigators seemed to indicate that the victim was beaten to death on the roadway, after which his body was hidden. Witnesses testified earlier this week that Archuleta, 26, and Wood, 21, were seen driving the victim's white Ford Thunderbird in Utah County the morning after the murder.  West Valley City patrolman Thomas McLachlan said police found the victim's abandoned car Nov. 23 at 1950 W. 3800 South. "I observed on the rear bumper . . . what appeared to me to be blood splatter," he said. McLachlan and other officers testified that they found hair samples on the car's rear bumper and that blood was discovered on the car. Detective Richard Judd of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department testified that investigators found Archuleta's bloodstained pants in a drainage ditch in Murray on Nov. 23. He said the pants were found four blocks from a thrift store where a witness Wednesday testified Archuleta had bought a new pair. Near an I-15 on-ramp in Draper, Capt. Robert Dekker of the Millard County Sheriff's Department testified, investigators found papers, a telephone calling card and pieces of a photograph belonging to the victim.

• 1989 EX-GIRLFRIEND TO TAKE STAND AT ARCHULETA TRIAL By Michael Morris, Staff Writer Michael Anthony Archuleta's former live-in girlfriend was expected to take the witness stand Friday, following a day of testimony centering on evidence found where investigators believe Gordon Ray Church was murdered. The state expects to rest its capital-homicide case against Archuleta sometime next week. The defendant is one of two men charged in the Nov. 22, 1988, torture slaying of Church, whose body was found a day later north of Cove Fort in an area known as Dog Valley. On Thursday, Millard County Sheriff's Deputy James Masner testified that he found several bone fragments and hair samples within a large bloodstained area on a dirt frontage road about half a mile from I-15. Church's half-nude body was found nearby covered with dirt and tree limbs. Masner said the defendant's fingerprints were found on a small lamp in the trunk of the victim's car and that fingerprints of co-defendant Lance Conway Wood were located near the car's trunk area. In addition, hair was found on a bumper jack that had been in the car's trunk. No discernible fingerprints, however, were found on the jack. Testimony from Masner and other investigators seemed to indicate that the victim was beaten to death on the roadway, after which his body was hidden. Witnesses testified earlier this week that Archuleta, 26, and Wood, 21, were seen driving the victim's white Ford Thunderbird in Utah County the morning after the murder.  West Valley City patrolman Thomas McLachlan said police found the victim's abandoned car Nov. 23 at 1950 W. 3800 South. "I observed on the rear bumper . . . what appeared to me to be blood splatter," he said.  McLachlan and other officers testified that they found hair samples on the car's rear bumper and that blood was discovered on the car. Detective Richard Judd of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department testified that investigators found Archuleta's bloodstained pants in a drainage ditch in Murray on Nov. 23. He said the pants were found four blocks from a thrift store where a witness Wednesday testified Archuleta had bought a new pair. Near an I-15 on-ramp in Draper, Capt. Robert Dekker of the Millard County Sheriff's Department testified, investigators found papers, a telephone calling card and pieces of a photograph belonging to the victim.

Ben Williams

1990 I went to the Peace Rally today which started at 11 a.m. up at the Viet Nam War memorial at the State Capitol and which ended up at the Federal Building downtown. Jeff Wood went with me and other Gays there were Rocky O’Donavan, Robert Austin and his lover Bradley W., Doug Wortham, Mark Angus and many more.  People chanted "Hell no we won't go! We won't die for Texaco!" and "Hey Hey Uncle Sam, We remember Viet Nam (Memoirs of Ben Williams)

Robert Smith

1991 - Jeff Workman took me down to KRCL at noon to do two programs with Becky Moss for Concerning Gays and Lesbians. We did are programs mostly on what to do over the holidays. After the show went to The Bridge's office to do some business for The Bridging Out.  Anyway I guess office hours will be from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and I’m going to help coordinate some volunteers to staff the place.  Bobbie Smith has another project besides his library now, The Bridge. Todd Bennett and David Ball went to Affirmation to lead a discussion about the Sacred Faeries. (Memoirs of Ben Williams)

1991 Sens. Jake Garn and Orrin Hatch have announced the appointment of Michael Murphy a Utah delegate to the 30th Anniversary United States Senate Youth Program in Washington. Murphy, a Salt Lake City resident, is student body president at Judge Memorial High School and a Utah AIDS Foundation volunteer. (12/08/91  Page: B13 SLTribune)

1997- Michael R. Howlett age 38 died of complications from AIDS in SLC “If you must bury something let it be my faults, my weaknesses, and all prejudice against our fellowmen.  Give my sins to the devil and my soul to God.  If by chance you want to remember me do so with a kind word or deed to someone in need.” (SL Tribune 12/12/97 B18)

1997- Deseret News prints editorial supporting Bryce Jolleys’ less specific anti-discriminal ordinance and lambasted other Salt Lake city council members for “ramming the new ordinance through”.

1999 Page: D1 Attorney General Defends Legality Of Adoption Bans Adoption Policy Defended in New Court Filing BY RAY RIVERA and HILARY GROUTAGE    THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Citing research that claims children raised by unmarried couples and single parents are at risk of grave behavioral problems, the Utah Attorney General's office has asked a state judge to uphold a policy that bans gay and unwed heterosexual couples from adopting foster children.   In a motion filed in 3rd District Court, state attorneys claim the policy-making board for the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) was well within the law when it passed the ban last January.  The board passed the rule despite strong opposition from child-advocacy and civil-rights groups, as well as significant dissension within the Department of Human Services, the parent agency of DCFS.   The policy prohibits adoptions by adults who are living together but are not related by either marriage or blood. That encompasses gay and lesbian unions, couples living together in common-law relationships or those practicing bigamy or polygamy. Documents accompanying the attorney general's motion shed new light on just how

Mike Leavitt

much opposition was mounted against the policy from within the ranks of DCFS.  In a December 1998 letter requesting Gov. Mike Leavitt's support of the policy, board chairman Scott Clark wrote: "The board requested the staff of [DCFS] to draft a pro-marriage policy, but the staff declined the request. I ultimately prepared the draft over the clear opposition of some members of the staff . . . It is difficult for me to understand why the [DCFS] would validate a placement with two 'mothers' or with a 'mother' and her live-in boyfriend.''   Clark, the father of 19 adopted children, was appointed by Leavitt to head the board. Utah Children, a child-advocacy group, filed a lawsuit in October opposing the ban. Judge Glenn Iwasaki also is considering allowing the American Civil Liberties Union, representing a gay couple and a lesbian woman who want to become adoptive parents, to join the suit. The state filed its first legal defense of the policy in the Dec. 1 motion, citing an abundance of research and public testimony the board evaluated in making its decision. Among the assertions in the 30-page brief is that children raised by homosexual parents stand a greater risk of becoming homosexual and "mimicking the risky behavior of their adoptive parents.'' "Homosexual behavior among youth is associated with suicidal behavior, substance abuse, prostitution, HIV infection and highly promiscuous sexual contact with multiple partners,'' the motion says, citing research by Brigham Young University

Lynn Wardle

law professor Lynn Wardle.   Adoptions by single adults still are permitted under DCFS rules, but the motion outlines those risks as well: "Even after taking into account such factors as low income, the research shows that 'children growing up in single parent households are at a greater risk for experiencing a variety of behavioral and educations [sic] problems, including . . . smoking, drinking, early and frequent sexual experience and in extreme cases, drugs, suicide, vandalism, viole

Jared Wood

nce, criminal behavior.' "   "I expect this kind of sloppy and inaccurate hate speak from radical right groups but not from the attorney general's office,'' said Jared Wood, spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Political Action Committee in Salt Lake City. Assistant Atty. Gen. Dan Larsen said the motion is not meant as an attack on homosexuals.    "It's easy to make this sound like a gay issue and a homophobic case, but that's not what it's about,'' Larsen said. "Our job is to represent the defendants and the position we're taking is that the rule is legal.'' Larsen said he doesn't believe Clark or the board were expressing anti-gay sentiment in adopting the ban.   "These are not evil, hateful, homophobic people,'' he said.  "They're trying to do what's in the best interest of the children.''   In making its decision, the board also received volumes of research and public comments showing that children raised by gay and unmarried parents are at no disadvantage, the motion said.   However, Larsen said that in determining the legality of the rule, the judge is not allowed to weigh which research is correct, but must confine his decision to whether the board evaluated enough evidence to form its opinion.  In its lawsuit against the board, Utah Children claims the board ignored a preponderance of negative response to the policy. The group also claims the rule will deprive children languishing in foster care from being placed in loving homes. But state Human

Randy Ripplinger

Services spokesman Randy Ripplinger said there are plenty of married couples in Utah to fill the needs of the 60 children waiting to be adopted.  "This motion holds to our premise that the best place for these kids would be a home with a mom and a dad who are legally married, and we have hundreds of thousands of them in this state,'' Ripplinger said. Currently, the board is considering similar action that would ban homosexuals and unmarried adults from becoming foster parents. A decision on that proposal will be made next month.

Gordon Hinckley

2003 Christmas spirit celebrated  Christ gave laws to live by, Pres. Hinckley says By Carrie A Moore Deseret Morning News As the traditional family comes under increasing attack, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley says it was Jesus Christ, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, who set out the commandments upon which personal behavior and family relationships are based.In his centerpiece address, President Hinckley said, "It was Jehovah whose finger wrote on the tablets of stone the Ten Commandments which have become the foundation of much of the law which circumscribes our behavior and defines our relationships. The further teachings of the Old Testament become the safeguard of the traditional family" at a time when that institution is "under attack" and "seems to be falling apart all about us." The biblical Sodom and Gomorrah "became examples of that which was evil and abominable in the sight of God," President Hinckley said. "It was Jehovah, speaking through his prophets, who decried evil and pleaded for righteousness. When there was no repentance, it was his withering hand that destroyed them." Quoting Matthew from the New Testament, he said Christ prescribed marriage between a man and a woman, "and the twain shall be one flesh. . . . What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." His message comes just weeks after a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Court ordering the state legislature there to provide for the establishment of same-sex unions. The move comes as Congress considers legislation that would define marriage nationally as a union between one man and one woman.

Timothy Hanson

2004 Utah 3rd District Judge Timothy Hanson decided a child was better off with two Lesbian mothers. In making the ruling, the judge said the couple were equal partners in the decision to have a child, sharing in the selection of the sperm donor.

• 2004 Judge says girl is better off with two mothers Vermont civil union: The Utah jurist says the nonbirth mother of the child has visitation rights after the two women split up By Elizabeth Neff The Salt Lake Tribune After considering Utah law and the best interests of a 3-year-old girl, 3rd District Judge Timothy Hanson has decided the child is better off with two mothers. One is her birth mother, who conceived her through artificial insemination while in a lesbian relationship. The other is the birth mother's former partner, joined to her in a Vermont civil union before the girl's birth. Hanson ruled state laws allow the former partner to maintain a parent-child relationship with the girl through visitation. The case is now before the Utah Court of Appeals, which will examine how much protection Utah law provides to gay or unmarried couples raising children related to only one partner. The conservative Alliance Defense Fund, which litigates cases involving religion, publicized its role in the case Tuesday by describing it as a battle for parents' rights waged by a churchgoing woman who has abandoned her lesbian past. But Hanson has said the case does not turn on the debate over gay marriage or gay adoption. "What this case is about, is whether or not a child is better off in this rather uncertain world, with as many people as possible taking an interest in the child, both financially and emotionally," the judge said in an October court hearing. "I do not believe that any clear-thinking person could rationally say that a child is not better off with as many people who care about that child as part of her life," he said.

  

  Keri Lynn Jones

  Last week, the judge signed an order granting supervised visitation to Keri Lynne Jones, of Taylorsville, on two days a month and on Christmas Day. After six months, visitation will increase to alternating overnight weekends, and Jones will be required to support the child financially. Cheryl Pike Barlow, the girl's birth mother, wants the appellate court to overturn the visitation order. In court filings, Barlow says she is no longer a lesbian and now has religious objections to exposing her daughter to her former partner's gay lifestyle. Jones and Barlow were joined in a Vermont same-sex union when Barlow was five months pregnant in 2001. Barlow gave birth to the girl that

  

  Cheryl Barlow

  October. The couple broke up two years later, after Jones had an affair with another woman, according to court documents. Judge Hanson had ruled in October that Jones would be eligible for visitation if she could establish she had a parent-child relationship with the girl. He cited Utah case law on the doctrine of "in loco parentis," in which a person acts as a parent although they have no blood or legal ties to a child. Hanson pointed to a 1978 Utah Supreme Court ruling that supported a stepfather's bid to seek visitation. "The court sees no legal reason to discriminate in applying the doctrine . . . to a couple who are in a committed lesbian relationship," he wrote. "The heterosexual or homosexual relationship between the two adults is irrelevant to the doctrine of in loco parentis." Following a trial, Hanson agreed the girl would benefit "both emotionally and financially" if she were allowed contact with Jones. In making the ruling, the judge said Jones was an "equal partner" in the decision for Barlow to have a child, sharing in the selection of the sperm donor. Jones participated in the child's birth and care, and became a co- guardian of the girl, who had the surnames of both women on her birth certificate, the judge said. Attorney Frank Mylar, who is affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund and represents Barlow, says Hanson has done an end-run around Utah laws. Mylar said in loco parentis only applies to cases where the parent is absent from the child's life. "Where does it end, when you have a legal stranger that is not related by blood, marriage or adoption, and they are claiming rights to your child?" he asked. "Anyone who is a fit parent has a constitutional right to say how their child is to be raised, and what associations they are to have." Jones' attorney, Lauren Barros, says Hanson did not pave new legal ground, but simply applied existing Utah case law. The point of such rulings, she argued in court filings, "is to protect children's relationships" with those who have acted as their parents. Barros points to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling she says allows courts to protect a child's relationship with a parental figure. She said a former partner who petitions for visitation must prove the couple intended them to have a child-parent relationship. That was the case for Barlow and Jones, Barros said. "They had done all these things that intended to create a family," she said. Barlow had asked the appeals court to halt visitation until the case is decided, arguing Jones has had no significant contact with the child in over a year. The girl "does not take well to strangers" and is already getting a new day care provider, she said. But in issuing a one-page ruling Friday, Court of Appeals Judge Gregory K. Orme declined. He cited the "careful, measured way the trial court has crafted the visitation order," and said "any creation of harm is itself speculative." Barlow also argued Hanson's ruling interferes with her constitutional rights to raise her child as she sees fit. "I want what is best for my child," she said, "and I know in my heart that my child should not have contact with Ms. Jones at this time."

• RE: [Utah_Stonewall_History] Utah Judge gives visitation rights to Lesbian partner 

  

  Maryann Martindale

  Maryann Martindale This was sent out today, in response to the a fore mentioned article. Remember - there are two sides to every story. Several articles have been circulating that reference the Jones v Barlow custody case. It is important for people to realize that there are two sides to every story and the current articles do not give a balanced view of the case. Quotes have been taken out of context and articles have an obvious slant in favor of one side over the other. There is no objective reporting in any of the pieces. The stories read as though they were ghost written by Miss Jones' team. Miss Barlow is quoted although she was never contacted for comment by any of the reporters. Assertions about what she said in court are paraphrased and inaccurate. These reporters are taking the low road. Instead of investigating and delving into the complexities of this case, they have gone for the sensationalistic approach. During the course of the trial, and in private conversations, Miss Barlow has continually asserted that this is NOT a gay/straight issue. Although she may be reevaluating her own personal lifestyle, the reasons for her resistance to involvement by Miss Jones were not based primarily on Miss Jones' sexual orientation. Miss Barlow believes that Miss Jones does not have the proper parenting skills to participate in a positive way, in the raising of her child. Points that were brought up in court that were not taken into consideration: 1. Several witness on behalf of Miss Barlow testified about numerous occasions when they witnessed Miss Jones in less-than-stellar behavior with the child. They also testified to specific conversations with Miss Jones where she indicated she had not forged a bond, was jealous of the bond the child had with Miss Barlow, and other issues she had with parenting. Miss Barlow's witnesses were primarily lesbians, many of which are currently in same-sex relationship, some with children. These are not people who are out to bash the lesbian lifestyle, they testified because of their concern for the child and had witnessed negative parenting behavior on the part of Miss Jones. 2. Miss Barlow decided to have a child before she and Miss Jones met. She inseminated four times before conceiving, once in California before she knew Miss Jones, twice after meeting Miss Jones but before they lived together, and the fourth time, one week after they moved in together. This was not a decision made because Miss Jones was in her life. 3. Throughout the entire course of the trial, Judge Hansen was antagonistic towards Miss Barlow, her counsel, and her witnesses. He cut off testimony, continually admonished Mr. Mylar for trying to point out legal guidelines, and got upset at Miss Barlow when she asked him to repeat a question she hadn't heard. He was biased and it appeared from the outset of the trial that his decision was already made, long before the end of the case. Another very important concern that reporters and the GLBT community at-large is not taking into consideration is the negativity such a ruling could have. While you may agree that GLBT partners should have rights similar to those married partners have, they do NOT have such rights, not under current Utah law. This ruling is an end-run around existing statutes. It applies such a broad definition to "in loco parentis" that anyone who can establish a connection to a child could conceivably sue for visitation or custody. The GLBT community should be VERY CONCERNED about this precedent. This opens the door for non-partner, concerned parties to sue for visitation and/or custody, such as parents who disapprove of their gay child's lifestyle could sue for visitation of their grandchildren, etc. The opportunity for misuse is great and the GLBT community should not be happy with this ruling. While it may have allowed visitation to a lesbian, it could be, and likely will be used against lesbian parents in the future. The GLBT community should be outraged at the anti-adoption laws that are in effect and outraged by their inability to become foster parents under the current law. The community should be fighting these laws with everything at their disposal. This case is not the way to win those rights. It is a misuse of the system and distortion of the facts that is granting rights which may very well be reversed by a higher court that does not give credence to the emotional nature of the case but instead, overturns Judge Hansen's ruling based on existing Utah law. This case is about parental rights and until the GLBT community successfully fights for legalization of their parental rights, this case will only serve as ammunition for those who seek to limit (or eliminate) those rights altogether. The bottom line is this; this is NOT a gay/straight case, it is a case where a fit, biological parent is being thwarted from deciding what is in the best interest of her own child. It is certainly complicated by their personal lifestyles and while it may be tempting from a reporter's perspective, to run with that angle, these articles are extremely unprofessional and far from objective.
• Response by Sue aka Love Utah Kids Date: Thu Dec 9, 2004  10:04 pm Subject: [Utah_Stonewall_History] Utah Judge gives visitation rights to Lesbian partner  As an attorney, a mother and a lesbian, I find that this email is bias.  After all, Maryann Martindale did testify on Ms. Barlow’s behalf.  I believed she testified that she had only spent two personal occasions with Ms. Jones and her daughter and also saw them at a couple of meetings.  She then proceeded to testify that Ms. Jones should never see her daughter again.  I believe the Judge saw through her flimsy testimony as do many who have seen the tapes or have read the transcripts of the hearings.  First of all, Ms. Barlow’s attorney sent out the Press Release.  It’s typical that the reporter contacts both attorneys’ after receiving a Press Release (which was received from Frank Mylar).  All quotes were directly from the attorney’s or directly from court documents.  There was nothing "ghost written".  HE wrote the release.  You can read the initial Press Release dated two days prior to The Tribune article. This is the organization that is funding Ms. Barlow.  Take a good look at their website and decide for yourselves if this case is about sexual orientation.  This group is even associated with DOMA In my opinion, this is most certainly a gay/straight issue for Ms. Barlow.  That's the reason they went public.  They're trying to gain allies in this very conservative community and if anyone thinks going public will "help" the Jones side, think again.  I can tell you that I've followed this case since the beginning, January 2004.  When I wasn't present in court, I read the court papers and then ultimately watched video of all five days.  I heard all the testimony.  I heard each ruling by Judge Hansen.  I can tell you that, although there were people who questioned Jones' parenting skills, after their testimony they were found to be either bias or not credible.  Most were people who were not even present in their family life.  Some of the witnesses have never met Ms. Jones.  One of those witnesses ended up reversing her testimony in a letter brought to the Judge because she was lied to by Barlow & her attorney the day of her testimony.  She wrote that her testimony was based on anger and she believed that Ms. Jones should be reunited with her daughter.  Ms. Barlow had one full year to build her case, just as Ms. Jones did.  In that year, Barlow terminated her lesbian attorney & hired a very conservative attorney.  It wasn’t until two weeks prior to the final ruling that Ms. Barlow announced her new lifestyle and her desire to find a husband to adopt her child.  Her arguments through the year changed again and again.  To correct the email by Maryann Martindale, Ms. Barlow & Ms. Jones were in a committed relationship when THEY began the artificial insemination process in November of 2000.  Court documents show that Ms. Jones took part in the entire process from finding the OBGYN to selecting a donor.  They prepared for this child, conceived this child & raised this child together from the very beginning.  No matter what the cause of this breakup, the child should not have to suffer and be deprived from one of her parents. As you can imagine, I will tell you that Judge Hansen was not antagonistic.  There were many times that he got angry due to repetition on Mr. Mylar's part and also questionable answers where Ms. Barlow & her witnesses were concerned.  He stated in his ruling that he considered most to be bias and/or not credible.  I have seen Judge Hansen work over the years and know him to be a very fair Judge.  He is not considered to be an "Activist Judge" nor a "Liberal Judge". I also want to state that you should not feel threatened by this ruling.  The prior email will have you believe that anyone can snatch up your child by just merely knowing their favorite color.  This is not the case.  This woman is not just anyone.  She is this baby's mother.  She is one of her two parents.  She had to prove that she not only intended on parenting the child but that she also participated in the child’s everyday life for over two years.   She also had to show that it was in the child’s Best Interest to be re-introduced to her after almost a year.  (Court documents show that Ms. Barlow made a unilateral decision to keep the child away from Ms. Jones soon after their breakup because, legally, she could)  Ms. Jones’ evidence was overwhelming & accurate.  Her witnesses, and I wasn't one of them, were found to be truthful and knew this family first hand & personally.  Shame on you Maryann Martindale for being the President of the Board of The LGBT Center and involving yourself in such a hurtful case that tried to take away rights from non-biological, FIT, parents.  Why send out an email that’s sole purpose is to divide a community when we are in crucial times and should be banding together?  While I don’t know either Ms. Barlow or Ms. Jones, I do know what I saw and what is right.  The Judge made the correct decision and after a long wait, justice prevailed.I applaud you, Ms. Jones, in your fight.  Keep up the good work and God bless you and your daughter. Thank you. Sue
• Dec 10, 2004  10:06 am Subject: RE: [Utah_Stonewall_History] Utah Judge gives visitation rights to Lesbian partner  Matyann MartindaleFirst, no one knows the reasons for my involvement in this case or the conflicted feelings I have had during its course. The bottom line is this -I believe Cheryl Barlow. The things I witnessed and the conversations I had with both parties convinced me of this over and over. To state that I only had a couple contacts is minimizing it. I also had extensive conversations with Keri Jones both email and in person that confirmed things I had witnessed and subsequently testified to. I did not fabricate or lie. My opinion, after watching the proceedings, was that the judge was biased. Obviously "Sue's" opinion is different. I was not the only lesbian who testified for Miss Barlow, I am not the only person who has voiced concern over Judge Hansen's handling of the trial. Again - it is just opinion. I also believe that as long as the State of Utah has laws in place that do not recognize gays and lesbians as parents, that anytime we try to use laws that were written for a different purpose to cover rights we don't currently have, we run the risk of exposing ourselves in other ways. You may be an attorney, but I have talked to several attorneys all of which agree that this case exposes gay and lesbian families. In your mind Keri Jones is a parent, but in the State of Utah she is only someone who acted like a parent - that same definition applies to babysitters, grandparents, etc. I am just saying that we need to be cautious. So, villify me if you must. I still believe what I testified and witnessed to be the truth or I would not have participated. Show me someone who is NOT biased in this case. It is complicated and messy and getting more so every day. This one is far from over.  MM
• Mommy Wars

2005 RCGSE SNOWBALL- This event raises funds for there "People with AIDS Fund" so that all those who are in need will have a very, very, Merry Holiday Season from our community. Please join them at there two events Friday and Saturday night. Saturday night will be held at Rose Wagner Theater offer dinner and show that night all for $20.00. Contact Arttix to get your tickets now. Also there will be raffles and silient auction throughout the night.  

2006 Our Christmas concert is on a Friday and Saturday night, Dec 8 and 9, at First Baptist Church on 13th East. The church is one of the nicest in town and has a great sound. I'm looking forward to singing in it. We had 46 singers on stage - up from only 35 in the last concert. We are crossing our fingers for 75 singers in the Christmas concert. Then 100 singers in spring. We'll see. The Most Wonderful TIme of the Year Twelve men met 24 years ago in a living room and started the Salt Lake Men's Choir. Their goal was to build bridges through song. Over the years, the annual holiday concert has become a tradition for a diverse group — gay and straight, religious and not. Join us for the first holiday concert under the baton of our new artistic director, Dennis McCracken at this most wonderful time of the year. 7:30pm Frday, December 8, Saturday December 9 First Baptist Church Sanctuary 777 S 1300 East, Salt Lake City

Lucas Horns

2018  This dancer’s dream came true when he joined Ballet West. Now he pays it forward with homeless and LGBT young Utahns.  By Pamela Manson | Special to The Tribune  As soon as he started taking lessons at Ballet West Academy, 8-year-old Lucas Horns was hooked. He decided he could be a professional dancer, and a decade later, his dream came true. Now 24, Horns is in his sixth season with Ballet West. But shortly after joining the company, Horns found himself in a “dance bubble,” aware that his life was revolving around his art. “It’s really easy to get pretty obsessive about ballet,” he said. “You can end up eating and breathing ballet.” In volunteering, he found a new passion. Now Horns spends every Sunday staffing the front desk at a shelter for homeless youths in downtown Salt Lake City and running a support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clients there. Horns describes his volunteer work at the Youth Resource Center as his version of church. “I’m not super religious, but I think you can get closer to God just by getting closer to more people,” he said. “It connects me to humanity.” The Youth Resource Center, 888 S. 400 West, is run by the Volunteers of America Utah. It serves young people ages 15 to 22 who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, providing meals, pantry food, showers, life-skills groups, case management for housing and employment and dental and medical care assistance. There also are washing machines and clothing available. At night, it becomes an emergency shelter, with beds for 30 clients. The discussions Horns leads on Sundays generally draw two to 10 teenagers and young adults. Sometimes he schedules a specific topic to discuss; other times, the clients bring up what’s on their minds. The gatherings have featured talks on safe sex and consensual sex; discussions about what a good relationship looks like; and lessons about gay history, including one on Harvey Milk, the San Francisco gay rights activist who was assassinated in 1978. Harvey Milk Boulevard, which is at 900 South, runs along the south side of the Youth Resource Center. The group sometimes talks about current events, and youths who participate have written letters to Congress. Straight young people also attend the gatherings, and their comments can surprise gay youths, who aren’t always sure they will be accepted and sometimes go back in the closet when they become homeless. “Some of the best input and the best questions have been from the straight clients in the group,” Horns said. The straight members have wondered why marriage equality is controversial. One made a comparison between people who like chocolate ice cream and those who like vanilla, saying, “It’s just what you are.” “It’s coming from the straight clients and so I think it’s really comforting to hear that for queer clients,” Horns said. On a recent Sunday, Horns and some of the young people assembled flags that were staked in yards to mark Transgender Remembrance Day on Nov. 20. As they worked, they talked about relationships, family, acceptance, racism and other issues on their minds. These types of discussions are what draw people to the group. An 18-year-old cited a debate on a previous Sunday over whether being gay or transgender was a choice. “I really appreciated the discussion,” said the teen, who says being gay isn’t a choice. “Discussions like the one that Lucas has honestly help other people to be open-minded, especially here in Utah. Lucas is a good guy. He definitely cares deeply about other people.” Horns was born and raised in Salt Lake City, and his first role at the academy was a boy attending a party in “The Nutcracker.” While he has performed in many other productions as an adult, he’s still dancing “The Nutcracker” — performing this weekend in Ballet West’s run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Among his favorite parts — and one he considers personal — was a duet with another man in “Dances for Lou,” choreographed by Val Caniparoli to mark the centennial of composer Lou Harrison’s birth. The duet performed by Horns and Jordan Veit at The Joyce Theater in New York City last year drew praise from reviewers in The Village Voice and elsewhere. “Caniparoli’s choreography took full advantage of the possibilities of having them lift  each other, assist in turns, leaning, pushing and pulling,” Andrew Blackmore-Dobbyn wrote on the website Bachtrack. “They were superb.” Horns first got involved in volunteering through his LGBTQ advocacy. He wanted to attend a gala hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization, but couldn’t afford to buy a ticket, so he volunteered at the event. After VOA opened the Youth Resource Center in 2016, Horns started helping out by occasionally making meals there and then began going every week. He was drawn there because gay youths have a higher rate of homelessness, and the VOA estimates that 30 percent of the center’s clients identify as LGBTQ. “For a lot of clients, they’re choosing to live here because home life is worse,” said Horns, who feels fortunate that he has a supportive family. “I feel it’s the responsibility of us lucky people to pay it forward.” An 18-year-old client said the group discussions Horns leads help him a lot; he likes that the participants open up. “This is one group that I look forward to,” he said. A 21-year-old straight woman said she also benefits from attending the support group. “It helps to know we all are different and we shouldn’t be afraid of who we are,” she said. On Utah Philanthropy Day last month, Horns received the Outstanding Young Volunteer Award in part for his work with VOA Utah. In a Ballet West video celebrating his award, VOA director of volunteer services Jayme Anderson described how he helps all young people at the center and brings along friends and family as he volunteers. “Every time that Lucas walks in,” she said, “he’s telling those kids that they matter and the community is stepping forward to help them.” Horns says his contribution is just one of many that make the resource center a success. “I think this place, as a whole, changes people’s lives.”