30 March
1727-In England,
Charles Hitchin, a policeman or marshall in London was a regular at several molly houses, widely known for his homosexual activities and considerably
nicknamed as Madam or Your Ladyship, he publicly condemned this
crime. Molly-house was a term used in 18th and 19th century England
for a meeting place for homosexual men. These meeting places were generally
taverns, public houses, coffeehouses or even private rooms where men
could either socialize or meet possible sexual partners. Hitchin as city marshall even raided so called Molly houses being a member of Societies for
the Reformation of Manners. According to Richard Williamson's testimony he was persuaded
to follow the "marshal" into the room, where he "did all that a beastly
appetite could prompt him to". Williamson told a relative of what Hitchin did and charges were pressed. The newspapers carried details of his crime and trial, and
they also announced the exact place and time of Hitchin's pillorying. He was put in
the stocks on 26 April 1727. A barricade of coaches and carts was placed around
the stocks by constables and others referred to as "friends and
brethren" by the newspapers. Despite the obstacle, the crowd, composed mostly of
prostitutes from Drury Lane, broke the line and beat the marshal viciously. The
torrent of filth and stones tore the clothes of the pilloried and the
Under-Sheriff removed Hitchen from the stocks long before the hour was out in
order to save his life. He then served his six months in prison. Attempts to remove
him from his post as Marshall were in vain. In November he managed to sell his office for £700 and
used the sum to pay the sureties for his good behavior before being discharged.
He died about a month later, probably as a result of complications from
injuries received in the pillory.
 |
| Entrance to Utah State Prison Sugarhouse |
1894 John Mack in Fourth District Court found guilty of sodomy and sentenced two years in the state penitentiary. Salt Lake Herald
1911-Frank Sweeney Case No. 2667 Third District Judicial Court
Frank Sweeny was charged with ““Crime Against Nature”” and served 18 months in
the State Prison. He was sent to prison on 6 May 1911. The act was committed
with William Chapman. [In the 1910 US Census there is a 36-year-old man by that
name living in SLC.] Complaint: On this thirty-first day of March A.D. 1911
before me John Bowman, Judge of the city court within and for Salt Lake City,
Salt Lake County, State of Utah personally appeared Emil Johnson who on being
duly sworn by me on his oath did say that Frank Sweeney on the thirtieth day of
March A.D. 1911 at the County of Salt Lake, State of Utah, did commit the
infamous ““Crime Against Nature”” as follows to wit: That the said Frank
Sweeney did at the time and place aforesaid wilfully (sic), unlawfully, and
feloniously have carnal knowledge of the body of one
William Chapman who was then and there a male person. Information: Frank
Sweeney having heretofore been duly committed to this court by J.M. Bowman, a
Committing Magistrate of said County, to answer to this charge, is accused by
E.O. Leatherwood, District Attorney of the Third Judicial District of the State
of Utah, Salt Lake County, by this information, of the crime of THE INFAMOUS ““CRIME
AGAINST NATURE”” committed as follows, to-wit:
That the said Frank Sweeney at the county of Salt Lake City, State of
Utah, on the 30th day of March A.D. 1911, did then and there wilfully (sic),
unlawfully and feloniously commit the infamous ““Crime Against Nature”” by then
and there wilfully (sic), unlawfully and feloniously having carnal knowledge of
the body of William Chapman, who was
then and there a male person; Contrary to the provisions of the statute of the
State aforesaid, in such cases made and provided and against the peace and
dignity of the State of Utah.” Signed E.O. Leatherwood Transcript No. 3204
March 31 1911 Filed affidavit of Emil Johnson charging defendant with the
public offense of the infamous ““Crime Against Nature”” on the 30th day of
March 1911. April 1 1911 Entered order
defendant arraigned April 1 1911 Entered
order defendant enters a plea of not guilty. Thereupon the case is continued
for hearing until May 5, 1911 at 10 a.m. Defendant Bail fixed in the sum of
$2,500. April 4 1911 Case called up. Thereupon the defendant withdraws his
former plea of not guilty and enters a plea of guilty, and with the consent of
Assistant County Attorney J.F. Bowman, the defendant waives preliminary
examinations. Thereupon, it appearing to the Court that the offense charged in
the complaint has been committed, and there being sufficient cause to believe
the defendant Frank Sweeney guilty, thereof, he will be held to answer said
charge in the District Court of the Third District of the State of Utah, within
and for Salt Lake County, and will be admitted to bail in the sum of $2,500, in
default thereof be committed to the custody of the sheriff of Salt Lake County
until he give such bail; or legally discharged. Dated April 4 1911 Judge J.M.
Bowman Information Charging the Infamous ““Crime Against Nature”” No. 2667 This
being the time heretofore fixed for the arraignment of the defendant herein,
the defendant herein, E.O. Leatherwood, Dist. Attorney the defendant being
present and said defendant especially waiving the presence of an attorney, is
duly arraigned at the bar in open court and especially waiving time therefore
now enters his plea of guilty. Whereupon the Court finds from the statements of
he District Attorney and the admissions of the defendant that the defendant is
guilty of an ATTEMPT TO COMMIT THE INFAMOUS ““CRIME AGAINST NATURE””, as
charged in the information on file herein. And especially waiving time for
passing sentence, and being now before me, Thomas D. Lewis, Judge of said court
and having stated that he had no legal reason to give why judgment and sentence
should not now be pronounced against him, the judgment and sentence of this court
is that you Frank Sweeney be confined and imprisoned in the State Prison in and
for the State of Utah for a period of eighteen months at hard labor, and said
defendant is committed to the custody of the sheriff of Salt Lake County, Utah. And you Joseph C. Sharp, Sheriff of said Salt Lake
County, are hereby
commanded to take the said Frank Sweeney and deliver him without delay to the
warden of the State Prison, or other person un charge thereof, there to be kept
in accordance with the above sentence and commitment. Dated May 5, 1911
1975 Supreme Court Backs Sentence The Utah supreme Court has
unanimously upheld a one to fifteen year sentence for a Utah State Prison
inmate convicted of sodomy. Von Atkinson
appealed the sentence claiming the new criminal code entitled him to a lesser
penalty Atkinson was charged in 1972 with Sodomy Ogden Standard Examiner
1982 The newly enacted regulation concerning the
sauna in the men’s locker room is threatening to destroy tradition. Why must we
be partially clothed in order to enjoy the privilege of using the sauna?
Gentlemen this is not kosher! What would a true Finn say if he were asked to
enter the sauna clothed? If this ludicrous regulation is essential in the minds
of the P.E. department, they are left with two options; require all men and
boys to enter the shower partly clothed and remain clothed during their
showers, thus reducing locker-room nakedness to a bare minimum, or make the
saunas co-ed. Fred Hayes, Kelly Sheffield March 30 1982 letter to editor BYU
Daily Universe Provo, UT
 |
| Don Clark |
1984- Dr. Don Clark author of Loving Someone Gay
and Living Gay gave the keynote address at the Gay and Lesbian Conference held
at the U of U. A Candlelight vigil was held afterwards at 10 p.m. for victims
of “Gay Bashing” and for the first time AIDS.
1985-Ed Davis, former Los Angeles Chief of Police, publicly blasted
anti-Gay politicians as a "bunch of maladjusted jerks" and refused
pressure from evangelical groups to refuse donations from Gay organizations. He
closed a letter to the American Coalition for Family Values writing "I ask
you to take a few minutes to read two short documents with which you may not be
familiar-The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights." He
confused Gay activists with his statements-he had formerly been one of the
chief political enemies of Gay rights in California.
1985- Lesbian Gay Conference Focuses on Safe Sex Sexually
transmitted diseases proved to be a major concern for those who participated in
a “Safe Sex” workshop Friday as part of the Lesbian and Gay Conference ‘85 at
the University of Utah. Physicians who conducted the seminar indicated that due
to the high incidence of infectious diseases and the increase of AIDS cases
being diagnosed nationally, Gay males, particularly, have reasons to be
 |
| Dr. Kristin Ries |
concerned. Dr. Kristin Ries, specialist
in infectious diseases, discussed the importance of preventing the spread of
syphilis, gonorrhea , hepatitis, herpes, and AIDS. The recommendations
primarily stressed the use of protective barriers to block the exchange of
germs from person to person. Monogamy was also encouraged. Physicians concurred
that sexually active people should have physical examinations regularly and
should be tested for sexual transmitted diseases every three months regardless of
whether they have any symptoms.
Discussion also focused on a new test which detects anti-bodies to a
virus associated with AIDS Human Lymphotropic Virus Type III (HTLV III). The test which is used to screen donated
blood has created some controversy among Gay Community members. Debate
surrounds the merits of contacting donors whose test reveal positive
results. Positive results may not
necessary signify the presence of AIDS. In recent cases people who were notified
of such results made the mistake of quitting their jobs and preparing to die”
only to have their maladies diagnosed as non AIDS related disease said Dr.
Ries. The test is not yet widely used in the state of Utah, mainly because it is still very
expensive said Dr. Ries. The principle
of the HTLVIII test was discussed Friday at the 2nd work shop in a session on
Gay and Lesbian political Awareness.
David Keith Nelson, editor and publisher of the
 |
| David Nelson |
Community Reporter, a
publication for the Gay and Lesbian population of the Salt Lake City area said, “Not taking the
AIDS test is a positive political statement.” Nelson feels such examinations
discriminate against members of the Gay community. Many of the workshop
participants felt that it is virtually impossible to insure their identities
will be protected once they agree to blood screening. A former ACLU president, also addressed the
“dismal opportunity for political recourse” which belongs to the Gay Rights
activists. Salt Lake Atty. Ross Anderson
told the sparse gathering of mainly University
of Utah students that,
“if the student community isn’t taking action, its not going to get done.” “I don’t see the issues being brought to the
public consciousness, “ said Anderson
concerning Gay Rights. He urged members of Utah’s Gay and Lesbian Community to rely on
housing leases and where possible contractual job agreements to protect their
rights as renters and employees.”(Salt Lake Tribune
B10-1)
 |
| Duane Dawson |
1985- First Annual two day conference of the Desert and Mountain
States Conference was held in Las Vegas with 100 people in attendance from the
5 states region. Duane Dawson was the first Utah attendee as representative of the Utah
Community Services and Clinic. The initial gathering was well attended and
featured workshops on such themes as Gay parenting, sexual harassment, the
Aquarian Age, AIDS, and spiritual Awareness.
 |
| Bob McIntier |
1986- The first branch of
the Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter Day Saints later renamed the
Restoration Church of Jesus Christ was
organized in Salt Lake in the home of Ben Williams. Robert M . McIntier called
as first Bishop and Ben Williams as Bishop Agent. The first baptisms of the
Restoration church in Salt Lake City
were held. Gordon B. Jones was baptized by Jon Butler, Bob McIntier was
baptized by Lynn LeMasters, and John Crane was baptized by Eddie Muldong. An
Easter Dinner was held at the home of Ben Williams for the Restoration Church.
In attendance were Pam Calkins, Lynn LeMasters, Tony Feliz, Eddie Muldong, John
Crane and his lover, Bob McIntier, Jon
Butler, Gordon Jones, Fran and Mike Howard.
Elder Calkins conducted Sacrament Meeting at Crossroads Urban
Center. The 5th meeting of Wasatch
Affirmation was held tonight. It was a small turn out being Easter Sunday and
with Russ Lane
away in San Jose
to gather up his things to permanently stay in Salt Lake.
1992- The Utah AIDS Foundation held the 1st
Annual ``Friends of Oscar'' party at The Bay, Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dancing and large-screen
broadcast of the Academy Awards were
offered. Several hundred guests visited and partook of a generous buffet
featuring tasty dishes donated by 33 Salt
Lake restaurants.
Television sets were turned off during presentation of the UAF Oscars honoring
individuals and organizations who have made a difference. Laura Scholl accepted the ``Corporation ofthe Year'' award for US West's support of``Walk for Life.'' Cindy Kindred, past UAF board president,
received the ``Michael L. Elliott Volunteer of theYear'' award, honoring a
charter member of theUAF board who died of AIDS in 1990. RaeDell Ashley, administrator of Utah Department of Health's AZT
program, was honored as ``Bureaucrat of the Year'' for cutting through red tape
to get the drug to patients quickly.
(AZT was the first drug approved bythe FDA for treatment of AIDS.) Joseph Abramo accepted the ``Partnership
ofthe Year'' award for his organization, Salvation Army, and LDS and Holy Cross
hospitals, for supporting the hot-meal-delivery program to home bound AIDS
people. President Nancy Tolboe accepted ``Best Supporting Cast'' award for the Junior League
ofSalt Lake
1994-Furniture chain IKEA became the first company to air a
television commercial in the US which featured a Gay male couple.
1994 LDS CHURCH OPPOSING GAY MARRIAGES By Mike Carter,
Associated Press Writer In the mid-1970s, the Mormon Church launched an
unprecedented campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment, saying its passage
would promote lesbianism and degrade the American family. Two decades later,
the church is gearing up to fight another perceived threat to home and hearth:
same-sex marriages. A concerted Mormon anti-ERA campaign raged in several
states, and some believe the church tipped the scales for the amendment's
failure. Proponents complained bitterly about what they saw as the church's
intrusion into the secular, political arena. Like an echo from the past, the
charges resonate today. In February, the church's First Presidency issued a
statement urging members to oppose legalization of same-gender marriage and
encouraging them to "appeal to legislators, judges and other officials to
preserve the purposes and sanctity of marriage between a man and a
woman." Church leaders say they are
apolitical and speak out only on public issues they consider also to be moral
issues. "The church can teach whatever doctrine it feels
appropriate," said
 |
| Marty Beaudet |
Marty Beaudet, a San
Francisco gay activist and the national executive
director of Affirmation, a gay Mormon support group. "But I don't accept
the premise they can deny the citizens at large, people who don't subscribe to
Mormon doctrine, the right to be recognized equally under the law," he
said. As bothersome to Baudet and others is the appearance, at least, that
church headquarters is orchestrating the fight. In Hawaii, where a recent court ruling could
validate gay marriages, fliers instructing church members to support
legislation to counteract the ruling and telling them how to get involved in
the political process have been made available at church meetings. Hawaiian
church officials say the effort is local. "We never expressed to our
members that we require this," said Donald Hallstrom, the church's
regional representative and spokesman in Hawaii.
"There was no coercion, in any way, shape or form." The fliers
contain no references to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some
list a telephone number for the "Hawaii Public Affairs Council,"
which rang to the church's public affairs missionaries. Hallstrom said the
fliers were intended for church members only. William E. Woods, a spokesman for
the Honolulu-based Gay and Lesbian Education and Advocacy Foundation, said
several statements faxed to a Senate subcommittee came from machines at the
church-owned Polynesian
Cultural Center
and the campus of Brigham Young University-Hawaii. "I am absolutely,
personally and clearly aware that the church and its business organizations are
actively developing testimony" on the issue, Woods said. Church spokesman
Don Le-Fevre said that other than the February statement, church leaders have
not involved themselves. LeFevre also said no church general authority was
available for an interview on the issue. There are those, however, who believe
that if church leaders are not conducting the
 |
| Michael Quinn |
campaign now, they will be.
Historian D. Michael Quinn said the tactics closely resemble those used in the
early days of the fight against the ERA. "I see this as a replaying of the
anti-ERA campaign of the late '70s and early '80s," said Quinn, who last
week presented a paper entitled "The LDS Church's Campaign Against The
Equal Rights Amendment" at the Sunstone Symposium in Washington, D.C.
"The tactics, although we're starting very early, mirror the kinds of
tactics used then." Church claims that the Hawaii
effort is isolated raise questions when taken in context with a flier Quinn
said was passed out earlier this month to members of the Montgomery Village LDS
Ward in Gaithersburg, Md.
Similar in wording, it urges members to action against proposed ordinances
that, among other things, add sexual orientation to Maryland anti-discrimination laws. Like the
February message from the First Presidency warning of same-gender marriages,
the church in 1976 issued a formal statement opposing ratification of the ERA,
warning it may "stifle many God-given feminine instincts" and take
away, rather than add to, women's rights. Not long afterward, members of the
church's Council of the Twelve Apostles began publicly speaking out against the
ERA. They also asked Mormon women to get involved in the International Women's
Year conferences in 1977. Feminist and pro-ERA platforms in Utah,
Hawaii, Montana
and some other states subsequently were defeated. There are some notable
differences between the way the ERA was handled by the church and its task in
opposing same-gender marriages - the most prominent being the battleground.
Where the ERA was fought domestically, the same-sex marriage issue will be
fought globally. The week before the church issued its statement in February,
the European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution urging members of the
European Community to allow gay couples to adopt children. Affirmation's Baudet
believes the church is fighting a political riptide, much as it did when black
males were forbidden ordination to the faith's priesthood. Baudet said the
church repeated that struggle in the 1970s with feminism. "It didn't have
to worry back then because society treated blacks and women the same way,"
he said. "But those two groups put pressure on the church and things
changed." In 1978, the church announced a revelation that "worthy men
of all races" could receive the
Priesthood. "I predict society will acknowledge gay rights and, 20
years down the road, the church will find itself out of step once again and trying
not to look bad," he said. © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.
1996 Page: D3 S.L. School Officials to Pick Which Clubs to Allow
Byline: By Samuel A. Autman THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE By the end of this school
year, Salt Lake City
School District will have
read through dozens of school-club charters and finalized a list of curricular
clubs returning next fall. Harold Trussel, assistant superintendent, has
ordered all of the district's secondary principals to recommend which clubs
should remain. The School Board will soon start discussing the nuances of its
February decision to ban all nonacademic clubs in order to block gay-straight
student alliances. The conflict over school clubs erupted when a group of East High School
students in Salt Lake City
requested permission to form a gay-straight alliance. The Utah State Office of
Education and the Attorney General's Office determined that either all clubs
had to be allowed or none be permitted based on the 1984 Equal Access Act,
sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, which was intended to permit Bible and
religious clubs access to campuses nationwide. The board voted to ban all
clubs. But School Board President Mary Jo Rasmussen said board members will now
have to explore what kinds of noncurricular activities will be allowed. Given the national media attention the board's
4-3 vote received, Rasmussen knows many people are wondering if the district
will relax some of its rules to accommodate the clubs it wants to keep. ``We
have to be really careful to not circumvent the intent of the law,'' Rasmussen
said. ``If we say, `Put the chess club in math class and Young Democrats and
Republicans in social studies to keep those clubs,' then we are opening
ourselves up to lawsuits.'' Trussel and the district's attorney, John Robson,
will read each club's constitution to determine whether each is linked to
curriculum. Principals are making their
recommendations, but remain unclear on groups such as the National Honor
Society. No one class is tied to curriculum, but rather a body of classes and a
student's grade-point average determine membership. ``I don't see it as being
difficult, but some of the gray areas will require greater research and maybe
input from the state School Board,'' he said. Kate Kendell, now with the National Center
for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco and formerly
with the Utah
chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, has been studying the question
of release time. Hundreds of Utah
public school students leave their campuses every day to take religious studies
classes through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic and
various Protestant churches Kendell believes even if a church group came
forward to sponsor nonacademic clubs, districts would be reluctant to permit
them because release time requires parental consent. ``Any option other than allowing the
gay-lesbian clubs to meet creates severe hardships on administrators and
presents a huge loss of opportunities for students,'' she said. ``The fact that
the district feels compelled to ignore the most obvious option is
disheartening.''
1999 Gay Single Men's Mixer 7pm Coffee Shop at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center Conversation, Cards,
Videos "Will and Grace" bring treats
1999 Utah Chronicle Rallying Respect Community Members Work to Gain Equality for
People of Every Sexual Orientation Kathryn Cowles Chronicle Feature Writer THE WIND ON THE STEPS of the State Capitol
Saturday whipped over hand-painted signs and rainbow diversity flags alike, meanwhile
tousling hair of all colors and types. We were close to freezing. Any civil
rights crusader would have been proud. As the crowd turned around mid-rally for
pictures from the various newspapers and members of the press, I was
overwhelmed with a great sense of the interconnectedness of the multiple issues
and causes this group represented. In
fact, one point highly emphasized at the Rally for Employment
Non-Discrimination for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community
was the idea that all people who do not have equal opportunities, whether based
on sex, race, religion, sexuality, social class, physical disability, age or
any other reason, are fighting the same battle. Teresa Martinez, a sociology
professor (also cross-listed in
 |
| Theresa Martinez |
Women's Studies) at the University of Utah and
a speaker at the rally, said, "These are human issues. They're not some
other people in some other place. They're our issues, and we are all connected
to each other." The Employment
Non-Discrimination Rally was organized by the Gay and Lesbian Political Action Committee and the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force in cooperation with the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah. This
rally was one of 350 similar demonstrations connected with the nationwide "Equality Begins at Home"
project. Because many civil rights
issues are decided locally by city and state government officials, the
"Equality Begins at Home" project focuses on legislation at the state
level. As Alexis Sáinz of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force put it, local
communities must work together "for equality in the workplace, at home, in
our schools and in these very streets" because "the things that
affect us on a daily basis are being decided right here." Central speakers in the Rally for Employment
Non-Discrimination were those who have been forced to fight, sometimes with a
high media profile, for their own individual employment (and other) rights.
Holly Peterson, a former student of East High and member of East's Gay-Strait
Alliance, explained what happened to her when the management of a restaurant
where she was employed found out she was a lesbian. They asked Peterson
questions about her bumper stickers, her social life and her roommate, among
other things. "They asked me to be more professionally feminine," she
said. Peterson was asked to wear skirts and makeup, despite the fact that this
was not required in the dress code (slacks and a shirt) when she was hired,
before her sexuality became common knowledge.
Later, Peterson was fired from her job, presumably on the basis of her
sexual orientation. "I have never been fired before," Peterson said.
"Job security needs to be mandated," she said, because the threat of
being fired on the basis of sexuality is real. Peterson hopes to find a
political realm where, in her words, "I won't be fired for who I am."
Represented among the many speakers at Saturday's Rally were three Salt Lake
City mayoral candidates. The presence of these candidates was a sign that the
GLBT community is recognized as a voting power.
The first mayoral candidate to speak was Rocky Anderson. "No one
ever explains," said Anderson, "how special rights arise from simply
guaranteeing gays and lesbians the same rights that everyone else enjoys."
Anderson said he wants "legal
protection for gays and lesbians," noting that pro-gay legislation not
only supports gays and lesbians legally, it also "sends a message far
beyond the political arena" that
unequal treatment of the gay community in general will not be tolerated. Jim Bradley, another candidate, commented on
what the presence of three mayoral candidates as speakers at the rally meant.
The fact that the necessity of equal rights among all citizens, regardless of
their differences, was recognized by all three candidates seemed to Bradley to
be a sign of a hopeful future in the way of civil rights. After all, Bradley
claimed, it is the duty of a politician to "bring communities together and
to accept, and in fact celebrate, diversity." A third mayoral candidate, Dave Jones, focused
his speech on how astounding it is to
him that our state, even our country, is still debating whether certain groups
deserve basic human rights. Jones claimed that because of politically active members of the GLBT community,
politicians are "having to deal with" issues of homosexuality.
"You are the people," he said to the crowd, "who areleading the
change" in favor of civil rights. "My hat is off to you." Many
members of the crowd seemed shocked, in the best sense of the word, at the
positive and supportive statements these politicians had for the
pro-gaycitizens at the rally. Steve Clark, an attorney and member of the ACLU
ofUtah, spoke concerning discrimination in the workplace, pointing out that
progress has been made overall in the movement for equality with "one
glaring exception:" the GLBT community. Clark represents Wendy Weaver in
what he says has been called "the most important case for the rights of
gay and lesbian teachers in the country." Weaver was the concluding
speaker at the rally. She deemed herself an "accidental activist" in
that she thought her successful teaching and volleyballcoaching in the Nebo
School District would "outweigh the fact of who [she] was living
with," rather than necessitate a fight to keep her own teaching position
safe. "I was wrong," she said. Weaver's coaching job was discontinued
on the basis of her sexuality. She was even asked not to discuss her sexuality
or home life with anyone, including co-workers. The crowd did take a rather
moral beating from a number of speakers upset by the lack of political involvement
from much of the pro-gay community.
Jackie Biskupski, the first openly gay member of the Utah State
Legislature, chided those in the crowd who were not politically involved.
Biskupski said ittook a group of East High School kids fighting for a Gay-Strait
Alliance tomake her realize how important it is to get
involved"Change," Biskupski said, is "only going to come about
when you take risks, when you're willing to fight a hard battle, like Wendy
[Weaver], when you're willing to say 'enough is enough.'" Biskupski
challenged members of thepro-gay community to "leave here today making a
commitment to yourself thatif you are going to demand equality, you must also
demand from yourself time" in the form of a commitment, financially and
otherwise, to personally help turnequality into a fact. University of Utah
professor of women's studies Deb Burrington encouraged the crowd to "turn
the light on in our own closets." Burrington said the debilitating
prejudices within the GLBT community itself, and at times the lack of support
for one another, disables the cause as a whole. "The struggle for
liberation," Burrington stated, "must be a collective and inclusive
event." Among the groups sometimes disowned by some members of the gay
community are those who are labeled "transgendered," or
"transsexual." Burrington criticized those of the pro-gay community
who drop these and other fringe groups. This is, she said, just another form of
"internalized homophobia." Members of the transgendered community
were in fact represented among thespeakers at the rally. Nicole Cline of the
Western Transsexual Network spoke of "challenging some of the traditional
thoughts society has that are so stereotypical of what we, in this community,
are." Cline said the "government is accountable
 |
| Debra Dean |
to us, 'We the
People.'" Debra Dean, founder of Engendered Species, addressed local
prejudices against the transgendered community. "All the world seems
welcome here," she said, "but maybe not us."
2001 The Chronicle's View BYU's Actions
Conflict With Message of acceptance by
Chronicle Editoral Board As a private institution of higher education owned by The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University is not beholden
to federal funding and, therefore, can pretty much do whatever it wants. But
just because it can, doesn't mean it should. In the last two weeks, BYU gave
two alleged homosexual students the option of either accepting a two-semester
suspension or withdrawing from the university outright, all because of
allegations they engaged (separately) in behaviors indicative of "same-sex
attraction." While
the LDS Church continually professes to accept gays and lesbians as worthy
church members and as students at BYU, it has held these two students to a
double standard. The condemned students say they have avoided any sexual
contact outside of marriage just like their church demands, and nobody is
arguing with their claims of chastity. As reported in The Salt Lake Tribune,
both refute the allegations of "inappropriate same-sex behavior" they
supposedly took part in, claiming instead to have only confided in their
roommates that they were struggling with "same-sex issues.” The roommates
subsequently reported them to the university's Honor Code office.That BYU would
summarily penalize them with "my-word against-yours" testimony as the
sole evidence is both arbitrary and capricious. Secondly, the Honor Code
regulations they allegedly violated are decidedly ambiguous—listing only
"homosexual conduct" as a prohibition, without elaborating on what
exactly constitutes such behavior. It is especially ironic, though, that a BYU
spokeswomen asserts students are mature enough to interpret the meaning of the
vague policy, yet the university cracks down when two students exercise their
own jurisprudence and decide that their behavior fits within the set
parameters. It is even more ironic that such a scenario would unfold at BYU in
the wake of the University of Utah's efforts to promote tolerance and respect,
as part of an awareness program conducted on campus this week to combat hate
crimes. Ultimately, BYU is perfectly within its legal rights to suspend or
dismiss students whom it deems in violation of the Honor Code. But
given the obscure nature of its own policies, not to mention the supposed
evidence used to try, convict and sentence those two young men, perhaps the
administrators at that university should cease taking action solely on the
basis of what they can do, and start taking into consideration what they
should do.
- 2001 SALT LAKE CITY, Ut. — Richard "Ricky"
Escoto, a gay Mormon and 21-year-old student, was suspended by Brigham Young
University officials for suspected honor code violations related to allegations
of gay conduct, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. The Tribune quotes Escoto as
saying that while the school does not prohibit closeted gays or lesbians from
attending classes, even talking about same-sex sexual orientation or
associating with other gay men or lesbians risks disciplinary action from
school officials. BYU, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, listed four reasons for suspending Escoto, a sophomore from California:
that he received gifts from other men, visited gay-oriented Internet Web sites
and chat rooms on his home computer, was seen on "dates" with at
least three different men and was found kissing another man in his apartment. Escoto
denies the allegations. He says the school has "no proof of
anything," and is basing the entirety of its actions on false testimony
supplied by his "bigoted" roommates. He says the charges against him
were made shortly after he confided his "issues with same-sex
attraction" to a roommate with whom he was particularly close. Word
quickly spread among Escoto’s other roommates who, he says, then turned him in
to BYU’s Honor Code Office. The BYU Code, which must be signed by students upon
entry into the university, contains "homosexual conduct" in a list of
sexual conduct prohibitions. The Tribune says the reference to homosexuality
was added only recently, in the late 1990s. Carri Jenkins, a BYU spokeswoman,
told The Tribune that less than 2 to 3 percent of BYU’s 30,000 students are
referred to the Honor Code Office annually, most for minor dress code
violations. She declined to say how many referrals are related to gay conduct
violations or how many students, like Escoto, are suspended as a result. Contrary
to what some students believe, Jenkins said, "There are no sting
operations. No one is going out and asking students their sexual orientation.
It’s not something they ask when they apply to the university." News
stories in the ‘60s and ‘70s reported that campus police would perform spot
checks at gay dance clubs for license plates of BYU students or would pose as
gay men and solicit sexual favors from male students. Another student, Matthew
Grierson, 21, was told in March to either withdraw from the university or face
a two-semester suspension based on similar conduct violations. He was
reprimanded for allegedly kissing a man on campus and holding his hand at a
mall off-campus but admitted only to the hand-holding. Grierson, who was on a
full academic scholarship at BYU, withdrew.
 |
| Dave Litvack |
2003 Sponsor of Hate Crimes Bill Will
Try Again By Kirsten Stewart The Salt Lake Tribune Not a month has passed since Utah lawmakers, for the sixth
consecutive year, did not pass a hate crimes bill, and its backers already are
laying the groundwork or a seventh try. "Think how far
we came this year," says sponsoring Rep. David Litvack. "Years of sweat
and frustration and constantly keeping the issue before the citizens of this
state; that's why we got as far as we did." The Salt
Lake City Democrat is open to scrapping elements of the legislation to win
votes, though he prefers to run the bill as is. Much hangs on a pending court
ruling on the constitutionality of Georgia's hate crimes law and the success of
a national movement to include "sexual orientation" among the
federally protected categories, Litvack told University of Utah students at a
Hinckley Institute of Politics panel this week. Though
opposed to Litvack's bill, Hinckley panelist Rep. Chad Bennion, R-Murray,
agreed time is on Litvack's side. "It takes on average
six or seven years for challenging bills to pass," he said. Bennion, like many in the majority party, agrees "we shouldn't tolerate
hate" but opposed House Bill 85, arguing it creates a new category of
"thought crime" because it imposes a more severe penalty based on a
perpetrator's motivation. HB85 would have enhanced penalties
for crimes motivated by hatred for an individual based on religion, race,
color, nationality, ancestry, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation. It
passed the Utah House in late April for the first time in its six years before
the Legislature. The landmark 38-35 vote was short-lived, however. The measure
was recalled the following day and allowed to die quietly.
Litvack says there are plenty of crimes where the penalties are enhanced based
on a criminal's motivation or intent, including murder in the first
degree. He says lawmakers who have supported penalty
enhancements in the past, but voted down hate crimes, will be forced to face
their hypocrisy if the state high court rules Georgia's hate crimes law
"unconstitutionally vague."
2004 The LBT Health Care Advocacy Workshop held for women to learn
how to take charge of health care presented by Kellie Custen with assistance
from Kathy Worthington in Salt Lake City, Utah.
2006 On March
30 the Gay and Lesbian Law Alliance at the University of Utah's College of Law
is hosting the Call to Duty Tour. Seven veterans will argue that the Don't Ask,
Don't Tell policy needs to be repealed. The presentation is one of 25 on
campuses nationwide and is specifically targeted toward conservative arguments.
Bring your conservative friends and join the debate. 7:00 p.m. at the
Sutherland Moot Courtroom, S.J. Quinney College
of Law, 332 S. 1400 E. in Salt Lake
City.
 |
| Larry Miller |
2006 Some people are missing the point over the
protest against Larry Miller being asked to be a keynote speaker at the
University of Utah . Comparing his selection to that of Michael Moore’s visit
to UVSC is comparing apples and oranges.
It is not about the issue of free speech. Michael Moore was not asked by the UVSC
administration to be a keynote speaker.
Michael Moore was asked to share a political view by the student
government; a view that is rarely expressed in Utah County.
The protest against Larry Miller is more against the university recognizing
someone who clearly does not value all Utah’s
citizens but only the straight ones.
Miller’s refusal to explain his pulling of Brokeback Mountain
from his theaters and his temper tantrum towards a KSL reporter is one of
several reasons why people question Miller’s choice as a speaker. After all the
bashing Gays endure in this state especially during this past legislative
session, it is impossible not to question the University’s decision. But then
money talks the loudest in Utah.
Ben Williams SLC Ut
2010 Update: alleged DJ Bell
attackers, where are they now?In Section: News Blog Posted By: Jesse Fruhwirth
Salt Lake City Weeky Three of seven alleged attackers of DJ Bell and Dan Fair
are currently in custody while the other four have posted bail. Bell and Fair
were the victims of an attack on July 5, 2008, in South Salt Lake after
next-door neighbors accused Bell of kidnapping two children. Bell and Fair were
subsequently attacked and suffered serious injuries. While testifying in the
kidnapping trial against Bell, multiple neighbors-now-defendants admitted to
being involved or having witnessed the attack. Bell was acquitted and the jury
criticized the prosecution against him, in September. Now begin the aggravated
assault and riot trials against the neighbors. The Salt Lake District
Attorney's office filed felony charges against the seven March 2. Ample
background on the case can be read here. Not much has happened by way of court
hearings, yet. Several of the defendants made their initial appearances in
court this month, one has retained a private attorney, two are in the Clark
County Jail after being arrested Friday in Las Vegas, while one is still in
custody in the Salt Lake County jail, unwilling or unable to post the $100,000
bond. All the defendants--except the two in the Clark County Jail--are
scheduled to appear for 3rd District Judge Randall Skanchy on April 20 at 2
p.m. at the Matheson Court House in downtown Salt Lake City. Not much is likely
to happen at the hearing because the cases are still so new. The Salt Lake District
Attorneys office believes each the South Salt Lake Seven were either directly
involved in beating Bell and Fair or, according to the criminal information
(pdf), "assemble[d] with two or more persons with the purpose of engaging,
soon thereafter, in tumultuous or violent conduct, knowing that two or more
other persons in the assembly [had] the same purpose." Bell and Fair have
since moved away from South Salt Lake but still live locally. Below is the
status of each of the defendants. Ricky Ian Peace, 32 charges: first-degree
felony aggravated burglary; first-degree felony aggravated assault;
third-degree felony riot status: in custody at the Clark County Detention
Center on $100,000 warrant next: After he is booked locally, his bail could be
adjusted from the $100,000 warrant amount. Ietitaia Tavita Nuusila, 26 charges:
first-degree felony aggravated burglary;first-degree felony aggravated assault,
third-degree felony riot; class-A misdemeanor simple assault, class-A
misdemeanor false personal information status: in custody at the Salt Lake
County Jail since March 12, $100,000 bail next: roll call hearing April 20 at 2
p.m. with Judge Skanchy LetiDavid Mageo, 33 charges: first-degree felony
aggravated burglary; first-degree felony aggravate assault; third-degree felony
riot status: not in custody - booked at the Salt Lake County Jail March 4, paid
$100,000 bond(pdf) the same day next: roll call hearing April 20 at 2 p.m. with
Judge Skanchy Lisa Rita Aiono, 26 charges: third-degree felony riot status: Clark
County Detention Center on $10,000 warrant next: After she is booked locally,
her bail could be adjusted from the $10,000 warrant amount. Marsha Rae Finau,
30 charges: third-degree felony riot status: not in custody - booked at the
Salt Lake County Jail March 3, paid $10,000 bond the same day next: roll call
hearing April 20 at 2 p.m. with Judge Skanchy Angelina Janae Dibella, 31 charges:
third-degree felony riot; class-A misdemeanor simple assault status: out of
custody - booked at the Salt Lake County Jail March 3, paid $10,000 bond the
same day next: roll cal hearing April 20
at 2 p.m. with Judge Skanch note: retained attorney Earl Xaiz
Tapululululu Latu, 30 charge: third-degree felony riot status: out of
custody - booked at the Salt Lake County Jail March 4, paid $10,000 bond(pdf)
the same day next: roll call hearing April 20 at 2 p.m. with Judge Skanchy Sources:
Salt Lake County Jail inmate lookup and roster history, Clark County Jail inmate
information search, Salt Lake District Attorney's office and the Utah
Administrative Office of the Courts (XChange). 2010
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