This Day In Gay Utah History January 25th

January 25

1882-Virginia Woolf, writer, was born. She in 1912, she married Leonard Woolf, and n 1917, the Woolfs established Hogarth Press which published the works of several lesbian and gay writers, including E. M. Forster, Christopher Isherwood, and Vita Sackville-West.

1890  Report of the arrests by Salt Lake Poilce in the past year shows only one arrest for the “infamous crime against nature” Deseret News

1899 Policeman Chase arrested Tom Owen and Joseph Morris two characters upon whom the police think it wise to keep close tab. They were found peddling without a license near the Short Line depot .Owen on Dec 25 completed three years term in the penitentiary for the commission of a crime against nature. Jan 7 Morris completed a two years term for the burglary of Fords hotel.  Both were sent up from the Third district court.  Salt Lake Herald

1970 Salt Lake Police stated 210 people were arrested for vice crimes in 1969. 96 people were arrested in 1968 (01/25/1970 SLTribune B1)

1988-Articles of incorporation drawn up for the Utah AIDS Commemorative Quilt Project.  In attendance were Barbara Stockton, Bruce Harmon, Chuck Whyte, Ralph Place, Ben Barr, and Ben Williams.  “When I came home from work I made some chocolate chip cookies for the AIDS Quilt meeting tonight. The meeting was held in my apartment at 7 p.m. In attendance were Barbara Stockton, Bruce Harmon, Chuck Whyte, Ralph Place, Ben Barr, and myself. Terry Thompson wasn’t able to make the meeting nor John Bennett who has a cold. Previous to the meeting I was able to get a hold of Ted Bishop from the Triangle to get the dates changed for the water slide fund raiser from the 13th to the 12th so it doesn’t go into the Triangle with the wrong date. At our meeting we agreed to have another meeting on February 1st to discuss the fund raiser and the distribution of tickets.  On the 8th of February I agreed to have a statement of purpose written and guides lines for the AIDS Quilt Project because Bruce Harmon is too swamped. Ralph Place said that by the 8th he would also have a logo drawn up for the Quilt project.  He also said that he would try to have Jim Tuttle who is a fabric designer call me about what kind of materials to use in the guide line we will be using for quilt submissions.  Ben Barr stated that there is 103 confirmed cases of AIDS in Utah and 89 people have died from the disease.  I volunteered Mark LaMarr to get the forms from the state of Utah for incorporation and filing a non-profit status.  Chuck Whyte said that he would look into getting us a post office box downtown.  Bruce Harmon suggested March 12th to be our kickoff for the AIDS Quilt for the community.  We discussed getting media coverage in the Salt Lake Tribune for the AIDS Quilt. Ralph agreed to be a liaison between San Francisco and Utah. Bruce Harmon suggested that we come to the 8th meeting with task oriented qualifications of what we would be good at doing-coordinating media, transportation, fundraising, location, sewing, etc.  After the meeting Bruce Harmon, Chuck Whyte, and I went up to the U of U to see Satu Servigna who was using the computers there to page set the Triangle. We wanted to see Satu about the ad space for water slide fund raiser. Terry Thompson was supposed to have brought it over.  Anyway it was fun running all over the place with Bruce Harmon.  We were like Lucy and Ethel. Satu Servigna is very sick with a disease similar to multiple sclerosis. It’s so terrible to see her so ill. Ralph Goff was up there with her typesetting with her and a guy named Denver. Anyway we then had to go see Ben Barr about writing an ad for the Triangle. Good men, dedicated to the Gay community.  People don’t realize the effort some sterling people make to build this community. Ben Barr, Chuck Whyte, and Bruce Harmon are up there high on that list of people who unselfishly give time and money to this community. Bruce Harmon was kind enough to share some insights with me. He said that at the Gay Community Council I should not be so verbose about the organizations I support but try to be more concise. I think that’s valid. He also said he thinks I am almost revered in the organizations I do belong to. I just love the Gay community. [1988 Journal of Ben Williams]

1989 UTAH JUSTICES STRIKE DOWN PROVO SEX-SOLICITATION LAW By Jay Evensen and Sheridan R. Hansen, Staff Writers  Wednesday, Jan. 25, 1989 A Provo ordinance outlawing sexual solicitations is unconstitutional and could prohibit a husband and wife from discretely whispering in public about engaging in sex later, the Utah

Supreme Court has ruled. In a 3-2 decision released Tuesday, justices overturned the conviction of Rulon Duane Willden, who was arrested after writing his name and telephone number on walls in public restrooms along with a message soliciting homosexual encounters. In doing so, they invalidated the ordinance under which Willden was arrested, saying it violates the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment guarantees of free speech."No matter how we strain, we cannot find a legitimate construction of the ordinance's clear and explicit language that will bring it within constitutional limits," said the

Michael Zimmerman

court's decision, written by Justice Michael Zimmerman. Chief Justice Gordon R. Hall and Justice Richard C. Howe dissented, saying the ordinance applies only to unlawful sexual conduct in public between people not married. "The ordinance obviously was not intended to prohibit lawful communication between spouses, nor does it sweep within its ambit protected expression," wrote Howe. Provo Mayor Joe Jenkins said the law was basically used by the city in arresting homosexuals soliciting sex in several parks, specifically North Park. The city no longer arrests individuals on that ordinance, instead arresting them on a state lewdness statute. Jenkins said the city will reexamine the code and bring it into line. Willden was arrested after a Provo police officer called the number found in a public restroom and arranged a meeting with him. Willden was convicted by an 8th Circuit judge, and the conviction was upheld by the 4th District Court. Provo officials had argued that the ordinance, if properly interpreted, does not violate the First Amendment. But the majority opinion said the ordinance prohibits a wide variety of solicitations defined as "sexual conduct." "To our knowledge, this state has no statutes that purport to make the wide variety of conduct . . . illegal between married couples or, for that matter, between unmarried adults, when carried out in private," Zimmerman wrote. "It follows that a municipality's flat ban on the public solicitation of all such private activity is a content-based speech regulation that runs afoul of the First Amendment." The Court wrote, "We sympathize with the City's interest in maintaining decorous public conduct, particularly its interest in preventing the publicly offensive behavior that led to Willden's arrest. Unfortunately, in its zeal to eliminate such offensive behavior, the City has chosen to fashion a tool that sweeps far too deeply into the protected province of the first amendment. See, e.g., State v. Tusek, 52 Or.App. 997, 630 P.2d 892 (1981) (holding that an Oregon statute that clearly criminalized public solicitation of private noncriminal sexual activity violated the first amendment)."Utah Supreme Court ruling 

Les Langford

1995 The Salt Lake Tribune Bill to Permit HIV Test Passes House Panel By Lili Wright Six years ago, Utah Highway Patrolman Les Langford pulled over a young, heavily tattooed Utahn speeding down Interstate 15. Langford was searching the suspect's pockets when his thumb was jabbed with a large needle used to inject intravenous drugs. The motorist was arrested, but refused to be tested for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. So Langford, who is married with three children, began "the worst six months of my life. "I thought: 'Am I going to die from this?'" the trooper said. On Tuesday, for the fourth year in a row, Langford took his case to the Legislature, which thrice has rejected such a measure. This year's version, House Bill 78, would allow emergency medical providers and public-safety officers to petition for a blood test from people who have "significantly exposed" them to HIV and other blood-borne pathogens. After 45 minutes of debate, the House Health and Environment Committee endorsed the bill with one dissenting vote by Rep. Gene Davis, D-Salt Lake. He said he feared the bill would further stigmatize people with HIV and AIDS. The bill now moves to the House floor. Representatives from the Utah AIDS Foundation and the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) testified against it, calling it an invasion of privacy. They also pointed out several loopholes in the law. For the first few months of infection, a person with HIV may test negative. And someone unfairly could be blamed for infecting an officer who was, in fact, exposed earlier by someone else, they said. "There is no way to determine where, when and by whom an officer was HIV-infected," said GLUD's

David Nelson

David Nelson. Under the proposed bill, the officer would have to petition district court to order a test on a subject. During a closed-door hearing, required within 20 days, a judge would determine whether or not such a test was warranted. Test results would be confidential and the petitioner would pay the cost of the test. The bill's sponsor, Rep. John Valen

John Valentine

tine, R-Orem, has a personal interest in its passage. As an emergency medical technician for the Utah County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, he has been in situations where he worried about exposure. Valentine believes many people would submit freely to testing and that only a dozen or so cases yearly would actually end up in court. The Utah Department of Health helped draft the bill but has taken no official position on it, said department spokesman Ross Martin. The department is pleased HB-78 would not interfere with the state's anonymous testing program, that results would be confidential and that health-department officials would notify parties of the results.

Anna Nicole Smith

1996-Former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith filed for bankruptcy. One of her biggest creditors was former employee Maria Antonia Cerrato, who was awarded $856,184 in a court case in which she claimed Smith demanded sex from her.

1998 Sunday-Lynn Walter Topovski a native of Ohio, had his final grand curtain call After a life-time of inspiring and enriching others lives throughout the world with his craft of dance, a void will be felt by many. From teaching a grade school class, to performing at the Kennedy Center, Lynn's life was dedicated to the joy of movement and helping others to know that pleasure. Locally, Mark O'Neill, partner of 17 years, his cats Sasha and Maya and a gallery of dear true friends and professional colleagues survive Lynn. Lynn danced all his life. Starting in grade school through a 1973 Magnum cum laude B.A.and 1994 Summa cum laude MFA in from the University of Utah he was either teaching or learning. He performed with the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company for 17 years as a dancer and was assistant director the last five. 1989 marked a move to Hong Kong as senior lector for the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. An assistant professorship was next at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln followed by an assistant professorship at Utah State University, Logan, Utah. The last 13 years of this glorious adventure was spent HIV positive. Let us NEVER discount any persons' capabilities to enrich the world because of HIV/AIDS "Coming out" in the Utah Workplace. Deseret News Article

1998 No anti-nudity bill. No proposal to save broken marriages by making it more difficult to obtain a divorce. No bills to ban gays from student clubs, teaching posts or legal bonds of marriage.  It has some observers pinching themselves and asking, ``Can this be the Utah Legislature?'' And just where are the king and queen of morals legislation -- state Sen. Craig Taylor and Utah Eagle Forum leader Gayle Ruzicka?   One of the curious is Andrew McCullough. A lobbyist for nude-dance clubs, Movie Buffs video stores, and the Utah Naturalists nudist club, McCullough has kept busy in recent years battling a stream of morals legislation. Friday, McCullough was nosing around in the Capitol for the first whiff of any morality bills. He came up empty.  ``What am I going to do with myself?'' puzzles McCullough.  In fact, the 1998 Utah Legislature appears devoid of proposals to create new ``blue laws.'' That controversy vacuum contributed to what one legislative leader called an ``eerie calm'' during the session's first week.   McCullough wondered if the serenity was encouraged by the opening speech of House Speaker Mel Brown.   ``It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies,'' Brown said, quoting author C.S. Lewis. ``Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.''   In an interview Friday, Brown said his remarks were not a warning to keep the lid on morals legislation, but a general expression of his views on individual responsibility. ``That was more a reflection of philosophy about the intrusion of government into our lives,'' Brown explains. ``You can call it morals, you can call it whatever you want. But shouldn't people have the responsibility and the right to make their own decisions?'' Morals legislation long has been a mainstay of Utah's Legislature, whose 104 lawmakers include at least 90 members of the predominant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Five years ago, lawmakers were occupied over the right of public officials to open government meetings with prayer.   It was a fiercely divisive debate that flamed out when the Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of prayer. The next session was relatively quiet on the morals front, producing a law requiring ``values'' education in schools, encouraging such things as honesty, temperance and morality. Capping the 1995 session -- just seconds before its midnight deadline -- legislators strengthened Utah's ban on same-sex marriage. Homosexuality also was a focus the next year, as a frenzied drive to ban gay and lesbian student-support clubs from public high schools churned up much of the time and energy of legislators and Gov. Mike Leavitt.  And in 1997, lawmakers argued over a far-reaching anti-nudity bill and one proposing to bolster families by abolishing no-fault divorce for couples with children.  The measures passed the Senate, but then died with a whimper in the House Rules Committee. Promises to resurrect the nudity and no-fault divorce measures in the current session may have been mostly bluster.  They are not to be found among the nearly 1,000 bills tossed into the legislative hopper -- or at least the ones that are open to public inspection. About 100 of the proposals are being kept confidential at the request of sponsoring legislators. And there is no telling what may pop out from those.   ``Some of these issues,'' Brown says, referring to the anti-nudity and no-fault divorce bills, ``will surface before the session's over. We still have the same people who are driven by the same motives.''  But one of the key players suggests otherwise.   Taylor, R-Kaysville, sponsored the 1996 gay-club ban and both major morals bills last year. He says he will sponsor anti-nudity and strict divorce proposals only if they first pass the House, where they died quietly a year ago. Taylor says he is ``pragmatic'' enough not to want to go through the exercise without a real prospect of passage.  He insisted he is wrongly labeled as a moral crusader.  ``If you look at the sum total of the legislation I've sponsored, only 5 percent to 10 percent'' deals with morality issues, Taylor says.   He claims Democrats are ramping up allegations of fanaticism in an attempt to unseat him in the November election. `They're trying to place me clear over in outer space'' on the political spectrum, says Taylor. ``It is all posturing.'' Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell, D-Sandy, scoffs at the notion Democrats create a ``right-wing wacko'' boogeyman to frighten voters.   He pulls out of his drawer a flier used by his Republican opponent Bob Warnick in the last election. Four of the five issues used to contrast the candidates' views deal with morals legislation -- from gay student clubs to a moment of silence. ``They always use that crap,'' Howell says with disgust. House Democratic Leader Dave Jones says moralistic litmus-test bills traditionally are trotted out in election years like this one. ``I hope it's not true this time. Our question is, what's all this preoccupation with sex?'' Jones asks. ``Let's get on with it.'' That sentiment is shared by a Republican House colleague in a position to do something about it -- House Rules Chairman Bill Hickman, R-St. George. Hickman is a man of few words on so-called morality legislation.  In fact, he prefers silence. Hickman is widely credited with having killed last year's anti-nudity and no-fault divorce bills. His Rules Committee is the gateway for all legislation. Last year, he made it the graveyard for the two measures.  If the bills resurface this year, ``we would review those very closely,'' he says. ``If they were the same legislation as last year, the results may very well be the same. . . . We've got bigger fish to fry.'' Ruzicka, head of the Utah Eagle Forum and the queen of morals legislation, sounds almost resigned to take a raincheck on the nudity and divorce fronts this year. ``We're still talking to some legislators,'' she says. ``But unless there's some support in the House and from leadership, we may not see them.'' Ruzicka insists her group's legendary clout -- fueled by a phone tree that can light up the Capitol Hill switchboard – is not slipping. Rather she says the Eagle Forum's attention has been diverted elsewhere -- including assisting in the lawsuit against lesbian school teacher Wendy Weaver in Spanish Fork and the Provo City fight against a downtown topless dance club.  ``We didn't put [the anti-nudity and anti-divorce bills] on the top of our list. If they'd been on the top of our list, we would have sponsors by now,'' she says. Instead, Ruzicka's flock is homing in on the seemingly innocuous target of charter schools -- nonsectarian schools that operate with tax monies but are exempt from many government rules and regulations. The governor is high on charter schools, and has recommended that Utah join a majority of states in joining the initiative promoted by the Clinton administration. While Leavitt sees charter schools as a way to experiment and innovate, Ruzicka views them darkly as a form of creeping ``fascism.'' ``It's a federal government take over of schools. Last time I looked, it was called fascism,'' she said. ``To me, it's a moral issue. God in no way can be part of these schools,'' Ruzicka said. ``And we need to protect the private schools of this nation.'' (01/25/1998 SLTribune Page: A1)

1999 Organizational Meeting to renew Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah  “As a project of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah, the purpose of the monthly forum is to provide a central point for net working and intercommunity communications”-Doug Wortham (The Pillar February 1999)

1999-President Clinton nominated finance writer Andrew Tobias to be treasurer of the Democratic National Committee. Tobias also wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Best Little Boy in the World under the pen name "John Reid" back in 1973.

Geoff Partain

2003 Ben, One of my pet projects for Pride is to bring LGBT history and "trivia" into our Pride events.  This year it's going to happen, and I thought you could help me bring this project to fruition. On the grounds of Pride this year we will erect 10 three-sided kiosks.  On two sides will be 3' X 6' panels containing local and universal LGBT history 'sound bites' and bits of queer trivia such as lists of LGBT people throughout history, timelines of significant events, or the history of the rainbow flag.  On the third side will be events and entertainment schedules or sponsor's ads. Here's where you come in.  With your expertise in matters historical I thought you would be the perfect person to help me cull together the information and 'sound bites' for the kiosk panels.   I'm not sure how much information we can fit onto each panel, but I think five to ten items per panel is a good start.  I think most bits of information should be brief, but I'd like a few panels to contain more detailed information about especially significant historical items. If you are interested in helping me with this project, please let me know at your earliest convenience. Regards, Geoff Partain.

2004 (Utah Gay Forum) I am glad the GLBT communities are getting so involved and activated over the "pulling of a gay film". I do wish, however, that we could get so mobilized over things that truly effect our everyday lives. The State Legislature is attempting to remove forever our right to be married. Not only that, but to remove access to the courts by people from outside of Utah who move here and are in a same sex marriage. This effects us NOW and in our every day lives. House bill 64 is the Hate Crimes Bill this year and again, we are fighting an uphill battle to get protections for the effected groups. Please contact your legislators and let them know, as you all have done to Madstone, that we are not going to take it anymore. Mike Picardi

2004-(Utah Gay Forum) For your information, Mr. Cloward, The Lesbian Avengers have also put in several volunteer hours at PWACU, organize a monthly queer art event, put on an educational forum for women, and are currently raising money for the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. If these are negative activities, I would hate to see the standard for positive. KAP

2004 (Utah Gay Forum) Let me start by saying that I speak for myself and not for the group. You're right, we should all just sit back and be nice quiet little Queers and wait for the heteros to pass out our equal rights to us. Give me a freaking break... you have got to be joking. The "protest" wasn't to change the minds of church leaders.  It was a F*ck you to the fact that the LDS church has so vehemently opposed Queer marriage, both in words and with countless thousands of dollars (Hawaii for example).  And also to it's many, many, very Homophobic speeches (comparing us to child-molesters) and practices (aversion and electro-shock therapy done at BYU as late as the 80's). It also was to show the LDS leadership and members that we WILL marry we already Do.  Regardless of what they say or preach or how much money they contribute to fight Queer marriage, we WILL marry anyway.  Maybe not legally right now, but we will marry and celebrate our love and lives and have our own brand of family, regardless of all their hateful efforts. "Disgust and Offend", huh?  Wow, it's too bad to hear that you think Queers kissing is disgusting and offensive.  Maybe you should look at your own internalized Homophobia.  And don't try to say "no, I don't think Queers kissing is disgusting and offensive", why would those words ever even enter your head unless you Did.  Talk about feeling disgusted and offended.  And what is so "disgusting and offensive" to you about the idea of two Queers "marrying"? Another thing.. I truly appreciate all the hours people have put into lobbying etc.  However, there is also a place time for in-your-face Queers and protests.  It was angry Queers in the form of ACT-UP who brought attention to the AIDS crisis and the fact that gay men were dying with little or no help.  It was die-in's, screaming and even arrests, held by angry Queers, that brought the needed attention to the crisis, not the nice, quiet, don't-rock-the-boat homosexuals sitting back and playing cutesy with the heteros. I could go on with examples, but the basics are that it's the people who put themselves out there that create change, not the assimilationists. I hope that you will learn to love and embrace your own Queeress and not see it as "disgusting and offensive."  It is truly a beautiful ... or maybe I should say Faaaabulous thing. Toni Palmer

Mike Thompson

2006 Wednesday-• Dear Equality Member: Please join us from 5pm-7pm upstairs at Baci for our 'OUT for Equality' event. 50 people were present for our kick-off event and the numbers are sure to grow as we go. Nibble on appetizers, have a drink with friends and meet other members of our community -- $5 at the door or free for 2006 Equality Utah members. Our special guest will be Rep. Jackie Biskupski who will provide insight on the first week of the legislative session: HB90 -- the new Hate Crimes legislation; HB304 - LaVar Christensen's "Voiding Transactions against Public Policy." Also, the deadline for filing bills is Thursday and we've seen nothing from Senator Buttars on GSA's.- Mike Thompson Executive Director

2006 Turin 2006 Under Shadow of '02 Scandal: Can this happen again? Book says it can:

Jon Jackson

A Utah native and ex-skating judge insists nothing has changed By Michael C. Lewis The Salt Lake Tribune Jon Jackson insists that despite all of its exterior remodeling, figure skating is no more immune to judges' shenanigans now than it was at the Salt Lake City Olympics. A former skater and international judge, the 41-year-old Centerville native was among a small group who blew the whistle on the infamous French judge at the center of the 2002 scandal. Four years later, he has written a book that chronicles the corruption, offers a scathing indictment of the figure-skating culture and charges that the new scoring system meant to head off further collusion among judges will do no such thing. "Buying a new Mercedes for a drunk driver doesn't solve the problem," he said. "The problem was the people using the system, not the system itself." In On Edge: Backroom Dealing, Cocktail Scheming, Triple Axels, and How Top Skaters Get Screwed, Jackson recounts the sordid details of the scandal in Salt Lake City from his view on the inside. For instance, he stood in a West Coast Hotel hallway in downtown Salt Lake while judge Marie-Reine LeGougne (a "designer furball" in the book) allegedly spilled her guts about her involvement in a vote-swapping deal. He also ravages just about every aspect of the community in which he was for years so deeply involved. He rails about the competency of its leadership, the ethics of its judges, and the entangled sexual relationships that he says wind throughout the sport and compromise its integrity. "The game-playing judges are a parasitic army of insecure barnacles," he writes, "many of whom have gone out of their way to live exotic lifestyles . . . Too many are fake and phony, from their monotone hair color to their plastic-surgeon-pulled faces, to their skating wardrobe-filled closets [mine notwithstanding]. Some are a little trashy, a little edgy." While the book has yet to create the kind of buzz that the scandal it focuses on did, with the opening of the Turin Games just a couple of weeks away, it is likely to at least dredge up some uncomfortable memories in the figure skating community. "Having read the book, I can say, personally, it's really a re-hash of old news, personal attacks and baseless allegations," said David Raith, the executive director of the U.S. Figure Skating Association. "And there's nothing more that this organization would respond to." The nefarious episode that Jackson chronicles was ignited by the instantly questionable scoring in the pairs competition, which awarded the gold medal to Russians Anton Sikharulidze and Elena Berezhnaya over Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. Tearful news conferences and an explosive media firestorm soon followed, until eventually dual gold medals were awarded in the pairs for the first time. The decision was largely based on what LeGougne had allegedly confessed in front of Jackson and British skating official Sally-Anne Stapleford: her role in a plan to assure gold for a French couple in the ice dancing by trading first-place votes for the Russians in the pairs event.The disclosure gave voice to age-old whispers about backroom deals in the sport, though LeGougne later recanted her admission that she was pressured by her national federation to favor the Russians. "I was blown away," Jackson writes. After the scandal, international skating officials set about creating a new scoring system meant to curb cheating by randomly choosing the scores of only nine of the 12 judges to rate a skater, thus making it impossible to know whose marks are being used. Additionally, judges were required to evaluate individual elements in a skater's program almost instantaneously on a computer screen. Several skaters who recently competed at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis said they had not read the book nor heard much about it - the book was published two days before the skaters began their competition - but definitely planned to read it. Former gold medalist Scott Hamilton had yet to see the book, either, but agreed with the notion that skating now suffers from the anonymity the new system grants the judges. Once the youngest American world-level judge, Jackson testified at several key hearings in the wake of the scandal. He said he decided to write the book after his failed attempts to reform figure skating from the inside. Jackson joined a number of top skaters and officials - noted referee Ron Pfenning, in charge of the pairs competition at Salt Lake, among them - in trying to form a new skating federation to usurp the International Skating Union. The plan ultimately failed, and Jackson was thrown out of the ISU along with other aspiring reformers such as Pfenning and Stapleford, the chairwoman of the ISU technical committee four years ago. "I think I'm pretty much persona non grata," Jackson said. "Many people view me as the kiss of death to be seen with, so to speak. I get a few e-mails that will say, 'I'd love to have lunch with you, but let's wait until we're away from the arena some other time.' '' Jackson devotes a good portion of his book to growing up in Centerville, visiting local landmarks like Lagoon, the Dead Goat Saloon, La Caille restaurant and the old Salt Palace. He also writes about coming to terms with his homosexuality in a family descended from LDS Church pioneers. And there is humor, such as the passages describing his wide-eyed wonder at visiting small towns as a young skater, his first "boy date," and his effort to forcibly remove a young Tonya Harding from his hotel room, where she had been watching pornographic movies with the sister of a friend. "She almost outmaneuvered me!" he writes. But the most captivating - and at times, toxic - portions of the book are reserved for the system he says continues to fail. Jackson describes ISU officials as a "merry band of thieves, suck-ups, and chimps, thick in their arrogance and control of the sport," and complains that cheating judges are not punished severely enough to keep them from coming back "to screw over ‘ Looking ahead While Jackson, Pfenning and Stapleford have been banned for life from the ISU, LeGougne was eligible to judge again this season, except for the Olympics. And after the Turin Games next month, she will be bound by no such exception. The author Jon Jackson is a native Utahn and retired attorney who spent years as a competitive figure skater and international judge before helping blow the whistle on the scandal at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. The French judge Marie-Reine LeGougne allegedly admitted to playing a role in a plan to assure a gold medal for a French couple in ice dancing by trading first-place votes for the Russians in the pairs event.

2007 Consenting adults Bill would repeal law against sodomy By Matt Canham The Salt Lake Tribune Utah's only openly gay senator is sponsoring a bill to eliminate the state's anti-sodomy law. But Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, said the bill has nothing to do with his sexuality. "I'm doing this bill for all the consenting adults who don't want the government's nose in their business," he said. "It applies to heterosexual individuals with equal force." The bill, released for the first time on Wednesday, is largely symbolic because the U.S. Supreme Court already struck down anti-sodomy laws more than three years ago. But McCoy's measure will still face heavy opposition from people such as West Jordan Republican Sen. Chris Buttars. He promised Wednesday to "fight that all the way." "You can like sodomy, I don't," he said. "I think sodomy is sickening." McCoy will try to gain support from conservative lawmakers who routinely support legislation aimed at Utah's gay population by describing his bill as a "conservative" measure. "This is a 'government get out of my life' bill," McCoy said. Previous attempts to remove Utah's defunct sodomy law have failed, even after the Supreme Court's 6 to 3 ruling in 2003. In that case, the court struck down Texas' law banning consensual sex between adults of the same sex and in the process impacted 12 other states including Utah that ban oral or anal sex, even among consenting adults. Paul Boyden of the Statewide Association of Prosecutors said the Supreme Court has already decided this issue, no matter what the Legislature does. "Obviously we are not going to prosecute them anyway," he said. mcanham@sltrib.com  SB169 Removes Utah's defunct anti-sodomy law. Next step: Will be introduced in the Senate.