21 February
1892 Police and Sinners- August Petersen, a Swede, 44 years old was
caught in the act of committing a crime against nature and jailed. Salt Lake
Herald note- was arrested 22 June 1888 and fined for being drunk.
1903-In New York City, police conducted the first recorded raid on
a Gay bathhouse, the Ariston, on West 55th Street. Twenty-six men were arrested
and twelve of them were brought to trial on sodomy charges. Seven men received
sentences ranging from four to twenty years in prison.
1903 Harrington Gets Four Years In Pen Judge Rolapp sentenced Red Harrington to serve four
years in the penitentiary. Harrington was convicted of sodomy perpetrated on a
helpless invalid who was in the city jail at the same time that Harrington was
confined there awaiting trial on a
lesser charge. The jury found the verdict recommended the him to the mercy of
the court and in passing sentence the judge called attention to this
recommendation and remarked that the jury
have taken the view that he was more of a brute than a man. The sentence
imposed was one year more than the minimum sentence allowed by the statute which provides for a penalty of
not less than three nor more than ten
years. The Salt Lake herald. (Salt Lake City [Utah)
- 1903 Ogden Standard Examiner Random Refernces Section page 5 In the Case of the State vs J.F. “Red” Harrington charged with crime against nature the defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to four years in the penitentiary.
1919-Civil War physician Dr Mary Walker died from injuries
sustained in a fall. She had been criticized throughout most of her adult life
for wearing men's clothing.
1951 Salt Lake Tribune features a society column
in the women's section called "Gay Talk" to high light prominent people’s
trips out of town.
1976-In Detroit, $200,000 in damages were awarded to a man who
claimed that he was turned into a homosexual as a result of an auto accident in
which he was rear-ended (no pun intended).
1987-Andy Warhol
died at age 58. The fact that Warhol's homosexuality influenced his work and shaped his relationship to the art world is a major subject of scholarship on the artist and is an issue that Warhol himself addressed in interviews, in conversation with his contemporaries, and in his publications. The first works that Warhol submitted to a fine art gallery, homoerotic drawings of male nudes, were rejected for being too openly gay
1988- The Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire
of Utah held the Mr. And Miss Golden Spike Universe contest as a fundraiser.
1988 Sunday I
went to Affirmation tonight to promote Beyond Stonewall with John Reeves. [1988
Journal of Ben Williams]
1989. -
At Unconditional Support tonight Jim Hunsaker brought a masseuse, Bill Blevin,
to show the group the techniques of massaging. Bill Blevin gave Jim who was
nude except for some strategically placed towels, a full body massage. At the
beginning of the meeting Derek S asked if he could have some addresses
of some members and I said I don’t give out that information. He then asked if
I thought he was a Mormon spy. I said “I don’t know if you are or not. Only you
can answer that. I know that people do that
sort of thing although I can’t conceive how or why they would. I also said that it didn’t matter what I
think anyway because he will always be welcomed to come to Unconditional
Support as much as he wants and that whether he was a spy or not I never did
trust him. I said “As long as you profess to be a card carrying Republican with
first allegiance to the Mormon Church I would never trust you. We all have to
prove ourselves trust worthy. All of us. Even you. I don’t see you as one of
us. We defend you but you never defend us.” [1989 Journal of Ben Williams]
1990 Wednesday JURY SELECTION STARTS IN MURDER TRIAL Jury
selection in the trial of a second defendant charged with the beating death of
a Southern Utah State College student began Tuesday, and prosecutors hope to
have a jury seated by Friday. The defendant, Lance Conway Wood, 21, is charged
with capital homicide in the Nov. 22, 1988, bludgeoning death of 28-year-old
Gordon Ray Church. In December a 12-member jury found co-defendant Michael
Anthony Archuleta, 27, guilty and sentenced him to die for his part in the
slaying. The trial is expected to last about two weeks. (Deseret
News)
1995-The US Supreme Court agreed to review the Colorado Supreme
Court's decision in Romer v Evans, the Amendment 2 case, which sought to
nullify laws protecting Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals from discrimination.
 |
| Brandon Teena |
1996-Marvin Thomas Nissen was given a life sentence and John Lotter
was given the death penalty in the murder of transsexual Brandon Teena and his
two friends. Brandon Teena was an American trans man who was raped and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska. His life and death were the subject of the Academy Award-winning 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, which was partially based on the 1998 documentary film The Brandon Teena Story. Both films also illustrated that legal and medical discrimination contributed to Teena's violent death. Teena's murder, along with that of Matthew Shepard, led to increased lobbying for hate crime laws in the United States.
1997 A NOD TO DRAM-SHOP BILL It appears as if
Utah taverns and private clubs soon will have to boost their
liability-insurance coverage. The House on Wednesday approved 54-11 an
amendment to the state's so-called dram-shop law, which increases the amount of
damages drunken-driving victims can recover from establishments that serve
inebriated customers. Currently, the law caps liability at $100,000 per person
injured or killed and $300,000 per crash. Senate Bill 112, which already has
passed the Senate, raises that cap to $500,000 and $1million, respectively.
DEBATE OVER DIVORCE A bill to make it
harder to get a divorce drew heated debate in the Utah Senate, which advanced
the measure over objections that it could force some couples to stay in harmful
relationships. Sponsored by Sen. Craig
Taylor, R-Kaysville, the bill would revoke no-fault divorces for couples with
children. Irreconcilable differences still would be grounds for divorce -- but
only if both spouses agree. ``We live in a society where we have taken fault
out of many things,'' Taylor
said. ``We have no-fault insurance and no-fault divorce, and with that
`no-fault' label we have discouraged responsibility.'' But several Democratic
senators voiced
concern. Sen. Pete Suazo, D-Salt
Lake Lowell ,
would raise the age for consensual intercourse to 18. Consensual sodomy with an
underage person is a class B misdemeanor while intercourse is a third-degree
felony. Ure's House Bill 134 would
equalize the punishment between sodomy and intercourse, making sodomy a felony.
As with the intercourse law, if the sodomy ``victim'' is 16 and the other
partner is no older than 19, the crime is a class B misdemeanor. Taylor 's bill also
discusses sex between minors.
 |
| Pete Suazo |
1999 Earlier this month, GALPAC, the Utah gay and lesbian political action
committee, invited Dave Jones, Rocky Anderson and Jim Bradley to speak to its
members. Anderson and Bradley agreed, but Jones declined the invitation,
deferring to his campaign manager, Jennie Wilson, who stated it was too early
in the campaign. But Wilson showed up at the
meeting and took notes as Bradley and Anderson
stated their positions on Gay and Lesbian issues.
1999 Bridgette Christie and Earl Kane, reigning empress and emperor
of The Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire joined close to 200 people
gathered at Gastronomy's Salt Lake Hardware building for the fourth Food for
Hope soiree. The event raised some $7,000 for AIDS and cancer-related research
for the City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute, Duarte , Calif
 |
| Stuart Matis 1967-2000 |
2000 Letter by Stuart Matis, BYU The Daily Universe Dear Editor: I
am gay. I am also LDS. My first same-sex attraction occurred when I was seven,
and for the next 25 years, I have never been attracted to women. I realized the
significance of my sexuality when I was around thirteen, and for the next two
decades, I traveled down a tortuous path of internalized homophobia, immense
self-hatred, depression and suicidal thoughts. Despite the calluses on my
knees, frequent trips to the temple, fasts and devotion to my mission and
church callings such as elders' quorum president, I continually failed to
attenuate my homosexuality. I came out last year. My bishop and my father each
gave me a blessing inspired by the spirit that proclaimed that I was indeed gay
and that I would remain gay. Thus, I read a recent letter to the editor with
great regret. The author compared my friends and me to murderers, Satanists,
prostitutes, pedophiles and partakers of bestiality. Imagine having to live
with this rhetoric constantly being spewed at you. My aunt is a psychiatrist in
Ogden and has
worked with over 1,000 gay Latter-day Saints. Because of her work with these
church members, she has been forced by necessity to specialize in
homosexuality, depression and suicide. I implore the students at BYU to
re-assess their homophobic feelings. Seek to understand first before you make
comments. We have the same needs as you. We desire to love and be loved. We
desire to live our lives with happiness. We are not a threat to you or your
families. We are your sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, neighbors, co-workers
and friends, and most importantly, we are all children of God. Stuart Matis Santa Clara , Calif.
© The Daily Universe (Stuart Matis would commit suicide on February 25 2000)
2003Nichole Adams SALT LAKE CITY , UTAH
executive director of Unity Utah Salt Lake
City Utah County Democratic
Party Salt Lake
2003 Pass the
hate-crimes bill Deseret News
editorial A hate-crimes bill wending its way
through the state Legislature would not, as some have supposed, extend the law
where it never has gone before — into the thoughts of a criminal. Laws have
done that for generations. For example, juries regularly judge whether
murderers premeditated the act or did it in a fit of passion. Nor would the bill establish protected
classes of citizens or imprint some official stamp of approval on
homosexuality. One does not have to agree with another person's beliefs or
actions in order to agree that the person should not be made a victim of
violent crime because of them. The bill, sponsored by Rep. David Litvack
and co-sponsored by Rep. Jim Ferrin, R-Orem, would simply add extra penalties
to crimes that target people because of a broader bias or prejudice. When
someone attacks another person because of his or her beliefs, ethnic
background, age, gender or sexual orientation, that attacker really is trying
to silence or destroy groups of people or ideas. In a nation that values free
_expression, free religion and the right to peaceably assemble, this becomes an
attack on the nation's core ideals, and that sort of a crime deserves an
enhanced penalty. The difference is as stark as that
between a murder committed during a robbery and a lynching next to a burning
cross. In each instance, the victim is dead, but the lynching has the added
intent of sending a message of intimidation to a larger community. A lot of people seem to be understanding
that principle this time around. The bill recently received an important
endorsement from Republican attorney general Mark Shurtleff. Other
conservatives are showing signs of softening. If the bill passes, a nod of
acknowledgment would be due Pete Suazo, the long-time Democratic lawmaker who
died suddenly in an ATV accident in August 2001. For three years in a row he
tried to pass similar bills. Each time he was turned down by lawmakers who
complained about punishing "thought crimes." Each time, Suazo picked
himself up and vowed to try again the next year. Last year, Suazo's widow, who had filled
her husband's seat after his death, was double-crossed by Republican lawmakers.
They urged her to postpone a public campaign for the bill until the Olympics
had ended, telling her that in exchange, her bill finally would get a public
hearing. But after the world left Utah, the bill once again died in committee. Politics can be ugly that way. But we
hope Pete Suazo's good idea eventually wins out.
2004 Now that I got my mad as hell rant out of my
system I feel that need to apologize to anyone whom I offended by calling members of the Utah
State Legislature "cads" and "drones." Calling names never changes
anything and its only momentarily satisfying. The people who run this state
sincerely, no matter how wrongly, believe they are doing what is in the best
interest of their narrowly defined "public constituents". Actually
short sighted public servants are merely catering to the basic fears and ignorance of an uninformed public, and to the dictates of a powerful conservative lobbying organization that is driven purely by angry, resentment, and frustration. We
can not afford to become like our enemies. If we are to be successful in
gaining the freedoms and liberties guaranteed by our "secular"
Constitution and gain the privileges of that social contract, we must take the
high road. We must look towards the teachings of Buddha, Christ and their
disciples, Thoreau, Gandhi, and King. We have to learn to love our enemies.
Love them enough to show them that this great civil rights movement is about
love not simply being a "sexual minority". We will fail if we do not
grasp the concept of non-violence while actively, not passively, striving for our civil liberties. We must march, we
must sit-in, we must love-in, and even allow ourselves to be abused to show
what the radical right is doing is wrong! They may hate us but we need to in
turn love them back. Perhaps I am greatly naive but I truly believe love is
greater than hate. Love can turn harden hearts soft. If one truly accepts the
notion that God is love then, who can fightagainst that? Love is not giving
in...its truly a noble struggle against oppression, injustice, inequality, and human and animal suffering. They radical right do not believe they are wrong. We can never argue enough,
shout enough, cry enough,or even die enough to ever convince them that they are wrong. The only tool we have is love.
Fortunately I do believe God has given Lambda people an over abundance of this ability
to love in the face of hatred, animosity, and revilement. We loved each other
enough to take care of the sick and dying during the worse of the AIDS plague.
We need to draw upon that nfinite well and reserve of love to direct that
energy to those that despise us and unmercifully abuse us. History shows that social progress driven by love of
fellow human beings always wins out in time. Ben Williams
2004 Attached is a call to action that I am forwarding
onto you. Please disperse it to your e-mail list. It is possible that House
Joint Resolution 25 the constitutional amendment bill, will be heard on the
floor of the House Monday the 23rd. Thank you. I need your help to stop it from getting a 2/3's majority
vote. Rep. Jackie Biskupski Dear Equality Utah Supporter, The following message is
from Adam Bass who is working on the hill for us this session. He is right that
now is the time to act. An amendment to the Utah constitution banning all
recognition for gay and lesbian couples willing to enter into life-long,
committed relationships is nothing short ofshocking. Please take time to read
through the email and take action. And keep watching for more information from us
as it develops. Yours in
equality, Michael Mitchell We need your help more than
ever! If you do only ONE thing during this whole year for LGBT equality then please
pay attention and act on this email! The Utah State Legislature is considering
amending the Utah State Constitution to discriminate against LGBT people!
Despite the overwhelmingopposition, we can defeat this dangerously offensive
amendment. To stop itthough, we will need the support of you and everyone you
know.
 |
| Michael Mitchell |
2005 McCoy ready to move beyond 'gay state senator' By Rebecca
Walsh The Salt Lake Tribune Scott McCoy has
developed a clause after his name: "Utah's first openly gay state
senator." It's starting to get just a little bit irritating. "It's
reductionist," he says. Gay is not all he is. But the word defined his
first week on Capitol Hill.
 |
| Scott McCoy & Mark Barr |
His presence in the Senate has irked conservatives
and some loyal liberals. And while an attempt to challenge his residency has
faded, the pique in the Democratic Party has not. Sexual orientation probably
will not matter; McCoy may end up getting along just fine with Republican
senators. His bigger problem could be wooing members of his own party to win
re-election in two years. He succeeds former Salt Lake City Sen. Paula Julander,
one of the beloved matriarchs of the Democratic Party. When she resigned for
health reasons two weeks ago, he beat out Julander's husband for the job of
replacing her. Some in the party think he jumped the line to take a prized
Democratic seat ahead of House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, who reportedly
plans to run for it in 2006, and Centro de la Familia's Rebecca Chavez-Houk, an
up-and-coming party activist. McCoy has a lot to prove. "He's going to
have to spend the next two years earning that place," said Rep. Jackie
Biskupski, a Salt Lake City Democrat. "He's going to have to show people
that he should stay there." Despite a job clerking for former Utah Supreme
Court Justice Leonard Russon, his dogged
leadership of the Don't Amend Alliance, quiet advocacy for Equality Utah and
position on Salt Lake City's Civilian Review Board, McCoy is a relative unknown
in Utah political circles. After just three years in the state, he belatedly
decided to run for Julander's seat the night before the vote. He registered as
a Republican to vote in the 2004 gubernatorial primary before quickly switching
his party affiliation back to Democrat after the election. As a result, some
have questioned his Democratic credentials. But McCoy is determined to stay
where he is, representing Salt Lake City's Avenues, Central City, Sugar House
and Millcreek neighborhoods. "This is extremely important," he said.
"It fulfills a strong sense of service in me." The son of a
schoolteacher and a college administrator, 34-year- old McCoy grew up in
Smithville, Mo., and Tulsa ,
Okla.
state Democratic Party Chairman Donald Dunn. "But I
don't think he's going to be a single-issue
person." McCoy said he can't remember whether he was registered as a
Republican in Washington. But he proudly touts his Democratic stripes now. He
volunteered for U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson's 2002 campaign and donated money to
Scott Matheson Jr.'s gubernatorial campaign. He says he voted in the Republican
primary to "find the weakest candidate" to run against Matheson. Eve
Furse, a friend and shareholder at McCoy's firm, says his party affiliation is
not inconsistent with his political views. She calls him a "classic moderate,"
motivated by a fundamental sense of fairness and a "Midwestern,
salt-of-the-earth moderating force." She is not surprised he has thrown
himself into the thick of things on Capitol Hill. "Scott has always wanted
to be involved in whatever was exciting and interesting. And the Legislature is
pretty exciting and interesting," Furse said. More so since he arrived.
Sen. Scott McCoy Age: 34 Bedside table: My Life by
Bill Clinton and a Benjamin Franklin biography. Job: Attorney at Bendinger
Crockett law firm. Pet: German short-haired pointer "Parker," named
after actress Parker Posey and writer Dorothy Parker. Trophy: Reserve national
junior champion in horse buggy "pleasure driving" (second place).
Geek factor: A hopeless fan of "Star Trek" and "Stargate
SG-1." Has read every Harry Potter book.
 |
| Donald Dunn |
2006 Gay Clubs Bills Moving Forward By Matt Canham The Salt
Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune A House committee approved one bill, a Senate
committee the other. The wording is about the same, but the rhetoric isn’t.
Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, didn’t even
mention gay support clubs in high
schools when he presented his bill last Friday. But Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West
Jordan, talked of little else Monday during a debate over SB97. “These are
places that condition our young people to accept homosexuality,” he said. “I
believe the Gay-Straight Alliance is covered in this bill and the school
districts can make a decision.” And the state would handle any lawsuits filed
if school districts decide to reject the Gay-Straight Alliance or any other
club. Buttars said school boards could stop the Gay-Straight Alliance from
meeting on school property because such clubs advocate “sexual activity outside
of legally recognized marriage.” Tilton said the legislation would not ban the
Gay-Straight Alliance, but simply set guidelines restricting discussions of sex
or contraceptives. Buttars and Tilton have amended their bills to weaken the
bill’s stance against clubs involving human sexuality. The amendments removed
provisions banning students from pronouncing their sexual orientation or
expressing views on the topic. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff asked for the
amendment to avoid a possible constitutional challenge. Buttars expects his
version of the bill to go forward, though he still needs to talk to Tilton
before making that decision. Both bills passed with Republicans voting for it
and Democrats against. Murray Democratic Senator Patrice Arent said: “I don’t
see the need for this bill. I think it is going to do more harm than good.”
Buttars frames the debate in moral and religious terms. He believes
homosexuality violates America ’s
“traditional morals” and Utah ’s
14 active Gay-Straight Alliances “indoctrinate” students to support that
“immorality.” “If we continue down the road of tearing down the pillars of
traditional morality, what will be left with? Only the philosophies of men,”
Buttars said. After the hearing, emotional students from Hunter High’s
Gay-Straight Alliance gathered outside of the committee room to comfort each
other. They have tracked the bill and lobbied lawmakers, saying the club is a
social network that increases student’s self-esteem, encourages diversity and
protects students from bullies.
 |
| Aaron Tilton |
- 2006 Tony Hobday wrote: Hi Ben, This is Tony from the SL Metro newspaper. If you
are not already aware, Michael Aaron resigned from the SL Metro paper to start a new publication. I am inquiring about if you would like to continue writing the Lambda Lore column for the SL Metro. Please le me know as soon as possible and if so, when we may expect your column for the March 2 issue. Thank you Tony -
Tony Hobday - From: "Ben Williams" To: "Tony Hobday" Thank you for your interest. I only wrote the column as a favor for Michael Aaron so I think I will pass. Best Regards Ben
2006 posted by Ben Williams Utah Stonewall Center founded
1991 NOT 1992 A news release on this years Pride Day had a statement that the
GLBTCCU was founded in 1992. "Utah Pride is a program of the GLBT
Community Center of Utah. The GLBT Community Center of Utah is a nonprofit
corporation, founded in 1992,whose mission is to be a catalyst for personal
growth, acceptance and equality for GLBT people in Utah ." How hard is it to get facts straight
in this community? Isn't there a fact checker at the center before they make
statements sent out to the general population? I know for many 1991 seems a
long time ago but its hardly ancient history. 1 June 1991- The Utah Stonewall
Center, the Gay and Lesbian
Community center Utah
Stonewall Center
closed its doors 1 Oct 1997 and went into cyberspace until October 1998 when it
was transformed in the Gay and Lesbian
Community Center
- posted by Deb Rosenberg Re: [gay_forum_utah]
2009 Buttars broke his deal, says senator Senate
leaders disciplined Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, not for anti-gay
comments he made in a recent interview, but because he violated a deal with
leadership that he not talk about gay issues, a senator said Saturday. "Most
of what Senator Buttars said, I agree with," Sen. Howard Stephenson,
R-Draper, said in a weekly Red Meat Radio program he hosts on K-TALK.
Author: Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune
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