11 February
1968-Preliminary
hearing for Donald Trinnimen, 21 years old, scheduled for March 12 by city
judge Maurice D. Jones. The robbery victim, Daniel Colett of 248 North State,
signed a complaint against Trinnimen of 225 Spencer CT. (145 East) in
connections of theft of $20 last Monday. (02/11/68 SLTribune page 4B)
1978- Women Aware of Utah held a fundraiser concert with Ginni
Clemmens [1936-2003] Chicago folk and blues singer and an early and vocal
supporter of the feminist movement. Clemmens was a regular presence on the
nascent women's music festival circuit; among her signatures was a rendition of
I"Wild Women
Don't Get the Blues," and she even taught the song to pop singer Mama Cass
Elliot, who recorded her own version of the tune.
1978-After receiving reports of discrimination, two men and two
women from Gay Community Services participated in same-sex dancing at
Driskell's Cabaret disco in Austin Texas. They were kicked out, and filed a
complaint under Austin 's
Public Accommodations Ordinance. It was the first complaint based on sexual
orientation filed under the ordinance.
1984- World
renown ceramic pot dealers, Jaye Rieser and Evelyn Garlington had a pot sale
fund-raiser for 20 Jacob Rue Womyn’s Co-op in SLC UT
1985-Under pressure from medical authorities and civil rights
groups, Delta Airlines ended its policy of refusing service to people with
AIDS.
1988- Mark LaMarr and Lyle Bradley went to the
same company from whom I got my phone system for Unconditional Support. Mark
LaMarr created a Gay Bar Information Line which tells people where all the bars
are located and what events are happening there weekly. Lyle Bradley set up a
phone system for people to call the Anti-Violence Project. Michael Anderson said that some punk kid that
works with him was bragging about robbing Gay men and beating them up in Memory
Grove. Michael wants to report it to the Anti-Violence Project. [1988 Journal
of Ben Williams]
1988 I went down to Resurrection Metropolitan
Community Church on 6th East to pick up Chuck Whyte so we could go to Backstreet
to try and sell some tickets for the Water Slide Event. We didn’t sell any tickets but we raised $25
in donations for the AIDS Quilt Project. [1988 Journal of Ben Williams]
1989 Alan Peterson resigned from the directorship of
Unconditional Support stating that he was not a Mormon spy just because he and
Derek S were friends. “I called him and calmed him down and asked him
not to resign. I asked him to come to the community dance tonight and
communicate with us.” A Community Valentine's Dance sponsored by Unconditional
Support, LGSU, and Affirmation was held at the Central City Community Center in
SLC UT.
1989 John Bush and Dave
Malmstrom met with Ben Williams for a Delta Institute Board Meeting about
Beyond Stonewall ‘89
1990 Sunday-HATCH CRITICIZED ON HATE-CRIME BILL By Lee Davidson, Washington Bureau Chief-
Conservative Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and liberal Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill.,
teamed last week to pass a bill to study hate crimes - even though some
ultraconservatives
complained it is pro-homosexual. The bill instructs the
attorney general to collect data for four years about crimes that show
"evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation or
ethnicity" in hopes that results will help law agencies better attack hate
crimes. The bill passed 92-4. It is nearly identical to a House bill passed
earlier, and differences are expected to be resolved quickly. But
ultraconservative Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., said of the bill, "It will be
the first time sexual orientation - and that means homosexuals . . . will be
marked out for protected status. "If I sound like I'm worked up, I'm
worked up," he said. "This is a total . . . cave-in to homosexual gay
rights." Hatch, the main co-sponsor to the bill introduced by Simon,
disagreed. "I do not condone homosexual activity, and I do not support
separate civil-rights legislation for homosexuals. But I certainly do not believe
anyone should be beaten up, vandalized or otherwise criminally assaulted,
whether that person be homosexual or anyone e
lse." "I think these
incidents are disgusting and outrageous," Hatch said. "If a system of
collecting these statistics will encourage persons, including homosexuals, to
report these types of crimes, it will be helpful to law enforcement
agencies." Hatch and Simon sponsored an amendment to the bill stating that
nothing in the bill should be construed to condone homosexuality, and none of
its money should be used to promote it either. It passed 96-0. Earlier this
month, Hatch teamed with liberal Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., to pass a hate-crime
statistics bill through the Senate, to track crimes committed because of a
victims' race, creed or sexual preference. A few ultraconservatives led by Sen.
Jesse Helms, R-N.C., claimed the bill was pro-homosexual and succeeded in
stalling its floor consideration as other senators wanted to avoid making votes
that some could construe as favoring gays. But Hatch offered to lead the fight
and to take the brunt for such criticism himself to help move what he felt was
an important bill to help end violence based on racism and bias. [Deseret News]
 |
| Jesse Helms |
1993 GAY GROUP HONORS
SEVERAL UTAHNS, ORGANIZATIONS Deseret News The Utah Stonewall Center, a project of the Gay and Lesbian Community
Council of Utah Inc., sponsored an awards dinner to honor groups and
individuals who have "created positive change for gay, lesbian and
bisexual people in Utah." Recipients and contributions of "Diversity
is Great" awards went to Lou and Lee Weyer and Kim Pelton, Salt Lake
Police Sgt. Dave Ward, Maureen Davies, Kim Russo and Val John Mansfield.Also,
Robert Smith, Chris Williams, Salt Lake County Commissioners Randy Horiuchi and
Jim Bradley, David Nelson, Ray Henke, "Joanie Lynn," Marshall Brunner
and Kathy Worthington. Other recipients were Melissa Sillitoe and Queer Nation
1994 Richard Allen (Rick) Easter, 44, passed away February 11,
1994, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was
born November 25, 1949, in Portland ,
Oregon Brigham Young University
and served a LDS mission to Peru ,
after which he settled in Salt Lake
City . His working life was usually associated with his
love for music and entertainment, and for the past seven years he has owned and
operated The Sun, a popular local private club. Rick was an active and important participant
in his community, and he served his community well. He was responsive both
personally and professionally to the needs of his community and worked
tirelessly in support of numerous organizations events and causes. His
leadership in these efforts was quiet but steadfast. A private burial will take place in Preston , Idaho Salt Lake
City , Utah Holy Cross Hospital
1994 The Northern Utah AIDS Society an AIDS support center
opened in Ogden, offering services
including a food bank and rental assistance to people with AIDS or HIV. ``No,
we are not a gay organization; no, we will not be distributing condoms because
it's not our place to do so; and we will tell kids that abstinence is the
safest form of protection against AIDS,'' said Russell Griffin, a volunteer who
handles public relations for the newly formed society. The society operated out of a downtown office
space, and was the only Ogden-area resource for people infected with HIV
or AIDS other than a support group at
St. Benedict's Hospital. The Utah AIDS Foundation in Salt Lake City offered services to Ogden-area
residents and their families. However, they often had to make the drive south
to receive assistance, Griffin
said. Since the first cases were discovered in 1981, the Centers For Disease
Control have recorded a total of 201,775 AIDS deaths in the United States as of September 1993.
(2/11/94 Page: D4 SLTribune)
1996 - Sen. Charles Stewart says he has received
hate mail over stand on gays. Physician
Charles Stewart said he worked in one
of the first hospital wards designed exclusively for AIDS patients. It was
1984; the hospital was in Houston .
But the doctor ended up at the Utah Legislature in 1996 showing a gay-bashing
video to a group of lawmakers behind closed doors. Sen. Charles Stewart,
R-Provo, defends the action, but said he does regret not showing the material in
an open meeting. ``My feelings about homosexual behavior are very clear.
There's no in-between. I stood up for a very clear and moral issue,'' he said.
Stewart said the video ``Gay Rights-Special Rights'' was left anonymously on
his desk in the Senate. He took it home, watched it and decided to show at
least part of it to a select group of lawmakers. He said the video illustrated
the potential threat homosexuality poses to society. Stewart then declared it
would be better for the state to lose millions of dollars in federal funds than
to allow a group of gay and lesbian students to meet at Salt Lake City 's East High. Critics howled,
and the first-term senator became the focus of already tumultuous session.
Stewart, 48, said he has not enjoyed the notoriety the incident has brought
him. He and his wife receive hate mail and he has become discouraged about his
efforts as a legislator. But the controversy created one of the high points of
his career. The morning after he appeared on a television news program to voice
his opposition to homosexuality, Stewart said the entire Senate applauded him.
Remembering the incident made him cry. ``This has been a very difficult
session,'' he said. ``But they gave me a round of applause for standing up for
this issue. ``I dislike [gay] behavior and what it does to our society and
human beings but it's been very tiring to see how I've been attacked
personally,'' he said. Nevertheless, Stewart said he will run for office again.
David Nelson, director of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, is not so sure
Stewart should be a lawmaker. ``He's a homophobe in the truest sense of the
word. He doesn't have the sophisticated understanding to go beyond that simple
fear, but meeting me is beginning to break away some of that fear.'' `` . . . There's room for him to grow and
understand. He has made progress in the last week, but I don't think we'll ever
see him as anything [other] than an anti-gay legislator.'' Lawmaker or
physician, Stewart casts himself as a dedicated family man who wakes early to
do a couple of plastic surgeries before heading to the Capitol some 45 miles
from home. He doesn't stay in Salt
Lake Ogden
school. They both lost. Peterson said that when his friend of more than three
decades won office, Stewart frequently stopped by for advice. ``I told him you
have to kind of have a thick skin to survive. I know he takes a lot of guff
because he really says what he feels,'' Peterson said. ``That isn't always
mainstream.'' Peterson said although they both are Republicans, there are many
times they don't agree. Stewart was raised in Ogden . His father was a pharmacist and his
mother was active in the Republican Party. Growing up, Stewart played the
piano, loved to sing and acted in school plays. After two years of trying to
get into medical school, Stewart said, he was accepted to a school in Guadalajara , Mexico George Washington University
and then specialized as a plastic surgeon in Detroit
and Houston . It
was during his residency that he worked with AIDS patients. ``I'm not afraid of
homosexuals. I've intubated them, thumped on their chests and mixed with bodily
fluids the way most gay people would never dream of doing. I stayed up nights
with them and I saved their lives,'' he said. That might not matter much to Utah 's gays and
lesbians, who have vilified him for his views. And they are not his only
critics. Stewart also has alienated several educators during this year's
session. After suggesting that all school clubs be banned, Stewart sponsored a
bill calling for quasi private charter schools that would receive public
funding. The bill was defeated, but Stewart insists it still has a place in Utah education. Critics
say the idea promotes an elitist attitude. Stewart, who sends his children to a
private school in Utah
County
1999-The Lesbian and Gay Immigration Rights Task Force demonstrated
outside the headquarters of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service to
protest the denial of visas to same-sex spouses of US citizens.
2003 I would say that she is demanding, but knowing Paula she is being curt. The pictures are for the project Geoff hijacked of mine. I worry about them writing history of any kind, as it be written to serve the purification agenda, and will then take effort to correct. I think I am going to encourage Todd to do what the Trib does, and release no picture as they are considered notes. Then release a selection of pictures to a historical group (us) for limited use at the discretion of the group under guidelines of the press agency. I guess I will have to go, and write it all down, so that in July we can correct. Geoff is too slanted. It will forget any of the significant items that dont fit the culture, like the Rodeo, and it is the one thing that has shown to the general word that there is a similarity...and really no difference....purity will come to this community....I fear that we may not be able to change the course they have chosen for us. Perhaps we could look at an article on how bad it is to reinvent history....what would be funnier is let them do it on there own, and then pass out flyers with the corrections and the facts. I would suggest putting a note out on the Yahoo and the web sight that the historical postings are the property of you and the society, and use by organizations outside of the historical society is expressly forbidden without written permission, and ect. Can you tell that I have a whats in it for my groups attitude....and I aint handing them nothing....for free...and its all out their sitting for them for the taking.... He called, and stated that when he had time he would see what he could provided as far as pictures. And liked the protection of the items Well I was thinking of the other A word,..... All silent withDarien
2003 In the quest to help my friends and the things I care about, here are two people in theCache Valley
2003 I would say that she is demanding, but knowing Paula she is being curt. The pictures are for the project Geoff hijacked of mine. I worry about them writing history of any kind, as it be written to serve the purification agenda, and will then take effort to correct. I think I am going to encourage Todd to do what the Trib does, and release no picture as they are considered notes. Then release a selection of pictures to a historical group (us) for limited use at the discretion of the group under guidelines of the press agency. I guess I will have to go, and write it all down, so that in July we can correct. Geoff is too slanted. It will forget any of the significant items that dont fit the culture, like the Rodeo, and it is the one thing that has shown to the general word that there is a similarity...and really no difference....purity will come to this community....I fear that we may not be able to change the course they have chosen for us. Perhaps we could look at an article on how bad it is to reinvent history....what would be funnier is let them do it on there own, and then pass out flyers with the corrections and the facts. I would suggest putting a note out on the Yahoo and the web sight that the historical postings are the property of you and the society, and use by organizations outside of the historical society is expressly forbidden without written permission, and ect. Can you tell that I have a whats in it for my groups attitude....and I aint handing them nothing....for free...and its all out their sitting for them for the taking.... He called, and stated that when he had time he would see what he could provided as far as pictures. And liked the protection of the items Well I was thinking of the other A word,..... All silent with
2003 In the quest to help my friends and the things I care about, here are two people in the
2004 Dear Ben, I'm really excited about the history
column; I think it could be interesting, funny, and quirky. I loved the
research you were doing about the gay ruffians and that other short bit about
the Basque guy who used "nose paint" and kissed his own reflection.
You'll probably be surprised at how short a 600 word column is. If this length
becomes totally unwieldy please let me know. We may be able to get you more
space than 600-800 words, so keep that in mind in case you end up wanting to
expand your prototype--it just depends on how ad sales go, etc., and we'll know
more as the deadline approaches, but for these prototypes the shorter length
should be fine. I can trim it a bit if it goes too long, but I'm sure you
wouldn't want me to be hacking at it too much. I always find writing short
columns helps me discipline my (admittedly long-winded) approach to writing so
that I am forced to focus on one or two main points. Once we get the figures
pinned down better, you'll have a more exact word count, which will be helpful.
Thanks very much! Brandon [Burt]
2005 The Fight for Hate
Crimes Legislation is NOT Over! Although SB 181 was defeated in committee
Tuesday, HB 50 is still alive in the House. Rep. Litvack needs your support!
This is the ninth attempt to pass effective, inclusive hate crimes legislation
in Utah. Law enforcement and prosecutors, all the major newspapers, and 70% of
Utahns agree that NOW IS THE TIME for hate crimes legislation. The committee
vote was 4-3. During the committee hearing, Senator Lyle Hillyard of Logan
remained in his office refusing to attend the hearing in spite of personal
requests from his constituents to do so. His vote would not have changed the
outcome, but his failure to do his job was disturbing.
2005 Kevan Johnson to Ben
Williams Hi Ben, I have been reading through the SLMETRO.com site today. Thanks
for all your work with this.. I really enjoy checking it
out often! I have a question that I hope you won't mind. I have been typing up
some old journals, and was trying to provide photos & illustrations for my
journal. Specifically, I have been trying to find photos of some of our older
clubs that don't exist anymore, such as The Sun and The Deerhunter. Do you know
where I could find photos like these?
I know it's a stretch, but I thought you might have an idea. I never
photographed these clubs while they existed, I guess I always thought they
would be there. I guess Mother Nature had a different view? I appreciate your
time, and thanks again for your work in our community! Kevan Johnson
- From:
Ben Edgar Williams to: Kevan Johnson Subject: Re: Pictures of Bars Date:
Fri, 11 Feb 2005 16:43:42 -0800 (PST) Me and you both..... inside the
Trapp there is a large picture of the Railroad exchange which became the
Sun Tavern in 1972. The Delta Center is there now. Inside the
- Fri, 11 Feb 2005 20:08:51 -0700 Hi Ben, Wow.. thanks for the quick, friendly & informative reply. I will definitely check out those sources, and if I stumble on any photos, I'll let you know. I really appreciate your time, that was very kind of you. Have a great weekend! Kevan Johnson
2006 Winterfest
Conference Utah first GLBT Conference includes Keynote speeches by Singer, Activist
and teacher Holly Near and Matt Foreman, Executive Director of National Gay and
Lesbian Task force. Topics range from sex, shame, queer theory and gender to
the sanctity of marriage and the politics of oppression. There will be national
experts flown in from around the country as well as local experts. This is an
amazing first for Salt Lake and should not be missed Salt Lake City Winterfest™
Conference A one-day conference that
addresses issues facing the GLBT community, our families, friends and
allies. We believe that knowledge
promotes greater self-esteem and makes it possible for more of us to work for
the well-being and civil rights of our entire community. The conference will
have nationally-known speakers for the opening and closing sessions.
- Four tracks with four sessions (16 total sessions) will provide the latest information on GLBT issues and social justice. • Pre-Conference Reception & Concert - $20 Featuring: HOLLY NEAR Holly Near - Singer, Activist and Teacher, Ukiah, CA. Holly Near, an outstanding teacher and vocalist, uses her experiences to bring forth the last 30 years of political activism. Near’s perspective is full of humor and history as she discusses events that have inspired songs and songs that have inspired change. An immense vocal talent, her career as a singer has been profoundly defined by an unwillingness to separate her passion for music from her passion for human dignity. She is a skilled performer and an outspoken ambassador for peace who brings to the stage an integration of world consciousness, spiritual discovery, and theatricality.
- SESSION I 9:45am - 10:45am
- In God We Trust?: Religious Politics, Sexual Politics: Organizing for a Progressive, Queer Future - Ann Pellegrini, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Performance Studies & Religious Studies, New York University. One of the peculiarities of
- Bias and Oppression: An Internal & Personal Examination (Part I) - Debra Daniels, LCSW, Director, Women’s Resource Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City “I’m not prejudiced. I don’t even see color.” Are these statements you have made? In this participant-centered, interactive workshop, we invite you to take the plunge and learn how misunderstanding “diversity” divides our many communities. Maybe you have felt oppressed as an LGBT person, but do you recognize in what situations you may actually be the oppressor? This experiential two-part workshop will help you begin to look at the biases and oppression that exist within each of us and how those biases impact those we interact with, and our community.
- Barriers to Health Care Access: Is it a Gay Thing? - David Ferguson, Program Director, Utah Aids Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT - Risa Karisa, Health Access Project Coordinator, Utah Aids Foundation, Salt Lake City Does the GLBT population experience unique barriers to affordable health care compared to our straight compatriots, and how does the GLBT population experience health care differently from the general population? This workshop will explore how we are working to change the current inequities in life-long access to quality health care.
- Internalized Homophobia - Valerie A. Larabee, M. Ed., Executive Director, GLBTCCU,
- SESSION II 11:00am - 12:00pm
- Negotiating Monogamy: Steps to Building Trust - Marybeth Raynes, M.S.W., Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Marriage & Family Therapist, Salt Lake City, UT Building trust is a vulnerable issue in every relationship; but when a couple is in conflict over whether to have a monogamous or an open relationship, trust is even harder to sustain. This workshop will propose ways to build trust from the start and how to restore trust once breaches have occurred within the intimate relationship.
- Queer Theory & You: Genitals, Clothing, Pleasure, and Shame - Kathryn Bond Stockton, Ph.D., Professor of English and Director of Gender Studies,
- Bias and Oppression: An Internal & Personal Examination (Part II) - Debra Daniels, Director LCSW, Women’s Resource Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City In this 2nd session we will continue the examination of our own biases and learn more about what privilege means in our lives. Join us as we delve deeper into the personal oppression that we may be displaying in our own actions and learn what it means to be accountable in our personal and community interactions. This is part two of a two-part workshop.
- Working with Our Heterosexual Allies for Everybody’s Gain - Glenda M. Russell, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies, San Francisco, CA This session addresses the motivations, roles, stresses and rewards for heterosexuallyidentified people who work in support of equal rights for GLBT people. This workshop is based on more than a decade of research, and has information for both heterosexual allies and for GLBT people who work - or want to work - with them.
- SESSION III 1:15pm - 2:45pm The Sanctity of Marriage - Featuring Those Who Cast the First Stone - Bryan Harris, Author & Columnist Author Bryan Harris joins us and takes a satirical look at right wing leaders to see how well they live up to the sacred ideals they profess to be defending against “defilers” of marriage such as gay couples hoping to marry. This session will provide an edgy, tongue-in-cheek look at the lives of some of the most vocal “defenders” of marriage, and how they have (not) lived up to the sacred standards of the institution they claim to protect.
- Tending Yourself, Tending the Tribe: Psychological Survival in the Face of Anti-Gay Politics - Glenda M. Russell, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies, San Francisco, CA This session offers concrete information for surviving anti-gay politics. Information from this workshop has helped people who have been impacted by anti-gay rhetoric, and has offered others new skills to protect them in the face of current or future campaigns. Not only can we survive these campaigns, we can use them to become stronger as people and as activists.
- Panel Discussion - Gender Warriors - Panelists to be announced Do you identify as Butch, Femme, MTF, FTM, Gender-Queer, Cross-Dresser, or none of the above? We are all differently-gendered people and we use maleness, femaleness, and the spaces in-between to define ourselves and to identify ourselves to each other. This panel consists of four people who see gender very differently. Together, we will explore what gender means for the GLBT community & how we all use it to push boundaries
- Managing Sexual Values Conflicts: Finding Inner Peace with Sex & Spirituality - Mark Malan, Ph.D., MPH, ACS, Assistant Professor of Sexology, Institute of Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco, CA Those who experience inner conflict between spiritual values and sexuality are not alone. This session will focus on understanding the dynamics of psychosexual shame and identifying solutions to values and conflicts in our own lives. Dr. Malan will help us identify hidden sources of internalized shame and phobias and show what can be done to increase sexual health and find inner peace.
CLOSING SPEAKER..MATT FOREMAN. 3:00PM - 4:00PM - Matt Foreman, Executive Director, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Washington D.C. Matt Foreman directs the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (The Task Force) with vigor, forthrightness and poise. He has worked for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights for 25 years, and has led the Task Force as its Executive Director since May, 2003 after more than two decades of distinguished service and leadership in the city and state of
2006 Winterfest Valentine’s Gala Roaring Twenties Cocktails, Silent
Auction, Dinner, Live Caberet Show and Dancing: Come get a wiggle on while
romance abounds at Utah’s 1st Annual Winterfest Valentine’s Gala. This shindig
is complete with flappers, crooners, zoots and jim-dandies. Come as your
favorite dame, moll, moocher or gangster; dolling-up in your best”20’s glad
rags.” Festive attire is greatly encouraged. Varied seating opportunities at
tables of 10 available for your dining pleasure. Do you have plans for
Valentines? Do something different and enjoy the Valentine’s traditions in a
supportive environment amongst friends who celebrate GLBT love. Fifty (50)
table captains are needed to invite their friends and fill a table of 10 guests
for an evening of festivities. This year’s theme “Roaring 20’s” includes
flappers and crooners as well as a cocktail party, silent auction, prize
drawing, live cabaret dinner, and dancing. Utah ’s 1 st Annual Winterfest Valentine’s
Gala will be held Saturday, Feb. 11 th, 6:00 pm at the Sheraton City Centre
Hotel. A reserved table for 10 friends is $600, or $60 per person. Deluxe
tables for 10 with ten “Party Packs” are available for $1,000, or $100 per
person, and include admission, dinner, a fresh corsage/boutonniere, a 5”x7”
souvenir photo, and 10 tickets for the prize drawing for each of your guests.
Please reply now and volunteer to be a 2006 Winterfest Valentine’s Gala Table
Captain. Simply reply to the Table Captain Coordinator at twopeters@... by
January 6th. You will then be sent an application to provide us with your
contact information and confirm your participation. For additional information feel free to call
us at 801-531-7660 between the hours of 9:00 am and 9:00 pm. We look forward to
hearing from you. Information about the 2006 Salt Lake City Winterfest
including Winterfest Valentine’s Gala, Winterfest Conference, and Winterfest
Flurries (25 Auxiliary Events) is available online at www.slcwinterfest.com
2006 All, I just wanted to send out another reminder for Bear Luv'n
sponsored by The Utah Bear Alliance & The Salt Lake Metro. Saturday
February 11th at 10 PM at Club Try
Angles. This will be a fun night of fun, Raffle, Slave Auction, Dancing,
and more. The Salt Lake
Metro has graciously sponsored this event with decorations, food (YES I
SAID FOOD), prizes for Raffle, and some
items for Silent Auction. One of the big
efforts for this night is for people to bring a Teddy Bear to be donated to a
local hospital or charity for children.
Please encourage everyone to
bring a Teddy Bear. The purpose of this night is to raise money for the
upcoming Mr. Utah Bear & Cub Contest that is in production
and set to be a very fun weekend. For
those interested in being a contestant
in the contest, please see the website We hope to see you all there. Thank you, Noal
 |
| Joe Redburn |
JoSelle Vanderhooft: How did you
start out in talk radio?
Joe Redburn: I went two years at
the University of Wyoming and then I went to the armed forces radio
school at Ft. Slocum , New York Fort
Riley in Kansas for two years. What we did was the
news on local stations. Then when I got out, I went back to Laramie
and then I came over to Salt
Lake
JV: Why did you choose Utah ?
JR: A guy I knew, a gay guy,
worked at KWOB, where I worked before I went into the army. He was from Salt Lake Salinas , California San Francisco ,
which was one of the first-odd talk stations. I taped it and sent it to
Starley, and he said, come back and we’ll give it a shot. It was a big success.
KSXX, which is now K-TALK, was one of the first all-talk stations in the
country besides KGO and I think KLMX in St.
Louis .
JV: You had a show on KSXX in the
70s and 80s, where you were a co-host. Then you went solo for the Joe Redburn
show in the 80s and 90s Tell me a little about both shows.
JR: We started out with a program
called Controversy. This was one of the first times in Salt Lake
JV: What were some of the things
you’d talk about?
JR: One of our first shows was
on, actually, prostitution. We had a female prostitute on – that was shocking
in those days in Salt
Lake
JV: [laughs] So they did all the
work for you.
JR: Yeah. Vietnam – I consider Vietnam to be the reason we have
talk radio. That was the main stuff – of course we interviewed people who were
in the anti-war movement nationally and locally and, you know, local
politicians.
JV: I’m guessing things got a
little heated then. I mean, with you being a Goldwater conservative talking to
anti-war people.
JR: Well yeah, but I went from
Goldwater to McCarthy, exactly like Hillary Clinton did. She was a Goldwater
girl and then she became a McCarthyite. So I changed my views really from being
pro-Vietnam to being against the war. I ended up being the alternate delegate
for Eugene McCarthy at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago … and got tear gassed just like
everybody else. All that changed my political perspective – and all the time
being on the radio, too. So talk radio really did change my political views.
JV: Were you surprised to see how
talk radio exploded after Vietnam ?
JR: Yeah. We were just sort of
experimenting with it. Advertising would shy away from it in the beginning
because they were afraid of it, the controversy. But the ratings – we went from a radio station with no ratings
that played jazz and folk music to doubling our ratings and then, at one point,
we were the second highest rated radio station in Salt Lake City . But the station was all talk
in the 60s. We started off with Controversy for one hour, and then when the
ratings came out, that did it, so they went from talk from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. and eventually the owners said, let’s just go all talk.
JV: I know you were dropped from
K-Talk for awhile in ‘93.
JR: I was, yeah. And I went into
the bar business for a little while.
JV: Yeah, at the old Sun Tavern –
which I hadn’t known was where the Energy Solutions Arena is now.
JR: When we got the old Sun, I
think we put the first sound system in for a DJ in Salt Lake
JV: How about the community
outreach you did at the Sun and at your other bars?
JR: Well, we actually probably
started Gay Pride. We started having keggers up the canyon, and that kinda
started everybody thinking – since Gay Pride was getting started around the
country – that we should do more. And then other people kind of got involved so
we started having another at Fairmount
Park
JV: Of course, Gay Pride also
came with lots of nasty things – like the anti-gay witch hunts at BYU during
the ‘70s. Did BYU security ever come to the Sun looking for gay students?
JR: Oh, they used to come up all
the time. A couple times they tried to come in and we would ID them so we knew
who they were, and we harassed them, so they gave up.
JV: [laughs] So you’d just tell
them to go away?
JR: Yeah, we’d try to be as gay
as we could with them and drive them nuts. So they gave up trying to come in
but they were trying to take license numbers like the Gestapo – in fact, we
called them that. I think it was when Earnest Wilkinson was president at BYU.
JV: I understand that the Sun
Tavern has an anniversary of sorts coming up on Feb. 20.
JR: We opened at noon on that day
in 1973. I’d never done it before, we were all scared. The Sun Tavern had been
the Railroad Exchange, and I found it because that’s where the anti-war people
hung out. It was owned by a former Pittsburgh Steeler, and they had a sign
outside – it was a Pepsi sign that said Railroad Exchange. And I changed it to
say The Sun Tavern. I can remember a guy who had a bar just south who said,
“You can’t do that! The gay bars can’t have signs!” And I said, “Well, I’m
gonna do it, anyway.” That’s what got me, how oppressed this community was. We
were oppressing ourselves. We didn’t think we could put a sign in front of a
gay bar.
JV: How did you end up owning it?
JR: Actually it was another Wyoming connection. The
Malouf family owned it, and they were from Evanston . One day the door was open and I
poked my head in and Mr. Malouf was there and his mother. I told them I was
from Laramie
and they said, we want to rent this back out. I think they rented it to me
because I was from there. I named it after the Midnight Sun in San Francisco .
JV: Getting back to your
conversion to the Democratic Party a little. You did some work on the
anti-Briggs group in California .
And you’ve contributed a lot to political campaigns, like Karen Shepherd’s and
Howard Dean’s.
JR: I was involved in his campaign
with his relatives – one of who is now our Salt Lake County
JV: And you’re a big Rocky and
Becker supporter.
JR: With Rocky I was a member of
the ACLU’s board for two years, that’s where I met him. He was as much of a
slave-driver then as he is now. He’s always been hard to work for. I worked on
his campaign for congress – one thing he did, though, is he realized there was
a big gay vote. He went down to the Trapp and I think some other places and got
the gay vote which, he’ll tell you got him elected first time. I don’t think
you can be elected mayor of any major city in this country without the gay
vote. And then Ralph Becker came down and campaigned at the Trapp last summer
and he told me he was taking a page out of Rocky’s book. I told him, “Well,
you’re doing the smart thing.”
JV: Tell me something that you’ve
done that a lot of people don’t know about?
JR: I ran for the legislature in
1976 in the Avenues, but I lost two to one to Genevieve Atwood. And then the
Republican right wing got rid of her because she was too liberal. But now the
avenues are like Democrats. Salt
Lake
JV: Politics, charity, bar tending.
What do you do when you’re not working at one of these?
JR: I still do talk radio on
Wednesday nights at KTALK between 9:05 and 11:00 p.m. with Jim Kirkwood who is
a staunch conservative, but we’ve been friends for years. We do the
liberal/conservative thing and we get calls. I still do it because talk radio
is the love of my life. I love listening to it, and now talk radio is like
huge. I think it’s the number one format in the country. On AM radio it sure
is. Who would’ve thought, huh?
2009 Guv's stand provokes strong emotions Gays-rights proponents
and opponents ramped up their rhetoric for and against Jon Huntsman Jr. on
Wednesday -- two days after Utah 's
Republican governor revealed that he backs civil unions and other rights for
same-sex couples. "After that initial shock, I was incredibly impressed
with him," said gay-rights advocate Jacob Whipple, who staged a
candlelight vigil outside of the Governor's Mansion on Wednesday night to show
support for the governor...Author:
Rosemary Winters The Salt Lake Tribune
2009 Walsh: Guv, church play gay politics Timing is all a matter of
motivation. Luck happens
to you. Strategy takes planning. And in politics, the
line is deliberately blurred. So, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. comes out this week in
favor of civil unions. And three months after Election Day, The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints comes out with a report acknowledging -it spent
nearly $200,000 to amend California 's
constitution to ban gay marriage. Author:
Rebecca Walsh Tribune Columnist
2009 Way to go, guv Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has come out of the
closet, in a manner of speaking, and embraced a simple, indisputable truth: All
persons are created equal, and should be treated equally under the law. The
Republican governor has declared his support for a package of bills designed to
give gay and transgendered individuals and couples some of the rights that
heterosexuals and married couples enjoy. Author: Tribune Editorial
2010 Gay-rights push spreading to other Utah locales Anti-bias »
Handful of cities and another county may adopt ordinances. By Rosemary Winters
The Salt Lake Tribune 02/11/2010 Utah lawmakers aren't stopping local
governments from following Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County in protecting
gay and transgender residents from discrimination. So some communities are
forging ahead. Discussions, at least, on anti-discrimination ordinances are
sprouting in Park City, Summit County, Taylorsville, Murray and Ogden. Park
City, which is studying measures in and out of Utah, plans to hold a public
hearing on the issue in March. Last fall, Salt Lake City unanimously approved
two ordinances that ban housing and employment discrimination based on sexual
orientation or gender identity. The measures -- the first of their kind in Utah
-- gained a historic endorsement from the LDS Church. "I was a proud Utahn
when I saw that," Park City Mayor Dana Williams said this week, referring
both to the ordinances' approval and the church's backing. "Our council
feels very strongly that [protecting people from discrimination] is the right
thing to do." State lawmakers -- Republicans and Democrats -- have agreed
to a yearlong moratorium on any bills that affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) community. Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake City, has
shelved a statewide anti-discrimination proposal in favor of blocking
legislation that would have overturned such protections in Salt Lake City and
Salt Lake County. Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville and a key
player in the compromise, has dropped a bill that would have stopped other
cities and counties from adopting anti-discrimination laws while the
Legislature observes the "laboratory" of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake
County. He said he still would prefer that local governments hold off for at
least a year. But, in Ogden, the Rev. Theresa Novak doesn't think justice can
wait. "The state should not be telling cities that they have to allow
discrimination," she said. "The time is always right for justice."
Her Unitarian Universalist Church is holding an interfaith service and rally
Sunday, "Standing on the Side of Love," to call on the Ogden City
Council to adopt anti-discrimination ordinances of its own. "As a pastor,
I've talked to people who are afraid of losing their jobs if someone finds out
their sexual orientation or gender identity," Novak said. "The
message of all religions -- at their heart -- is love and loving thy neighbor
and the golden rule. When you see these discriminatory practices, it feels so inconsistent
with what faith should be." Ogden City Councilwoman Susie Van Hooser plans
to attend Sunday's event and gather information, including a petition attendees
will sign, to share with the council. She is interested in passing an
anti-discrimination policy, but she's not sure when the council will be able to
schedule it for formal discussion. "I do think it's something that is very
important," Van Hooser said, "and should be looked at by our
community." Summit County Councilwoman Sally Elliott said her county, which
offers health insurance benefits to employees' domestic partners, is looking at
anti-discrimination ordinances but has yet to take action. In Taylorsville, an
ordinance-review committee is examining Salt Lake City's statutes and others
outside of Utah before determining whether to recommend such protections for
the state's 10th most-populous city. "I've looked at Salt Lake City's
ordinances," Mayor Russ Wall said, "and I think it's something I
would support." Murray Councilwoman Krista Dunn, a Salt Lake City
employee, said she wants to learn more about the capital's ordinances and
whether they could work for Murray. But the City Council has not yet discussed
the issue. The city's mayor, Dan Snarr, sees Salt Lake City's
anti-discrimination statutes as "a good thing." For now, though, he
noted Murray is dealing with a thornier topic: balancing the budget and
preserving services amid the Great Recession. Standing on the Side of Love What » The Unitarian Universalist
Church of Ogden will hold a worship service and town hall meeting addressing
the need for anti-discrimination ordinances for the LGBT community. When »
Sunday, 10:30 a.m. service with town hall to follow at noon. Where » 705 E.
23rd St., Ogden.
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| Will Carlson |
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| Terry Gillman & Teinamarie Scaderi |
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