This Day In Gay Utah History May 30th

30 May

Today is the feast day of St. Joan of Arc, a French historical figure executed by the English for heresy in 143. She is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. Joan accompanied an army during the Hundred Years War, adopting the clothing of a soldier, which ultimately provided a pretense for her conviction and execution. Whether her crossdressing and lifestyle have implications for her sexuality or gender identity is debated.

1593-Gay British playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe died of a knife wound  to the head at age 29. Marlowe is frequently claimed to have been homosexual. Richard Baines reported Marlowe as saying: "All they that love not Tobacco and Boys are fools. “Richard Baines was an Elizabethan double agent, informer, and ordained Catholic priest. He is best known for the so-called list of accusations against Marlowe. Marlowe wrote in his poem Hero and Leander of the male youth Leander, "in his looks were all that men desire". Leander swims to visit Hero at Sestos, he describes the sea god Neptune as sexually excited by him , "[i]magining that Ganymede, displeas'd, [h]ad left the Heavens ... [t]he lusty god embrac'd him, call'd him love ... He watched his arms and, as they opened wide [a]t every stroke, betwixt

Christopher Marlow

t them would he slide [a]nd steal a kiss, ... And dive into the water, and there pry [u]pon his breast, his thighs, and every limb, ... [a]nd talk of love", while the boy, naive and unaware of Greek love practices, protests, "'You are deceiv'd, I am no woman, I.' Thereat smil'd Neptune." In the play Edward the Second the following passage supporting homosexual relationships is written “The mightiest kings have had their minions;Great Alexander loved Hephaestion, The conquering Hercules for Hylas wept; And for Patroclus, stern Achilles drooped. And not kings only, but the wisest men: The Roman Tully loved Octavius, Grave Socrates, wild Alcibiades” Marlowe wrote the only play about the life of Edward II up to his time, taking the humanist literary discussion of male sexuality much further than his contemporaries. The play was extremely bold, dealing with a star-crossed love story between Edward II and Piers Gaveston. Though it was common practice at the time to reveal characters as gay to give audiences reason to suspect them as culprits of a given crime, Christopher Marlowe's Edward II is portrayed as a sympathetic character. 

1668-The representative assembly of the New Jersey Colony made sodomy a capital crime. Exceptions were made for victims of rape and those under 14--they could not be executed but could be sentenced to whatever other punishment the court deemed appropriate.

Thomas Taylor

1888 THOMAS TAYLOR once of this city who has been operating in the southern country for some time past has been acquitted of the charge of crime against nature brought against him some time ago. The evidence adduced by the prosecution was such as the jury failed to believe as well they might as it was inconsistent and untenable. They were out but twenty minutes when they returned with a verdict of not guilty. The theory of the defense was that the

charge  against Taylor was through  ill feelings brought about by a dispute with thefamily of the youth who was the complaining witness Salt Lake Herald

1907-The New York Times carried a story about a German scandal which began after magazine editor Maxamillian Harden published an article suggesting that Count Kano Moltke and Prince Philip Eulenburg were lovers. The article led to a libel suit against Harden, who was fined by the count despite witnesses who swore that the account was true.

Harden, Eulenberg, & Moltke

The affair received wide publicity and is often considered the biggest domestic scandal of the German Second Empire. It led to one of the first major public discussions of homosexuality in Germany, comparable to the trial of Oscar Wilde in the United Kingdom.

Christine Jorgenson

1926 Birth date of George William Jorgensen Jr, who would later become Christine Jorgensen, a transsexual woman. 

1955 The American Law Institute's model penal code omitted sodomy laws for the first time - without fanfare. American Law Institute's vote was 35-24 in favor of removing Sodomy. The Illinois legislature in 1961 revised their criminal code following the American Law Institutes suggestions and legalized homosexuality. The law went into effect the following year.  Times Magazine May 30, 1955 pg 13

1962  Greg Hardin was born May 30,1962 in Oceanside, CA. Camp Pendleton Marine

Corps Base and his family moved back to Salt Lake in 1964 where he continues to make his home.  Greg has had a wonderful career steeped in service. His zest for life began as a Varsity Cheerleader at Granite Senior High School in 19** (Whatever – Go Farmers!)  He earned an MS in Public Health Administration from the University of Utah.  He worked as a Development Director at “Under One Roof” (ASO – AIDS Service Organization) in San Francisco.  He also worked part time at Bath and Body Works for 25 years.  Volunteerism has been and continues to be a huge part of his life.  He has involvement (or past involvement) in the Utah AIDS Foundation, the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, Utah Gay Rodeo Association, NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) of Utah, Girl Scouts of Utah and foster dog care for the Humane Society of Utah.  Greg currently serves on the SAGE Committee for the Utah Pride Center.  Greg’s favorite vacation spot is camping in the hills twenty minutes away from his home or VIVA LAS VEGAS!  He has been performing drag for over 30 years and is coined as “The Queen of the 1960’s.”  Greg’s group “The LoveBirds” (a 1960 girl group) are the only drag queen group to ever perform at Symphony Hall.  The LoveBirds consisted of “Lulene” (Greg), “Marlene” (Curtis Jensen) and “Valvelene” (Matt Landis).  They opened for Rosanne Barr in 1988 at a benefit for the Utah AIDS Foundation.  Greg was also one of the original Cyber Sluts who started Bingo night which later evolved into 3rd Friday Bingo.  Greg was also Miss Utah Gay Rodeo in 2003 and 2004!  Greg’s personal mantra is “Never a victim, always a survivor!”  If he were to write a self-help book, it would be titled “Make Sure Your Train is Headed in the Right Direction!”  The greatest lesson he has learned in life is that he can’t change the behavior of others, but he can change the way he reacts towards them.  His passions of life are to be grateful for everything that life has given to him and he sharing his heart and love with others.  He has many heroes and mentors in his life who have taught him how to be himself.  His very favorite line is from Joan Crawford, “I’m not the guy next door.  If you are looking for “that” guy, then go f***ing next door!” (And Greg NEVER swears!)  Something mostly unknown about Greg is when he was three years old, his sister (who was 13 at the time), got an Everything Barbie for Christmas which included the iconic Barbie convertible sports car.  He kept playing with the car and his father explained that “those toys are for girls, not boys.”  Greg pointed out the window and asked his dad, “Why do you drive a girly car?”  The very next day, his dad Harvey bought him his own Barbie Convertible which he still has!   Thank you Greg for all of your past and continued service to our community!  

1964-In San Francisco, a four day meeting between representatives of homophile organizations and various Protestant churches took place to work toward communication and cooperation between the groups.

1968 PRIDE [Personal Rights in Defense and Education] of Los Angeles held a large GAY-IN at Griffith Park to hear a former policeman who was running as a Peace and Freedom candidate for District Attorney.In the days before Stonewall, the park was one of L.A.’s most notorious spots for men to go and cruise for sex after dark. It took John Rechy to put Griffith Park on the cultural map as a cruising hotspot after his 1967 novel “Numbers” detailed a chance encounter at the famous sprawling enclave between Los Feliz and the Santa Monica Mountains.

1969The constitutionality of SLC’s mandatory Venereal Disease testing directive was taken under advisement by 3rd Judge Alden J. Anderson after the law was challenged by the seven men who were arrested May 23rd (05/30/69 SLTribune 8D)

Spencer Kimball

1975 The LDS First Presidency issued a statement “about the unfortunate problem of homosexuality which occurs from time to time among our people” and referred to the length of time it took “to conquer the habit.” The letter encouraged church leaders “not to label people as homosexuals because this both discourages and tends to make the matter seem beyond solving.”

1976 Sunday Second Annual Gay Freedom Day Kegger was held at Site #10, in City Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City. All the beer you can drink for $2.00.  Hosted by the board of the Gay Community Service Center. “All the beer you can drink” was sold  for $2.00. Joe Redburn’s Sun Tavern sponsored the festivities with about 500 revelers enjoying music and dancing at Rotary Park. •         Even with the Gay Community Center having closed it’s door in April, the Gay and Lesbian community held a second annual Gay Freedom Day Kegger in City Creek Canyon on May 30, 1976.

1977-The Nebraska legislature overrode Governor James Exon's veto of legislation to repeal the state's sodomy law.

1977-A kegger fund-raiser for The Boise Seven was held in City Creek Canyon sponsored by the Gay Service Coalition. The Boise Seven were female employees of Boise Police Department fired on suspicion of lesbianism, which department claims was damaging to police morale. The firing engendered intermountain protests and petition drives from Gay communities, one of the first instances of open gay activism in Idaho. The women fought back with law suit in federal court and won a settlement.

Walter Kelbach

1977 Judge Bryant Croft over turned the adoption of Ron Ziegler by homosexual convicted murderer Walter Bernard Kelbach. Kelbach and his cousin Myron Lance went on a murder spree in Salt Lake City in December 1966 killing and sexually abusing two teenage boys. (06/18/77 SLTribune)

1980-Aaron Fricke took his male date to his senior prom. He had to sue the high school for the right to do so. Fricke filed suit for the right to attend prom with his male date Paul Guilbert. “I feel I have the right to attend,” he told the judge. “I feel I want to go to the prom for the same reason any other student would want to go.” Soon Aaron was physically bullied at school, to the point he needed stitches on his face. It was just one year earlier, in 1979, that Paul Guilbert had

Paul Guilbert & Aaron Frick

attempted to take a male friend to prom and was not permitted. He did not attend the prom at all. In the U.S. District Court suit, Judge Raymond J. Pettine ordered the school to not only allow Aaron and Paul to attend the prom as dates, but to provide enough security to ensure their complete safety. The Court decided that "even a legitimate interest in school discipline does not outweigh a student's right to peacefully express his views in an appropriate time, place, and manner." Today, this case is often cited in same-sex prom disputes all over the country.

1984-The US Supreme Court voted 5-4 to strike down a New York law which prohibited loitering for the purpose of soliciting deviant sexual intercourse.

Clayton Hartwig

1990-The Navy announced that it would re-open the investigation of an explosion on the USS Iowa. They originally blamed the explosion on Clayton Hartwig, saying he was Gay and upset over the break up of his relationship with his boyfriend. They stated that Hartwig caused the explosion in order to commit suicide and take with him the lives of as many others as possible. There was no evidence that he was Gay, and eventually the incident was ruled an accident.

1993 At the 17th Coronation Jeff Freeman and Keisha Diamante' stepped down. The new officers elected were The Gauntlet Emperor Emperor XVIII Marshall Brunner and The Unforgettable Empress, Empress XVIII Walter (Walt Larabee). Peter Christie became Price Royale XVIII and Sheneka Princess Royale XVIII. Marshall and Walter got along famously, with Walter being an amazing performer and Marshall being incredibly efficient on the business side.  Marshall was also instrumental in gaining recognition for Wilma to be acknowledged

Wilma

as the Seventh Elected Empress, The Mad Woman Empress.  The talents of Walter were honored many times out of town when the R.C.G.S.E would bring home the "Best Entrance" Award. The two of them were and excellent team and embraced the powers of the court and used it for the benefit of the community. Peter and Sheneka were the first Prince Royale and Princess Royale to be elected by the community in the general election.

1999 The 24th Coronation was held with Earl Kane and Bridgett stepping down. The new officers were The Wild Card Emperor, Emperor XXIV Chris Trujillo and  The 24 Karat Diamond Empress, Empress XXIV Veronika

. Prince Royale XXIV was R. Lee Roberts and Princess Royale XXIV Cortney Cartier. The R.C.G.S.E was awarded The Red Ribbon award for a Community Organization for the second time from the PWACU during the 24th reign.  Veronika also hosted one of our most successful Cancer Awareness weeks yet.  By proclamation, Chris requires that a court member be recognized monthly for outstanding contributions made to the organization, as well as yearly awards to individuals.  Veronika's did away with proclamations, except for Lifetime titles, and requires a review and rewrite of the by-laws every 5 years to be voted on by the general membership.  All previous proclamations are to either be written into the by-laws permanently or to be archived and recorded for future reference.

1999 Members of the LDS (Mormon) church in California were urged by church leaders to actively support a ballot initiative to prohibit  same-sex marriage in California.  A letter from church headquarters in Salt Lake City that was read in California congregations on May 23 and 30, asked members to "do all you can by donating your means and time to assure a successful vote"

30 May 2000 The Salt Lake Tribune Page: B2 SHOOTER ARRESTED A man arrested on suspicion of assault Sunday night after firing a pellet gun inside a Salt Lake City athletic club may face additional hate crimes charges in connection with the incident. The 23-year-old suspect entered the 14th Street Gym, 1414 W. 200 South, at about 11:40 p.m. and allegedly fired at least two shots from the pellet gun "to clear the place out" according to Salt Lake City police. The suspect, who lives near the gym, reportedly complained about traffic in and out of the health club, which has a primarily homosexual clientele.

Charles Milne

2003 Charles Milne LOOKING FOR U OF U PEOPLE FOR PRIDE PARADE FLOAT Once again it is time for Utah Pride.  Pride Day is Sunday June 8th, 2003.  Utah Pride is an annual celebration of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender community of Utah The University of Utah will be having a float in the parade, will begin at 9 AM and last till approximately 10AM.  We are looking for as many University individuals to participate on the float as possible.  WE will have a trailer with a 6 foot U as the center piece with plenty of other decorations.  WE will also be handing out information, Mardi Gra beads, and stress balls along the parade route.  Everyone that participates in the float will receive a FREE t-shirt!!!!  Let’s get out and show how committed the University is in all aspects of diversity.  Whether you identify as heterosexual, homosexual, Bisexual, or transgender all are welcome to come and participate.  Feel free to also bring partners and children as well. If you are able to participate please send me a quick email with the Subject header stating Parade Participant.  WE will be meeting at the Gallivan Center at 8:30 AM  The parade is lining up on 300 south.  between state and main street.  We will have some light breakfast snack for you there as you arrive.  Looking forward to a great turnout again this year as last year we had 80 students, faculty, and staff marching with the float.  Charles Milne Interim Advisor Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center

University of Utah

2004 The 29th Royal Court Coronation was held with Mark Thrash and Heidi Ho West Waters stepping down. The new officers were The Steele Stag Celtic Emperor Emperor XXIX Mike Sperry and The Only Sapphire Diamond, The Absolute White Fire Greek Goddess Empress, Empress  XXIX Syren Vaughn. Prince Royale XXIX was  Michael "Spam" Canham and Princess Royale XXIX was Paris Silver.

Paul Douglas

2005 Salt Lake Metro Issue 12 Volume 2 Lambda Lore CIRCLES by Ben Williams  Life is full of circles if one knows where to look. On Sunday May 29, while the 30th Corronation of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire was about to commence at the Sheraton Hotel, I was attending a memorial service for Paul A. Douglas at the home of Richard Packer and Steve Merrill. Douglas died May 15, after a life time of community service.  While I personally did not know the man,  I knew of him, and felt the need to remember him by being present.   In July 1975, 28 year old Paul A. Douglas, along with Mac Hunt, and Jim Beveridge, opened a Gay bar on the far west side of Salt Lake City called the Rusty Bell.  The bar was located at 996 South Redwood Road and later became the infamous Puss and Boots Lesbian bar. Now it is a dilapidated Mexican meat market.  Paul Douglas, according his partner of 35 years, poured his heart and soul in making a go of the bar, but after losing two homes, mortgaged to support the bar, the place closed in 1978. Inflation, like disco, killed many a Gay business in the late 1970’s. The Rusty Bell, unlike some bars, was a community minded organization. I know some people get agitated when you mention Gay and bar in the same breath. But let me try to explain the significance of bars in the development of a Gay identity in the 1970’s.  Back then there were basically only two places for Gay men to meet, the parks and bars, but the difference is that at the bars people talked to each other. The Rusty Bell, thanks in part to Paul Douglas’ community spirit, soon became a place of convergence for Gays and Lesbians. In October 1975, the Rusty Bell held a 1950’s Party to raise building funds for the Grace Christian Church. The following month two Lesbian activists, Shirley and Camille, exchanged wedding vows at the Rusty Bell. Rev. Bob Darst, pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church, in a double ring ceremony, married the pair. A reception was then held at the bar with, according to attendees, an abundance of champagne and wedding cake. In December 1975, the Western Rustlers, a Lesbian organization sponsored by the Rusty Bell, hosted a Sub for Santa. The Western Rustlers were the first known Gay organization in Utah to contribute to the Sub for Santa Charity.  But now I come back full circle. As I had previously mentioned, the Royal Court was celebrating 30 years of fantabulous glitter, glamour, gossip and generosity, while I was attending Paul Douglas’ memorial service. Perhaps fifteen people were there to remember him, while 500 partied at the Sheraton. Few there I suspect,  knew that the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire held their first Coronation at the Rusty Bell in June 1976, when the court was originally called The Imperial Court of Utah.  I wonder if Douglas’ spirit was torn between being with his friends at his memorial service or whether he was at the Sheraton still supporting his community.  Paul may be gone now, but shall not forgotten in the history of Gay Utah.

2010 Earl Kane and Korynne became Emperor and Empress XXXV of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire. The Reign of Cheers, Tears & No Fears. Earl Kane was also the XXIII Emperor of the Court. Dega Giovanni Christie is Prince Royale and Jessica Christie is Princess Royale.

Meagan Risbon

2014- Megan Risbon former Director of the Pride Day Festival wrote: While I don’t particularly like Facebook in general and I certainly do not like using Facebook as a forum for my personal issues, I feel like this is the most visible and easiest way to reach a large amount of people. My decision to leave the Utah Pride Center/Festival wasn’t because of one specific individual or a specific instance, but rather multiple individuals and instances over the past year. I had been unhappy there for a really long time and I thought I could change things for the better for the organization and for myself. Instead, my mental health deteriorated, my work ethic disappeared, and friendships of mine were destroyed. I did a lot of stupid things and let a lot of people down in the past year. If there is one thing I’ve learned in the past few weeks it’s that holding on to the negative things in our lives will only make us miserable. I finally decided to be happy again. Letting go is hard but oh-so worth it.  I hope this ends the conversation but if anyone wants to know more, come talk to me. I’m really just tired of the BS behind my back.

2017 Utah Pride Center building sold for $1.6 million By Jennifer Dobner The Salt Lake Tribune  Published: May 31, 2017 LGBTQ services • Building housing the nonprofit is sold. Four years after it moved to the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, the Utah Pride Center is planning another move. The center sold its two-story building at 255 E. 400 South last Friday for $1.6 million, director Carol Gnade said. The decision to sell was driven by the fact that the much-needed renovations once imagined for the space were just too expensive, she said. “It’s a very exciting turn for us,” Gnade said. “It makes all of us working here hopeful for a place that does not have to be renovated.” Gnade now will search for a location that better meets the needs of the center and its programming, which continues to evolve. Among the priorities for a new site: Access to public transit and other support agencies, ample parking, ADA access and better meeting spaces.  Gnade would also like a facility that would allow for sharing space with other area nonprofits. The 6,000-square-foot building was bought by a company that owns a gaming store in Salt Lake City, which plans to renovate the first floor for retail space, she said. Under the terms of the sale, the Pride Center can remain in its current location for six months while it searches for a new home, Gnade said. 

James Bunker

2017 The Divine Sister-Misters of Utah County By Andrea Smardon Catalyst A story of unexpected conversions from missionary to drag queen. James Bunker, president of Provo Pride. His stage name is Jackie Ohh Starr, but he’s known within the troupe as Mom. Lights come up on a towering figure, his back to the audience. Standing in high heels, he might be seven feet tall. Dressed in a short black slip, he is all leg. He stretches his arms up and reveals even more leg. A breathy voice sings over spare drums and bass. It’s a song by Portishead. I’m so tired, of playing Playing with this bow and arrow Gonna give my heart away He turns and begins to dance. The electric guitar moans. The audience screams. One man throws himself on the floor at the feet of the performer, a dollar bill in his mouth. I am in Provo, Utah: land of Mormons, home of Brigham Young University where cross-dressing and same-sex dating are prohibited in the honor code. For Mormons, it’s taboo even to set foot in a bar, let alone a bar with a drag show. But every other Friday night, the Divine Sister-Misters of Utah County take the stage at the City Limits Tavern. Later, outside the bar, the performer John Taylor

John Taylor Adams

Adams, stage name Brigitte Kiss, introduces himself. Adams grew up Mormon. He even served a church mission in Washington state. His relationship with religion is complicated. He’s traded in the missionary white shirt and tie for a black slip and heels, but his name is still on the church rolls. Adams says he started dressing in drag at a time when he was severely depressed. Taylor Adams performs as Brigitte Kiss at the City Limits Tavern in Provo, UT. Photo Credit: Karena Angell “I would just do it in my room, and lip sync in the mirror,” he said. “Then I would feel better and I could go about my day.” eventually it became something he shared with others. “I do think that we’re tapping into something that people need here. For me, I would call it expression,” he said. “Everyone has a need to express themselves, and we’ve found this place where this group of people can come together and feel that. Being a mile from BYU and blocks down from the temple, it’s a really cool experience. I love it.” For some performers, this kind of expression means some major life changes. Aaron Speer was going to BYU when he came out as gay and started performing in drag. He decided to transfer to Utah Valley University. “I couldn’t keep going to BYU and do drag and date, and live the life that I wanted to because of their honor code there, but I needed to do what was best for me,” Speer said. “I loved BYU, I had a really good time there, but also I like being a woman on the weekends.” Every year in late summer, there is a drag queen pageant in Provo. Last year, Speer was named Miss Mollier Than Thou, a runner-up to Righteous Miss Provo. Speer says the drag scene provides a support network for Utah County’s LGBT community. “It makes me feel so good,” he said. “I think we’ve all come from a difficult background, and so there’s maybe a lot more community here than other places when it comes to drag.” There is one female performer in the troupe. Cassandra Rominger describes what she does as gender-bending drag. Rominger is dressed like a man; she has comical orange chest hair coming out from under her shirt with matching side burns on her face, but she’s also stuffed her bra and added fake eyelashes. She’s an unlikely drag performer. Rominger is heterosexual and she has severe anxiety about performing in public. “I don’t know why I do this because I have a panic attack every time I perform,” Rominger said. She’s here because she has a younger brother who is gay. “I watched him in his 20s come out of the closet and go back into the closet. He voluntarily put himself in conversion therapy,” she said. Rominger was worried he might take his own life. “It was horrific to watch my brother nearly die.” Rominger says she performs in drag to send a message to those out there like her brother: “It’s okay to be you, and you don’t have to be different because you are wonderful and beautiful just the way you are.” Overseeing the show is James Bunker, president of Provo Pride. His stage name is Jackie Ohh Starr, but he’s known within the troupe as Mom. “On a drag night, I feel like a proud mom with all of my performers up on stage, entertaining, doing what they love.” Bunker says the troupe is carrying on a role pioneered by drag queens decades ago. “Drag queens helped start the gay movement back in the ’70s with the Stonewall riots,” he said. “Drag queens are an integral part of the LGBT community because of that and because of the way we push the gender norms.” Bunker says the job of a drag queen is to push the envelope, and the Divine Sister-Misters will be back every other Friday to play that role in Provo. Bunker says many of his LGBT friends have left the area, but there’s no place he would rather be. “There aren’t very many of us who grow up and stay here,” he said. “I think that it means more to me to perform drag in Provo than anywhere else I’ve performed because I grew up here. It just feels amazing. It feels like we’re making a difference and changing things.” Andrea Smardon is the host and executive producer of Changing Our Stories, a new podcast based in Utah about people in transformation. This story is adapted from a podcast episode available at changingourstories.org

 

Richard Ostler

2018 Salt Lake Tribune Former bishop creates support group, explains how to be a good Mormon and still embrace the LGBTQ community By Kathy Stephenson Richard Ostler served three years as the bishop of a Mormon congregation for young single adults. His Magna congregation was primarily heterosexual men and women, but there were a handful of lesbians and gays among the flock. That demographic breakdown was hardly unique, but it marked a turning point for the father of six. “My whole life, straight people have told me how to feel about LGBTQ people and I wondered how much homophobia was inside of me because I let them define that,” he said Wednesday. “I decided to wipe my hard drive clean.” As a bishop, Ostler spent time listening, not judging, the LGBTQ members under his wing. ”To hear their stories firsthand,” he said, “changed me.” When his church assignment neared its end in 2016, Ostler wanted to continue offering support. That’s why he formed Listen, Learn & Love, a Mormon LGBTQ support organization. The group is not affiliated with the Mormon church, but its website is a clearinghouse of resources for members. Parents, families, LGBTQ individuals and lay leaders can get information about organizations, therapists, crisis services, articles, books and Facebook groups. It also includes stories, blogs and podcasts. Earlier this year, Ostler began offering free, 90-minute seminars on “How You Can Be a Good Mormon and Support, Love and Accept LGBTQ People.”  The next event is June 5 at 7 p.m. at the SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 State St., Orem. Register at eventbrite.com and search “Richard Ostler.“ Listen, Learn & Love is one of several grass-roots groups — including Mormons Building Bridges and Affirmation — seeking to enhance ties between the LGBTQ and LDS communities. Ostler said many Mormons want to love and accept the LGBTQ community, without feeling as if they have crossed the line of church teachings. It’s an achievable goal. After all, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that being gay is not a sin, only acting on same-sex attraction is. While the Utah-based faith views Mormons in same-sex unions as “apostates” and denies their children baptism until they turn 18, it has generally sounded a more conciliatory tone toward LGBTQ members in recent years. “Even if they are outside the teachings of the church,” Ostler said of LGBTQ individuals, “they are not outside the circle of humanity.” Ostler points to comments by top LDS leaders about striving for a balance of “love and law” in accepting gay members, even while upholding marriage between one man and one woman. Mormons have many questions about how to behave with LBGTQ people, from “Should we attend a gay wedding?” to “Can I like a post on Instagram?”  The answer on both counts, of course, is yes. While that may seem obvious to many Latter-day Saints, Ostler said, such questions pose real dilemmas for others. “We talk about some of the things you can do — and should do — as a fellow human being.”

2018
Just days before the big parade, an open letter pushes the Utah Pride Center to drop national banks as sponsors  By Kelly Cannon Members of the state’s LGBT community have sent an open letter requesting that the Utah Pride Center drop Chase Bank and Wells Fargo as sponsors of the center and the annual parade taking place this Sunday, saying these banks have a “history of discrimination against the most at-risk in [the LGBT] communities.” The letter also asked for the center to re-examine its own board of directors seeking more diversity and new ways to select members. The letter, sent Tuesday morning, had 41 names attached, plus seven local political organizations and a link to an online petition.  The letter acknowledged that Pride season is the biggest source of funding for the center but asked for an examination on the companies who financially support it. The letter accuses Chase Bank and Wells Fargo of having a “history of exploiting communities of color, propping up companies that monetize the destruction of our environment, defy and reject indigenous sovereignty and exploit the poor and undocumented.” Dylan Ashley, one

Dylan Ashley

of the authors, said the group sent the letter a few days before the Utah Pride Festival because members felt it was important to address these issues now. “To stay quiet for another year is to further validate and entrench these systems we’re attempting to dismantle,” Ashley said.  According to Ashley, who uses “they/them” pronouns, the Utah Pride Center created an “intersectionality task force” in the fall of 2017 to address racism, ableism and classism that existed within the center. They said the task force only resulted in “surface level changes,” such as putting corporations in the second half of the parade. “We decided to write this letter because these surface level changes will do nothing to address the system-level norm at the Pride Center of prioritizing white middle-class gay individuals and corporate interests over the need of indigenous, disabled, black, undocumented and poor queer folks in our communities,” they said. In response to the letter, Rob Moolman, executive director of the

Robert Moolman

Utah Pride Center, released a statement saying he was saddened he received the letter five days before the parade and only eight weeks into his tenure as executive director. “In these first few weeks, I have tried to meet with as many people, programs and groups as possible to learn more about their needs and ideas for their participation in our center,” Moolman said. Moolman said the center is taking “careful and considered” steps toward change and he has asked that the sponsorship of Wells Fargo and Chase Bank remain intact this year out of respect for the participants from those companies and their families, the amount of work that has already been done and his concern for “unintended and unforeseen pitfalls” that could damage the center if the ban were put in place in a hasty manner. In July, Moolman said, the center is implementing a new project that will discuss the next iteration of the Pride Parade. “The focus of this project will most certainly be to understand who participates in the parade and how,” he said. Moolman said he has invited the group who sent the letter to discuss the issue of corporate sponsors. He also is going to try to set up a meeting with representatives of the two banks to seek an agreement on how to move forward. Moolman urged the group to meet the members of the board to discuss how it could become more diverse. “I have spoken with our board chairperson and know that we are certainly open to a robust discussion about expanding our diversity and look forward to participating in that discussion,” he said. Among the local political organizations that signed on to the letter was

Moroni Benally

the Utah League of Native American Voters. Moroni Benally, co-founder of the organization, said over the years, queer indigenous LGBTQ individuals have not necessarily felt welcome at the Pride Center and the center didn’t have the “culture competencies” to serve their community. “That’s why we got involved and wanted to put our name to this,” Benally said. “We wanted to make sure that Pride is intersectional.” The Utah League of Native American Voters also is concerned about the sponsorship of Wells Fargo and Chase Bank, both of which funded the Dakota Access Pipeline, which became famous when tribes protested it going through a reservation, potentially contaminating the drinking water. The Utah League of Native American Voters worked with the Salt Lake City Council to pass a resolution supporting the Standing Rock protestors. The league is also looking for more diversity on the Pride Center’s board, with Benally saying there are no indigenous people serving there. He added: “We’re hoping that we’ll get to that point where queer indigenous people and queer people of color can start seeing people who look like them in Pride.” Open Letter to Utah Pride Center From Your Community by The Salt Lake Tribune "To Utah Pride Center Leadership and whom it may concern: Due to conversations with leadership being ignored and a lack of community representation on your board, we of the community have been forced into the uncomfortable position of writing this letter. While we understand the fundraising achieved during the Pride season is by and large the biggest source of funding for the services provided by the Pride Center, we cannot deny that some of our sponsors have a history of discrimination against the most at-risk in our communities. Specifically, we formally request that the Utah Pride Center immediately divest from Chase Bank and Wells Fargo as well as retract their parade entries for the 2018 Pride Season and the indefinite future. Both of these banks have a history of exploiting communities of color  propping up companies that monetize the destruction of our environment , defy and reject  indigenous sovereignty , and exploit the poor and undocumented. Salt Lake City has already announced its plans to encourage ethical banking practices and divest from all companies with fossil fuel ties. We feel a remarkable sense of disappointment and outrage that the Utah Pride Center would not stand in solidarity with our city and would knowingly take money from these sources. It is important to acknowledge that the majority of this letter’s authors are white. While we do not wish to speak for those who have lost faith in the Utah Pride Center’s ability to serve Utah’s larger multifaceted queer community, we express concern in the rising trend amongst queer minorities--our indigenous, undocumented, Black, and disabled communities--who feel both alienated and neglected by our services. Nonetheless we call on the Utah Pride Center to recognize that when any form of oppression is aimed at a minority community, the queer people within that community will always be marginalized to an even greater degree. We call upon you to recognize that queer liberation can only be achieved when we move to stand in solidarity with all oppressed communities. We must not put a price tag on our integrity and we must not convince ourselves it is noble to trade the dignity of our queer family for minimal donations. Furthermore we demand the Utah Pride Center re-examine its Board of Directors, it’s personal lack of diversity on that board, and the practices used to appoint their board immediately. A history of trading board positions for donations coupled with closed-door practices serves to maintain a disturbing culture of white supremacy, colonialism, classism, and ableism within the center. Until there is a substantive change to board functioning, problems such as these will continue to exist and thrive. We call upon the Utah Pride Center to hold a public town hall meeting to discuss current board practices and genuine plans to restructure these systems for appointing board members, disseminating information about board discussions and decisions, and to return the power of the Utah Pride Center to its community. We look forward to hearing of your divestment before the end of the week, and we have private citizens and leaders within several organizations in the community who are willing to meet and discuss this letter and the points therein in greater detail and length. We hope you will be as open to our message as you have been to your donors.   An online petition was started on May 29, 2018 Signed, Cheronne Anderson, Dylan Ashley, Moroni Benally.  Aspyn Bennett, Samson Bingham, Martha Black, Shauna Brock, Maomi Cundick, Michael Cundick, Rowan Fae, Jackie Fielder, Frances Fishbaugh, Isaac Furniss, June Hiatt, Charlie Hogate, Kenan Ince, Kaneischa Johnson, Kathryn Jones-Porter, Kat Kellermeyer, Kari Keone, Lux Knudsen,  Adair Kovac, Psarah Johnson, Jimmy Lee, Crystal Legionaires, Ben Luks-Morgan, Pam Pea Mares, Hillary McDaniel, Jill Merritt, Carl Moore,  Ascher Munion, Bonnie O’Brien, Director, Utah Pride Parade, Cat Palmer, Ryan Pleune,  Adrian Romero, Sofia Scott, Lesley Ann Shaw, Matthew Siemionko, former volunteer and current donor, Trevor Thomas, Lauren Wood, Beck Wright

2018 Salt Lake City Weekly  Pride in the Past Tracing the Utah Pride Festival back to its origins.By Kelan Lyons It wasn't symbolism, imagery or beauty that made Connell O'Donovan decide to finish the second annual Gay and Lesbian Pride March at Washington Square, the esteemed park and home of the jaw-droppingly gorgeous City and County Building. It was the horses. The previous year, in 1990, O'Donovan had organized Salt Lake

Connell O'Donovan

City's first Gay and Lesbian Pride March, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The day after Gay Pride Day in Sunnyside Park, about 200 people congregated on the State Capitol's steps to hear speeches from prominent gay and lesbian leaders, then marched down Main Street, turned right onto South Temple and passed the Salt Lake Temple. "It was important to me to kind of flip the finger at that church. I grew up Mormon, and they tortured me, and wounded me really deeply," O'Donovan says in a conference room in the Utah Pride Center's new Main Street digs, almost 30 years after organizing that march. "I wanted to make a statement." But when, on that June day, the crowd turned onto South Temple and passed Temple Square's south gate, things went buck-wild. "There used to be a stop at the horses and carriages. We terrified the horses: they were bucking and stuff, and the police were freaking out about it. So we had to divert the parade," O'Donovan recalls. The march ended at the amphitheater just south of Abravanel Hall, and the police later contacted O'Donovan and told him they couldn't pass the horses the next year. So, the route—from the Capitol to Washington Square—changed in 1991, foreshadowing the City and County Building's status as a sort of focal point for LGBTQ pride, and continues to serve as ground zero for this year's festival. The roots of the Utah Pride Festival—which includes the Pride Parade, the state's second-largest behind the Days of '47 procession—stretch back to 1974, when Joe Redburn, owner of the former Sun Tavern, sponsored an event in which some 200 people went to the Great Salt Lake's "Bare Ass Beach" to celebrate Gay Pride in Utah. "One of the reasons they went out there, was they didn't think they could have a public gathering of that many gay people who wanted to

Ben Williams

be seen," Ben Williams, retired schoolteacher and writer for QSaltLake Magazine, says. The following year, the Gay Community Service Center organized the first community-wide sponsored pride celebration, shuttling people from local gay bars to and from City Creek Canyon, where the "Gay Freedom Day" was held. "[In] the early Pride days, it was a statement for people to even attend," Williams says of the few people who were "brave enough" to go. Prior to Jeff Freedman, Bruce Harmon and Rev. Bruce Barton reinventing the Pride March and Rally and morphing it into a Gay Pride Parade in 1994, Williams says Gay Pride Days in Utah were more political. But once Freedman was elected to the chair of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah's Gay Pride Day committee in the mid-'90s, he made the events more celebratory, increasing turnout. O'Donovan says the '90 and '91 marches he organized were "more of a protest kind of experience rather than a celebration," but also a "presence, to show that we're here, we're queer," Williams says, finishing O'Donovan's sentence from his seat across the table in the Utah Pride Center. Their presence also attracted more sinister protesters: In 1991, the first year the marchers ended in Washington Square, Neo-Nazis were standing on the steps of the City and County Building, waiting for them. "People were really freaked out," O'Donovan says, but he and Williams say things stayed largely peaceful. Freedman also made the decision to bring the celebrations back into Salt Lake City's downtown, Williams says, moving Pride Day to the Gallivan Center and then, about 1997, to Washington Square, where it has been ever since. Wilson [Williams] says "there's no symbolism to [the festival] being at Washington Square. It's just the practicality. And it's

Liz Pitts

visible now." But Liz Pitts, Utah Pride Center events director, sees symbolism in the square playing such a big role in the celebrations. For a person who has recently realized they're genderqueer or identify as trans to stand outside a government building, Pitts says, in a "beautiful square" during the Utah Pride Festival, surrounded by allies and members of LGBTQ communities, is "truly celebratory." Despite the celebrations, Pitts still sees the march and rally as the "activist arm of the week," noting that the festival is "a party, but there's always room for getting out in the streets and being visible." O'Donovan says the march he organized in 1990 was all-inclusive by design, but Joni Weiss, former board member of the Utah Pride Center as well as former vice president of TransAction, says it took until 2009 before a separate Trans March was held in Salt Lake City, after Valerie Larabee, then-executive director of the Utah

Joni Weiss

Pride Center, OK'd it. "I pushed strongly for it at the time," Weiss, one of the organizers, says. "Up until that point, and still to some extent today, the trans community had been kind of invisible, as far as we're not the people they put out front to talk about or portray the LGBT community. That's changing quite a bit, actually, but back then it was worse than it was today." "The most important thing to emphasize in this area is the intersection of identities," Pride March and Rally Director Jocelyn Johnson, says. "Someone is not simply queer; they may be queer and a person of color. They may be queer and a woman. A parent, an older person or a younger person. We're seeing more awareness of the intersection of identity now." Weiss says her and the other organizers' goal was to increase visibility of the local trans community, to give them a microphone and help Utahns "to know who we are. That we're just regular people." Jocelyn Johnson, director of this year's march and rally, says that over time, the demonstrations have become more inclusive and less focused on single-identity politics; the Dyke, Trans and Interfaith rallies and marches, previously separate demonstrations, were merged in 2015, and a space was created so people who identify as bisexual and pansexual, and who are in polyamorous relationships, had a voice at the rally. "We combined all of the rallies into a single rally that represents multiple identity groups,"

Jocelyn Johnson

Johnson says. "The most important thing to emphasize in this area is the intersection of identities," she adds. "Someone is not simply queer; they may be queer and a person of color. They may be queer and a woman. A parent, an older person or a younger person. We're seeing more awareness of the intersection of identity now." "It's not very often that a person in the queer community is just queer," Johnson explains. "Often they may be attracted to people of the same sex, or maybe attracted to people regardless of their biological sex, but also they may be women, or they may be people of color, or they may identify strongly as a member of a social class .." This year's march ends at the festival, disbanding on the north side of 400 South, at 200 East, mere steps from Washington Square, where O'Donovan and the roughly 500 proud Utahns ended their march 27 years ago. Symbolic or not, the City and County Building continues to play a key role in the celebration of Utah's LGBTQ communities, serving as a recurring presence as leaders, organizers and visionaries pass the torch to future generations. The significance of the space is not lost on Pitts, who says, "It really is the city center ... to me, this building represents, if it were a small town, a town square. It's the middle of the community."
Milestone Pride Events
1969: Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations adopts a motion to commemorate the New York City Stonewall Inn riots.
1970: First LGBTQ pride marches held to honor the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
1974: First celebration of Stonewall rebellion in Salt Lake City, when Joe Redburn, owner of the former Sun Tavern, brought more than 200 people to a beach at the Great Salt Lake.
1975: Gay Community Service Center organizes the first community-wide sponsored Gay Freedom Day in Utah, held in City Creek Canyon.
1977: The Salt Lake Coalition for Human Rights celebrates Gay Freedom Day with a three-day symposium. Organizers bring in Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich as the keynote speaker, the first openly gay person on the cover of Time, or any other U.S., magazine and an ex-Mormon.
1983: Individuals from the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire revolutionize Gay Pride Day's concept; a Tavern Guild committee organizes a "Basket Social" in Fairmont Park.
1986: Gay and Lesbian Pride Day held in Pioneer Park.
1987: The Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah takes over Pride days. Donnie Eastepp, chair of Pride Day Committee, presents a Community Service Award to Dr. Kristin Ries for her dedication to treating AIDS patients when no other Utah doctors would. Eastepp also moves the event location to Sunnyside Park, where it remains until 1991.
1988: Ben Williams makes motion that there should be a sign noting that it's, "Gay and Lesbian Pride Day," because, "How can we be leaders of this community if we're timid? We need to be celebrating what we're doing. So, I made a big ole banner and put that up."
1990: First Gay and Lesbian Pride March held in Salt Lake City, organized by Connell O'Donovan. Before this, Williams says, "nobody was marching or parading."
1991: Connell O'Donovan organizes a second march that ends at the City and County Building, the first time the landmark government building served as a gathering space during a Pride march. Neo-Nazis show up and stand on the government steps.
1994: Bruce Harmon, Rev. Bruce Barton and Jeff Freedman organize the first Pride Day Parade. Barton sews the 100-yard Gay Pride flag that was carried during the parade.
1995: Pride events switch from political demonstrations to more of a party. Jeff Freedman takes over and moves everything back to the city, first to the Gallivan Center; Dr. Kristen Ries named 1st Grand Marshall.
1997: Pride activities move to Washington Square, where it's been held ever since.
2002: First Pride Interfaith Service held at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral. Participating religious groups included the Episcopal Church, Affirmation (LGBTQ Mormons and their families), Buddhist, Congregation KOL AMI, LDS Family Fellowship, Holladay United Church of Christ, Native Americans, Pagan Community and the Sacred Light of Christ (then the Metropolitan Community Church).
2003: Utah Pride Center takes over Pride Festival. Dyke March added to the annual Pride Day Parade.
2009: First Trans March held in Salt Lake City.
2015: Dyke, Trans and Interfaith marches and rallies are merged.
April 2018: The Utah Pride Center moves to its new sprawling location on 1380 S. Main.

2018  (KUTV) — A Utah fundraiser for the annual Pride Week may be the reason you can see so many rainbow flags around the state. For a $15 fee, homes along the Wasatch Front and beyond could pay $15 to participate in the Pride fundraiser, that gets a rainbow flag placed in front of a residence and taken back after Pride Week concludes. Lucas Horns, who started the project said the event sold out and dotted homes around Utah from as far south as Springville and as far north as Logan.  (KUTV) — A Utah fundraiser for the annual Pride Week may be the reason you can see so many rainbow flags around the state. For a $15 fee, homes along the Wasatch Front and beyond could pay $15 to participate in the Pride fundraiser, that gets a rainbow flag placed in front of a residence and taken back after Pride Week concludes. Lucas Horns, who started the project said the event sold out and dotted homes around Utah from as far south as Springville and as far north as Logan. "It's amazing to see the people that came out of the woodwork," Horns said. He said the flags could be beacons of hope to those in the LGBT community, especially in communities like Clearfield or Orem. Volunteers did the work of planting the flags, using all of the 500 flags planned, plus a few more, according to Horns. "We will be expanding it for sure next year," he said. "It went pretty smooth." Next year the flags available for the week-long display will be increased to 1,000 he said. The flag is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2018, signifying pride for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.