January 16
1970 Franklin Virgil Callahan, 34, granted probation after he
pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of battery in Second District Court.
Sentenced to 30 days in jai. On October 23, a state motion to reduce the change
from sodomy to battery was granted by the court Ogden Standard Examiner
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| Ted Cannon |
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1989 Monday- I had a Beyond Stonewall Meeting with John Bush. We
have decided to form a corporation called the Delta Institute as an umbrella
for all the groups I am involved with so we can have just one non-profit status.
I picked the name Delta Institute because Delta is the Greek symbol for a
triangle. Things to do- call Rob Moore and Jim Rieger to see if they do the
publicity, call the YMCA to meet with Camp Roger
1991 CITIES TAKE STEPS TO
SLASH CRIME IN PARKS By Jay Evensen, Staff Writer Restroom buildings in Salt Lake City and West
Valley City parks are being replaced by structures that discourage crime,
sexual activity and harassment, officials say. And, while other communities in
the Salt Lake Salt Lake
County Murray officials said they've increased the
number of police officers patrolling city parks. Park safety has become a
concern valley wide, and the concern is centered on restrooms, where much of
the crime occurs. In Salt Lake City , officials
have removed restrooms from Pioneer
Park Salt
Lake Police Lt. Stephen Chapman said
virtually every park in Salt Lake City
has a problem with crime and sexual activity. City Parks Director John Gust
said the restrooms in several city parks have been destroyed and replaced with
facilities that feature an outside door for every stall. Sinks for washing
hands are placed outdoors. "These are pretty nice-looking," Gust
said. "We picked up this idea out of Phoenix .
As budgets will allow, we'll just slowly work our way through the parks
system." Gust said it costs the city about $35,000 to build one of the new
restroom buildings, an amount he said is considerably less than the older
conventional restrooms cost. The new restrooms include storage rooms for park
equipment. So far, the restrooms seem to
be deterring undesirable activity. "We've almost gotten rid of the problem
completely," he said. Chapman said he expects the new restrooms to help.
"At least it's going to stop (involvement) with the little kid who walks
in on someone," he said. In Pioneer
Park Salt Lake City is using
for a new park being developed at 6000 W. 4100 South. That design will also
employ the principal of individual stalls with outside doors to eliminate the
opportunity for illicit contacts. "We've had the same sort of problems
other cities have had, and we came up with this design," he said. Salt
Lake County Some parks in unincorporated areas also are plagued with crime and
sexual activity. Bruce Henderson, director of the county's park operations,
said the county believes criminals will be scared away if more people frequent
the parks. "We used to have a problem in Harmony Park Oxbow
Park , located near 3300 South and the Jordan River . The park is away from subdivisions and
other populated areas. Sugarhouse Park , which the county maintains, used to have
trouble with sexual activity in the thick growth near Highland High School Henderson said. Murray Problems in Murray 's main park are
more prevalent during the winter when few people frequent the facilities, said
Bill Crocker, superintendent of parks and recreation. "Naturally there is
a continuing problem with homosexual activity, but it has decreased over the
years with our close work with the Police Department," Crocker said.
"On a daily basis, day and night, they patrol the parks to prevent the
gathering of undesirables. We don't want them, period. "As soon as we open
up pavilions to families, it cuts down on undesirable activity, which also
means vandalism." Crocker advised people not to frequent wooded, unpatrolled
areas. That's where the undesirables have gone in Murray 's parks. Sandy has little problem with crime in its
parks, said Mike Shea, parks and recreation director. This time of year all
restrooms are closed so pipes don't freeze. Only city maintenance men are there,
sandblasting and painting over graffiti. "Graffiti breeds more graffiti,
so we try to get rid of it fast," he said. South
Salt Lake
The city also claims to have few problems in its parks, despite its proximity
to Salt Lake City .
In the spring, officers check the restrooms regularly, locking them nightly at
10. "We do have a bit of vandalism,
but I think everyone is getting that," said South Salt Lake Police Chief
Val W. Bess.
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| Brandon Creer |
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| Luci Malin |
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- Entertainment provided by Megan Peters, Scott Wilson, Vanity Cartier, Veronika
- ORGANIZATIONAL AWARDS Outstanding Members, Volunteers or Employees of Clubs Organizations & Businesses Garth Gullickson of Utah Gay Rodeo Association; J J Eason of Lakeliners; Chip Slaymaker aka Marci Malloy of Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire ;Barb Barnhart of The Pillar;Todd Dayley of The Pillar; Michelle Solvej of Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Salt Lake City;John Allen of Utah AIDS Foundation; Mique West of Utah Stonewall Center ; Renee Rinaldi of G & L Community Council of Utah ; Hank Hannah of G & L Community Council of Utah; Jenn Cuthbert, of Anti-Violence Project Utah; Rose Padilla, of Anti-Violence Project Utah; Cecilia Rinehart of Anti-Violence Project Utah; Mark Talboom of G&L Business & Professional Alliance; Bryan Stone-Daly of Gay & Lesbian Utah Democrats; Brent Marrott of US West E.A.G.L.E.; Michael R. Romero of Rocky Mountain Cruisers; Lynn Gillman of Goodtime Bowling League; Anne Bottma of G & L Community of Southern Utah; Don Austin of PWA Coalition; ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR- Community Oriented Police Department of Salt Lake Police
- LUCIA MALIN: 1995 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT -Brenda Voisard, presenter-Lucia Malin came to Salt Lake City as a missionary in 1981. Eleanor Smeal, her role model, the then President of the National Organization for Women (NOW) was recruiting missionaries for the Equal Rights Amendment-and Luci answered the call. She had obtained a Masters Degree in Range Management from UC Davis in 1978, had moved for a job at Oregon State after growing up in the San Francisco Bay area, and now was headed for Utah. "We didn't think it was possible that the ERA wouldn't pass. When we realized we didn't have enough states and it wasn't going to pass, it was depressing, but also increased my determination to work for women's rights." Luci continued her work in NOW, becoming Utah State Coordinator in 1983, going on to become a National Board Member from 1985-89. Locally she has been Co-Chair of Utah NOW for many years, and created the Lesbian Task Force of Utah NOW in 1988, a group that has made an active difference in the com¬munity. Since 1992 she has been the Chair of the National NOW Lesbian Rights Committee. Luci was one of a collective who ran a lesbian bookstore and coffeehouse, 20 Rue Jacob, alive in SLC from 1979-84. She has been a strong member of the liberal South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, joining the board in 1989 and serving as Chair of the board for 1990 and 1991. She has also been board member (1991) and Chair (1992) of the Rape Crisis Center Board. Luci has been a pro-choice Coalition member since 1989, and is currently on the board of the newly created Progressive Coalition, a movement that brings together many of the groups in which she has served in the past. Luci holds an integrated view of various liberal social action issues, remarking that "I don't break it all down into clean environment, good schooling for children, and for women to make reproductive health choices. However, the "special rights" movement (forces us to clarify) that we want the same rights as everybody else. We (lesbian & Gay men) do our thing-work for the government, teach, pay taxes-it is ridiculous that we should be denied something because of our sexuality. We don't want special rights. We want plain old ordinary everyday rights." When asked why she volunteers so much time and has continued over many years to be involved and continue working for the same goals, Luci points out that "it took forever (over 100 years) for women to get the vote-but it happened. I first became involved in the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War. I saw that we changed America-the huge up swelling and demand that the war be stopped succeeded-we ended the war. When people work together with a common goal, we make a big difference." Luci sees the lesbian and Gay community as "more cohesive and strong now. Also, a quantum shift in feminist politics has occurred-it used to be a problem 10 years ago to be a lesbian working within the feminist movement-now it is accepted." Finally, Luci has "great admiration for all of the young people who are being so visible and so 'out', and I'm glad to see that they have the opportunity of coming out into such a positive and supportive environment.
- CHARLENE
D. ORCHARD 1995 DIG AWARD RECIPIENT -Presenter Linda Hunt-
Charlene first became interested in politics while attending the University of California at Irvine. She became very active in the campaigns for students right to vote and to have affordable housing. She was elected as the student representative to the academic budget committee where she became a student advocate. When Charlene graduated she decided to pursue her graduate degree in English at the University of Utah. After getting her degree she entered the Peace Corps in Western Samoa for three years. There she was involved in a teacher training conference and a library project for schools throughout the country. It was in Western Samoa that Charlene learned about being marginalized based on the color of her skin. After finishing her work with the Peace Corps, Charlene came back to Utah where she got a job with a bio technology company in their marketing communications department. Now back in Utah, Charlene began to face the fact that she was a lesbian. Part of that acceptance was done by becoming politically involved. She was one of the people that made the dream of having a community center a reality. Charlene worked with the Utah Stonewall Center for two years. She attended committee meetings and brought a business background to the center. She helped organize the "Just For Laughs" auction that raised enough money to open the Utah Stonewall Center.
Charlene Orchard
Charlene was also one of the people, her partner Deb Burrington was another, who wrote a grant to the Chicago Resource Center that yielded $10,000 for the center. When Charlene left the Stonewall Center she became a member of the local board of directors for the ACLU as well as a national board member. Charlene recognized the importance of being an out lesbian in a mainstream organization. Through her work with the ACLU Charlene planned the Turning the Century Conference, along with Linda Hunt, a woman Charlene greatly admires and respects. She involved as many people as possible in the planning of the conference and there were over 100 sponsoring individuals and organiza¬tions. Charlene said, "We may not always work with each other, but we have common goals. It's about coalition building." The conference was a huge success and brought a lot of publicity to Utah and our community. Now Charlene is working on a new project called the Utah Progressive Network and has been elected as president to the Network's education fund. They are working for progressive social change, electoral candidate recruitment, and increased voter registration. Charlene says she does the work she does because she internalized her homophobia and the work is a way of healing herself.
Deb Burrington - DOUG
TOLLSTRUP:1995 DIG AWARD RECIPIENT-Presenter Bruce Harmon-Doug
Tollstrup aka Clariss Cartier was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on April 28, 1958 to Onzell and Douglas B. Tollstrup. His early years were not a lot different than many other Gays and lesbians growing up in Utah in the fifties and sixties. He had loving and encouraging parents who wanted the best for him and encouraged him to do things that perhaps they were more interested in than he was. He attended High School at Skyline, where he admits, "I was not involved in any activities, I never went to a stomp or anything, because people were so hateful to me, because they 'thought' I was different than them. "In retrospect, Doug has wondered if these early feeling of alienation and the need to make a contribution and to express him self, have played a part in the eventful years that have followed these early painful days." It was 1978, at age 20, when Doug started experimenting with drag. During that same year, he invented Clariss Cartier, a persona that he has kept to this day, and neither he or the community would ever be the same. It was at this time that he became involved with the Imperial Court of Utah (later to become the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire), then, in its third year of operation. Doug says, "I started being involved in the Court, first by doing a few shows and I found that it was a lot of fun. In those days the organization was most social and I enjoyed those aspects, because I realized I had missed that in my early years, but even then, we did a lot of good for people and organizations mostly outside the Gay and lesbian community." In 1980, Doug was elected as the Princess Royal of the Court and he served Emperor and Empress V, Joannie Lynn and Krazy Pete. Six years later, after one unsuccessful run, for the title, Doug/Clariss was elected as the Eleventh Empress of the Court, a year he shared with Emperor XI, the late, Robb Bullock. Not surprisingly, the Eleventh reign of the Royal Court is considered one of the most successful in the Court's 19 year history. Following his productive year as Empress of the Court, Doug began a new chapter of his life in the Royal Court when he was elected to become the President of the board of Directors of the 13th Reign (1988-89) a job he has been re-elected to three more times, including the current reign (XIX). "As the Court has evolved into a service organization, I have found a real love for the business side of the Court, keeping track of the events, the many traditions, and the people we serve. Over the years, Doug's accomplishments have been never ending. He has received many awards in the Court, including the Best Looking Drag Performer for three consecutive years, the Best Drag Performer, and the Best Emcee of the Year, both awards are still held in his name. In 1982, Clariss won the title Miss Golden Spike Universe, a Court pageant title, and in 1983, Clariss began the Mr. and Miss Gay Salt Lake (now the Mr. and Miss Gay Utah of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire) pageant, annually one of the Court's most successful fund raisers. Throughout his sixteen years of involvement in the Royal Court, Doug believes that he has performed in over 480 fund raisers in the community! As a postscript, perhaps one of Doug's biggest challenges in life came last December upon the death of his mother, Onzell. Doug says "she had a tremendous influence on the reasons why I am involved in the Gay and lesbian community to this day. My mom was very involved in organizations, especially her church, the Holladay United Church of Christ, and she has always donated both her time and her energy to the things that she believed in. This has encouraged me to stand up for what I believe in and support those causes. She always taught me to say what I feel and her unconditional acceptance of all people, and of me, being Gay, not only made me respect her as a person, but she was basically, my best friend. Doug Tollstrup is a model of volunteerism and the Gay and Lesbian Community of Utah is certainly better for his many years of unselfish contribution to our community and is certainly deserving as a recipient of one of this year's DIG Awards.
Doug Tollstrup
aka Clariss Cartier - ANA DITTMAR:1995 DIG AWARD RECIPIENT-Presenter Steve Susoeff-Ms. Dittmar is from the eastern part of the U.S. and moved to southern Utah in 1989 to take a teaching position at Southern Utah University in the Sociology Department where she is presently teaching but always on the look-out for new and rewarding opportunities. Ana grew up in the northeastern part of the United States and is the daughter of Yugoslavian immigrants, so being different from others around her is not all that new. As a young teen-ager she received a National Endowment for the Arts Grant to study ballet in and around her home town. She was a professional ballet dancer for a few years with the Harkness Ballet Company and the Pennsylvania Ballet Company. This is where she says she was first introduced to Gay and lesbian people. She says "at that time it was okay and pretty much accepted that all male dancers were Gay."She went on to get a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Rutgers University and did a year of study in her family's native country of Yugoslavia. "I have always liked to work in dangerous places and a year of field work in Yugoslavia seemed just the right place to be." Ana has always had an interest in people and how they are affected by society and especially how the emotional self comes to be effected by society. After getting her Ph.D., she taught for a while at Rutgers. She was married for ten years to a rock and roll musician and has two children, a 25 year old musician son and a 23 year old journalist daughter. Before moving to Southern Utah, to where it was beautiful and to get away from all of the people, she worked as an AIDS counselor for a few years in the mid-80's for both a private and state run clinic. Upon arriving in Utah she found herself the only woman faculty member in an all male department. This she ways was more of a challenge personally than helping to start the Gay, Lesbian & Bi Club on campus. She started the AIDS Support Services for Southern Utah and has been awarded a humanities endowment for the study of genderness. In January of 1993 she was approached by a lesbian student and asked if she would mind being the faculty advisor for a Gay and lesbian club on campus. She stated that it was more of a surprise that there wasn't any organization as of yet and that she would. She approached a male faculty member and asked if he would be the co-advisor and he stated that he would but that he would prefer to be able to keep a low profile if possible. Thus began the start up of the Gay, Lesbian and Bi Club of Southern Utah University. Everything went smooth at first and she was totally unaware of any controversy that might have started because of the club. The administration knew legally that they had to allow the club, though they never talked to her directly. They did approach the male advisor and asked him what was going on. Ana said that she did hear from many different sources that the president of SUU had never received so many phone calls about one issue before. The one thing that she did not want to have happen was the club be closed down. She felt as if this was the most important thing she could do for the students and the Gay community at large. When this all came about Ana stated that there were a few people that really stood out in her memory for what they had done and how they had faced up to the challenges that arose from all of this. Some that she felt uncomfortable to mention by name without their permission and a few others such as Heather, who received a death threat from the Army of Israel, to Leiand Young who was a role model for many of the Gay men and the courage of students who were involved from the very beginning for just sticking with it. One of the things that makes her smile now is to hear that the members of the club had Rush on campus this past year right along with all of the other campus groups and organizations.
- BRUCE
BARTON: 1995 DIG AWARD RECIPIENT-Presenter Chip Slaymaker-In
1985, Bruce Baron came to Salt Lake and was the minister for The Metropolitan Community Church. It was during those years that MCC did not have a place in which to worship. Because of this, the congregation met at Bruce's house on Sunday. It was during Bruce's services of ministry to MCC, the building in which the church now worships in was obtained. In 1992, Bruce joined the staff of MCC in Logan. Reverend Barton is a 1995 DIG Award recipient not only because of his contributions to MCC, but also to the entire lesbian and Gay community. Bruce is a very approachable man, who many see as a very safe and empathetic individual. Bruce has been a guiding leader since is his arrival to the Salt Lake community. He has proved comfort and guidance to many who have approached him for advice. As one of the founding members of The Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah, Rev. Barton served as an officer of that organization. He has served on the Pride Committee for four years, and assisted in organizing a conference on pastoral care for people with AIDS. Rev. Barton has also completed a three-year term on the Human Services Commission. He is also a member of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, in which he has a lifetime title of Royal Bishop of Utah. Bruce enjoys being a part of this organization because as he sees it, "they continually raise funds to alleviate pain and suffering." Bruce is also the recipient of the Golden Spike Community Service Award, and the Kristen Ries Award. Both of these awards showing how committed Bruce is towards service to the community. We congratulate Bruce for his nomination as a DIG Award recipient and thank him for his many years of service to the community.Bruce Barton - JILL ANDREWS: 1995 DIG AWARD RECIPIENT-Presenter Drew Hansen-Jill Andrews works for U S WEST Communications as a Quality Manager, providing facilitation, training and consulting in the areas of team building and total quality. Although this is her official job. and one she loves doing, the other great love of her life is training and facilitating in the area of diversity. As a self-identified lesbian at U S WEST, Jill has trained pluralism workshops, facilitated diversity discussions, co-developed and trained the "Invisible Diversity-Gays and Lesbians in the Workplace" workshop and has been a visible, vocal representative of the lesbian and Gay community. As an active member of the U S WEST resource group E.A.G.L.E. (Employee Association of Gays and Lesbians), Jill works as bringing lesbian and Gay employees' issues to the forefront of diversity discussions and company policy-making. In Jill's personal life, her greatest accomplishments are her 9 year relationship with her partner Kris, and her continuing role as co-mother to Kris' two daughters, Carleigh, age 11 and Isabeau, age 3'/2. Jill attends parent/ teacher conferences, interfaces with Carleigh's teachers (who aren't always sure who she is exactly, but so far haven't dared ask), attends recitals and helps with homework. Basic "Mom" stuff. Jill and Kris are raising Isabeau in a collaborative co-parenting arrangement with Isabeau's father Drew, who is a close friend, warm, supportive, responsible and Gay. Isabeau spends a part of each week at Jill and Kris' and the rest of the time at her father's and she has a large extended family, including several "aunts, uncles and grandmothers" at U S WEST, Some of the most rewarding diversity discussions Jill has been involved in have been regarding her role as a co-mother, and regarding Isabeau's unique parenting arrangements. Jill has spoken at a YWCA Noontime Network and the South Valley Unitarian Church, and continues to look for opportunities to share her perspective on lesbian life through sharing personal stories and experiences.
- ED MAYNE: 1995 DIG AWARD RECIPIENT-Presenter Cal Noyce-Ed Mayne serves more than 72,000 Utah union members and their families as spokesperson for organized labor in this state. Elected the youngest State Federation President in the nation's history, at age 31. Ed still possesses a long history as a worker, union man and labor leader. A hard rock miner by occupation for 14 years, Ed became a member of United Steelworkers of America, Local #485, where he served as both President and Vice President. Showing an early interest in worker's health and safety, Ed was chosen to represent workers on several prestigious regional and national safety committees. When asked why he is involved in community service, especially in the Gay, lesbian, bi and transgendered community, Ed states that he is no more or less involved in the Gay community than he is in any other. It doesn't matter whether people are Gay, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Women, Men, Workers or anything else. "There is a common thread that runs through all of these communities. That thread is the thread of human and civil rights. It is the right of all people to live in freedom and with dignity in their community, the state, and this great country. There still seems to be some trepidation about being involved in the Gay community due to the perception of one's sexual orientation. A pin that a good friend gave me really sums it up. The pin reads 'straight, but not narrow'." There are three things that Ed says he considers accomplishments to be proud of. The first was having the Utah AFL-CIO sponsor an AIDS Awareness Conference to help workers and management deal with this crisis during the early era of fear it produced in the workplace. This was the first major AIDS conference held in Utah. The second was being involved in the formation of the Utah Coalition of Gay, Lesbian and Bi Union Activists and Supporters. This was only the fourth group of its kind in America at the time, following San Francisco, New York and Boston. The third was being involved with the struggle of the son of a member of The United Steel-workers of America. His name was Tyler Spriggs. "The enormity of Tyler's heart is overwhelming. He was locked in a losing battle, but still he was always trying to help others to understand. Tyler reinforces what our roles not need to be, but what they have to be. I still have Tyler's obituary on my desk as an inspiration for me to know what I need to continually strive for, human and civil rights, justice and dignity for all people." Ed envisions himself in the future as always being there for the Gay community when needed.
- The Co-Chairs of the DIG Award Committee would like to thank the following people for their help in making this evening possible. Without exception, anyone who was asked to give their time, money or space said yes. We wouldn't be here without them.Earl Kane and Crew; Board of Directors Utah Stonewall Center; Bruce Harmon; Richard Cottino ; Joyce Eden; Kim Russo; Barb Barnhart ; Todd Dayley; Women's Community News; Val Mansfield; The Pillar; Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire’ Raymond King; Mark Talboom’ Signs and Such; Ron Johnson; Graphic Trends; :Lynda Lee; Scott Wilson; Megan Peters; Craig Hatch; Cal Noyce; David Nance aka Vanity; Garland Carter aka Veronica ; Becky Moss KRCL;; Price Rite Trophy ;Renee Rinaldi ; Kings, a private club for members; Scott Morgan; Shawn Hales aka Anjelica; Ted Telford; Bob Childers; Nikki Boyer; Park Café; Jimmy Hamamoto; Tina Nelson; John Rettie; Arches Vineyard
1996-French bishop Jacques Gaillot announced that he had
established a "virtual diocese" on line. He claimed that the Vatican reassigned him to a non-existent diocese
in the Sahara because of his liberal views on
homosexuality.
1996-In St. Paul Minnesota ,
a decision to limit the visitation rights of Kelly McKay, a lesbian mother,
with her children was overturned. Her ex-husband claimed that her sexuality
would harm the children emotionally and physically
1998 Page: A14 Public Forum letter Hypocrisy Over
Homosexuality Jack Pace's letter
(Forum, Jan. 1) presented a wealth of hypocrisy and blatant ignorance about the
plight of homosexuals. He writes that ``society has written laws to confine
sexual behavior to circumstances beneficial to society and protective of the
individual. Homosexuals, however, are exempt from these laws.'' I can only assume that the laws Pace speaks
of are those related to marriage, as in many states all sexual intercourse
outside of marriage is unlawful. Pace is correct that homosexuals are exempt
from these laws, but that exemption is imposed upon homosexuals by state
legislatures that refuse to recognize homosexual marriages. Accordingly,
homosexuals are placed in an unenviable position of either avoiding sexuality
altogether or breaking the law. This is an unconscionable choice that
heterosexuals are never required to make.
Pace's assertion that homosexuals are somehow exempt from laws
regulating sexual behavior is also unsupportable. A law that exists to repress
sexual expression is that commonly referred to as the ``sodomy'' statute. That
law, in Utah
and in many other states, excludes not only acts of same-sex anal intercourse,
but also that same act for heterosexuals, including married couples. The sodomy law also encompasses acts of
consensual oral sex, even between married partners. According to the vast majority of surveys of
sexual behavior, an overwhelming percentage of couples, gay or straight, engage
in acts of oral sex. Yet the prohibition of sodomy is only mentioned when the
tyrannical mobs seek to justify their exclusion of homosexuals from society. This was glaringly clear in the most recent
incident involving Wendy Weaver, where an oppressive group claimed that she was
unfit to teach because of her ``criminal'' behavior. I doubt that a
heterosexual teacher would be treated the same way if he or she were found to
be engaging in these prohibited sexual practices. Pace claimed that ``homosexual behavior is a
social problem.'' The only social problem that I see is the oppression of gays
and lesbians and the irrational fear held by some that allowing these people to
occupy positions of influence will injure society. The truth is that we in the
heterosexual community are the ones constantly pushing our lifestyle on young
people. EVAN S. STRASSBERG Salt Lake
2000 Sunday, Guest speaker at Wasatch Affirmation was educator George
Henry. He will speak on issues related to Civil Rights - as they relate to
racial, gender, sexual orientation and religious freedom.
16 Jan 2000 Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons! present
a discussion on "When Good People Do Nothing" at Metropolitan Community
Church
16 January 2000 Page: F1 ACLU Attorney Relishes Fighting For
the Underdog
BY DAN EGAN Ogden native Stephen Clark has a knack for
sticking his neck out and his head into some of Utah Salt
Lake City has been on the unpopular side of emotional legal tussles
ranging from lesbian high-school teacher Wendy Weaver's fights with the Nebo School District
to Salt Lake City 's sale of a block of Main Street LDS Church Brigham
Young University New York and later Italy ,
Clark felt a tug for home. He returned in 1998
and turned his focus from dollars to defending principles he holds dear. Clark
said he returned to Utah Spanish Fork High School Clark 's help, won. "I'm not going to convince everybody, or
even a majority of people, no matter where I am, that what we are doing is right
in some ultimate sense. But if I can do anything, it would be to keep the
discussion focused on the principles so people can sort of reasonably agree to
disagree and not sort of assume that somebody is motivated by malice or that somebody
is evil intrinsically," he says. "I don't think of people on the
other side of issues from me that way, and I hope they don't think of me that
way."
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| Michael Mitchell |
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| Tom Hatch |
2006 Monday- Tribune: In the same week the City Council signaled
its approval for providing health benefits to employees' domestic partners,
among others, the bigger news out of Utah was
Larry H. Miller's decision to cancel showings of "Brokeback
Mountain " at his Sandy movie theater, prompting jokes and jabs across the
country. What do the two situations say about the status of gays in Utah ? Anderson: It's
ironic and sad that in the same year that Salt Lake City was given rave reviews
in a book on the 50 friendliest cities for gays and lesbians and just months
after I was named one of the 10 top straight advocates for the GLTB community,
the very unfortunate decision was made to stop the running of a beautiful, very
poignant movie simply because the two main characters are gay. Some people say
that private business people have a right to make that decision, although it
appears it was in violation of the contract with the company that released the
movie. But there are huge ramifications when people across the nation, and even
in other countries, have taken notice and [are] once again ridiculing our state
and the predominant religion because of the decision not to continue running
the movie. Anyone who watches that movie has to be struck by the fact that some
of the same challenges and lack of compassion toward gay people seems to have
been reflected in the decision to stop the running of this movie, particularly
when the same theater is running an incredibly gory movie about the worst
imaginable sadistic, torture and cruelty ["Hostel"]. I'm not going to
weigh in on the boycott other than to say I certainly understand how offended
anybody who seeks greater understanding and compassion toward the gay and
lesbian community would be by the message conveyed through the cancellation of
"Brokeback Mountain
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| Mark Swonson |
2006 Dear Editor, Regarding the Brokeback Mountain controversy.
Many who have written in defense of Mr. Miller believe his actions to be a
matter of morality, not bigotry. To which I must ask, If it was morality why
did he break the contract? The breaking of contract (Promise, Covenant, insert
your choice of synonym ) Is immoral. What's more the violence, torture and
depravity in many of the films Miller chose to keep is decidedly immoral! It is
the combination of these actions that are indicative of Millers bigotry.
History is replete with examples of bigotry in the name of morality, Here in Utah at least, history
has again repeated itself. As for the Randy Davis (self appointed Film
Distributor Extraordinaire) Conspiracy theory about the controversy fueling
Oscar expectations, I would remind him that it was Miller's actions that made
the controversy! Had he quietly shown the film he Promised to show it would be
just another sleeper. (Thanks Larry ) Nevertheless, knowing a thing or two
about the movie industry myself I was quite surprised that I had never heard of
Mr. Davis company. A quick visit to
the website verifies my suspicion that he
is hardly an unbiased source of information as his company distributes only LDS
related films. I would have to say the chances of a star of Ledger's caliber
ever participating in one of Mr. Davis offerings or of his films being noticed
at the Oscars are about equal to those of the cowboys in "Brokeback Mountain Hollywood
aside, Heath Ledgers characterization of Larry Miller as "immature"
hits the nail right on head! His public feuds with players, tantrums at games,
assaulting of fans etc can lead to no other conclusion.-Tim Keller Logan
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| Tim Keller |
2006 Hey since we can't hurt Larry Miller much and we all love
movies I suggest we all buy VIP passes to the SLMetro's festival. In fact I
just did today! I heard Tim Keller has helped with the selection and if anyone
has seen his work at Logan
he is terrific and has a good sense of what people want to see. The passes are
only $25 for a ton of movies and will put money back into OUR community.
Besides many of the films are going to be at Brewvies. So you can catch a
flick, have a brew, and perhaps get lucky! -Ben Williams
2006 Brokeback
Mountain
2006 KSL News said that a USA Newspaper poll said that 60 percent
of Utahns agreed with Larry Miller's decision to pull the movie.
.jpg) |
| Mike Picardi |
2006 Brokeback Mountain: Jazz owner speaks Salt Lake Tribune Utah
magnate Larry H. Miller, who gained national news media's attention after he
decided to pull "Brokeback Mountain" from his Megaplex Theatres in
Salt Lake City, broke his silence about the controversy Monday in a
confrontation with a KSL radio reporter at a luncheon honoring the memory of
late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Miller, obviously irritated by
the reporter's question about "Brokeback Mountain", swiped the
microphone toward the floor and, as he glared at the reporter, snapped: "I
said everything I had to say when I pulled the movie. OK? Anything else you
want to know?" A KSL-TV video operator recorded the confrontation, which
aired on the station's 10 p.m. broadcast Monday. - Linda Fantin
2008 Author: Tribune Editorial Let's protect all groups from job
discrimination Rep. Christine Johnson knows it could take years to win passage
by the Utah Legislature for her bill aimed at protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual
and transgender workers from job discrimination. Many years. Still, she's in it
for the long haul, and we congratulate her for standing up for equal rights for
these Utahns. It's a battle that has to start somewhere. Johnson, one of three
openly gay Utah
legislators, is carrying the banner for her constituents and other...
2009 Utahns backing gay rights While Utahns aren't
ready to let gay and lesbian couples exchange wedding vows or enter civil
unions, most are willing to give them broader legal rights to inherit property,
visit a partner in the hospital and ward off employment discrimination. A Salt
Lake Tribune poll finds that 56 percent of Utah voters support increased legal
protections for same-sex couples -- a potential boon for Democratic state
lawmakers who intend to introduce a package of gay-rights bills this session...Author: Jeremiah Stettler The Salt Lake Tribune
2020 ‘Uintah sex?’: Utah-themed condom giveaway
canceled after governor objects to innuendo
By Antonia Noori Farzan Washington Post Public health officials in Utah wanted to get
people talking about their new HIV-awareness campaign. So they hired an
advertising firm to come up with a series of provocative, regionally specific
come-ons — “Toss The Jello Salad,” “Explore Utah’s Caves” — and slapped them on
condom packages. The strategy worked — a little too well. On
Wednesday, just hours after the Utah Department of Health began publicizing the
promotion, Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) deemed the jokes too risque and demanded
that officials stop handing out the 100,000 condoms that officials had ordered. “The Governor understands the importance of
the Utah Department of Health conducting a campaign to educate Utahns about HIV
prevention,” a spokeswoman with Herbert’s office said in a statement shared
with The Washington Post. “He does not, however, approve the use of sexual
innuendo as part of a taxpayer-funded campaign, and our office has asked the
department to rework the campaign’s branding.” The Utah-themed condoms, which were paid for
with a federal grant, mixed local in-jokes with juvenile humor, presenting
“SL,UT” as shorthand for Salt Lake City, Utah. One depicted a road sign listing
the distances to Fillmore and Beaver, while another replaced the state’s
tourism slogan, “Greatest Snow on Earth,” with “Greatest Sex on Earth.” Others
played on Utah’s outdoorsy reputation — for instance, pairing “Enjoy Your
Mountin’ ” with a picture of a mountain. “Uintah Sex?” asked another, borrowing the
name of one of the state’s eastern counties. Before the governor shut down the condom
giveaway, Utah health officials told the Salt Lake Tribune that the goofy puns
were designed to spark a conversation around sexual health. “If the condoms are
fun, relatable, sex positive — people are more apt to talk about them, which
we’ve already seen,” Erin Fratto, an official with the Utah Health Department’s
Prevention, Treatment and Care Program, told the paper. In addition to promoting safe sex, the jokey
condom packages encouraged people to visit a website with information about HIV
prevention and treatment. (In 2015, Utah ranked 36th out of 50 states when it
came to the number of HIV diagnoses, according to data from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.) Officials told KUTV that they specifically hoped
to reach people “who are historically harder to reach through traditional
communication channels,” and were working with volunteers to distribute the
condoms at bars and university clinics as well as local health departments. The idea was modeled on successful campaigns
in other conservative Western states, KUTV reported. In 2013, state health
officials in Alaska began handing out condoms with slogans such as “Harness
Your Husky” and “Spawn Safely.” A similar promotion in Wyoming featured
taglines like “Drill Safely.” But the same approach didn’t go over so well in
deep-red Utah, which has many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. One volunteer, Michael Sanders, told the
station that he had been delivering the condoms to bars and LGBTQ centers on
Wednesday when he received an email telling him to stop right away. When he
called the governor’s office to find out what was going on, he said, “I was
told it was an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars.” Late Wednesday, just hours after several news
stories about the condom promotion appeared, the Utah Health Department issued
a statement apologizing for the “offensive packaging” and saying that it
regretted “the lewd nature of the branding.” The package designs “did not go
through necessary approval channels,” the agency said, and the groups helping
to hand them out had been told to stop immediately. “We remain committed to running a campaign to
help in the prevention of HIV and intend to do so in a manner that better
respects taxpayer dollars, and our role as a government agency,” the statement
concluded. Utahns reacting to the about-face on social
media were left with one burning question: What was going to happen to all the
remaining condoms? And what would it take to acquire one? “If you know anything about the ‘Streisand
Effect,’ those Utah-centric condoms that are out on the free market are
probably collector’s items now,” tweeted Fox 13 reporter Ben Winslow.
 |
| Alexis Devo |
2012 Imperial
Rainbow Court of Northern Utah Empress XII Andy Davis (aka Alexis Devo) was
found dead on Monday, Jan. 16 after performing Saturday night at Investitures
where the reigning emperor and empress handed down titles to supportive members
of the organization. No other information on the cause of death is available at
this time. After 15 years of involvement in the Imperial Court System, Davis
was elected Empress at the group’s coronation on Nov. 17. He was studying
integrated studies at Weber State University. On New Year’s Eve, Davis wrote on
his Facebook wall, “This year I will dedicate to my self to my happiness, my
joy, my higher self, and to the service to all people! This year I will wake up
and start in the gratitude by which I should always be in. I will smile more! I
will manifest more good things, and …. I will allow me to be present in my
life. I will let go of all things that do not serve me for the better, and I
will Shine!” His death was announced on his Facebook page by a family member:
“We have received some terrible news this evening. We lost our son Andrew. At
this time we do not have any information and the entire family is grieving and
trying to understand how it will be possible to take this in. Please at this
time respect our privacy, we will update as soon as info comes available.”
- A service of remembrance will be held for Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah Empress XII, Andy Davis (aka Alexis Devo), Saturday, January 21st, from 6-8 p.m. at Leavitt’s Mortuary, 836 36th Street, in Ogden Utah. Davis, who was well-known throughout the LGBTQIA community for his involvement with the Imperial Court was found dead on Monday, Jan. 16th. The 31-year-old had been involved with the Court for more 17 years and was crowned Empress in November. He previously served as Princess Royale XXX of the Imperial Sovereign Gem Court of Idaho in 2008. On a memorial page hosted on the mortuary’s website, Davis’s family writes,”On January 16, 2012 our beautiful son lost his long hard battle with drug addiction. Andrew truly lived life to the fullest. His proudest accomplishment was being a member of the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah.” Widely known throughout Utah and Idaho as a caring and giving person, news of his death reached his friends via email and through Facebook Monday night, leaving many shocked and saddened. According to his family, “Davis had a light in him that was infectious to all.” “Andrew was always theatrical and was studying theater at Weber State. His lifelong dream was to study in Arizona to be a stand-up comedian. A dream he was going to achieve this coming summer,” his family writes.
2020 ‘Uintah sex?’: Utah-themed condom giveaway
canceled after governor objects to innuendo
By Antonia Noori Farzan Washington Post Public health officials in Utah wanted to get
people talking about their new HIV-awareness campaign. So they hired an
advertising firm to come up with a series of provocative, regionally specific
come-ons — “Toss The Jello Salad,” “Explore Utah’s Caves” — and slapped them on
condom packages. The strategy worked — a little too well. On
Wednesday, just hours after the Utah Department of Health began publicizing the
promotion, Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) deemed the jokes too risque and demanded
that officials stop handing out the 100,000 condoms that officials had ordered. “The Governor understands the importance of
the Utah Department of Health conducting a campaign to educate Utahns about HIV
prevention,” a spokeswoman with Herbert’s office said in a statement shared
with The Washington Post. “He does not, however, approve the use of sexual
innuendo as part of a taxpayer-funded campaign, and our office has asked the
department to rework the campaign’s branding.” The Utah-themed condoms, which were paid for
with a federal grant, mixed local in-jokes with juvenile humor, presenting
“SL,UT” as shorthand for Salt Lake City, Utah. One depicted a road sign listing
the distances to Fillmore and Beaver, while another replaced the state’s
tourism slogan, “Greatest Snow on Earth,” with “Greatest Sex on Earth.” Others
played on Utah’s outdoorsy reputation — for instance, pairing “Enjoy Your
Mountin’ ” with a picture of a mountain. “Uintah Sex?” asked another, borrowing the
name of one of the state’s eastern counties. Before the governor shut down the condom
giveaway, Utah health officials told the Salt Lake Tribune that the goofy puns
were designed to spark a conversation around sexual health. “If the condoms are
fun, relatable, sex positive — people are more apt to talk about them, which
we’ve already seen,” Erin Fratto, an official with the Utah Health Department’s
Prevention, Treatment and Care Program, told the paper. In addition to promoting safe sex, the jokey
condom packages encouraged people to visit a website with information about HIV
prevention and treatment. (In 2015, Utah ranked 36th out of 50 states when it
came to the number of HIV diagnoses, according to data from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.) Officials told KUTV that they specifically hoped
to reach people “who are historically harder to reach through traditional
communication channels,” and were working with volunteers to distribute the
condoms at bars and university clinics as well as local health departments. The idea was modeled on successful campaigns
in other conservative Western states, KUTV reported. In 2013, state health
officials in Alaska began handing out condoms with slogans such as “Harness
Your Husky” and “Spawn Safely.” A similar promotion in Wyoming featured
taglines like “Drill Safely.” But the same approach didn’t go over so well in
deep-red Utah, which has many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. One volunteer, Michael Sanders, told the
station that he had been delivering the condoms to bars and LGBTQ centers on
Wednesday when he received an email telling him to stop right away. When he
called the governor’s office to find out what was going on, he said, “I was
told it was an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars.” Late Wednesday, just hours after several news
stories about the condom promotion appeared, the Utah Health Department issued
a statement apologizing for the “offensive packaging” and saying that it
regretted “the lewd nature of the branding.” The package designs “did not go
through necessary approval channels,” the agency said, and the groups helping
to hand them out had been told to stop immediately. “We remain committed to running a campaign to
help in the prevention of HIV and intend to do so in a manner that better
respects taxpayer dollars, and our role as a government agency,” the statement
concluded. Utahns reacting to the about-face on social
media were left with one burning question: What was going to happen to all the
remaining condoms? And what would it take to acquire one? “If you know anything about the ‘Streisand
Effect,’ those Utah-centric condoms that are out on the free market are
probably collector’s items now,” tweeted Fox 13 reporter Ben Winslow.
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