This Day In Gay Utah History February 15th

15 February

1907 Utah enacted a law stating that "every lewd or dissolute person" was a vagrant and punishable in jail for a term of up to 90 days

1927 - Apostle George F. Richards notifies temples that it is decision of First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve to immediately omit from prayer circles "all references to avenging the blood of the Prophets. Omit from the ordinance and lecture all reference to retribution." Letter also instructs to "omit the kissing" at the end of the proxy sealings.

1942 The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theater of World War II

when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. It resulted in the fall of Singapore to the Japanese, and the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.] About 80,000 British, Australian and Indian troops became prisoners of war, joining 50,000 taken by the Japanese in the Malayan campaign.

• Although sex wasn't talked about in later years, obviously in the early stages it was very much thought of because it was cut off very suddenly. The boys were still very healthy. One of my jobs was to go round at night because certain couples were known to be going to particular spots and indulging in homosexuality. I was supposed to break it up, tell them to get back to their separate bunks. On one occasion it seemed to be getting so bad that the officers went to the Japanese and asked them would they give the soldiers some long trenches to dig. And so they dug those, and nobody was told what they were for. In actual fact they worked just to get rid of some of their energy. Others had to fill the trenches within a week or so, and then the men had to dig more of them. If the boys worked hard and long enough, other urges just didn't come so frequently." Warrant Officer Eric Bailey, From: Prisoners of War – Australians Under Nippon by Hank Nelson.
• Female impersonators were an important part of the concert parties. At first the men felt self-conscious about playing women, but as time went on they became more adept at making themselves up. They had permission to grow their hair long and some of them could be very convincing Cave notes there was never any disciplinary action taken against gay men in his unit: "One was renowned for giving good blow jobs in the mangrove swamps. He was well liked. Even supposedly straight men made use of his services. You could say that he did a lot to maintain the unit's morale. When a zealous sergeant attempted to charge him with being out of barracks after lights out, the commanding officer, who knew exactly what went on in the mangrove swamps, dismissed the charges. He had the wisdom to know that it was all harmless fun and a useful relief from the stress of war". [WHEN THE ARMY WELCOMED GAYS The armed forces haven't always excluded gays. They were often accepted during WW2. PETER TATCHELL tells the story of one gay private, Dudley Cave.] Private Cave was posted to the Far East and the war against Japan. During the fall of Singapore in 1942, he was captured by the Japanese. Sent north in a prisoner-of-war labour detachment, his unit was assigned to work on the construction of the Thai-Burma railway, about ten miles beyond the bridge on the River Kwai. Three-quarters of Cave's comrades in 'H' force perished. Luckily, after a bad bout of malaria, he was sent back to Singapore and remained in Changi Prison until the end of the war. Close to death from malnutrition, Private Cave was liberated after the Japanese surrender and repatriated to Britain in October 1945. He returned to a society where discrimination against gay people remained rife. Indeed, Cave was dismissed from his job as manager of the Majestic Cinema in Wembley in 1954 after it was discovered he was gay. "They asked me to resign", protests Cave indignantly. "I refused, so they sacked me." 

1951-A lesbian WAF who had received an undesirable discharge sent a letter to the ACLU requesting that they take action to stop the military from destroying lives by discharging homosexuals. The response she received was that discrimination against homosexuals was not a violation of civil liberties, and recommended she drop the whole matter and get medical treatment to get rid of her homosexual desires.

1973 Two Clearfield job corpsmen charged with sodomy have asked Clearfield city judge for an attorney prior to rescheduling a preliminary hearing. No hearing date has been set for Arthur Jones 22, St Louis, Missouri and Douglas Grey, 18, of Brooklyn, New York.  They were arrested February 2 by Clearfield police after an incident involving a 17 year old corpsman.

1980-In Atlanta, Georgia a three-day conference sponsored by the Committee of Black Gay Men began.

1980-The Lambda Student Alliance of Howard University held its first speaker program, featuring Melvin Boozer, president of the Gay Activists Alliance. He spoke on the need for a stronger black Gay political movement. Afterwards there was a reception and disco in Frederick Douglass Hall, the first Gay disco to be held on Howard University's campus.

1984-An article by Peter Sullivan in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association claimed to offer evidence that homosexuality is an addiction.

1988 Monday In the after noon I went out to lunch with John Reeves and we planned this weekend retreat for July. We decided to have a planning meeting on the 24^th. Dr. John Reeves has done a first rate job of organizing this. We finally came up with a perfect name for the retreat Beyond Stonewall. We first kicked around the idea of

John Reeves 

calling it the Gannymeade Retreat but I wanted the name Stonewall in it. John thought Beyond Stonewall connoted that we have finished rebelling and now we are ready to build. We want the workshops to be healing and nurturing as well as educational. [1988 Journal of Ben Williams]

1988- We had an AIDS Quilt Meeting at 6 p.m. and we have raised $350 so far. That’s fantastic. At the meeting tonight were Bruce Harmon, Bruce Barton, Rocky [Connell] O’Donavan, Chuck Whyte, Mark LaMarr, Garth [Ruby Slippers] Snyder, Ben Barr and myself. I was so tired during the meeting that I missed a lot of what went on. I just affirmed everything.  Ben Barr wants to do an AIDS workshop for the retreat.  I am really beat and have not been able to write much about all the exciting things that are happening to this community. Last night I began to think about all the organizations that I have touched in one way or another. The Restoration Church, Wasatch Affirmation, Unconditional Support, Married and Divorce Gays and Lesbians, The Wasatch Church of Christ, Salt Lake Affirmation, The AIDS Quilt Project, Gay Fathers, The First Thursday Women’s group, Gay Youth, and the Utah Valley Men’s Group.  I was a Bishop Agent in the Restoration Church, gave Russ Lane a home and a job to keep Wasatch Affirmation going. I created MADGAL and formed a Church of Christ last Spring. I reorganized the Salt Lake Affirmation last June which evolved into Unconditional Support. I began the Names Project Utah which evolved into the Quilt. I encouraged Steve Breckenbury to start Gay Fathers, Garth Chamberlain to start Gay Youth, Becky Moss to start the women’s group and the leader of the Provo Group said he was motivated by a talk I gave last November at LGSU and now John Reeves is their advisor. [1988 Journal of Ben Williams]

1989-Marc Christian, Rock Hudson's former lover, was awarded $21.75 million in damages from Hudson's estate due to the emotional stress he experienced when he learned Hudson had AIDS. The amount was later reduced to $5.5 million.

• 1989-Loveletters written by Rock Hudson to Marc Christian in 1983 were released to the public.

 1989-In Georgia, a jury upheld the will of a man who had died of complications from AIDS and left most of his estate to his longtime companion. David O'Shield's father and brother contested the will.

1990  JURY SELECTION SET FEB. 20 FOR 2ND DEFENDANT IN KILLING  By Michael

Gordon Church 

Morris, Staff Writer Jury selection in the trial of a second defendant charged with the beating death of a Southern Utah State College student is scheduled to begin Feb. 20 in 4th District Court. The defendant, Lance Conway Wood, is charged with capital homicide in the Nov. 22, 1988, bludgeoning death of 28-year-old Gordon Ray Church. The victim's body - nude, gagged and draped in chains - was found Nov. 23 covered with dirt and tree limbs in an area north of Cove Fort known as Dog Valley, Millard County. Fourth District Judge Boyd L. Park granted a change of venue from Millard County to Utah County following a request from defense attorney Marcus Taylor. Co-defendant Michael Anthony Archuleta, Wood's roommate at the time of the murder, was tried in Utah County before 4th District Judge George E. Ballif. Following a lengthy trial in December, a 12-member jury found Archuleta, 27, guilty and sentenced him to death. Ballif set Archuleta's execution by lethal injection for Feb. 19, but the sentence automatically was appealed to the Utah Supreme Court. Archuleta, who took the witness stand during his trial, downplayed his role in the murder. He said Wood, 21, was the real perpetrator. But Wood, who notified authorities of the killing and led investigators to Church's body, has blamed the murder on Archuleta. During his trial, Archuleta admitted that he, Wood and the victim drove around together the night of the murder, but said Wood precipitated the events that eventually culminated in Church's death. Archuleta and Wood are expected to be tried later on other related charges, including aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and object rape. Evidence from Archuleta's trial showed that Church suffered numerous severe blows to the head, that his left arm and jaw had been broken, his neck cut, his liver stabbed and that he had been sexually assaulted with battery cables and a tire iron. In December, Wood lost a round in U.S. District Court, where he had filed a $2 million federal lawsuit. In his suit, Wood said he tried before the murder to warn parole officers that "something bad was going to happen" following Archuleta's release from the state prison annex in Cedar City on Oct. 11, 1988. In the lawsuit, Wood claims, he tried unsuccessfully a week before the murder to have Archuleta arrested. U.S. Magistrate Ronald N. Boyce, however, ruled that Wood had no right to have Archuleta arrested, nor did he have the right to violate his parole officer's orders. Wood had been released from the prison annex a few months before Archuleta. Following Boyce's recommendation, U.S. District Judge Bruce S. Jenkins threw out Wood's suit. (Deseret News)

1991-The University of Minnesota at Minneapolis/St Paul student faculty senate voted to expel ROTC programs in 1993 unless the military ended its policy of discrimination toward g/l/b personnel.

1991-The Maryland State Senate economic and environmental affairs committee voted unanimously to reject two measures, one requiring all surgical patients to get an HIV test, and one giving morticians access to the HIV status of bodies they were preparing.

1991-The ACLU announced it would challenge the constitutionality of a Hawaii law which criminalized high-risk sex by anyone who had tested HIV positive.

1991-Demonstrators protested a show by comedian Andrew Dice Clay because of the show's homophobic, sexist, and racist material.

1993 - A workshop at Weber State University in Ogden was held titled ``Gay & Lesbian Support Group, '' 2:30 p.m., Room125, Building 1, contact counseling center for interview.

2003 As busy as ever, Babette "Babs" De Lay ('76, '79) celebrated her one year anniversary

Babs De Lay

as Principal Broker and Owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates. Babs has sold properties in Salt Lake City for nineteen years and specializes in downtown, Avenues, and Sugar House homes, as well as artist lofts and the estates of senior citizens. She serves as the Chair of Mayor Rocky Anderson's Capitol Improvements Program for Salt Lake City 2003, and will be celebrating 23 years on public radio (KRCL) in 2003 with her Thursday morning "Women in Music" program. Babs recently received her Doctor of Metaphysics in 2002 and performs non-denominational marriages in Utah. The national company of the Vagina Monologues has picked Babs to produce VDAY in Utah on February 15, 2003, which will be the only production of the Vagina Monologues in the state that year. Babs starred in the first Utah production in 2001 when she replaced Roma Downey from Touched by An Angel at the last minute. Babs' twin daughters have also provided her with three gorgeous grandchildren.

Kenni Littlefield 

2004 Salt Lake City Radio personality Jimmy Chunga yelled at his co-workers on the air saying, “shut up you stupid fags.”  Kenni Littlefield an offended listener after a month and half got Chunga to apologize. [Kenni Littlefield editor of Salt Lake Metro from March 2006-June 2006]

2004 Strength In Numbers- SLC founded. Welcome to Strength In Numbers--Salt Lake City, and thanks for finding out why SIN is in!! We are a not-for-profit, online social network for gay men with HIV/AIDS. SIN started in Los Angeles in September 2002, through the hard work and dedication of Bryan Levinson, and now has chapters forming around the world. SIN--SLC is pleased to continue this work in Utah, and the Intermountain West. One of the primary goals of SIN is to provide poz guys with a strong social network. Isolation and loneliness are as crippling for many poz guys as any physical symptom of our disease. We aim to provide a supportive and friendly social network, where we can gather without fear of disclosure and rejection, and we hope by doing so, that we are able to help poz men form friendships and relationships, decrease harmful habits and transmission of HIV, and promote a better overall image of gay men with HIV/AIDS. This Yahoo! Group allows poz guys to communicate with each other directly, share information, and find out about group outings and community events. We encourage you to be an active participant in both our online and offline communities. Post ideas, questions, advice, or news on the Messages Board Add poz-related events to the Calendar, or search the calendar for events  Upload your personal Photos (with Yahoo! Profile or email) Log onto Chat, to meet local poz guys Browse Links for other HIV/AIDS related websites  By joining SIN, please respect the following ground rules. Although we encourage guys to have fun and be themselves, this is not an X-rated site and not a place for sexual hookups or graphic discussions or pictures. Respect one another's confidentiality, sobriety, and differing personality types. Group Moderator: Jon (Email: jmonkey74@yahoo.com)

Stuart Merrill

2006  • At 10:30 C2EA Utah member, Brenda Chambers, will be on KCPW’s Midday Metro as part of Lara Jones’ on-going series about Utahns living with HIV/AIDS. Brenda is a grandmother who is working on a degree to become a social worker. She is a good speaker and I’m sure it will prove to be an great interview. Please find time to listen. Thanks for all your support Stuart Merrill President, C2EA

Aaron Tilton 

2006 Deseret Morning News, Club-content warning sought Measure would require parents to sign release form before entry By Jennifer Toomer-Cook eseret Morning News A Utah County lawmaker wants to warn parents that participating in an "explicit concept" club — identified as a gay-straight alliance — could expose children to sexual ideas ranging from bestiality to group sex. Aaron Tilton  Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, wants to establish such a warning system through amendments to his HB393. A portion of those amendments was obtained Tuesday by the Deseret Morning News. Tilton expects the language, and any potential changes to it, to be made public Friday, when he said the bill will come before the House Education Committee. Tilton's intent is to alert parents to content and activities that might accompany club participation. But opponents say the language Tilton anticipates putting into law is offensive and would violate the First Amendment and federal Equal Access Act. HB393 mirrors SB97, sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan. Both bills direct schools to deny clubs or the use of school buildings if the club charter or activities would encourage criminal conduct, promote bigotry or involve human sexuality by "promoting or encouraging self-labeling by students in terms of sexual orientation" and "disclosing attitudes or personal conduct of students or members of their families regarding sexual orientation, attitudes or beliefs." SB97 was presented and public input taken Monday, but the Senate Education Committee took no action. Tilton a few weeks ago revealed his bill would add a clubs ratings system of sorts. Categorizing clubs and describing their potential content would be part of parental notification and permission requirements. The proposed language would categorize clubs as one of the following: athletic; business/economic; agriculture; art/music (performance); science; gaming (not gambling, but games students play); religious; or explicit content. Each club type would be defined and parents notified of potential content. A religion club release form, for example, might state the club's ideas could conflict with a family's belief system, Tilton said. Draft language for most clubs was not yet available. But Tilton is considering the following language for "explicit content" clubs: If a violation in content or discussion restrictions occur, your child may be exposed to any of the following concepts in a written or oral manner. Sodomy, oral sex, group sex, hard- and/or soft-core pornography, bestiality, masturbation, sadomasochism, sexual bondage or slavery, sexual discussions including homosexual or heterosexual themes, transgender or transsexual themes, adult sexual molestation or assault of a minor, other ways of promoting sexual behavior." A gay-straight alliance or similar club is "the only one that I'm aware of" that would bear the "explicit content" title, Tilton said. "It's an environment where this can be explicitly discussed." The language aims to educate parents as to the kind of conversations that could go on outside a club meeting, Utah Eagle Forum President Gayle Ruzicka said.  "Parents need to know the truth," Ruzicka said, adding some gay-straight alliances are titled otherwise. "A gay-straight alliance is what the club is about . . . it describes the sexual practice. I don't think the debate club or cheerleading is about sexuality." But critics say sexually explicit conversations could be shared among any group of teenagers. "That explicit label or category would really need to apply to any high school club where the high school students attend, because high school students are able and possibly could talk about that content," said Stan Burnett, director of youth programs for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Utah. "Rep. Tilton seems to be ignorant of the purpose of GSAs. GSAs already comply with all of the regulations required by the state which already prohibits . . . sexually explicit clubs, language and discussions." Burnett knows of 14 gay-straight alliances in Utah public high schools. Principals at three of them have said some clubs offer support, conduct service projects, and might discuss civic issues and current events. "Some of those (descriptions) are patently offensive," Burnett said. "I had no idea Rep. Tilton was so angry and so willing to do damage to something that is good in the high schools." Others have legal concerns. "From what I can tell about this rating system, it looks like the system speculates about the content of what the clubs are going to talk about . . . (and) which groups are more likely to violate state law or somehow get into topics that might concern parents more than other topics," said Margaret Plane, American Civil Liberties Union legal director. "These kinds of obstacles are exactly the kind of burdens on speech that are prohibited by both the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act." The Equal Access Act states that a school allowing extra-curricular clubs cannot discriminate against students who want to meet based on their religious, political, philosophical beliefs or the content of their speech. Another concern: The sexual depictions contained in the bill actually would violate state law if viewed by minors. Legal concerns over explicit language regarding sexually transmitted disease contained in a blood-drive questionnaire, for example, recently were brought to the State Board of Education's attention. Tilton said parents may be required to come to the school to sign explicit content permission slips, Tilton said. School officials would determine whether parents would have to come to the school to sign other permission slips, he said. Still, that concerns attorney Carol Lear, director of school law and legislation at the State Office of Education. "If it were harder to sign one disclaimer over another . . . you don't have content-neutral clubs," she said. "The one I'm most concerned about is religious clubs . . . there are some parents who may have strong feelings against religion who don't want their children reading the disclaimer about the religious club, who may feel like they're being coerced or proselyted."

Lavar Christensen 

2006 Deseret Morning News,A bill to nullify unlawful agreements moves on to the Senate By Deborah Bulkeley A bill to nullify agreements that are unlawful or violate public policy passed out of the House Tuesday in a 53-18 vote. HB304 now moves to the Senate, after Reps. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, and Lorie Fowlke, R-Orem, were the only two Republicans who joined Democrats in voting against it. The bill states, "an arrangement, agreement, or transaction that is unlawful or violates public policy is void and unenforceable." The bill's sponsor, Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, said it is simply codifying what has been "a fundamental principal of law that's been upheld in case decisions for over 100 years." However, some some lawmakers questioned whether the language — which some gay rights activists consider unconstitutionally vague — was as simple as Christensen suggested. Rep. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake, asked Christensen whether the bill would impact gay and lesbian couples' ability to enter into legal contracts. "No," Christensen answered, saying it wouldn't impact contracts such as joint tenancy or power of attorney. He said it would prevent court cases over agreements that go against public policy or are unlawful, such as failed drug deals or gambling debts. Another example he gave was a visitation case involving a former lesbian couple pending before the Utah Supreme Court. Christensen said in that case the couple had used private agreements to "create a de facto marriage, a de facto adoption, and a de facto divorce." Romero questioned the need for the law, saying, "This bill is actually an effort to erode private contract rights."

2010 Ben Williams" To: "Don Steward"  So sorry I can't imagine the pain you are in right now suffice it to say we love you.  I know there's a lot to do now so just wanted to say how lucky your were to have such a man as Dick [Dotson] in your life and no matter what anyone says the pain will never go away you will just get used to it. God Bless you.  

•  SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Volunteers from churches including the American Baptists, Methodists, Unitarians, Presbyterians and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joined together at Camp Pinecliff to participate in an AIDS retreat. A group of 78 gathered at the camp near Coalville last weekend to take part in activities for both sufferers and their families. The Interfaith Volunteer Care Program is 10 years old and is run 100 percent on volunteer labor. "Ten years is a long time, and we're in a different place than we were then," said program organizer Dick Dotson. "We've broadened our perspective and times have changed. People are more willing to help people than perhaps they were 10 years ago, regardless of what the situation may be." Interfaith Volunteer Care is one of three national AIDS organizations to receive a $25,000 grant form the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "We had to keep going back and asking for an extension because we put the money in the bank and didn't touch it for years," said organizer Don Steward. Steward and Dotson see Camp Pinecliff as a chance for people to simply be themselves in a welcoming social context. Campfire talks, bingo games, hikes, crafts, volleyball and many kinds of activities are available to those seeking a refuge from their daily routines. In an effort to keep costs down, Steward and Dotson literally run most of the operation out of their dog kennel in West Valley City. "We use the phone here to register people for Camp Pinecliff," Dotson said. They can remember the days when no one would go near someone with the disease for fear the virus was airborne. Now their volunteers help AIDS patients with all sort of grassroot efforts that no other agency has resources to deal with. "I don't see the situation in Utah with the LDS Church any different from anyplace else in the country," Dotson said who was raised Presbyterian in American Fork and later graduated from an LDS seminary program. "Being from Utah, I'm very comfortable with the Church, but some who come in from the outside are not." "You find people everywhere in every church where it's still someone else's problem, especially when they haven't been personally affected." Many local gay rights activists groups openly criticized the LDS Church when it publicly condemned acts of homosexuality. However, Dotson and Steward have had a long working relationship with the Church welfare officials who have provided food and clothing. "We met with the First Presidency a few years ago and discussed issues within the HIV arena. Gordon B. Hinckley said to us, 'I have three questions: how many people are affected in Utah now, how many do you expect to be infected by the year 2000, and what can we do as the LDS Church to help?' We were very impressed with that," the men said. Many of the AIDS care program clients are former Latter-day Saints, Steward reported. Institutionally, the program gets all of its eggs, butter and milk from the LDS Church. "We even have the ability to make referrals for those who need emergency assistance. We can actually do a bishop's request. It's a nice option to give people in low-income housing." "We've tried to have this non-confrontational attitude toward things..... When you have people who see a person in trouble and simply respond because there's a need, we're getting somewhere," they said. Source: Camp eases AIDS misery Deseret News 29Sep 01 N1

2014 What a fantastic night. The Utah Stonewall Democrats, Utah Bears, Inc., Utah AIDS Foundation, Matrons of Mayhem SLC and QSalt Lake and the wonderful crowd who showed up raised well over $5,000 tonight for Restore Our Humanity. We were at $4800 and asked for people to dig a bit deeper to make it to $5,000, and raised over $500 in a few minutes. I love this town. I love our community. The Park City High School Gay Straight Alliance, who made over $1000 for ROH last minth, was there and helped raise even more money tonight. Proud of the Matrons. Proud of our partner organizations, and proud of our community.-Michael Aaron

• Ben Williams WOWSER! I wonder if someone could persuade Bruce B to match it...
• Mark Lawrence Not a chance Ben not a chance.
• Ben Williams Well then we will continue milking the mice drops turn into ounces which turn into cups that turn into pints which turn into quarts which turn into gallons! Plenty of mice... All anxiously engaged in a good cause...
• Mark Lawrence Exactly Ben and this victory will be shared by the people who deserve it, who earn it and who need it. We will own this victory and the "Royals" will not. And when all is said and done, the world is going to know how it happened. If anyone is truly interested in where the support comes from, the donate page on our website is accurate. (except for the events of this weekend which include the Friday night dance, these will be posted soon)