This Day In Gay Utah History February 20th

20 February

Joe Redburn 

1973 Joe Redburn, a talk show host for KTALK opens a Gay Bar called the Sun in the former Railroad Exchange Tavern at 1 South 400 West. Building has since been demolished for the Larry Miller Jazz Arena Complex. The Sun Tavern was on the northwest corner of South Temple and 400 West. The Sun Tavern was Utah's first Gay owned bar to be homosexual oriented at its opening in Salt Lake City.  [The days when Gay bars were much, much more than a place to get a drink or party on a weekend have come to a close. The insulated world of Gay men bars, and Lesbian Bars, where a sense of safety and retreat from a hostile world was as much a part of the bar experience as anything else, are over. Bars were the community centers, where the exchange of ideas on what it meant to be Gay was manifested. In a Gay bar you knew you were not alone even though often Gay bars could be the loneliest place for the uninitiated. The laughter and camaraderie of others could heighten the sense of being alone. But still it was better than the outside world. Today's [2005] Gay Friday or Tuesday or whatever at straight bars, or the hoards of heterosexuals who decend on Gay dance clubs have all but eliminated a sense of belonging to a Bar sub culture that reflects Gay Sensibilities. None of the Salt Lake City bars that existed for the Gay Communnity in the 1970’s and 1980's still exist accept for the Radio City Lounge which has fallen in dispute and some would suggest that it stop being referred to as a Gay Bar. The Rusty Bell became the premier Lesbian Bar of the 1980's, Puss and Boots is now a Mexican outlet store on Redwood Road. At times it was a meat market called EL Toro. The name made me laugh and reminded me of the many Bull Dykes I once knew there. The legendary Sun was destroyed by a tornado and is now a vacant lot. The Deerhunter burned down and is also a vacant lot. The InBetween became Bricks, became mixed, then straight and has gone through many incarnations since becoming currently Club "Sound". Backstreet which opened in 1984 at 108 South 500 West became Club 108 then Kings then Axis but now is some other straight dance club adjacent to the Gate Way. BackStreet- now that was a fun bar! Many an excellent Royal Court show or community show was performed on its stage. Your Place or Mine, (aka Your Face or Mine) which was a Lesbian Bar, is now the location of Mischevious, an adult novelty store with still a Gay flair. Aggies and Bogarts in Sugar House is no more. Reflections which changed to Reflections Good Time Place at 315 West 400 South sits vacant. The Rail at 363 West South Temple is apart of the Delta Center complex. Studio 8 at 8 West 200 South is gone. In the mid 1980's The Cavern existed for about five minutes somewhere east of State Street in Salt Lake. The 1970's Gay bar section of Salt Lake was anchored by The Sun in the seedy South Temple section between 3rd West and 4th West near the basically abandoned Union Pacific Station. It was dark, creepy, and scary but it kept the heterosexuals away. When some oil rich Arab decided to buy up property in what was then the west section of SLC, the Gay bars were pushed further across the tracks into the old red-light and warehouse district of 2nd South between 5th West and 6th South. When the InBetween first opened, hookers were still regularly plying their trade on the corner of 2nd South and 6th West. Salt Lake Red Light District was rapidly becoming the Gay Way with InBetween, The Sun, and Backstreet all within walking distance from each other. It was a longer walk, but the fearless (or drunk)could cut through Pioneer Park at night and could easily reach the Deerhunter on 3^rd West and 6th South. Puss and Boots, secluded out on the far end of Salt Lake City on Redwood Road and about 7th South, was definitely a drive to but the dirt parking lot was always packed. Gay men were tolerated (by some) in the bar if they were accompanied by women. Even then some Lesbian might take a man's presence in the bar as an effrontery and a heated exchange might occur. The men had their Deerhunter where the presence of women was equally unwelcomed. The InBetween was a Gay man's bar but women were not shunned. BackStreet was definitely a mixed men and women bar while of course the Sun entertained all Gays and adventurous straights. Sometimes straights would crash a Gay bar to observe Gay people as if in zoological curiosity. This did not make straights welcome in what to many Gays in the 1980's felt were sanctuaries where Gays could be themselves without the prying and judgmental eyes of heteroes. The InBetween posted a sign on their door saying it was a Gay establishment, and for Heteroes to behave or go somewhere else! Twenty years later some would argue that assimilationists have effectively destroyed our Gay enclaves whether they be bars, support groups, and even neighborhoods. But time changes everything and the new generation of Gays will create their own habitates...But that's another story.[ Memoirs of Ben Williams]

1982-The British medical journal Lancet announced that "poppers" damage the immune system, raising suspicions that they were the cause of AIDS.

Michael Aarn

1986- Michael Aaron, Gay and Lesbian Liaison to the Utah State Senate District 1 sought an amendment to an existing Heath Department appropriation bill to provide funding for AIDS education. Senator Terry Williams (D-SLC) spokesman for the measure. To date, agencies such as the Salt Lake AIDS Foundation hadnot received funding from the state.

1987- Sen. Stephen Rees, R-Salt Lake sponsored Senate Bill 156  bill making it illegal for people with AIDS to marry. He argued the state had a compelling right to protect public health however he was backed mostly by several insurance lobbies, which did not  want to pay benefits to surviving family members. Utah was the only state that invalidates marriage if a partner contracts AIDS.: (07/15/93  Page: A1 SLTribune) Rees served on Capitol Hill from 1980 to 1996 His liver transplant from a live donor was first in the Intermountain west. In 1987 Reese supported a bill redefining common law marriages to take welfare mothers  living with a partner off welfare rolls and added an AIDS amendment outlawing marriages that has at least one partner infected with the disease

1989 Monday- Jim Hunsaker called and wanted me to go with him to Lesbian and Gay Student Union. Garth Chamberlain led the meeting on Dealing With Loneliness. Lots of new faces at LGSU. I needed LGSU at one time but I have out grown it. George Marshall was his still obnoxious self and self proclaimed leader of LGSU. Joe Dewey wasn’t at the meeting but Liz Pitts was.  I asked  Brook Hallock to do a work shop for Beyond Stonewall. I also gave the Youth Group a Delta Institute application if they want to join. [1989 Journal of Ben Williams]

1991-North Carolinians Against Racist and Religious Violence announced that they received more reports of hate crimes in 1990 than any other year. Most common victims were g/l/b's, followed by African-Americans.

1992 A benefit dinner was held for the Horizon House, a support facility for people with AIDS and their families in Utah, at Don Antonio's Mexican Restaurant, Horizon House is an all-volunteer organization. Its projects included craft therapy, a drop-in program for homebound people with AIDS, a clothing bank and 12-step programs for those with HIV.

1992-State Circuit Judge William Norris Jr. in Florida requested that a citizens petition to remove him from the bench be rejected. He had attempted suicide after his family received pictures of him having sex with a man. He said he was not Gay, but had a drinking problem.

1996 The Salt Lake City School Board voted 4-3 to ban all extracurricular clubs, rather than be required to give the East High Gay Straight Alliance club equal access.

Doug Fadel 

1998- QUAC, or the Queer Utah Aquatic Club hosted members of IGLA, or International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics, over Presidents Day for the second Ski and Swim Weekend. The focus of the weekend was a huge masters swim meet at the University of Utah. With more than 85 members, QUAC ranked with San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and San Diego as one of the largest Aquatic Clubs in the nation. QUAC’s coach and co-founder is Doug Fadel.

2003 "It's a bitter reality that the Castro's historic climate of political resistance has given way to a Homosexual Gentry who see homeless queer youth as an irritant on their way home from Pottery Barn."  - Kirk Read writing in the San Francisco Bay Times,  Chad Keller commented “We will being hearing statements like this soon in Salt Lake as the Center assimilates and homogenizes the UT Gay People.  

2003 THIS PARTY IS SURE TO ROCK SALT LAKE CITY!!! Millcreek Broadcasting and the People With AIDS Coalition of Utah invite you to the 2nd Annual Grammy's Party Live at the Hard Rock Café, (505 S. 600 E. Trolley Square) Sunday, February 23rd, 2003 starting at 5pm $5.00 donation at the door We are once again rolling out the red carpet for a magical evening complete with look-a-like stars, spot-lights, limo's, giveaways as well as auction items, all to raise money for the People With AIDS Coalition of Utah. We hope to see you there! Toni Johnson, Director People With AIDS Coalition of Utah 1390 South 1100 East, Suite 107 Salt Lake City, Utah 84105

2003 Dear All, The Gay and Lesbian Public Safety Liaison Committee in conjunction with the Salt Lake City Police Department, will be hosting an informal meeting for the bar owners, bar managers and security staff of Salt Lake City's GLBT-oriented bars. The meeting will be on March 5 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah Inc. (upstairs) at 355 North 300 West. Members of the SLCPD Vice and Narcotics Squads will be available to answer questions concerning licensing, compliance, drug trends and other issues. Representatives from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will also be available. We would like this to be a comfortable meeting with open dialogue. If you have any issues that you would like to have addressed (but do not feel comfortable bringing them up), please e-mail them to Don and we will ask your question while maintaining your confidentiality. Thanks ... Fergie [Donald Steward]

2004 Queer Utah Aquatic Club hosted annual Ski and Swim Weekend. A Brief History of the Founding of Queer Utah Aquatic Club written by Q Salt Lake Staff writer, Brad Di Iorio- In life, there are those individuals who help us create, learn and grow. Some would argue that this is the essence of living, that interaction with other humans is essential in feeling emotion, building and creating the world we choose to live in, and bringing meaning to the direction of the lives we have chosen for ourselves. It could also be said that this is true for groups, too. Behind every organization or club, there are usually one or two people who inspire the formation of that group. The Queer Utah Aquatic Club had such an inspirational spirit behind its beginnings, in a little known collaboration between a straight, female swimmer, wYllis Dorman-Li; a Masters swimming coach, Utah’s out,  estate planning and wills-and-trust lawyer Doug Fadel; and David

Douglas Fadel 

Ferguson, an aspiring tri-athlete honing his swimming skills. “It was [Dorman-Li’s] idea to start a gay and lesbian swim club. When I first met her she thought I was gay, but I didn’t tell her I was.”A Helping Person…That was the type of person Dorman-Li was, according to friends and the people she interacted with. She could have a gruff way about her but she wasn’t a gruff person, said Lucille Hesse, who along with husband Jim Gebhardt helped run the local Chavurah B’Yachad Jewish Congregation, which Dorman-Li formed after leaving the local Congregation Kol Ami in the mid 90s. “WYllis was running the show for a couple of years [at Chavurah B’Yachad] and she didn’t pull any punches when she was communicating with people, so I was the person that joined as co-president during a two year period, maybe it was 94-95,” recalled Gebhardt. Dorman-Li was born in 1937 and grew

David Ferguson 

up in Brooklyn, New York. She received her BA from City University of New York with majors in political science and psychology, and a minor in business administration, and also joined a program that helped the poor in Haiti during Francois Papa Doc Duvalier’s presidency. She did graduate studies in psychology at the New School for Social Research, New York City and also studied fine arts at Newark State College, and human resources management at the University of Utah. Dorman-Li also volunteered extensively for the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training, a nonprofit organization that promotes understanding and appreciation of Jewish values through a global network of schools and training programs in 62 countries. “She was her own person,” said Paula Forster, her sister, who now resides in Arizona. “She was a flower child, living in Greenwich Village, and she was always going to school to learn things and get degrees. She was just a helping person. She was an activist and was very involved in politics in New York.” So how did Dorman-Li come to reside in Utah? Her good friend Olga Nadeau was instrumental in her making the move to Salt Lake City. “We met in New York,” said Nadeau, who was born and raised in Utah and went to New York to dance. “She helped me pack my things up and I moved back to Utah and she came out and stayed out here for awhile and then decided to stay out here.” Nadeau and Dorman-Li had lived in the West Village, half of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, known for being an eclectic, active, vibrant and ethnically diverse place during the late 60s and early 70s, and a popular home for artists. Nadeau and Dorman-Li met at Kol Ami and also both volunteered at the ORT’s New York headquarters. Dorman-Li was never married but cohabitated with Richard Ligh for over 30 years. Ligh followed her to Utah and lived with her until her death in 1998. He died several years later. At some point, Dorman-Li dropped the ‘gh’ of Ligh when signing her name, and Fadel said he knew her only as Dorman-Li. “She was a contrarian, and if you had one thought she would take the other side,” said Doris Krensky, another friend who was part of the Chavurah B’Yachad in Salt Lake City. “She stood out in Utah and everyone loved her. Richard died after her but didn’t function too well after she left.” Dorman-Li also served as a Utah Representative, winning a two-year term as a Democrat from 76-78. She did run again after her term was up, but was not re-elected. A Deseret News article described her image as ‘militant feminist,’ especially as she actively campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment and public funding of abortions. According to her sister, Dorman-Li developed uterine cancer and though she did not have health insurance, she eventually had a hysterectomy to help fight the disease, and took up swimming for exercise at Steiner Aquatic Center. Here she met Fadel, who had been swimming and had become a Master’s coach in 1992. As Fadel recalls, Dorman-Li just approached him [while sitting in the hot tub following practice one day] at the pool one day and suggested that he compete in the gay and lesbian swimming meets that were held in the U.S., specifically mentioning the Gay Games about to take place in New York. I didn’t know her and I wasn’t that out, so I thought it was strange she was talking to me. WYllis did the research and found out about an international gay and lesbian swimming competition being held in United States each year. She was able to get me in contact with the Washington, D.C. team, and I competed in 1995 in several events with that team. -Doug Fadel Meanwhile, Dorman-Li had been literally bumping into another male swimmer at the Steiner pool during lap swim. David Ferguson had always been semi-athletic while growing up in Murray, and attending Cottonwood High School and then the University of Utah. “In my late twenties, I was running marathons and one of my friends suggested I try a triathlon,” said Ferguson, “So I began swimming. That’s when I started swimming at Steiner Aquatic Center. I pretty much swam on my own there until I met wYllis.” David recalls meeting wYllis…Apparently, wYllis did not appreciate how I was sharing the lane and scolded me in a way my mother never could. WYllis’s scolding was so frightening that it felt like she had cast a spell on me. I warned friends I would see at Steiner not to share a lane with ‘wYllis, the witch,’ because the same might happen to them. -David Ferguson One day, Dorman-Li approached Ferguson about starting a gay and lesbian swimming club, and mentioned that she had already been speaking with Fadel about it. Fadel and Ferguson had met at the Utah AIDS Foundation, where both were volunteering at the time. Fadel remembered that after he participated on the Washington. D.C. gay and lesbian swim club, he, Dorman-Li and Ferguson formed an informational meeting about creating Utah’s first gay and lesbian swim team.  Here QUAC was formed. “With a core of about nine swimmers, recruiting began at the Sun [a former Salt Lake City gay bar destroyed in 1999 by a tornado], with clipboards and personality. There was a core group of eight to ten folks and we sort of took over a lane or two at the Old South High pool,” said Ferguson . Doug initially did all the coaching, but eventually, more coaches were added. Fadel said that the group quickly grew to about 100 participants in the first six months: It was important to have diversity, and so we were trying to recruit from all over. Dorman-Li became the treasurer, taking care of email lists and getting the information out, while taking in voluntary dues. We had a scholarship program if someone couldn’t afford the dues to get into the pool, noted Fadel. “QUAC became a part of the already establish Utah Master’s Swimming organization and with that affiliation, there was some crossover in practice and meets. The first meet QUAC competed in was a Utah Master’s meet at the University of Utah,” said Ferguson. “We had bought swim caps with the QUAC logo printed on them and the idea was to wear the caps while competing. The trouble was that it clearly marked us as the ‘gay team,’ so folks were a little sheepish. An accomplished swimmer and friend of Dorman-Li, Priscilla Kawakami, who was a member of Utah Masters, came over to the team during the meet and asked if she could wear one of the caps. QUAC became a part of Utah Masters and is the largest swimming group in the organization to this day.” “Soon after that, Doug and I convinced the team to go to Washington, D.C. , to compete at an [International Gay and Lesbian Association] IGLA meet,” said Ferguson. “I don’t remember how many swimmers joined us on the trip, but we clearly made a splash as the little team that could from Utah.” In 1997, QUAC entered the Pink Flamingo competition at the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics meet and won the song and dance competition. “We created a synchronized swimming routine and that is what it has become to this day,” said Fadel. Dorman-Li, Fadel, and Ferguson continued developing QUAC but also were accomplishing other goals and facing other challenges in their lives. Dorman-Li taught geography at Salt Lake Community College from 1993 to 1996. Fadel was busy establishing his law firm in Bountiful and was instrumental in establishing non-profit status for QUAC, SLC Frontrunners and IGLA. Fadel served as IGLA treasurer and then became IGLA’s president. Meanwhile, Ferguson, who was working for an insurance company, learned that he was HIV positive in 1998 and left his job to find himself. I was hired at UAF to design HIV prevention and education programs for gay men in Utah, he said. I eventually became Programming Director and completed graduate school when I received my Masters of Social Work. I worked there for nine years. Dorman-Li, Fadel, and Ferguson also created the first Aqua Aid in 1996, which has now become one of QUAC’s annual fundraisers. “Aqua Aid came about as part of UAF’s Soiree series that invited individuals to host parties at their homes and invite their friends,” said Ferguson. “QUAC had just competed in San Diego with its now legendary synchronized swimming routine performed to Doris Day singing Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps. QUAC was the entertainment at one of these soirees doing its own version of water ballet.” At her last AQUA AID wYllis participated in her wheel chair, dressed as a mermaid, and “sang along” to the song “I’m getting too old for the oldest profession”. Held for the first ten years at the home of Joe Pitti and his partner Mark Chambers, Aqua Aid also has been held in the pool where Babylon is now located, and more recently at Quinn Richins and Cary Sanford’s home. “Doug conceptualized Aqua Aid. We helped it grow,” said Pitti. “Mark and I performed with QUAC just for Aqua Aid. In addition to the synchronized swimming we had roaming performers, [a] raffle supported by the major arts groups in SLC, and an auction featuring a Sundance Film Festival package.” Another QUAC event the trio founded was the annual QUAC Ski-n-Swim. “Initially it was my idea. I was going to circuit parties around the country and I thought we should capitalize on having a party that focused on skiing and swimming in Utah,” said Ferguson. “We rented the Gallivan Plaza Skating Rink and had it all to ourselves and we held snowshoeing up Emigration Canyon, near my home, that first year.” Ferguson remembers inviting many of the other swim clubs for the weekend, and said QUAC had about 100 visitors participate in the first Ski-n-Swim, which included a swim meet, a day of skiing at a local hill, and various parties and events like skating and snowshoeing. Eventually Dorman-Li’s cancer became serious enough that she needed to use a wheelchair. However, she could still swim and she still participated in QUAC meets. When she had difficulty walking and she was undergoing radiation, they took care of her when she was sick, said her sister, Forster. Ferguson actually took Dorman-Li into his home when she was recovering from hip surgery. She died with dignity and self-respect surrounded by a beautifully odd and unlikely collection of people who loved her deeply, he said. WYllis’ death was and continues to be a powerfully moving experience for me because I got to witness the personal and far-reaching value of a life that is lived consciously and with authenticity. The spell ‘wYllis, the witch’ cast on me is one of my life’s great blessings. Ferguson moved to San Francisco to be with his partner in August of 2009, and Fadel is still a substitute coach for QUAC. Fadel also participated in the most recent fundraiser for QUAC held at Club JAM where he donned a wig, lip synched and danced during the entertainment portion of the evening. Fadel also was honored with the ‘wYllis Dorman-Li, QUAC Founder’s Award’ for being the most inspirational and motivational member of QUAC since its existence, the first time the award has been given. ​As swimming is a sport that can be learned at any time in a person’s life and improved upon with practice and determination, QUAC is a gay and lesbian community group that supports current, returning and new swimmers. Over the years, Fadel estimates that over 5,000 people have swam, played water polo or participated in diving with QUAC. Anyone can join and there are always three coaches at any given practice to help people of all experience levels, and there is a lane for those just beginning.

2004 What ever happened to- "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more?" We have been called by the people we pay taxes to-"perverts, destroyers of the sacred institution of marriage, and even the catalysts for the collapse of Western Civilization", and yet we do nothing! Even the Constitution is to be tampered with; to insure inequality in America by these cads! and yet we do nothing. If left to their own devises, the radical religious far right will do away with all aspects of humanism. When are the Lambda leaders going to call for demonstrations and sit- ins? Civil Disobedience to unjust laws is the birth right of all Americans! Doesn't anyone read Thoreau anymore? (By the way he was Gay) The radical right has never been on the correct side of any positive social change and never will be! They are the fascists, the exploiters, the dividers- who have never come up with one original thought! There have always been the Tories, the loyalists, inquisitors, and supporters of privilege and elitism; the impeders to the extension of Freedom. Now for the drones in the Utah State legislature, they are of the same ilk as Lester Maddox, George Wallace, and Strom Thurmond of the separate but equal Jim Crow South. They just use religion as a justification for their own prejudice, and whether its the "mark of Cain", the "Curse of the Lamanites", or the "guilt of the Jews", it is just plain wicked to do so. The Bible supports slavery, the slaughter of unbelievers, women and children as chattel, more than it ever called same sex love an abomination. I don't see a made dash to legislate these fine Bibical Laws back into the legal code. If the Republican theocrats have to selectively choose passages from the Bible to legislate morality for "the people"  how about my favorite "not grinding the faces of the poor" to start with? Perhaps these people should commence with, as Jesus Christ did, "Liberating the Prisoners and Binding Up the Broken Hearted." Or better yet, how about "rendering unto Caesar's what is Caesar's" and realize that Christ said "my kingdom is not of this world". Lambda people are Americans, not an insidious cancer on society as the radical right would make us out to be. We need to stand as Americans so that all freedom loving Americans, who love Justice and the American Way, who believe that all people should have equal access to the pursuit of happiness, can see that we are the same as they are. It is our collective duty as Americans to make America truly the land of Liberty and Justice for all, as well as the home of the brave. Don't you think? Ben William

• Hear! Hear! But remember were in the Bee-have state of Utah.  Where our so-called leaders are like the "Borg in Star Trek" They have stated "We are the Right-Wing Leaders!....Resistance is Futile" You will be stripped of your individuality and ABSORBED into the Collective Hive...Or you will be Destroyed! I've done my part, now it's up to others.   James P. Hicks
• Rising of his Death Bed like Brigham did upon seeing the Salt lake and thinking it was the Pacific ocean...comes a message. Puleeeaaase Maggie....it might upset a precious coalition or some touted alliance, and we couldnt have that now could we. Remember, Social Working Alphas and their Beta Counter part are in charge, and getting paid. There is no rush, all will work out in the years to come. (yeah right...I think I heard that from Anne Bolin while she waited for Henry to forgive her)I will predict we will be right back to where we were in 1963 in this state, and Union if Bush is re-elected. However this time, with the Patriot Act, there will be no meetings in homes or coffee shops. We will be arrested, and reprogrammed, if not quietly exterminated. Jesus is Coming Jesus is Coming will be their cry, and they will wipe sin away like dust on our designer furniture. Remember when Communisim ceased to be a threat or enemy, as predicted the Far Right set their site on us and anything else that made them sqirm. This is humainities first battle, the next will be education and books.mad enough, Hell yes, What should be the plan that the powerful and self appointed will approve of? Where's Toni, that wonderful Queer Girl, whose mad and ready to rumble. Now back to bed... Chad Keller

2004 Traditional marriage rally flooded by vocal dissenters By Heidi Burton Published: The Utah State University College Republicans and Students for Traditional Values set up a table and microphone Wednesday and asked students walking by to sign a petition in support of "traditional marriage" between a man and a woman. One female and one male College Republican dressed as a bride and groom, and  signers were treated to a piece of wedding cake. A crowd of about 25 dissenters stood near the table and jeered at supporters of traditional marriage, shouting "Cake for segregation!" "Hate speech!" and "Students for zombie thinking!" "We are the first college campus to do this," said Tom Robins, the tuxedo-sporting state chairman of the College Republicans. "We are going to start the revolution," he said. "The silent majority will be silent no longer."  Robins told students it was OK to support traditional marriage and stop San Francisco from defining what is done here.  Jennifer Smith, a USU student majoring in family and human development, took a piece of cake, stood in front of the crowd and deliberately dropped the cake on the rain-soaked cement. A young man picked up the cake, took a bite and walked away to laughter from the crowd. "[The College Republicans'] methods aren't working," Smith said. "They're yelling stuff over and over. It's not that [thedissenters] don't support traditional marriage, but they also support gay marriage." Two female dissenters took a piece of cake, fed a bite to each other in front of the crowd, and then kissed. The women, former USU student Cristy Street and Lisa Hizinbothem, majoring in statistics, said they supported gay marriage. Hizinbothem said she was straight but kissed Street to make a point. "It does not harm anyone to let people make their own decision," she said. Street said she was bisexual and that it was the first time she had kissed a woman. She said she came out about a year ago and "went through pure hell," going into depression, dropping out of school and dealing with her Mormon family's struggles. "Do they think we asked to be this way?" she said. "I fell in love. I've had to deal with this all my life." The event, which lasted from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., was monitored by five USU campus police officers. Police Chief Steve Mecham said emotions "got a little high, but people were able to calm down. Some of the crowd members calmed their friends down." When other dissenters took cake and then dropped it on the ground, Mecham said he asked them to pick up the napkins so there wasn't a littering problem, and said the individuals complied. Someone unplugged the College Republicans' microphone three times, Mecham said. Robins said, "[The dissenters] want you to accept them, but if you disagree with them, they'll cut off your microphone." Beckie Kimber, a College Republican and senior majoring in political science, wore a wedding dress during the event and stood by Robins in his tuxedo. Robins told passers-by to take a look at what a married couple should look like - a man and a woman - because "in 20 years, maybe kids won't remember what [traditional marriage] is," he said to cheers from supporters. "I don't care if people yell, it doesn't faze me," Kimber said. "The majority needs to stand up and be respected." Jay Chambers, business major and founder of Students for Traditional Values, said 742 people signed the petition supporting traditional marriage in about two and a half hours. The petition will be sent to Utah Gov. Olene Walker. College Republican President Gabe White said he was surprised at the level of outlash against the event. This is so unreal. I didn't expect this," he said, looking at the crowd shouting at College Republican Mike Robins while he told students to not let one of the pillars of society be torn down by Massachusetts. A dissenter shouted at Mike Robins "Open your mind, you freaks," which he replied, "If you open your mind too much your brain might fall out." One of the outspoken dissenters, Travis Taylor, a junior in conservation and restoration ecology, said prohibiting same-sex marriage is another form of bigotry. "I don't think people should care whether same-sex people get married," Taylor said. "A lot of the point of view against it comes from religion. I just don't see why issues like this should even go to court. People have different beliefs and you can't change that." Carson Nuttall, a senior majoring in engineering, said he thought the event was great for letting the truth be heard. "[The dissenters] are afraid to let the majority rule the country," he said. "The minority has been controlling too much." Smith said the College Republicans were supporting "legal discrimination against other humans, which is wrong." One student said sexual orientation and race aren't the same. "In my opinion, homosexuality is a sin," said Kellon Hansen, a junior majoring in biology and pre-med. "Minorities aren't sinning." Marc Nielsen, a sophomore majoring in philosophy, said both sides were "yelling and screaming at each other." 

 2004 Wayne R. Bensen author of Anything But Straight spoke at SLCC denouncing ex-Gay organizations such as Evergreen International, Exodus International, and Homosexuals Anonymous.Author Wayne Besen will be in Salt Lake City on Friday evening, February 20, to promote his new book, "Anything But Straight."  He will be speaking in the cafeteria of Salt Lake Community College's South City Campus (1575 South State Street) at 7:30 p.m. Parking is available on the east side of the campus (turn east at 1700 South State).  PFLAG is proud to co-sponsor Mr. Besen with SLCC's Coloring Outside the Lines. Please join us and help us spread the word about this event. Mr. Besen's biography is shown below. Author, Anything But Straight Wayne Besen is a nationally recognized advocate for gay and lesbian rights. He is a frequent guest on leading news and political talk shows including: the NBC Nightly News, The Roseanne Show, CNN's Talk Back Live and The Point, Fox's O'Reilly Factor and Hannity and Colmes, Fox News and MSNBC News. He has also been quoted in a number of national publications such as The Washington Post, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, Rolling Stone and the Advocate magazine. Besen made international news when he photographed "ex-gay" poster boy John Paulk cruising in a gay bar in Washington, D.C. Through his extensive work on the "ex-gay" issue, Besen has emerged as one of the nation's premier experts on this controversial topic. Anything But Straight is his first book.For the last four years, Besen has served as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian political organization. Prior to working at HRC, Besen worked in the media, the political arena and in public relations. After graduating in 1993 from the University of Florida with a B.S. in broadcast journalism, Besen founded Sons & Daughters of America (SDA), a gay and lesbian public awareness campaign based in South Florida. Following his tenure with SDA, Besen worked in television production at the NBC affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla., and as a news reporter at the CBS affiliate in Bangor, Maine. In 1996, Besen served as the press secretary for democratic Maine State Senator Sean Faircloth's bid for the U.S. Senate.Following the campaign, Besen moved to Washington D.C. and worked for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide where he specialized in media relations. While at Edelman, Besen worked for a diverse group of clients including Microsoft, DLJ Direct, and former Ukrainian parliament member Yulia Tymoshenko. He is a native of Fort Lauderdale, but has also lived in Houston and graduated from Kaiser High School in Honolulu. His hobbies include playing basketball, traveling, reading and writing.

 2005 The Salt Lake Men's Choir has been invited to sing at the National  Cathedral in Washington DC for the quadrennial Utah Day. We will be performing at the First United Methodist Church before and during services Sunday, February 20. All are welcome to attend. FUMC is located at 203 S. 200 East

2005 OUTDOOR SHOOTING-RANGE MEETING of Pink Pistols Our monthly outdoor shooting-range meeting is planned for Feb. 20 at  11:00 a.m. at Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Lee Kay Center for  Hunter Education and Public Shooting Range  at 6000 West 2100 South in Salt Lake City (16-minutes from Salt Lake City),  Pink Pistols was founded by David Nelson and was quite controversial as they threatened to sue Pride Day Organizers for banning concealed weapons at the event. Nelson came in conflict with the National Pink Pistols leaders and broke off to form the Stonewall Shooting Sports of Utah. 
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2009 Embattled legislator has his foes and fans While gay-rights advocates across the nation fired off 15,000 e-mails demanding the Utah Senate formally reprimand Chris Buttars, a half-dozen backers of the outspoken senator tied white bands over their mouths in protest of the outcry, labeling it a "gag order." The recently re-elected West Jordan Republican, once again, is taking fire from foes and pledges of support from allies. "What distresses me is that it gives the entire community a bad name. Author:    Rosemary Winters The Salt Lake Tribune

2018  Senator Jim Dabakis (D-Salt Lake City) announced Tuesday that he will not be seeking re-election to the Utah State Senate in 2018. Utah’s only openly gay representative at the state legislature was appointed by Democratic delegates in December 2012 to replace outgoing Ben McAdams when he became Salt Lake County Mayor. “I will not be running for re-election to the Utah State Senate in 2018,” Dabakis wrote in a statement to the media. “I want to thank the people of Salt Lake City for giving me the greatest honor of my life: allowing me to represent them.” Dabakis said he believes that “people should be elected, serve with all their heart and soul, then make way for other citizens.” “I have had six years of pouring myself into the Senate job. I have left nothing on the table. I am grateful that I was able to play a part in bringing the ‘homos and the Momos’ together with the historic 2015 LGBTQ non-discrimination law; help support and reorganize the arts and culture structure in the state; be a fierce watchdog in protecting our state’s precious lands; and perhaps it has been my greatest task to stand toe-to-toe with the all-encompassing political machine that runs the state. In a video released Tuesday on his decision, he said he feels his most important job was to “speak truth to power to the 30- to 40-percent of Utah citizens who feel like they have no voice.” “From LGBT youth who feel alone and isolated, to hero educators disrespected for generations, to Native Americans fighting to protect sacred land, to many who believe there is no shame in enjoying adult beverages, to our Dreamers who are every bit [as] American as I, and to the women across Utah [who] are not given the same wages as their male counterparts for the same work and are belittled for demanding equal treatment,” he wrote in his release. He said he enjoyed the people working on Utah’s Capitol Hill. “My colleagues in the Senate have been wonderful people to serve with,” he wrote. “While most of them are dead-wrong politically, that has never interfered with me having warm personal relations with each senator. I respect their hard work and sincerity. In the six years I’ve served in the Legislature, I have never spoken a word in anger with another Senator. I thank them for their congeniality (I am sure I have irritated them more than once).” He does, however, believe many should be replaced. “That said, I hope most of them get dethroned in their next election by a new generation of progressive Utahns that would welcome openness, diversity and a fresh approach to the State’s challenges,” he wrote. He quoted Thomas Watkins for those who fight in Utah for progressive causes and rarely win. “If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But, a person flattened by an opponent can get up again. But a person flattened by conformity stays down for good.” He is thankful that he has many supporters in the state. “In the darkest days of the Legislative Session, there would invariably be words of encouragement,” he wrote. “I would find great inspiration and solace from strangers in the grocery store or movie theater, kind words in emails from constituents, and heartfelt texts from friends. These messages inspired me and buoyed me up. To you, my supporters all across Utah, and most of all to my husband Stephen, I say your love and support has meant the world to me.” He said he has no regrets for riding the “wild roller coaster” of Utah politics. “I leave the Senate with gratitude in my heart, and optimism in the spirit of the people of Utah. I leave with no regrets. I have given every ounce of energy I possess to the work. I look forward to a few months of reflection and breath-catching. I don’t know what the world holds for me, but I can’t wait for the next great adventure.” He said he would continue his work for progressive causes in the state. “Clearly, the war for good government in Utah has not been won. I will continue to lead our growing army of 60,000 reasonable Utahns, who want to take our state government back from the machine. I will be very active with the newsletter, social media, and my website, SenatorDabakis.com” “I leave ever optimistic about Utah’s future,” Dabakis tweeted as he announced the decision.