This Day In Gay Utah History January 9th

January 9

259 AD Today is the feast day of Saints Polyeuctus and Nearchus, two men who were canonized as a couple. Two early martyrs who were paired together by early Christians as a same-sex couple, and invoked as such in the "adelphopoiia" ceremonies, recently discussed by historian John Boswell as indicating a Christian tradition of exclusive and publicly recognized same-sex unions. St. Polyeuctus had a huge church, modeled after the Temple of Solomon, built in his name in 6th century Constantinople.

Sir John Gielgud

1978-A full page ad was taken out in Time magazine by twenty-nine international celebrities including Jean-Paul Sartre and Sir John Gielgud, protesting political opposition to gay rights in the US and condemning those who lacked courage to oppose bigotry.

1980 The Stonewall Club proposes opening, a “Stonewall Center” to be located in a storefront downtown Salt Lake with Metropolitan Community Church, Imperial Court of Utah, Affirmation, and Lesbian and Gay Student Union to share space.”

Farrell Hurst

1986 Gay community figure and organizer of the 4^th Sunday Men’s Group Farrell Rollins Hurst (1952-1986) committed suicide. Farrell Rollins Hurst was born on September 23, 1952, in Delta, Millard County, Utah to Elden and Josephine Hurst. He attended East High in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in music education. He attended the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. He was an accomplished violinist and organist. Farrell willingly gave of his time and talents to serve in the community. He was skilled at home restoration and refurbishing, and he built and rebuilt musical instruments. Farrell taught music privately and at East Community School. He served an LDS mission in Taiwan. He organized the Yale Ward Strings and was a member of the Bonneville Strings. At the time of his death he was serving as the Yale Ward priesthood and choir organist and as the Salt Lake Bonneville Stake organist. Farrell committed suicide on January 9, 1986. He was 33 years old. Farrell is buried at the Mountain Green Cemetery in Morgan County, Utah. .

1987--3rd District Judge Raymond Uno heard arguments whether should Gay bath

Bruce Baird

houses be allowed to remain in business. Bruce Baird attorney for SLC stated “the mere existence of these nuisances constitutes a nuisance to the public at large.” Because the private rooms violate sodomy statutes and laws against lewdness, Baird made the city’s case with the assumption that homosexual activity was always illegal. Club attorney Jerome Mooney asked police whether arrests for public sex weren’t also made in other areas of the city. The response was that one arrest per week at Liberty Park was not uncommon and the lists of illegal sexual activity occurring there and in Sugarhouse Park would probably each be longer than the list of sex acts observed by vice officers in Jeff’s Gym. The witness also reported having made similar arrests at ZCMI, Crossroads Malls and Sears. Dr. Harry Gibbons, director of Salt Lake City-County Health Department testified that bathhouses allowed for a significantly greater number of sexual contacts than other meeting places that

Patty Reagan

encouraged the spread of diseases. Dr. Patty Reagan of Salt Lake AIDS Foundation testified that education is the solution to AIDS and suggested that the baths served as an environment for conveying that information. Baird told The Triangle Magazine that the recent concern about heterosexual transmission of AIDS may have been the spark that moved the city to close the bath houses 11 years after Jeff Gym opened and five years into the AIDS epidemic.  Mooney stated, “Why the city wants to put Gay men back into the parks and bars  ‘where they belong’ I don’t know.

1988 Saturday I called Russ Lane today to tell him that it wasn’t Robert Nelson who turned him in [to his Bishop] or anyone else like they said.  I told him I knew who did it but I wouldn’t tell him who, just that it was all a lie, and that he was excommunicated partially on a lie.  Some inspired men. I’ve had prank calls on my recorder again today.  I think they may be coming from Provo. Kid’s getting their kicks calling up a homosexual. [1988 Journal of Ben Williams]

1992 Thursday- Jeff Workman and I went to Unconditional Support where we met in the Stonewall Center’s library. At the meeting we went over our by-laws and reelected Michael Bryant as director, Frank Lomeyer as Assistant director, and David Ball as Secretary-Treasurer. Kind of a small group tonight.  We discussed taking Unconditional Support into new directions but where?  I went to the Rhino Nest for a little bit but I am tired of leading the community. Time for a hiatus. (Ben Williams journal)

1996-Alabama state senator Bill Armistead requested that Roger Sayers, president of the University of Alabama, prevent the Southeastern Lesbian Gay and Bisexual College Conference from being held at the University.

Bryce Jolley

1998 Author: REBECCA WALSH THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Salt Lake Tribune Page: B1 Critics Want Jolley Outed -- As Biased Salt Lake City Councilman Bryce Jolley says he is not homophobic. As proof, he said, ``I love the theater and plays and movies . . . I have many friends who are in that field.'' At least he didn't mention male hairstylists or female golfers, scoff some observers. At best, they say, Jolley's comments show a misguided attempt at sensitivity. At worst, his comments betray a bias camouflaged in doublespeak. Salt Lake Tribune Reporter Rebecca Walsh wrote “But Jolley’s ‘some of my best friends’ defense was not the worst stereotype evoked during more than 2 months of public debate of Salt Lake City’s new anti-discrimination law. Pedophilia, necrophilia, and sodomy also came up.”  Council Woman Joanne Miller who is also LDS however supports the new ordinance. “They’re fearful that if we extend this provision to the gay and lesbian community it will lead to benefits. Then we’ll legalize same sex marriage.  That’s not the issue.  The issue is focused on discrimination. Isn’t discrimination immoral?”

• 1998-Friday-: Salt Lake City Councilman Bryce Jolley says he is not homophobic.   As proof, he said, ``I love the theater and plays and movies . . . I have many friends who are in that field.'' At least he didn't mention male hair stylists or female golfers, scoff some observers. At best, they say, Jolley's comments show a misguided attempt at sensitivity. At worst, his comments betray a bias camouflaged in double speak. ``Some of my best friends are Jolleys, I mean gay,'' said Allen Nevins, Salt Lake Acting Company executive producer. ``I say that tongue in cheek, but there's a sense of sadness that we even have to address this.'' But Jolley's ``some-of-my-best-friends'' defense was not the worst stereotype evoked during more than two months of public debate of Salt Lake City's new anti-discrimination law. Pedophilia, necrophilia and sodomy also came up. It would be better, critics say, for Jolley, and the other three councilmen who oppose Salt Lake City's fledgling anti-discrimination ordinance, to acknowledge a religious objection to the law, rather than hiding behind pseudo-legal fluff and hurt feelings. Salt Lake City's month-old law, which prohibits ``discrimination against an otherwise qualified employee or applicant based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability,'' is scheduled to be repealed next week. The law -- similar to those adopted by Salt Lake County and the University of Utah -- does not provide benefits for partners of gay city employees. How the law was passed and now is nearly null due to four council members' rush to repeal is a morality play peppered with innuendo and euphemism.   Jolley, Carlton Christensen, Keith Christensen and Roger Thompson say the law is fatally flawed. They say a lame-duck council slammed the ordinance through without appropriate decorum. Besides, they don't want to grant ``special rights'' to a new class of people.  No  gay city employee has filed a complaint about discrimination. A more generic law drafted to protect everyone would be much better, they say. And, by the way, they're not bigots.  Gay-rights advocates are not surprised by the turn about. If anything, they were surprised when Salt Lake City leaders approved the anti-discrimination law in the first place. ``This isn't new or original,'' said Cathy Renna, communications director for the Gay &  Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in New York. ``Special rights has no meaning what so ever,'' said Rebecca Isaacs, political specialist for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington. ``All we've asked for is the right to work with other people and not face discrimination.'' The debate is tired, she said.   Indeed, national conservative groups have used the same arguments to block state and federal legislation that would include sexual orientation in civil-rights laws. ``You can't do anything about your race, what gender you are,'' said Jeff Hollingsworth, executive director of the American Conservative Union in Alexandria, Va. ``To link homosexuality to some of these other long-standing elements that are subject to discrimination is pushing the envelope. It's an effort by gay and lesbian groups to make them seem normal, correct, every day. That is not the case.''  Salt Lake City civil-rights attorney Ross Anderson, however, believes the legal arguments against including ``sexual orientation'' in nondiscrimination laws are shallow. ``You only have to look at the Utah code and you can find far more serious problems in terms of equivocal language or lack of clarity,'' he said .``Those things are always left for the courts to sort out. I don't think the courts would ever have a problem applying this ordinance the way that it's written.'' But some say the four councilmen's righteous indignation is just that -- a repugnance of homosexuality bred in religious training. All four councilmen in favor of repealing the law are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS Church-owned Deseret News published an editorial Dec. 8 supporting Jolley's less-specific ordinance and lambasting his colleagues for ``ramming the new ordinance through.'' The newspaper's editorials generally reflect the views of Mormon leadership. ``There are personal motives for fighting these laws, political motives and religious motives,'' said Jennifer Pizer, managing attorney of Lambda Legal Defense's Western regional office in Los Angeles. ``People in public life don't like to mention that because they know there is supposed to be a separation of church and state.''   None of the four councilmen has used a moral argument against the law. They limit their debate to legal arguments. But the under current of their remarks reveals a different motivation to some of their colleagues. ``They're fearful that if we extend this provision to the gay and lesbian community, it will lead to benefits. Then we'll legalize same-sex marriage,'' said Councilwoman Joanne Milner, who also is a member of the LDS Church. ``That's not the issue. The issue is focused on discrimination. Isn't discrimination immoral?''   The irony is not lost on Councilwoman Deeda Seed, who worked for two years behind the scenes to persuade her colleagues to support the law. ``This city was founded by people who faced profound discrimination and persecution based on their religious beliefs,'' Seed said. ``It's terribly ironic that the same group of people is seeking to take protection away from another group that is facing discrimination and persecution.'' But Councilman Keith Christensen said, ``That's a crock. If religion had anything to do with it, I'd be discussing this issue on a moral basis, and I'm not. It's not my choice to choose what other's morals are.'' However, national conservative groups proudly note the moral foundation for their campaign against gay-rights legislation. ``The moral objection is fundamental,'' said Arne Owens, communications director for the Christian Coalition in Chesapeake, Va. ``There are secondary legal arguments, but fundamentally, we don't believe that governments at any level or their entities should be in a position of legitimizing or endorsing behavior that most Americans believe to be wrong. These measures are simply government promotion of the gay lifestyle.''   The arguments sound startlingly similar, Anderson says. ``These people have a school somewhere, where they all go to make their ridiculous arguments. They just keep playing them over and over again,'' he said. `Those in opposition to this non discrimination ordinance are not honestly expressing their true motives.'' (01/09/1998 Page: B1 SLTribune)

Doug Fadel

2003 Doug Fadel and Quac has 1000 photos for us....SCORE! I will work with him on getting them organized and ready to scan. I think we need to make a big deal about this in an article, hopefully it will get people to give and lend a lot..... I know we are worried on storage, and I have a couple items I put out to the universe coming back positively.  And coming back based with conviction because people found out about what happened about the original archives at the Center.  People are quietly not happy, and it adds to all the crap that they have pulled. A sense of place for the history is important to me.  I get nervous about the www for some reason.  We will talk, and figure something out. CK

2003-Hello, Many of you have made inquiries about the content and dates of this year's

Kelly Byrnes & Courtney Moser

PRIDEFEST Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Logan, Utah. Hope some of you can make it. A good time will surely be had by all. PRIDEFEST, The Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will mark its fourth anniversary January 13 through 18 on the campus of Utah State University in Logan. This festival brings a wide variety of gay and lesbian films, short features and documentaries, from serious to over-the-top, otherwise not available in Utah.Ticket information, a detailed schedule and synopsis of films can be found on line For education, fun and pure delight of visual affirmation of Gay and Lesbian lives, take the short scenic drive to Logan. WE'RE HERE, WE'RE QUEER AND THE BIG SILVER SCREEN IS OURS! THERE WILL BE AN "AFTER HOURS PARTY" "Mild to wild," whatever floats your boat Saturday, Jan. 18, 11:00 p.m. until whenever BYOB At Courtney’s and Kelly's house Directions available at festival .

2003 Help Us Stop Anti-Gay Legislation on Capitol Hill! Town Hall Meeting For the GLBT Community Wed, January 15, 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Salt Lake City Council Chambers (rm. 315) City County Building WE NEED YOUR HELP! Many of you have asked what you can do to help politically in Utah. This is your chance to make a difference!  Please join us for this very important town hall meeting sponsored by Equal Families, a coalition of community-based organizations formed in response and in opposition to an anti-gay resolution being proposed for the upcoming Utah legislature.  We'll be talking about our large campaign to let the legislature and Utah know that we are families, we are Utahns and we are tired of hateful legislation! A resolution has been proposed by State Sen. Tom

Tom Hatch

Hatch (R-Panquitch) in favor of the Federal Marriage Amendment that would limit marriage to a man and a woman in the United States.  The amendment would also restrict the legal incidents of marriage - including any benefits that some states and over a hundred municipalities have seen fit to bestow on same-sex couples - to opposite sex couples exclusively. Additionally, the Federal Marriage Amendment would represent a gross encroachment of the federal government into marriage, an area that has always been a state's right to administer. Speakers include: State Rep. Jackie Biskupski (D-SLC); Utah ACLU Director Dani Eyer; Unity Utah Executive Director Michael Mitchell; Univ. of Utah law professor Terry Kogan; and Salt Lake attorney Scott McCoy. Equal Families Sponsoring organizations include the Utah Stonewall Democrats, the Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Utah and Unity Utah. Please let us know if you're coming by calling 801.355.3479 or emailing  info@unityutah.org. Feel free to distribute widely. Unity Utah is a Utah gay/lesbian political action committee that works to empower our community and allies to actively participate in all levels of the political process.

2003- Chad Keller-Oh this is good....Joe Redburn calls me this morning....Apparently I am among the suspects that caused the problems for Blue.....I may appear stupid and bitchy but I think this time the gossip mongering community may go too far....Very bad mood now.....and I’m sure it will get worse....No wonder no one want to ever do anything for this Freaking community....damned if you do, damned if you don’t, and that is just the men....the AL's are a whole other story. Somehow I will accomplish my goals, and then I hope my gay guardian angles leave my fate, destiny and dreams up to me.

2003-Hello all! Just a Reminder that we will be having a General Membership Meeting for Utah Gay Rodeo Association on Sunday, January 12th at 3:30pm. It will be held at Angles Coffee Shop located at 511 west 200 south. I hope you can stop by! Thanks- Paul Cucunato

2006 Monday- COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION! VOTE

WITH YOUR DOLLARS EVERY DAY! "Brokeback Mountain" is a film with the power to open mainstream America's eyes to the experience of two Midwestern men, and to generate productive discussions about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer experiences. Late last week, the Jordan Commons Megaplex (owned by Larry H. Miller Holdings) abruptly changed its screening plans and decided not to show the film. This is yet another example of a prominent business withdrawing support for GLBT supportive events and media at the last minute. If you believe it's time to show Utah's prominent businesspeople (like Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller) that treating queer people as "controversial" and supporting anti-GLBT politicians and initiatives is a poor business move, vow to make 2006 a year to vote with your hard-earned dollars! Make a concerted effort to put your money to work! If you take the challenge, consider the first of many important steps and avoid the following list of Larry H Miller Holdings in Utah as you look for places to spend. If you are a current customer of any of these entities and do choose to

Valerie Larabee

stop spending your money with them, please let them know why! You could also visit the Larry H. Miller Group web site at http://www.lhm.com/ and post your comments under the "Contact Us" tab. This "Community Call To Action" is part of an ongoing effort to strengthen our call for equality in Utah! We, at The Center, will continue to work in collaboration with other GLBT and non-GLBT organizations to identify those businesses who support progressive business practices (e.g. Domestic Partner Benefits) and embrace diversity! Valerie A. Larabee Executive Director

2006 LARRY H. MILLER HOLDINGS (Source: State of Utah Department of Commerce

Larry Miller

register) All-Star Catering, American Capital Services, American Toyota Used Car Super Center, American Toyota Used Car Super Center, ArenaCross, Arizona Tank Lines, Arrowhead Honda, Backcourt Barbecue, Barry Engle Chrysler Plymouth Jeep, Brry Engle Suzuki, Big Dogzz, Broadway Sweets, BTL Group, Inc., Burger Works, Café Etc., Café Ole, Csitas Del Sol (St George), China Express, Club Emilia, Commerce Financial, Cottonwood Post #15, American Legion, Cottonwood Thrift & Loan, Emilia, Emilia, LLC, Fast Break, FastCast, Finet Broadcasting, First Western Heritage Leasing, First Western Heritage Leasing, Fitnet Network, Ford Super Store, Gateway Grill, Grill Works, Heidelberg West, Inc., Heritage Imports, Honeybees, Icy Eagle, Icy Golden Eagle, Icy the Eagle, Jordan Commons Megaplex, Kar Mart Automotive, KarKredit, Karmart Automotive, KG Retail Stores, Magnificent Movie Showcase, Main Street Deli, Mayan Express, Megamax, Megamax 70, Megaplex, Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons, Old Chicago Dogzz Company, Presidential Club Homeowners Association Inc (4625 S 2300 E), Prestige Leasing, Rapid Enterprises, Romano's Pizza,Salt Lake City Bees, Snack Attack, South Parc, LC, South Town Auto Mall, Sportsfest, Super 70, Super 70 Theatre, Super Screen, Super Screen at Jordan Commons, The Delta Center, The Event Headquarters, The Mayan, The Mayan Café, The Mayan Restaurant, The Movie Guy, Thrifty Car Rental, Thrifty Rent A Car, Thrifty Sales, Utah Auto Credit, Utah Auto Credit – Downtown, Utah Automobile Dealers Association, Utah Car Credit, Utah Sports Marketing, Value Auto Center, Value Auto Center, Valumax, Walking Taco

2006 W. Cleon Skousen died (Jan. 20, 1913 - Jan. 9, 2006) He used polygraph tests to hire policemen with most questions on sex. When did you first want a woman? When did you first have intercourse? Did you ever cheat on your wife? Etc.  He justified it by saying he wanted to steer clear of sex fiends on the force. When Mayor Lee argued it was unfair to intrude in a man’s private life and wanted the practice discontinued. Skousen ignored Lee and said that the tests were used to determine “moral turpitude.”  He desired to weed out applicants “involved in promiscuous immorality or homosexuality,” because they would be vulnerable to blackmail and stated that the questions were routine and same as asked throughout the country. Skousen’s detractors stated that he ran the police department like the Gestapo primarily through the use of fear.  In March of 1960 Skousen was fired as Chief of Police of Salt Lake City Utah by Mayor J. Bracken Lee. As I remember the story Skousen raided a poker game at which Mayor Lee was a participant. That is the kind of man Skousen is, he would have raided that card game no matter who was at the table. Lee who had issues during his political career tried to muddy the waters by calling Skousen "an incipient Hitler". In March 1960 he fired Salt Lake City police chief W. Cleon Skousen, a man widely admired for his conservative views, professional law enforcement background, and tough stand on vice. The firing sent shock waves though the community, and once again Lee was thrust into the local and national limelight as accusations flew back and forth between the two men. While mayor he waged unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Dennis L. Lythgoe Utah Historical Quarterly  Fall 1974 Vol 42 #4 Political Feud in Salt Lake City

2007 Deseret Morning News, Tuesday, January 09, 2007 Huntsman PAC raised over $1.4 million in 2006 By Lisa Riley Roche and Josh Loftin Deseret Morning News More than $1.4 million poured into Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s political action committee last year — including about $92,000 since just before the November election.  Other special interest PACs, such as Equality Utah, also raised and spent relatively large sums of money. The gay rights group spent almost $100,000, but they also have $243,000 left in their fund.

2007 The Men's Support Group meets at the Utah Pride Center (The Center) from 7:30 to 9 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. All who identify as male are welcome, 18 and over. There is no charge. The purpose of the group is to provide a safe, comfortable place where men can talk about whatever is on their minds without fear of judgment. We don't have a predetermined topic(s) for the evening, so you can bring anything to discuss that is of importance to you. It can also be a place to make new friends. The group is facilitated but it is not a therapy or counseling group.

Suzanne Westenhoefer

2008 Comedy | Open Mic: Suzanne Westenhoefer may be gay, but her comedy isn’t just for the “alternative” crowd By Tawnya Cazier Salt Lake City Weekly Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer never had aspirations of greatness—at least, not outside of New York City. Westenhoefer—who just happens to be gay and is one of the biggest names in comedy—began her career on a dare. Friends challenged her to enter a comedy contest. She did, and she won. “I never had time to contemplate where I was going, what I was doing … it was just boom, boom, boom,” she says by phone from her Los Angeles home. “It went very, very fast.” But Westenhoefer quickly met with obstacles because of elements in her act arising from her sexual orientation. “There was a queer feeling in the beginning, and I wasn’t shocked by that in any way. I knew that would happen. I mean, I couldn’t get on Letterman; I couldn’t get on Leno,” she explains. Meanwhile, in her live show, Westenhoefer was playing to straight audiences—or whatever audience was at the club that night. “But that was sort of the point,” she says. “And it was very, very difficult.” Often she was not allowed to get onstage because she was gay or that the club didn’t use “theme comics.” “‘Theme comics?’ What is that? Every comic has a theme, like relationships or being black or being sad,” she says. But Westenhoefer worked hard to succeed, often working “triple hard,” in her words. Clubs still had a hard time getting cozy with the idea of a lesbian comic. Part of the problem, believe it or not, was Westenhoefer’s “lipstick lesbian” looks. “It’s too hard when you look like someone they know or someone they dated in college. I still have a little trouble with that: not looking ‘gay enough’ for them to be relaxed with it. … It’d be easier if I was a screaming queen or big dyke-y dyke. But it is what it is, and I’m OK with that.” Which isn’t to say that every door’s been slammed in Westenhoefer’s face. She’s a giant in her field. Since hitting the scene in the early ’90s, Westenhoefer has released multiple CDs and DVDs, starred in the documentary Laughing Matters, recorded an HBO special and performed on Letterman as the show’s first openly gay comedian. Not too bad for a girl who could have been discouraged by repetitive rejection. Westenhoefer, meanwhile, has said “yes” to Salt Lake City a lot lately, performing here annually for a decade. “I love the gay community there. They come out. They’re supportive. They’re ready to go,” she says. She understands that it’s hard to live in a strict, tradition-bound city. Salt Lake City, she believes, is in a lot of ways like her hometown in Pennsylvania Amish Country, where Westenhoefer performed for the first time only two months ago—except that a pride parade hasn’t been successfully staged there. “You have to give Salt Lake [City] some serious props for the fact that, even though all of that is going on with the deep conservative Christians, they come out,” she says. “They have pride.” Of course, she does have a sense for the quirkiness of the local culture. Westenhoefer finds humor in an interview conducted by the Deseret Morning News a few years ago. She was referred to as an “alternative comic,” because the paper couldn’t refer to her as a lesbian comic. “It was hysterical,” she says, “because an ‘alternative comic’ would be someone who isn’t funny. I mean, isn’t the alternative to comedy ‘drama?’” Even as a lesbian comic, Westenhoefer’s appeal crosses demographic lines. She works extemporaneously—without a script. She talks about situations she has observed over the past week or month. It feels so organic, like an easy conversation. It’s accessible. It’s not about gay or straight; it’s comedy for everyone. It helps that Westenhoefer is great at what she does. Her good looks, witty commentary and engaging sets are disarming. Westenhoefer easily acknowledges her hope that this will always be the case. “It is totally my goal: to make people laugh, that they’ll turn [to someone with them] and say, ‘That is you! That’s totally you!’ or they go, ‘Oh my God, I do that, too.’” Westenhoefer’s comedy has the ability to create unity where there could be a division between gay men, lesbians and straight people. Humor has a way of doing that. “When we realize we are all in this together, we relax a little,” she says. “We don’t feel like everybody is different. How funny is it to think every single human being fights with their partner about the toothpaste cap? That’s interesting and fun. I like that we all know that about each other.” It’s strange to think a comedian could comfort you, make some sense of life. But with Suzanne Westenhoefer, it’s not only possible: You can count on it. SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER @ Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South, Friday Jan. 11, 8 p.m., 355-ARTS,  ArtTix.org

Dominique Storni

2009 Dominique Storni: 'Gopher' Extraordinaire  Written by JoSelle Vanderhooft   In the past decade, Dominique Storni has been a visible and well-known figure in Utah’s gay community, speaking at rallies, demonstrating against anti-gay legislation, or simply educating others about transgender issues. But this month, Storni will turn her energy and volunteering spirit to a different venue: the Sundance Film Festival’s Queer Lounge — although her role may surprise those who are used to seeing her in front of a crowd of protesters.  “I’m a gopher,” she laughs.  Along with several volunteer friends, Storni spends the second half of January picking up groceries and alcohol for the Lounge, or shuttling the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender filmmakers who participate on its many panels to and from the airport. She has been “helping out where I can” at the Queer Lounge since its second year in 2005.  “They’re such good people and the cause is so brilliant that all of us [volunteers] just do it out of the love of our hearts,” she said of the Lounge. “What I saw that was so beautiful about the Queer Lounge was its mission … to bring queer filmmakers together so they can network and bring out more queer films. And some of the projects I’ve seen come through there are phenomenal,” she adds, naming the 2007 documentary on homosexuality and religion For the Bible Tells Me So and Transgeneration, an eight part documentary following the transitioning of four transgender college students as personal favorites. “It’s not just queer film, but [way] the Lounge presents itself, and the panels [founder] Ellen [Huang] has been able to put together really have shed so much light on our community,” Storni continues. It’s a goal that Storni can certainly identify with. For the past decade she has been trying to shed light on transgender issues for cisgender (non-transgender) people. Born in Ogden as a boy at the same hospital that delivered Donny and Marie Osmond, Storni spend much of her youth living in the Southwest United States and in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she took general education college classes while studying the country’s anthropology and history. She is still fluent in Spanish. “I kind of moved around living with friends,” she says of that time. “A lot of the moving around I did was before I came out, when I was married. I was more trying to run away from the inevitable.” To explain what she means, Storni quotes her favorite author, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a 17th Century Mexican nun, poet and scholar who often felt constrained by the social limitations placed on her because of her sex. “She talked about running away she wanted to become educated,” Storni explains. “She said, ‘I tried to run away, but in that effort I took with me my worst enemy, I took me with me.; What she said resonates so strongly with me. I think a lot of the moving around I did was trying to run away from myself and being afraid of who and what I was. I didn’t fit the Mormon mold that I was given growing up. I didn’t fit into society’s mould, you know.” Finally, the pressures of trying to fit into society’s mould became too much and Storni attempted suicide in 1995. After her first attempt, she and her wife separated and divorced the following year. It was a dark time for Storni, who entered inpatient hospitalization after another attempt. “I like to call it reparative therapy,” she says of the treatment she underwent at that time. “Even though it wasn’t necessarily defined as that, the actions taken in therapy were very reminiscent of that. I haven’t had shock therapy but I’ve had some things that are very similar, some aversion therapy tech that were very invasive.” At last, Storni accepted her identity as a transgender lesbian and decided “it was just time for me to live my truth.” “But being a trans woman who identifies as a lesbian created a whole new conundrum I had no idea I would have to face,” Storni says, recalling the trouble she often had fitting in with the local lesbian community, or even getting other gay people to understand that gender identification and sexual orientation weren’t the same. Still, she made many “incredible lesbian” friends who “took me under their wing and were very supportive,” including local singer Mary Tebbs and lawyer Jane Marquardt.  At this time, Storni also found her calling: educating people (specifically gays, lesbians and bisexuals) about transgender issues. In November of 2001 and with the help and support of the Utah Pride Center she started Transgender Awareness Month at the Center, a month of panel discussions, film screenings and other events centered around the experience of being transgender and creating more visibility for transgender people in the broader queer community. Now seven years old, the event is a yearly feature on the Center’s calendar. Storni says she is pleased to see how Transgender Awareness Month has grown, and thrilled to see a new generation of transgender activists stepping up. “TransAction is a brilliant idea,” she said of the new group at the Utah Pride Center for organized and run by transgender youth (under 24) and their allies. When not busy serving the community as an activist and educator (or chasing down lunches for hungry filmmakers at the Queer Lounge), Storni says she enjoys camping with a local lesbian singles group and is “kind of addicted to TV,” which she says can often help her unwind and recharge after speaking in front of a large crowd. “When I go out and do my activism it really drains me emotionally, so I have to come and hide for awhile so I can recharge myself so I can do more,” explains Storni, adding that she has social anxiety disorder, a fact which she says may surprise people because of how outgoing and outspoken she can be. She also likes spending time with the three sons and three daughters from her previous marriage. Although Storni says she is currently getting reacquainted with her daughters (who remained in Texas with her ex-wife after the divorce), her sons have been a major part of her life since her transitioning. “It was really difficult for awhile [while I was transitioning], but now my sons are very supportive and gay affirming,” she says of them, noting that one son even founded a group to protest Proposition 8, the controversial measure that re-banned gay marriage in California in November. “If it wasn’t for my sons, I would be dead.” Whether speaking out against Proposition 8, talking about transgender rights or helping to put Queer Lounge together, Storni says that she does her best to encourage people to work together regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age, or any other quality that often divides individuals. Only when gay and transgender people can put aside “personality for principle” can they move forward, says Storni. “We need to reach across the aisle to each other,” she says.

2009 From: Michael Aaron  Subject: Pride booth idea To: "'Brad Di Iorio'" "'Tony Hobday' Don steward, Ben Williams, Joselle Vandergriff- Yes, while lying in the tub drinking wine, I was thinking about future events. That’s what happens when I don’t have to do an overnighter to get the issue out. Yaay! Below, you will see two views of an idea I have for a pride booth. (One overhead and one face-on,) The idea is simple (and a simple construct): We build a 20’ long wall with the title, “Dear Utah: We the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender People of Utah …”  And we invite Pride participants to write their message to Utahns on the wall using multi-colored Magic Markers. There will also be a 4’ wall for “In Memorium” notes – which acts as a brace for the wall. On the backside of the wall, we can have another booth activity, like the photo shoot for the next book.  There is also room for storage of QPages and QSaltLakes, etc. The construction is simple: 2x2 frames with a 4’x8’ foam core front.  There is cross bracing on the top in case of wind. The bottom can be attached to the ground with stakes. Cost = 6 foam core sheets @ $20ea = $120 + 28 2x2s @ $2ea = $56 for a total of $176. I’m thinking of no cover over the top unless it looks like rain. This exhibit is very light and simple to construct/reconstruct, making it possible to travel to other events/rallies/actions/exhibits. I can see this displayed at city hall, at the Salt Palace during UAF Oscar Night and Equality Utah Allies Dinner, at Bruce Bastian’s HRC dinner, at peace rallies, the Farmers Market, etc. We would make it part of our sponsorship to allow it to be displayed. I even think a stint across from the Church Office Building would be possible Thoughts?

• Well, I was working at the bar and not sitting in the bathtub so I guess that’s why I wasn’t thinking about Pride, too. I really like the idea. We’ll have plenty of time to decide how/where the wall will be placed in relation to the rest of the booth materials and table. I think the wall will draw a lot of attention and help continue what has been happening since Prop 8 and the protests. Especially on Pride Day, I think people will appreciate another way to have messages out there in a peaceful way. I also like that it would be easy to construct/deconstruct so it could be displayed at other big events. J

2010 Saturday Lesbian lawmaker is surrogate mom Capitol colleagues may not approve but respect sanctity of life  By Elaine Jarvik Deseret News  SALT LAKE CITY — Last April, Utah legislator

Christine Johnson

Christine Johnson wrote an e-mail she titled "You may want to sit down." It was a long e-mail to two friends, and it boiled down to this: She would be honored to have their baby. She would be willing to endure the varicose veins, she said, and the mood swings, and the questions that would certainly arise. Johnson, a Democrat from Salt Lake City, serves in the Utah House of Representatives, one of two openly lesbian legislators. So the fact that she is unmarried and now pregnant will undoubtedly raise eyebrows, as will the fact that she is carrying this baby for two gay men. She has chosen to speak publicly about the circumstances of her pregnancy now, before the Legislature convenes this month, in the hopes of preventing distraction during the serious work of the session, she says. She is now in her fifth month, and her slender body is starting to show a slight bulge. She knows that it is hard, as a public official, to have a truly private life. But even beyond that, she says, "It's my goal to live my life authentically." Johnson's decision to be artificially impregnated rose out of a dinner conversation with the two gay Utah men last spring. The men, who were married in California during the brief period when gay marriage there was legal, talked about how much they wanted a child. Adoption is out of the question, since in Utah there is this Catch-22: an unmarried couple can't adopt, and Utah does not recognize gay marriage. Johnson, 41, has a 17-year-old daughter from a two-year marriage. She got her daughter's approval, and the support of her own mother and siblings, before making her decision to become the surrogate mother. She is not being paid to carry the baby. In the parlance of surrogacy law, Johnson is a "traditional surrogate" rather than a "gestational surrogate"; the latter is the term for mothers who carry a child but are not biologically related to it. Under Utah law, gestational surrogacy is allowed only for married couples. The two men who will be the baby's fathers "will be wonderful parents," she predicts. To those who argue that a child does best with both a mother and a father, Johnson counters that "gender or sexual orientation is less important than children being welcomed into a supportive, loving home." "This child is going to have an amazing life," she says about the baby. "It's going to have so much acceptance and love." To have a child who is wanted so much — "how can that be wrong?" She was only six weeks pregnant when she told her first legislative colleague, Sen. Howard Stephenson, a Republican from Draper with whom she served on the revenue and taxation interim committee. Since that day, Stephenson has periodically brought Johnson eggs from his chickens. "I thought it might be helpful for the nutrition of the baby," he explains. Stephenson is a conservative man. You can hear the hesitation in his voice when he is asked to talk about the potential reaction of his colleagues to Johnson's pregnancy. But he is clear about his own feelings: "I'm not one to judge other people, but I do respect any woman who will carry and bear a child for a childless couple." He adds, "I have my own standards and beliefs, but I don't want to impose them on another person. … I don't want to impose my judgment on Christine or the couple that is receiving the baby." In 2003, when he attended the Giant in our City award given to then-LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley, he was seated next to Congregation Kol Ami Rabbi Tracee Rosen and her gay partner. "She told us of her admiration and respect and love for President Hinckley," Stephenson remembers. "And she said he contacted her personally to make sure both she and her partner would attend. When I heard that, I thought 'Should I take a lesson from the way a prophet of the church treats gay people?' Frankly, that has changed my approach to how I interact with gay people and gay legislators." He still thinks marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman, and that having both a mother and a father in the home "is the optimum, and what every baby deserves." But, he adds, "it's my responsibility to show respect and love for one of God's daughters." Babies, no matter how they are conceived, may trump ideology in the Legislature. House Speaker David Clark, R-Santa Clara, also a Mormon, echoes Stephenson's reaction. "At the end of the day, it's the gift of life" that is important, he says. He adds that "there is an unusual ribbon on this package." Johnson says she thinks most of her constituents — in a mostly liberal section of Salt Lake City's east bench — will not react negatively to her pregnancy. She acknowledges that "there are so many parts of this story that people could object to," but asks this question: "Who wants to live their life dependent on the affirmation and approval of others as evidence that their life has value? I certainly don't."  She wants to make decisions "that feel true to me," she says. Johnson was born on the East Coast and moved with her family to Provo when she was 8. After graduating from Timpview High School, she moved back east to be a nanny and left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She says that before agreeing to be the surrogate, she did online research about how surrogate mothers cope with handing over a child after pregnancy. "I found out that although surrogate mothers have a vested interest in the health and well-being of the child, they know that they're carrying the child for someone else, and that makes it easier" to give the child up, she says. Johnson's arrangement with the men is that the child will know her as its mother but that she will have an "aunt-type relationship." She has not revealed the names of the fathers. The baby is due on the summer solstice. Johnson hopes to have a home birth. In the meantime, she is eating organic foods and is craving clementines.

2012 SLC Ranked No. 1 Gay City Posted By Jerre Wroble Salt Lake City Weekly The truth can now be told -- despite annual legislative skirmishes, entrenched LDS views (and a state constitutional amendment) against same-sex marriage, and church-endorsed programs to change gay men into straight ones -- Salt Lake City is still a great place to be gay. --- It is so great, in fact, that the nation's oldest continuing LGBT publication, The Advocate, ranked Salt Lake No. 1 in its recent "Gayest Cities in America 2012" list, beating out Seattle and San Francisco, for Pete's sake.  The article acknowledges that few American cities can beat out established big-city hot spots. This is a list where a great scene exists in "less-expected" locales. And it's not scientific, like these findings of The Gay and Lesbian Atlas are, (which excludes Salt Lake City and Utah). But we'll take The Advocate's word for it. Of Salt Lake City, the article states: "While those unfamiliar with the Beehive State are likely to conjure images of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, far-less-oppressive-than-it-used-to-be Salt Lake City has earned its queer cred. There are more than a half-dozen hot spots for men and women, including the eco-friendly nightclub Jam (JamSLC.com), though the sustainable bamboo flooring is perhaps less of a draw than the packed dance floor. The Coffee Garden (878 S. 900 East) is a gathering spot for those looking for a caffeine fix, the Sundance Film Festival brings LGBT film buffs to screenings downtown, and lesbian-owned Meditrina (MeditrinaSLC.com) is a true wine bar — yes, you can get a drink in this town." One of the first things I learned about SLC when visiting many years ago -- via a gay waiter -- was that SLC was a great town to live in if you were gay. I almost laughed at the notion. But he went on to say that SLC offered all the basics: jobs, affordable housing, a wide-ranging arts calendar and a surprisingly vibrant club scene. There was an intangible he failed to mention: community. This man eventually died of AIDS and was cared for until the end by family, friends and co-workers. The community is nurtured and informed by the Utah Pride Center, a veritable hub of local LGBT life and sponsor of the city's annual Pride festival -- one of the summer's liveliest gatherings. City Weekly published "Born to Run" July 6, 2011, by Darin Jensen. Jensen grew up gay in Utah but left, believing he would find acceptance and tolerance outside the state. Back for a visit decades later, he was brought to tears while attending Salt Lake City's Pride festival. He began to see all that had changed since he'd left. "I was amazed by the number of obviously not-queer people who came out to celebrate the diversity of Utah," he wrote. "I had some idea of the turning tide toward tolerance in Utah as I had noticed, while driving around the valley, how many people proclaimed their support for gay rights as human rights, by tagging their cars with the Human Rights Campaign’s blue and yellow equality sticker. In California, this sticker mostly marks the cars of queer people as a symbol of their beseeching for equal rights. But in Salt Lake City, the sticker on so many allies’ cars is a proclamation: 'I—we—stand for equality!' " Richard Florida, who wrote about The Gay and Lesbian Atlas' top 20 cities in an article for The Daily Beast, defends such lists, saying they point to a more open-minded and innovative society. "A visible LGBT community is the proverbial 'canary in the coal mine,'" he says, "signaling openness to new ideas, new business models, and diverse and different thinking kinds of people—precisely the characteristics of a local ecosystem that can attract cutting-edge entrepreneurs and mobilize new companies." So, hey, we're Number One. Outside of City Creek Center's grand opening, which will likely be very gay, it might be the best news of the first quarter.
2014 Meet the man behind Utah’s same-sex marriage lawsuit Activist • Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence

faced uphill challenge in conservative Beehive State. BY BROOKE ADAMS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE When Mark Lawrence heard that a federal judge in California had overturned that state’s constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, he had an immediate reaction: This could happen here. Of course, most people thought Lawrence was nuts. California is a blue state, Utah the reddest of reds. California has one of the nation’s largest gay and lesbian populations with some 98,000 same-sex households, Utah has one of the smallest at 3,900. California is, well, California. Utah is Mormon central. But the 57-year-old Lawrence was undaunted, even when national gay rights groups didn’t take him seriously and local groups took a “wait and see attitude.” “It was kind of difficult to get them to pay attention to what we were doing,” Lawrence said. Lawrence began having “what if?” conversations with friends in July 2011, as California’s legal fight over Proposition 8 continued its march through the courts. While religious and conservative factions in Utah were an obstacle, Lawrence said the real challenge he faced was apathy. “That was the hardest to overcome,” he said. “I’ve never been one to accept apathy. I don’t like it.” So he kept talking and meeting, talking and meeting. And soon he was convinced he was on to something. In February 2013, Lawrence formally set up Restore Our Humanity for the sole purpose of staging a legal challenge aimed at toppling Utah’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. And he began searching for a legal team willing to take on the David v. Goliath legal fight, exchanging emails with several attorneys and having at least one conversation with a lawyer that went “nowhere.” Then, he met with two attorneys at Magleby & Greenwood in Salt Lake City. Within five minutes, Lawrence said he knew James E. Magleby and Peggy A. Tomsic were the perfect fit. “It was magic,” he said of that two-hour conversation. “They were very driven. I thought, ‘This is it.’” Lawrence is perhaps an unlikely candidate to be at theforefront of the gay community’s effort to topple Amendment 3. He is an information technology specialist with the Unified Fire Authority’s emergency center and lives at home with his elderly parents. Lawrence moved in with his parents a couple years ago to help care for his father, who is in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease. “I don’t have much of a life outside of that,” he said. Lawrence came out to his family in the late 1970s, when he was 17. “I’ve got a great family and parents who always showed great support,” he said. His past political experience consisted of protesting Anita Bryant, who in the ’70s led an anti-gay movement, and being a delegate at a Democratic Party convention. Six years ago, a bout with lung cancer rousted Lawrence from his own state of apathy. “When you go through that, you look at things differently,” he said. To take his mind off chemo treatments, Lawrence began following politics, particularly events involving the gay community. The idea that maybe he could be part of making a change for the better took root.  By the summer of 2011, he was ready. “This seemed like a good fit, like something I had to do,” Lawrence said. Lawrence said he found two couples willing to be plaintiffs in the lawsuit: Karen Archer and Kate Call, whom he had met through The Salt Lake Tribune’s comment boards, and Derek Kitchen and Moudi Sbeity, whom he met at an LGBT Chamber of Commerce event. The attorneys brought in the third couple, Kody Partridge and Laurie Wood, who were legally married in Iowa but unable to have their marriage recognized in Utah. Sbeity’s reaction? “That scared me,” said Sbeity, who owns a food business with Kitchen. “We hadn’t had our business for a long time, and weren’t sure how it would affect us, what it would mean for our daily lives. We were scared of putting ourselves out there and exposing ourselves.” But they kept talking to Lawrence and mulling it over as a couple. In the end, “we thought it was a fight worth fighting for,” Sbeity said, “that this would benefit us and everybody else. It was a fight not just to help us, but to help future generations of LGBT youth so they might grow up without the social stigma of being gay. With that in mind, we decided it was the right thing to do.” Plus, there was this: “We really wanted to get married,” Sbeity said.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for Utah on March 25 — a day before the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Proposition 8 and United States v. Windsor cases. With more than 30 lawsuits over same-sex marriage bans pending in state and federal courts, most backed by gay rights groups, it may be understandable that a case brought by private attorneys in Utah — one of the nation’s most religious, conservative states — got little attention or support initially. Then came the pair of landmark decisions from the Supreme Court in June. Among those paying attention to the rulings: Patrick Byrne, founder of Overstock.com. Byrne said he took particular note of how Justice Anthony Kennedy “went way out of his way” to say the federal judiciary would, as a result of the court’s rulings, be hostile to attempts to discriminate against people. Within days, he got a call from Magleby and Tomsic asking for help. “I think it is obnoxious for states to have an amendment to their constitutions discriminating against some people as far as who can love whom, who can marry whom,” Byrne said. “I’m a small government guy. My great fear in life is overzealous government. This seems to be a very clear case of that.” Byrne pitched in $50,000 and agreed to speak to other business leaders about why ending the state’s ban on same-sex marriage made economic sense. His message to them: “Amendment 3 was putting a black eye on the state” and potentially hurting business growth. Byrne said he decided from the get-go, when he founded Overstock.com in 1999, to offer a “rainbow-friendly workplace.” “A company that [is supportive] can get some of the best talent out there that is frustrated by and has experienced unfriendly environments,” he said. Fast-forward to December. Lawrence was in the spectator seats as Tomsic made an impassioned speech before U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby about why Utah’s ban harmed same-sex couples in Utah. He was at work the afternoon of Dec. 20, when Shelby issued his ruling. Like most people following the case, Lawrence didn’t expect Shelby would rule until January. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Lawrence, who immediately made the 12-minute drive to his home to more thoroughly check the news reports. “I was numb. I didn’t know what to think.” He then made his way to the Salt Lake County Clerk’s Office to witness first-hand the crush of same-sex couples queuing up for licenses. Lawrence has taken the state’s effort to block Shelby’s ruling in good stride. “This is normal process,” he said. “I’ve been expecting this all along. This gives us an opportunity to take a breath, regroup and get some fundraising done. I actually think the stay is a good thing as long as it’s not in place for very long. When we get through this process, everyone can calm down and relax, plan some nice weddings and do this.” The state has estimated it may have to spend up to $2 million to defend Amendment 3 and related statutes barring gay marriage. Restore Our Humanity is also gaining support for a protracted legal battle. In addition to Byrne’s donation, Restore Our Humanity has held several small fundraisers to pay the “very large” bill due to attorneys handling the case. More are in the works. And local and national gay rights organizations are now lending support and resources. On Thursday, for example, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which tried but was unable to file an amicus brief in the federal lawsuit, has joined as co-counsel to represent the plaintiffs at the 10th Circuit Court. The Utah Pride Center and Equality Utah also are on board. “We’re very happy about that,” Lawrence said. “This has gotten too big for us now. We are talking to them now, and I think we are going to see a lot more cooperation with them.” That said, it’s the individual responses that have really moved Lawrence — the $5 check from a Virginia man who said he was on disability but “just wanted to be part of it” and $10 from a Chicago man who said he was unemployed but wanted to help. “Those are things I never expected,” Lawrence said. Another kind of ‘legal limbo’ Utah counties that didn’t finish processing same-sex marriage licenses for couples who turned in their paperwork before the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a halt to the nuptials Monday should finish and mail out the certificates, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said Thursday. In Weber County, about 30 couples turned in their paperwork on time but workers hadn’t sent out their certificates when the stay came down, according to a Wednesday report in the Standard-Examiner. The county clerk/auditor wasn’t sure whether his office was legally allowed to finish. But if the unions were solemnized before Monday, finalizing them is an “administrative function and not a legal function,” Reyes said in a press release. He recommended that counties issue the certificates so the couples have “proper documentation in states that recognize same-sex marriage.” In Salt Lake County, meanwhile, couples who got a license but didn’t have a ceremony in time could be eligible for a partial refund of their application fee. Regardless of the outcome of the court battle over Amendment 3, license applications expire in 30 days if they’re not completed and returned. Salt Lake County Clerk Sherrie Swensen said she planned to ask the county council’s permission to issue refunds after the 82 incomplete licenses’ expiration date on Feb. 3. “We normally say no refunds, but I think this is kind of an extenuating, unusual circumstance,” she said. Completing a marriage license is a three-step process: A couple gets an application for a $40 fee, is wed in a ceremony and has the officiant return the signed form. The union isn’t legal until the whole process is done. A total of 1,061 licenses were issued by Salt Lake County during the nine business days same-sex marriage was legal, compared to 279 the year before during that period. If the council approves the refund, Swenson said her office could return $30 of the fee. By law, the other $10 has already been sent to the state for a Children’s Defense Fund. Couples would come into the county clerk’s office and return the application with a note explaining why they couldn’t finish the process. Proponents of same-sex marriage will gather at the Utah State Capitol on Friday at 12:30 for a press conference and to deliver an online petition, signed by 41,000 people, urging Utah Gov. Gary Herbert not to pursue an appeal of a ruling overturning Amendment 3. The press conference will include remarks from Tim Wagner, who started the petition drive; Troy Williams, a radio host and gay activist; and Derek Kitchen and Moudi Sbeity, plaintiffs in the lawsuit that challenged Utah’s ban.

2014 HRC urges U.S. AG to ensure validity of Utah same-sex marriages BY BROOKE ADAMS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The Human Rights Campaign has asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to take immediate action to ensure rights of more than 1,300 gay and lesbian couples who received marriage licenses in Utah are upheld. In a letter delivered to Holder Thursday, the civil rights organization said there is no “legal reason to question the validity” of marriages that occurred between Dec. 20 and Jan. 6, when the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a federal judge’s ruling overturning Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage. The letter pointed out Utah Gov. Gary Herbert initially directed state agencies to recognize the marriages. “Even though the governor’s office has now made a political decision to cut off this recognition, it continues to insist that it makes no pronouncement about the validity of these unions,” wrote Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). “There is simply no reason for the United States government not to extend federal recognition to these more than 1,300 couples.” HRC also sent a letter to attorneys general in 17 states where same-sex marriage is legal, calling on them to recognize the Utah marriages. “I urge you to issue an advisory opinion declaring that treating all legally-conferred marriages consistently as a matter of equal protection and basic justice is consistent with the public policy of your state,” Griffin said in that letter. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said it is reviewing Herbert’s decision to not recognize any marriages that occurred during the 17 days between U.S. District Court Judge Robert J. Shelby’s order and the Supreme Court stay. That fact that HRC is “going on the record asking the administration to recognize these marriages puts the credibility of our organization behind it,” said Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the advocacy organization. “The attorney general has been very fair, as has his administration, in recognizing legal gay marriages. We are hoping he will take our opinion into account as they decide which way to opine on this.” On Wednesday, Utah state officials announced that recognition of same-sex marriages that occurred before the stay would be “on hold” until a final court decision on its appeal of Shelby’s ruling, a process that could take more than a year. The state said any rights same-sex couples pursued after being married are now frozen at whatever step they had reached.  Within hours of the announcement, the ACLU of Utah said it was seeking plaintiffs for a potential lawsuit. On Thursday, the ACLU said it had received an “overwhelming” response to that request. “We have a great pool, and we are working through that and plan to bring litigation that will protect all marriages, whether the couples are named plaintiffs or not,” the ACLU said in a tweet.