10 June
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| Brigham Y. Hampton |
1977 Gay Pride Day and Human Rights Conference sponsored by
The
Salt Lake Coalition of Human Rights. Ken Kline, Rev. Bob Waldrop, and others
founded the coalition of Gay organizations and activists to protest Anita
Bryant’s assault on the gains made by Gay and Lesbian people in the first half
of the 1970’s. In June of 1977 the Salt Lake Coalition organized a Human Rights
Convention to call attention to the lack of equal
rights under the law as
afforded “any minority in this country’.” The three day symposium was also
planned to celebrate Gay Freedom Day. The conference was originally scheduled
to be held at the Hotel Utah but had its reservations canceled at the last
minute when hotel managers learned they were hosting a Gay conference. The International Dune Hotel at 206 South
West Temple agreed to hold the conference and the symposium went on as
scheduled. Sgt. Leonard Matlovich Air
Force Sergeant,
winner of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, and an ex-Mormon
delivered the keynote address. Matolvich said he came to Salt lake City “to
continue the battle of Dade County…and we shall overcome. ””No longer will we
be your slaves of silence. We will be free Americans just like everyone else.
Participants wore “GAY and PROUD” The
conference was attended by about 500 people at its various functions. “Civil Rights and Human Rights are
absolute-that they cannot be denied to one minority without endangering the
rights of all.” -Ken Kline
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| Ken Kline |
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| Bob Waldrop |
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| Leonard Matolvich |
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| Stephan Zackharis |
- Stephan Zakharias and his network of Gay friends from BYU, decided to use the Salt Lake Human Rights Convention as the vehicle to organize Affirmation a support group for Gay Mormons from what was then called: Gay Mormons United.
- At Gay Pride Day 1977, Leonard Matlovich, a Mormon homosexual who earned the Purple Heart in Vietnam, spoke in Salt Lake City. When he later dies of AIDS his tombstone reads: They gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one”. Leonard Matlovich and David Kopay (an out of the closet pro football payer) visit Utah for Gay Pride Celebration. The Salt Lake Human Rights Convention was to be held at the Hotel Utah but at the last minute the hotel refused to honor its commitment was held at the International Dune Hotel. The Hotel Utah canceled the reservation for the event and was sued by the Salt Lake Coalition of Human Rights.
- 1977 Friday-Leonard Matlovich, Air
Force Sergeant, winner of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, and self
admitted homosexual arrived Thursday in Salt Lake City to deliver a
keynote address at a Gay-oriented Human Rights Convention, Friday and
Saturday. The convention organized by the Salt Lake Coalition of Human
Rights was originally scheduled for the Hotel Utah. But the hotel’s board of directors
canceled the group’s reservations for the hotel’s facilities when they
discovered that the meeting would have homosexual participants. Speaking at a press conference at Salt
Lake City International Airport, Mr. Matolvich, an ex-Mormon, said he was
in town “to continue the battle of Dade County…and we shall over came.”
Anti homosexual advocate and singer Anita
led a successful movement in
- 1977 Friday -HOMOSEXUALS OPEN
SYMPOSIUM A panel of homosexual
leaders
both national and local opened a 3 day symposium by calling for equal rights under the law as afforded “any minority in this country’. “We are not asking you to like us or agree with what we do, just allow us to be citizens,” Rev. James Sandmire of the
Jim Sandmire
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| Anita Bryant |
1977 Friday Howard Richards, 49, manager of The Studio Theater was
given maximum
sentence by Salt Lake City Court Judge Maurice D. Jones, for
showing “In Sarah’s Eyes” a obscene movie. Ordered to pay $299 fine and serve 6
months in jail. " Neurotic and sexually repressed Sarah's erotic fantasies are
taking control of her life. Sarah starts having trouble distinguishing dreams
from reality. Will her unfulfilled wants and desires get out of hand?"
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| Add caption |
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| The Third Reign |
1985 10,676 cases of AIDS were reported by the CDC in
America. “There was no way to
know if you were carrying HIV before the
first antibody test became available in 1985, or if you began to have symptoms
of things like pneumocystis pneumonia, cryptospo ridium, or Kaposi’s sarcoma.
And once the test did become available, many people avoided it.”
1986-Tuesday- David Ewing became first person to have his
endowments taken out in a temple ceremony of the Restoration Church in the home
of Bishop Bob McIntier. Michael Howard became the first to take a name of the
dead through the temple ceremony. The
deceased was a Gay member of the LDS church who had not received his
endowments. A Baptismal font for the
dead planned for the 21st of June. (Journal of Ben Williams)
1987- “Our 2nd meeting of Salt Lake Affirmation. Topic was
on Gay Self Image. Afterwards those in attendance came down to the counter area
of the Aardvark Café for coffee. Beau Chaine was catering a straight party in
the banquet room. We were just goofing around and having fun as usual, when
Beau gets upset and wants us to tone it down for the straights. That really upset me and I let him know it. I
told Beau that Gays should be allowed to express themselves in the same manner
as non Gays in a public place; especially in a supposedly Gay oriented
business, and he called me immature and walked away. We weren’t doing anything
outrageous either just leaning on each other. Later Beau called me at home
not to apologize as much as to explain his position and charm me back into the
fold. I had Beau define his definition of what the Aardvark Café is. He said that it was not a Gay Café like the
Gingerbread House was but is to be more of a
liberal coffee house opened to both Gays and Straights. However it was clear
that the Straights were to take preference on dictating behavior. I told Beau
that I could go to Denny’s or the Village Inn and get that same attitude. The
reason the Gay community is supporting the Aardvark, through its volunteered
labor, is to have a place where Gays can be themselves. That is the reason I gave Beau $200 to get
his zoning license, not for him to build a place that will negate certain Gay
behavior. I’m not going to boycott Beau
by any means- because any establishment which caters to Gays at all is good for
the community. The Gay Help Line is back
and operating out of the Aardvark Café.
I want to however move the Salt Affirmation from Aardvarks back to the Crossroads Urban Center
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| Luci Malin |
1992- Utah Democrats traded heated words Tuesday over a proposed
strong defense of
Gay Rights. “The suggestion that this is all controversial is
garbage, “ said Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrat Spokesman Dale Sorenson. “Gay and Lesbian issues are winning issues
for Democrats.” The proposed plank reads
in part; “when one in three Utah families has a Gay or Lesbian son, daughter or
parent it’s right that we stand with them in defense of their civil
rights. We’ll help end these problems by
encouraging our government to approve protections against discrimination of Gay
and lesbian people… We recognize that their partnerships, families and privacy
are threatened by laws which don’t recognize and protect their relationships.”
(SLTribune D3 6/10/92)
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| Dale Sorenson middle |
- 1992 Wednesday, Gays satisfied
with Demo compromise, but effect on delegates and candidates isn't certain.
PLATFORM ON GAY RIGHTS GETS MIXED REVIEWS By Bob Bernick Jr., Political
Editor Gay and lesbian Democrats are
satisfied with a compromise party platform on discrimination against
homosexuals, but whether other delegates to the state convention - or Utah
House Democratic candidates - will accept it and the rest of the platform
remains to be seen. "Some of the platform possibly may hurt us (in the
fall elections)," said Democratic Party Chairman Peter Billings Jr. after
Tuesday's platform committee meeting. "These issues (of abortion and gay
rights) are emotional. If our platform is taken out of context, yes, it can
hurt," said Billings. "But political parties should stand for
something, and what should they stand for if not fundamental rights of human
beings?" House Minority Whip Kelly Atkinson, D-West Jordan, is concerned
about how the platform will be played - both in the media and by Republicans. If some balance isn't found, he says, the House Democratic caucus could vote not to run on the platform, a rather serious defection. "I personally have no problem with what the gays want," says Atkinson, who voted in favor of the state's tough new anti-abortion law last year. But some members of the House Democratic caucus may, he says. "There's not one (Democratic) member of the Legislature on the platform committee. And we're supposed to run for election on this platform? I can tell you that Kelly Atkinson won't, I'll run on the issues important to most of my constituents - jobs, education - not on abortion and gay rights." If worst comes to worst, says Atkinson, Democratic legislative candidates may just disavow the Democratic State Party platform. "I'll tell my constituents that, if I have to." During a heated two-hour platform committee meeting Tuesday, committee members agreed on a shortened statement on gay rights in the equal-access plank that reads:
- "We recognize that gay and lesbian people are routinely the victims of discrimination in private and governmental employment such as the military, as well as public accommodations, housing, education, credit and government services such as arts funding, health care and immigration, and that they're disproportionately the victims of hate crimes and substance abuse.
- "We recognize that their partnerships, families and privacy are threatened by laws which don't recognize and protect their relationships.
- We also recognize that gay and lesbian youth are disproportionately the victims of homelessness, physical abuse and suicide.
- "When one in three Utah families has a gay or lesbian son, daughter or parent, it's right that we stand with them in defense of their civil rights. We'll help end these problems by encouraging our government to approve protections against discrimination of gay and lesbian people."
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| Frank Pignelli |
1996 The horror of what the Utah
Legislature has enacted is less that gay and lesbian high school students
cannot assemble and more that legislators did not assemble the necessary wisdom
to make law when they were in high school.
Clearly, we need more to take heed of an educational system which fails
to bring awareness of the U.S. Constitution to its lawmakers than to be
suspicious of citizens who wish to gather together for education. Alexander Hamilton told us, ``If the
legislature can disfranchise any number of citizens at pleasure . . . the name
of liberty applied to such a government would be a mockery of commonsense.'' I have faith that this legislative horror
and others contemplated will stand corrected. The framers of the U.S.
Constitution built corrective measures into that document to disarm ``doctrine
of disqualification, disfranchisement, and banishment by acts of the
legislature.'' JOHN J. BUSH JR. Salt Lake City
2001 Gay Pride Day Theme was Embracing Diversity. The Grand Marshall was Salt Lake City's Mayor Rocky Anderson. The Dr. Kristen Ries recipients were Laura Miliken Gray and Brook Heart-Song Rocky attends Pride Day parade Many say his presence helps forge better view By Laura Hancock and Will Bettmann Deseret News staff writers Mayor Rocky Anderson's presence was a nice exclamation point to the come-one, come-all statement of Utah Pride Day 2001, some celebrants said. "I like what he stands for," said Kristy Trone, Salt Lake City, one of an estimated 30,000 attending a parade and fair Sunday celebrating Utah's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community at Liberty Park and the Salt Lake City-County Building. "I think this state is still close-minded in a lot of ways. It's nice to see so many families out here. The last few years the parade has shown a more complete view of the community. It's not just bars and leather," said Trone, attending with her sister-in-law and 15-month-old nephew. Shane LaFleure, Salt Lake City, also said he thought Anderson's attendance helped generate a more positive outlook, emphasizing the gay community and sexual orientation-related events aren't just about sex. "It's about fellowship, friendship, love, all sorts of things," LaFleure said. While Anderson became the first Salt Lake mayor to serve as grand marshal of the parade — and spoke afterward at the City-County Building — he was not the only honored guest. Salt Lake attorney Laura Gray and activist Brook Heart-Song received the Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award, one of the highest awards bestowed on members of the gay community, Utah Pride co-chair Kim Russo said. The award is named after and presented by Salt Lake physician Kristen Ries, who was the first to see patients with HIV and AIDS at the risk of her professional reputation, Russo said. Both Gray, who helps gay couples adopt children, and Heart-Song, who is on boards of several local charitable organizations, said it's important to volunteer and work in the community. Gray said there are two gay liaisons for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee who organize volunteers and find homes where gay athletes and their families can stay during the 2002 Winter Games. Floats for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Bricks private club and Scouting For All won awards for best reflecting this year's Pride theme: embracing diversity. Utah Pride co-chairman Darin Hobbs said diversity comes in various forms such as gender identification, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. "The notion of embracing diversity speaks to the recognition that all people must be treated equally and must be treated with respect and must never be oppressed for their differences," Hobbs said.
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| Rocky Anderson |
2001 Gay Pride Day Theme was Embracing Diversity. The Grand Marshall was Salt Lake City's Mayor Rocky Anderson. The Dr. Kristen Ries recipients were Laura Miliken Gray and Brook Heart-Song Rocky attends Pride Day parade Many say his presence helps forge better view By Laura Hancock and Will Bettmann Deseret News staff writers Mayor Rocky Anderson's presence was a nice exclamation point to the come-one, come-all statement of Utah Pride Day 2001, some celebrants said. "I like what he stands for," said Kristy Trone, Salt Lake City, one of an estimated 30,000 attending a parade and fair Sunday celebrating Utah's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community at Liberty Park and the Salt Lake City-County Building. "I think this state is still close-minded in a lot of ways. It's nice to see so many families out here. The last few years the parade has shown a more complete view of the community. It's not just bars and leather," said Trone, attending with her sister-in-law and 15-month-old nephew. Shane LaFleure, Salt Lake City, also said he thought Anderson's attendance helped generate a more positive outlook, emphasizing the gay community and sexual orientation-related events aren't just about sex. "It's about fellowship, friendship, love, all sorts of things," LaFleure said. While Anderson became the first Salt Lake mayor to serve as grand marshal of the parade — and spoke afterward at the City-County Building — he was not the only honored guest. Salt Lake attorney Laura Gray and activist Brook Heart-Song received the Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award, one of the highest awards bestowed on members of the gay community, Utah Pride co-chair Kim Russo said. The award is named after and presented by Salt Lake physician Kristen Ries, who was the first to see patients with HIV and AIDS at the risk of her professional reputation, Russo said. Both Gray, who helps gay couples adopt children, and Heart-Song, who is on boards of several local charitable organizations, said it's important to volunteer and work in the community. Gray said there are two gay liaisons for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee who organize volunteers and find homes where gay athletes and their families can stay during the 2002 Winter Games. Floats for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Bricks private club and Scouting For All won awards for best reflecting this year's Pride theme: embracing diversity. Utah Pride co-chairman Darin Hobbs said diversity comes in various forms such as gender identification, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. "The notion of embracing diversity speaks to the recognition that all people must be treated equally and must be treated with respect and must never be oppressed for their differences," Hobbs said.
- Parading Their Pride The Salt Lake Tribune Page: B1 Photo Caption: GREAT DAY TO BE GAY Felicity Diamond West, Miss Gay Pride, and Austin Riley, Mr. Gay Pride, wave to the crowd in the Pride Parade on Sunday. With up to 25,000 participants, organizers say it is the state's second largest parade.; Marchers from Weber State University display the rainbow diversity motif. Parading Their Pride Thousands support celebration of diversity BY KATHY STEPHENSON THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Gays and lesbians found the climate for the Pride Day 2001 celebration warm and sunny -- and it had nothing to do with Sunday's 90-degree temperatures. "With 20,000 to 25,000 people coming out to support us, the climate in Salt lake City has really changed," said Brooke Heart-Song, treasurer of Utah Pride Inc., which organizes the annual event. "Each year it is bigger, louder and happier." There were different conditions several years ago, when out of fear of acceptance, the Utah Pride Day atmosphere amounted to "just a few dozen people hiding out in the park." This year more than 50 groups had entries in the parade, which organizers claim is the city's second-largest, behind the Days of '47 event. The procession began, as it does each year, with the huge rainbow banner -- as long as a football field -- the symbol of hope and pride for homosexuals. It was followed by an eclectic mix of entries, from community groups that support gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals, to men dressed as beauty queens. Several entries just wanted to make a statement. Like the group dressed as Boy Scouts -- including pink kerchiefs -- and waving signs that called for "Scouting for all," a reference to the Boy Scouts of America's stance against gay leaders. The procession also involved "straight" members of the community who support gays and lesbians, including parent groups, churches, community organizations, local businesses and even city government. Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson was this year's grand marshal, the first mayor to accept the offer. "Knowing we have so many allies means we are more willing to celebrate," said Heart-Song. ami Plant had never been to the Pride Parade and was pleasantly surprised by what she saw as she stood in a shady spot along 900 South. "I came out to support my friends," she said. "It's been fun. "I'm impressed," added Tory Cox, who had attended similar festivities in Los Angeles, but not Salt Lake. "It's bigger than I expected." ecky Moss always imagined it would be like that. Some 19 years ago Moss began producing a radio show for gays and lesbians for KRCL radio, (90.9 FM). "I was hoping we could find a place where gays and lesbians felt welcome and safe," said Moss, who helped organize this year's parade entry for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. "We still have miles and miles to go," she said. "But this has helped us be proud of ourselves." Trent Romijn, who was riding the float, agreed. "It's the one day of the year when we can be who we really are," he said.
2001 Families of Gays Condemn Hatred, Fear LDS support group shares experiences BY SHAWN FOSTER THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Parents of gay and lesbian children at a conference for families with homosexual
members said they know what the real threat to the nuclear family is. And it is not the possibility of same-sex marriages. "The real threat to the nuclear family is ignorance and fear
regarding homosexuality," said Lani Graves, a Washington D.C.-area member
of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays. "If anything, our
family is stronger, more emotionally connected, and happier because of our gay
son and brother." At the Saturday conference sponsored by Family Fellowship, a Utah support group for Mormon parents of gays and
lesbians, Graves related stories of gays and
lesbians who have been disowned by their Christian families. The father of one of her gay friends told the youth that he
should change his last name because he is a shame to the family. Another of Graves' friends, a 31-year-old lesbian and a returned
Mormon missionary and former temple worker, faced a similar experience. "Her Mormon family proudly announced to her that the box of
Christmas gifts she had lovingly sent to them was left untouched and
unopened," Graves said. "They told
her they do not want her to come home any more for visits. This injunction was
recently reinforced with a call to let her know that she was specifically not
invited to her sister's college graduation." That kind of hatred, not homosexuality, is what will eventually
destroy families, Graves said. In 1995, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a
pamphlet, The Family -- A Proclamation to the World, which outlined
the church's belief that the only valid marriage relationship is that between a
man and a woman. The Mormon church encouraged its roughly 740,000 members in California to join the crusade to pass a California ballot initiative that banned recognition of
gay marriages in the state and the church contributed about $1 million to
similar measures in Alaska and Hawaii. The irony of a church that once practiced polygamy and now is in
the vanguard of the movement to preserve a 1950s-era Ozzie-and-Harriet familial
structure, did not escape Graves. "In the annals of American history, no other individual or
group is more well known for experimentation in non-traditional marriage, and
for its insistence that marriage is religious in nature, and not subject to
political intrusion," Graves said. Gary Watts, a medical doctor from Provo,
cited Denmark's
12-year experience with state-sanctioned same-sex unions. About 2,372 gay
couples took advantage of the 1989 law. Their divorce rate was 13 percent,
compared to 40 percent for heterosexual marriages. The number of "straight" unions in 1990 was 6.1 per
1,000 people. Eight years later, it was almost unchanged at 6.8 percent per
1,000 Danes. "It basically has no effect on heterosexual marriages," Watts said. But the rate of HIV infection fell from 190 cases in 1990 to 105
in 1998. "If religious conservatives deplore sexual promiscuity, and
if they wish to foster social stability, personal responsibility, and personal
spiritual growth," said conference speaker Wayne Schow, "don't they
see that they really should support legalized gay and lesbian unions?" Schow, whose son died of AIDS, said he believed the son may not
have become infected if his church, his family and society had all understood
"a true Christian vision of his personal uniqueness . . . and
supported him to find the better path of a committed relationship." "Biology, divine intent, call it what you will, has made some
in the human family different in the nature of the deepest intimacy they seek
with another -- and the nature of this longing is more than just
superficially sexual," Schow said. "[The Bible says] 'It is not good
for a man or a woman to be alone.' If two people of whatever gender commit to
each other that they will love and cherish and support each other without
reservation, is it not likely that such commitment will bear good fruit and
ought we not support that?"
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| Craig Miller |
2003 Chad Keller Hi, How is you
other letter coming on History Month??
Need it as soon as possible. Here is some stuff for the letter
assignment for the Organizational Archives and Special Collections
Committee. The Organizational Special
Collections Committee oversees the items in the Special Collections that are
not the property of the USHS to insure that the entire collection pertaining to
the overall history of the Utah Lambda people is maintained in the event of the
untimely demise of any community organization. Each Chair recruits, finds and
assists in rebuilding the once massive collection of Utah GLBT history for
presentations, archiving, photographing, and cross referencing for public use.
OSC Committee members serve as a representative of their specific active and
functioning organization. They have
authority over their organizations historic collection. Further they make recommendation to the
Archivists and Board on how to rebuild, expand, and promote the history of the
Utah GLBT community. They determine what if anything will be recommended to the
USHS board in the event an organizations becomes inactive or defunct. They
insure and recommend action to the board on the items in the various
organizations collections. They assist
and help cross reference items in their collection for use by the USHS. Learn
the tools of historic preservation and recording to pass on to members of their
organizations. Assist and advise the curator in preparing historic
presentations of materials for the public. OSC committee members are accepted
and approved by the USHS Board of directors with a vote of confidence.
"The history of our community is important. A task of truly great importance takes many
people to accomplish, Your organization can play an important role in making
sure we save all the photos and items as well as write our history."
--Chad Keller
2003 Mark Thrash- I wanted to say
thank you to everyone who assisted with construction of the Pride Day float and
setup of the Pride Day booth: Shawn, Krystyna, Chad, Paris, Mike, Alfredo, Thom
Lee, Hunter, Angelica, Heidi (the new one), MacKenize and Derek. Your hard work and dedication is what makes
our organization a success. Thank you
very much for your support. In service...HMIM Mark XXVIII
2003 Mark Swonson- Hi
Everyone-THE UTAH STONEWALL DEMOCRATS have a NEW Website. Its brand new so give
us time to improve upon it. So log on and get all the information you need
regarding Utah Politics and whats happening with the Democratic Party locally
and nationally. Enjoy and be informed...... THANKS, Mark:-)
2004 THURSDAY June 10, 2004 Gays
to parade their pride, celebrate SLC's tolerance By Rhina Guidos The Salt Lake
Tribune It's the time of year, many gays and lesbians say, when they can freely
express themselves in public without reprisal. Summertime brings gay pride
festivals to many cities around the country, including Salt Lake
City, which celebrates the Utah Pride festival this weekend with a religious
ceremony, a parade, a festival at the City-County Building and an athletic
race. Multimedia "I feel like I can be myself without any judgment,"
said Joey Valtierra about the pride festival, which celebrates members of the
gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender community. Valtierra was a volunteer last
year. To him, the pride festival is about finding and providing support for
others. These days, the Salt Lake City man has noticed that it's not just the
gay community providing approval. Those who aren't gay are increasingly
attending the festivals, some to accompany family members who are gay and some
to just show that they care about the community. Gay pride celebrations have
become popular worldwide, taking place all the way from Zagreb, Croatia to
Mexico City, and at all points in between. They've become staples even in this
country's smaller cities, but get their biggest draw in places such as New York
and San Francisco. Kilo Zamora of Salt Lake City said he took his wife and
3-year-old daughter, Isabella, to the Utah Pride festival last year to learn more
about Utah's gay community and also to show that he's on their side. "Our gay community needs as
many straight allies to build a bridge of understanding," he said.
"Without both sides communicating, we won't go anywhere as humanity."
He's attending the festival again this year and volunteering to help with
garbage cleanup. What is striking, he said, is the level of involvement of
corporations, politicians and notable community members. "I was surprised
to see how mainstream it was," he said. This year, sponsors include
corporate giants such as Wells Fargo bank, Budweiser, and American Express.
Politicians will also be making the rounds, some courting the gay vote. And
even members of several religious organizations are standing together with the
gay community. For some, like Crystal Grady, such displays of approval are important. "It shows that we're not alone,"
she said. Erin Litvack of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center
of Utah, has been helping to organize the event. The event's theme this year is
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Litvack said it was meant to
garner support in a year when issues such as marriage and family-rights are
becoming politicized. "I don't want [people] to think they're coming down
to a political rally, but it's a celebration, an opportunity to celebrate the community,
to have fun," she said. "Pride is an amazing, diverse representation
of Salt Lake." The 10 a.m. Pride Parade, which marches through downtown
Salt Lake City on Sunday, culminates at the City-County Building, where the festival
takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival is free and includes food and
information booths.
2005 The R.C.G.S.E along with your hosts Gay Prides XV: Miss Mya`
Chanel, Ms. Sean LiQue` and Mr. Jerrod Dew Present the 16th Annual Gay Pride
Pageant Friday, June 10th, 2005 @ Club Sound* Doors Open at 7:00 p.m. Show
starts at 8:00 p.m. Cover $6 to benefit the R.C.G.S.E. Rainbow Fund
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| Scott McCoy |
2005 Grand
Marshal Reception ~ June 10 @ 6-8PM ~ Downtown SL Library Honoring Senator Scott McCoy and our 2005 Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Recipients Jane
and Tami Marquardt and other community award
winners. Tickets are $25. RSVP to the Center
2006 Why we care Salt Lake Tribune Why is Warren Jeffs suddenly a
criminal? He arranged a marriage between an adult and a 13-year-old girl.
Obviously, he should have waited a few weeks until she turned 14. Who is naive
enough to believe this is the first such marriage since the 1890 manifesto? Why
do we care now? We care because some judges may rule that homosexuals can
marry. Neither Utah nor the LDS Church William H. Munk Salt Lake
2006 A century ago: The LDS Church and constitutional amendments
Michael Paulos Salt Lake Tribune One hundred years ago, congressional movers
and shakers in Washington , D.C. U.S.
senator ignited a firestorm of protests and anger throughout the country.
Smoot's most vociferous critics were Christian religious leaders, Christian
church groups, national women's organizations and anti-Mormon senators playing
politics with the issue. The national outrage was fomented primarily by the
erroneous allegation that Smoot himself was a polygamist. For 40 years prior to
achieving statehood in 1896, Utah 's
relationship with the federal government had been acrimonious. Beginning with
the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862, the federal government used punitive
legislation to stamp out polygamy. The most devastating, the Edmunds-Tucker Act
of 1887, effectively forced The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to
abandon the practice of plural marriage. Despite these actions, skepticism of
the church members' probity vis-À-vis polygamy persisted in the United States and Washington . Formal Senate hearings against
Smoot began in March 1904 and concluded in June 1906. These hearings
represented the federal government's last jab at the Mormon practice of
polygamy. This last effort against Smoot proved unsuccessful and he was allowed
to retain his Senate seat and served there for 30 years. A few days following
Smoot's election in 1903, the Deseret News reported the following:
"Congressman Jenkins of Wisconsin today
introduce[d] the following amendment to the Constitution of the United States .
'No person shall willfully and knowingly contract a second marriage while the
first marriage is still subsisting and undissolved. Any person who shall
willfully and knowingly contract a second marriage shall never hereafter hold,
occupy or enjoy any office of honor or profit under the United States .'"
(Deseret News, Jan. 31, 1903). Arriving in Washington under a cloud of controversy in
March of 1903, Smoot was allowed to take his Senate seat. Over the first few
years of his Senate term, Smoot was apprised of the many congressional efforts
to pass a constitutional amendment banning polygamy. Attempts to drum up
support for this amendment occurred periodically between the years 1903 and
1906. The amendment gained the support of many Washington
politicians, including President Theodore Roosevelt, though it should be said that
Roosevelt was Smoot's greatest supporter in Washington . With numerous laws criminalizing
polygamy already on the books, Smoot adamantly opposed such a constitutional
amendment and once stated, "I have taken the position that I am opposed to
any more constitutional amendments, and as a citizen of Utah , I am particularly opposed to an
amendment that is directed against my people and my state. I have suggested
that the best way to reach this question is to pass a national marriage law,
and I have assured the Senators that I will support any measure, no matter how
strict or what penalties it imposes, [with] provisions for the punishment of
fornication, adultery, incest, unlawful cohabitation, and kindred offences. I
hardly think that we need worry much about this constitutional amendment
proposition." (Reed Smoot to Joseph F. Smith, April 9, 1904.) The
president of the LDS
Church U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Theodore
Roosevelt supported the amendment, Christian coalitions across the country
mobilized to lobby for the amendment, U.S. senators in both periods were
peppered with letters from concerned churchgoers who urged passage of the
amendment, a majority of Americans supported the marriage amendment, and
senators used the amendment to benefit politically. A striking difference
between the two amendment debates, and specifically germane to Utahns, is that
the LDS Church Washington to
participate in the press conference supporting the amendment. Utah Sen. Orrin
Hatch, an active Mormon, sponsored the Senate bill. In support of the marriage
bill, the LDS Church
over the past few weeks officially urged its members during church meetings to lobby
U.S.
senators directly to influence their vote for the amendment. By opposing the
constitutional amendment 100 years ago, the church found itself on the winning
end of that debate. A century has elapsed, and a constitutional amendment
debate was revived, but, as before, the amendment died on the political vine. The
marriage amendment did not get the two-thirds Senate vote it needed. Sen. Smoot
and President Smith's foregoing words echo as the LDS Church LDS Church , Democratic Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada , in his partisan
fashion, gave a blistering speech against the amendment, questioning the
necessity for such an amendment as well as declaring unequivocally that he
would vote against it. In this ironic twist, Senate Minority Leader Reid's amendment
position smacked against his church's current position, though it reflected the
church's historical position of 100 years previous. --- Michael Paulos is an
MBA graduate student at the University
of Texas
2008
2008
HIV 'poster child' still learning, coping and sharing By Amy Macavinta Deseret News Kim Smith did not want to be the walking
poster child for HIV and AIDS. Even so, it is not uncommon for complete
strangers to recognize her on the street and embrace her — not just in the Salt
Lake Valley but even as far away as New York City and Washington, D.C. Smith
agreed to share the most difficult part of her life with the world with the
production of "The Smith Family." Filmed by Tasha Oldham and
premiered on PBS, this documentary zeroes in on the Smiths as they cope with
the impact of HIV and AIDS within their family. In 1987, on their ninth wedding
anniversary, Kim learned her husband, Steven, had engaged in sex with a number
of men. The punches didn't stop there. Two years later, Kim would learn that
she was HIV positive. "It was like being hit on the head with a
crowbar," she said. And ultimately, if she was positive, so was Steve.
Anonymous testing confirmed what they already knew. Kim and Steven were
determined to keep their family together. They were members of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While their religion played a large role in
their decision, Kim said they truly loved one another. In sickness and in
health. "We shared a love of so many things," she said. "We just
couldn't love each other in a physical way the way we loved each other in an
emotional way." When Steven became seriously ill with AIDS, Kim used her
medical background to nurse him herself, so that he could remain at home. But
she wanted her two young sons to have a normal life, so she still drove them to
ball practice and did all the other things that mothers do. And through it all,
she was going through treatments of her own — treatments that left her feeling
weak and nauseous. She coped by breaking her life down into five-minute
increments. "There was so much to think about that sometimes I just didn't
think," Kim said. As AIDS destroyed his body, Kim said her husband carried
a certain heaviness, knowing he had passed the potential for the full-blown
disease on to her. "He suffered more than I know," she said. "He
would sometimes ask me, 'Who is going to do this for you?"' In 2000,
Steven passed away within a week after their son Tony entered the Missionary
Training Center in preparation for serving a church mission. "For a year
after, I just wandered around ... I would sleep hours and days away," she
said. Through a lot of tears and a little laughter, Kim shared her story again
this week at a roundtable discussion held at University Hospital. Her
presentation was offered to a group of students seeking master's degrees in
public health. Despite increases in public awareness, the number of HIV
diagnoses continues to rise. There were 32 percent more diagnoses of HIV in
Utah during the first quarter of this year, compared to the same time period
last year. In 2007, the state listed 91 cases. State health officials recently
reported that many people have become complacent about protecting themselves
from this disease. Even though her story gives health professionals an
intimate, personal view of what HIV and AIDS can do to a family's life, Kim's
story is as much about life lessons as it about an incurable disease. She
learned that service to others made her own burdens seem not so bad, although
she insists it is easier to be the "do-er" than the
"done-for." One lesson she still struggles with is the ability to let
go of judgments and opinions, and at times it makes her angry. "For all
the times I have said 'I will never ... ' — and then I do, and then I remember,
and I self-correct," she said. That isn't to say Kim, who has never
developed AIDS, has never been angry about the trials she was given in her
life. She joked about being able to tell the class how important it is to have
a good attitude but admitted her own isn't always so good. Kim believes it was a gift to her to have the
ability to respond to Steven's confession with compassion. When he first told
her about being sexually abused as a teen and his struggle with same-sex
attraction afterward, Kim said she was heartbroken for him because this was the
first time in his life he had been able to let that anguish out. "I am
grateful I didn't let anger take over my reaction," she said. "When
you are angry, all logic flies out the window — you do and say things you can
never, ever take back." She learned that human nature was not as deranged
as she thought it was. Over the years, she and Steven slowly began to tell
friends and family what they were facing. And one by one, they found acceptance
at every turn. "They didn't let their lack of understanding — or agreement
— get in the way of love," she said. "You can love without
understanding."
2009 Living a lie 'Don't ask, don't tell' outdated Tribune Editorial Get rid of "don't ask, don't tell," and don't delay. It's as out of place in the modern military as a prop-driven fighter plane on a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, or a Navy Seal carrying a musket. The Pentagon policy that blatantly discriminates against
2009 Damn These Heels! LGBT Film
Festival Wednesday, June 10-Sunday, June 14 By Scott Renshaw You got your Pride
on over the weekend. Now, thanks to the SLC Film Center and Salt Lake Film
Society, it’s time to settle in for five days of queer-themed cinema to see how
film artists the world over are fighting the good fight. The 2009 lineup
includes 13 features—dramas, comedies, romances, documentaries and even a
little zombie horror—spanning the spectrum of the LGBT experience. Opening film
Valentino: The Last Emperor follows the life of the legendary fashion designer,
while the already-controversial closing film Outrage exposes closeted
conservative politicians who pursue an anti-gay public-policy agenda;
filmmakers are scheduled to attend both screenings. In between, you can learn
about transgender individuals in Iran (Be Like Others), or discover the stories
of gay soldiers (Ask Not). And yes, you can cherish the tale of a gay zombie in
Bruce LaBruce’s Otto; or, Up With Dead People. Like we said, spanning the
spectrum … Damn These Heels! LGBT Film Festival @ Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900
South, 801- 321-0310, June 10–14. Full schedule at SLCFilmCenter.org
2010 Damn! These Heels Film
Festival Thursday June 10 - Sunday June 13 By Scott Renshaw SaltLake City weekly
You think just because Salt Lake City’s Pride Festival was last weekend, there
will be no more opportunities to commemorate Pride Month with your friends and
fellow travelers? Girl, please. The Salt Lake Film Society and SLC Film Center
team up for the 2010 installment of the Damn! These Heels Film Festival, a
weekend-long showcase of films covering a variety of queer and queer-friendly
topics. It all kicks off on Thursday night with the opening feature Joan
Rivers: A Piece of Work, the hilariously insightful Sundance documentary
chronicling a year in the life of comedian Joan Rivers. Get this, folks: She’s
not just a plastic-surgery punch line, but an obsessive workaholic who has
honed the craft of comedy to a fine edge. But wait, there’s more! The terrific
lineup also includes more Sundance 2010 pedigrees: Howl, the dramatic profile
of poet Allen Ginsburg starring James Franco (pictured); 8: The Mormon
Proposition, the documentary about the LDS Church’s financing of California’s
2008 anti-gay marriage ballot initiative; and Undertow, the World Cinema
Audience Award winner about a married Peruvian fisherman secretly in a
relationship with a gay lover. Three full days of screenings feature all these
films and many more, including the groundbreaking 1977 documentary Word Is Out,
which gave voice to gays and lesbians emerging from the early days of the gay
pride movement. Thirty years later, even folks in Utah can be entertained and
enlightened by stories of the LGBT experience. Damn! These Heels Film Festival
@ Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South, 801-321-0310, June 10-13, passes $25-$50 or
single tickets at Tower Theatre box office $5 starting June 10. Full schedule
at DamnTheseHeels.org
2010 City Weekly Jesse Fruhwirth Noyce vs. Bradshaw for Salt Lake County Council
Competition for open seat in District 1. On the Salt Lake County
Council, Joe Hatch was known for being an outspoken liberal stalwart. With his
retirement from the council, two Democrats are in a primary race for their
party’s nomination, including Cal Noyce and Aryln Bradshaw, his administrative
assistant on the council. Beyond replacing Hatch, the County Council District 1
race is also unusual this year because Noyce and Bradshaw, who will face off in
the June 22 primary, are gay. Should either Bradshaw or Noyce be elected to the
council—whoever wins the primary will face Republican nominee Steve Harmsen in
the November election—he would become the first openly gay person to hold a
seat on the council. We asked them about their lifestyles, knowledge of county
issues and views on controversial debates of the day. Their answers are
below—sometimes edited for brevity—which they were asked without allowing them
time to prepare a response.
2010 City Weekly Jesse Fruhwirth Noyce vs. Bradshaw for Salt Lake County Council
 |
| Cal Noyce |
 |
| Arlyn Bradshaw |
Arlyn Bradshaw Age: 29 Job: County Councilman Joe Hatch’s
administrative assistant Top issue: Environmental policy
Cal Noyce Age: 60 Job: Retired telephone technician for Qwest
Communications Top issue: Community involvement in
government
2014 Petition asks Utah to end ‘assault’ on same-sex couples BY MARISSA LANG THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The message to Utah is simple: Enough is enough. Same-sex marriage activist group, Utah Unites for Marriage,
launched a petition Tuesday calling on Gov. Gary Herbert and Attorney General
Sean Reyes to “stop hurting Utah families” and end the state’s “never-ending
assault” on same-sex couples. Organizers said the petition came as a direct response to
the state appealing a federal judge’s order that Utah recognize the marriages
of more than 1,000 same-sex couples who wed during a brief period in December
and January when such unions were legal. Last month, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Kimball became the
first federal judge ever to order a state to acknowledge and honor all gay and
lesbian marriages performed after the state’s ban on same-sex unions was
overturned. The state has since sought a stay from the 10th Circuit
Court of Appeals — and announced its intent to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, if
necessary — to halt any and all movement toward imbuing the Utah marriages of
gay and lesbian couples with spousal rights. “As we take so many steps forward on the path to marriage,
Utah continues to take steps back,” said Equality Utah Director Brandie Balken,
a member of Utah Unites for Marriage. “It seems [Herbert and Reyes] will stop
at nothing to make sure these legal marriages aren’t recognized. It’s a sad day
for Utah, and a blow to these loving families.” Nearly 1,300 same-sex couples were granted marriage licenses
in Utah during a 17-day window that extended from the day U.S. District Judge
Robert J. Shelby overturned Utah’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriages to
the day the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay on Jan. 6,, halting the weddings. In that time, more than 1,000 of those marriages were
solemnized in a formal ceremony, making them legal and binding under Utah law,
Kimball ruled. Utah Unites for Marriage intends to hand-deliver all
signatures collected to the governor and attorney general, according to a news
release. Neither Herbert nor Reyes responded to calls for comment on
the campaign. Brett Tolman, co-chair of Utah Unites for Marriage and a
former U.S. attorney, said “the state’s decision to keep waging this war on
Utah families is hurtful and harmful — not only to the loving, married couples
whose commitments deserve to be honored by the state, but to the children
involved.” The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stopgap on all
marriage benefits to gay and lesbian spouses until it can rule on whether or
not a stay is warranted in this case. The court could rule any day. Utah is also awaiting a ruling from the same appeals court
in the original case that challenged — and toppled — the state’s voter-approved
Amendment 3 ban on same-sex unions. The state has argued that the two cases are inextricably
linked, though Kimball ruled they should be treated and considered separately.
2014 SLPD: Utah cop who asked not to ride in gay pride parade resigns Attorney • Client was ‘subjected to needless ridicule’ for requesting reassignment. BY BOB MIMS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE A Salt Lake City police officer, initially put on leave after he balked at riding as part of the department motorcycle unit’s gay pride parade entry, has resigned, the police department said Tuesday. The officer, whose identity has not been released, reportedly cited religious convictions in asking for reassignment rather than participating directly in the parade — an act he saw as an endorsement of last Sunday’s Utah Pride Parade. His lawyer, Bret Rawson, said the officer did not — as initially indicated by SLCPD officials — refuse the assignment, and would have ridden in the parade had he been ordered to do so. “My client has made it clear to SLCPD that he is not returning,” Rawson said Tuesday. “He feels he has been subjected to needless ridicule by the department for merely expressing a desire to work the parade without participating in the parade. “He was surprised that he was placed on administrative leave — a disciplinary action against him — and he feels this was a violation of his rights,” the attorney added. Rawson said it would be inaccurate to say his client had quit. “It’s a matter of him being ‘constructively terminated,’ which is legalese for ‘You [employer] made it unreasonable for me to stay, so I’m leaving’,” Rawson said. However, a brief statement released later Tuesday afternoon by the office of Police Chief Burbank clearly stated that the officer had indeed stepped down. “The Salt Lake City Police Department has received a written resignation from the officer under internal investigation related to an assignment at last weekend’s Pride Parade. This closes the internal case. In light of pending litigation, no further comment will be provided at this time,” the statement read. Earlier Tuesday, Rawson had reiterated that the officer “never refused to do his duty and made it clear to his supervisors that if required, he would perform the maneuvers in the parade as a motors officer.” Rawson blasted the SLCPD’s “knee-jerk reaction” and statements to news media that now “makes it unreasonable for him to return to the department.” Asked if the officer would file suit over the incident, Rawson would only say that no decision on possible litigation had yet been made.
2014 Utah Pride Festival: Mary Tebbs by Gavin Sheehan For those of you who weren't able to make it out to the Utah Pride Festival this past weekend, you missed out on one hell of a party. At least, from where I was standing. This year in particular seemed to be packed with people, more so than in years past with parade crowds pushing into the street and lines going around the block at Washington Square on Sunday after the parade was finished. As is the case from previous years, I ran down the parade route and toured the grounds on Sunday, all of which you can check out in this photo gallery. Plus, I have an awesome interview today with one of the musical performers of the festival, Mary Tebbs. Tebbs gave a fantastic performance as she was joined onstage by her band and special guests Monique Lanier and Bad Brad Wheeler, which you can also check out in the photo gallery.
Gavin: Hey Mary, first thing, tell us a little about
yourself.
- Mary: The short answer: I grew up in Southern California in a large and conservatively Mormon family. Having grown up in the '60s and '70s, I love classic cars, retro clothing, vintage furniture and all things stylistically Mad Men. I played basketball at the University of Utah and am a sports fanatic and a fantasy-sports junkie. I’m a middle-age kid at heart living in a beautiful home in Sugar House that I share with my beautiful fiance, Julianna Christie, and our four furry family members. I’ve been writing songs since I was 10 years old. I play mostly guitar, some piano, some drums and percussion. I love sports, children, animals, movies, books, art and especially humor.
- Mary: You know, I think I always had an interest in performing. I remember watching Karen Carpenter play the drums on TV. Girls weren’t doing that then, but when I saw her, I wanted to do that. I asked for drums but was steered to the piano and then I begged for a guitar and got one. I was a very shy kid. When I was about 12, I wanted to form a band but didn’t know how to do it. I was so scared to ask any other kids, so I didn’t. I got very involved in basketball, which is a different type of performing. I put my focus there and excelled, winning many awards and a scholarship. It wasn’t until after college that I created my first band with some friends—that was probably in the late '80s to early '90s. A couple of bands later, I formed Sweet Loretta and had a lot of success in the mid '90s with that band. It was a great lineup: Adam Sorensen on drums, Ken Critchfield on bass, Page McGinnis on guitar, Michael Jodell Hessling on lead vocals, and me on rhythm guitar and lead vocals. We were being picked up by a booking agent out of Minneapolis and were getting ready to go on tour. But the night before we were to sign the contract, Michael expressed that she wanted to focus on really learning how to sing correctly, which meant taking a good deal of time off to retrain herself to sing. The booking agent was really sold on how the two of us co-fronted the band, and so we didn’t end up signing the contract. I have to say I was really heartbroken and took some time off to recover. That’s basically why I went solo: I didn’t want to rely on a band very much. But even so, I was scared to not have a band to “hide behind.” It took me a while to come out and start doing solo shows. I started small and just kept at it until I got comfortable with just me up onstage.
- Mary: The first few years were great! I was hungry and I absolutely loved what I was doing. Strangely enough, I think my basketball training really came into play. I’ve always been a team player. I excel in that kind of a setting. Once I felt like I sort of knew what I was doing, I was extremely determined and very focused when I first started playing in bands. I always felt more interested in working with a band at that point, than working alone. When I first started out, I got a good leg up by opening for bands that were having some success. We played for free or for whatever the headlining band wanted to pay us so that we could get heard and to build relationships with club owners. When I was in Sweet Loretta, we set a goal to be one of the top bands in Salt Lake within a year. Check. Then we set a goal to get a booking agent. Check. We should’ve just set that next goal to keep the band together once we got a booking agent! I think setting goals and working every day toward that goal is a good formula for success.
Gavin: With all the opportunities you've had over the years
to pick up and head for another music-influenced city, what made you want to
stay in Utah?
- Mary: The truth is I really love Utah. I love Salt Lake City and I felt proud to be a part of the music scene then and now. I’ve always felt a great deal of community and unity here. And when I was coming up in the music scene here, there was an immense amount of talent and I had a deep respect for that. Still do. I’m proud to be from here, and I’m proud to have made music here. I grew up in Southern California and I didn’t really want to go back there. And I was probably too chicken to move by myself to Austin or Nashville or New York.
Gavin: You started off in 1995 and have been performing for nearly
two decades. How is it for you to look back and see that kind of longevity in
your career when so many other local musicians' careers end before even hitting
five years?
- Mary: There’s a big part of me that laughs when I try on this question because I think maybe those local musicians were smart for having a career where they could consistently make a good living ... and in this version of my story, that’s what’s happened with them. Ha. It can seem like being a musician is kind of an all-or-nothing world. You either make plenty of money doing it, or you struggle. I always kind of bought into that starving-artist mentality. Like there was some honor in it. There isn’t. That mentality is just a fabrication and there is a choice about buying into it or not. There are musicians who struggle, some who make enough, and some who make exorbitant amounts of money. Just like many other vocations. The real answer to the question is that I tried to have a “big career” outside of music and I’ve tried getting a “real job,” and it just feels like I’m lying to myself. It’s only been recently that I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a musician, and songwriting and my music and my songs are my commodity. It’s the truest way for me to show up as myself in the world of commerce at this point. Someday that may change.
- Mary: It’s great! I’ve worked hard on my music, and I continue to do so. And although it doesn’t define me, I’m not shy about being rewarded. I’m deeply grateful when it happens.
- Mary: Mostly it was amazing. This record is truly a labor of love. And I mean it was laborious and it was a love-fest. It’s not always easy work to record an album. It’s a very technical and precise thing, and at times the fun part of making a record can get lost. I didn’t always make it easy on myself too. In true Libran fashion, I changed my mind a lot. I’m very fortunate to have been able to work with amazing musicians on this record. I got to really spread the work around. I got to work with people that I’ve worked with before, and I met and worked with some new and brilliant players. And I had the fortuitous opportunity to record most of this album with Matthew Denton Brown at EchoTone Studios in Portland. He’s a beast! And a sweetheart.
- Mary: I guess I didn’t think of it that way. Fuzzy Halo was a very intentional record in terms of what message I wanted to put out there. Prior to the record, I had been diagnosed with and treated for a benign pituitary brain tumor. My life has changed quite a lot as a result of that, and much of that change is for the positive. I think when we have challenges in our lives that can seem daunting, there is a choice to be made around how we want to go through it. How conscious and aware can you be in these difficult times when it comes to making choices rather than just reacting. This record is about that. How can I show up as an angel even when the path is very dark. This new record is focused on love. The heartbreak of love, the excitement of love, the pleasure of love ... a colorful tapestry. I’ve had some of the songs on this record waiting for a place to go for a long time and others that are freshly written. So I feel very happy to have completed this and to be able to have a home for my love songs.
Gavin: How have fans reacted to the new album since it's
release?
- Mary: Those that have heard it love it. The feedback I’ve gotten has been very positive. Thank you to everyone for that! I love hearing what people think about my music, good or bad. What’s your favorite song? What songs do you skip over? I appreciate the feedback in all directions. I haven’t yet had a CD-release party for this record. I’m planning on doing that this summer.
Gavin: How is it for you as a musician to have that kind of
connection with your audience?
- Mary: It’s vital. If there isn’t any energy coming back to me as a performer, it can be exhausting. I’m interested in really connecting with the audience, really entertaining them, so yeah, the connection is highly important. I’ll say this though: I’ve had it happen at my singer-songwriter shows where people come to support me and then end up talking throughout my show. I don’t mind people wanting to talk and connect with someone else. I think that’s important. But there does sometimes seem to be a learning curve with some Salt Lake City audiences in terms of respecting what the performer is doing. If you want to talk, please go outside or move to the back of the room. This hasn’t just happened at my shows. I’ve been to shows with national touring acts here in Salt Lake—Regina Spektor and Michelle Shocked come to mind—who have told the audience to shut the bleep up because they were being so disrespectful. Not heckling, but just talking so loudly that a national touring artist was bothered by it. So if there are any audience members out there who have done that, please understand that whoever is onstage has spent a lot of time to prepare for a show that you paid for. It’s our job to do this. We want you to have a good time, and we want to have a good time with you.
- Mary: Touring probably isn’t in my plans. I’ll go to a few gigs out of state to play, but I don’t have a tour booked where I’m out of town for a couple of weeks or a month at a time. It can be a difficult life out there on the road. I have the utmost respect for those artists that are committed to this. It can really make a difference in your audience base and for me at this point in my life, I like to be home-based more often than not. My fiance and I have had a stage built in our backyard, and we’ve got some summer shows planned. Having the people come to me sounds great! Plus, we can bring in some other very talented musicians this way.
2016 Utah restaurateur’s husband charged with murder, allegedly sprayed trees around burning house By Jessica Miller The Salt Lake Tribune Utah courts • Prosecutors say the victim, John Williams, had expressed fear of the suspect. A man accused of killing his estranged husband — well-known Salt Lake City restaurateur John Williams — in a house fire last month was charged Wednesday with intentionally setting the fatal blaze. Craig Crawford, 47, was charged in 3rd District Court with first-degree-felony aggravated murder, a potential capital offense, and first-degree-felony aggravated arson in the May 22 fire that killed the 72-year-old Williams. Prosecutors say Crawford set fire to the home where the couple lived, located near 600 North and East Capitol Street (200 East), to kill Williams. Charges indicate that Williams — who was divorcing Crawford — was in the process of evicting Crawford from the home, that Williams had expressed fear of Crawford and that Williams had filled out a petition for a protective order May 21. Additionally, friends and family of Williams told police that Crawford had said multiple times in the past that “he would be rich” once Williams died, and that Crawford had expressed a desire to set the home on fire or said he wished the home would burn down, charges state. Fire crews who responded to the early-morning blaze heard Williams cry for help from a bedroom on the fourth floor, according to charging documents. Firefighters were not able to reach the man because the staircase between the third and fourth floor was fully engulfed in flames and had collapsed. A fire investigator later determined that the fire grew from the second floor of the home’s foyer leading to the stairway to the upper levels, charges state. “The stairway would be the only way out of the residence for persons on the upper levels,” a Salt Lake City detective wrote in charging documents. “With the stairway rendered unusable, persons on the upper levels would be trapped.” A neighbor called 911 at about 1:20 a.m. on May 22 to report that Williams’ house was on fire, according to charging documents. That neighbor later told police that shortly after she got off the phone with dispatchers, Crawford came to her home and calmly told her that he wanted to show her something in his kitchen. The neighbor then watched Crawford walk back toward the burning home. Some juveniles told police that they drove to Williams’ home after seeing smoke and flames and noticed a man, who matched Crawford’s description, using a hose to spray water on some trees and plants — but he did not direct any water toward the burning house, charges state. By the time fire crews arrived, Crawford was no longer near the home, court records state. Firefighters eventually broke through a fourth-floor window to try to reach Williams, but he had died. A Utah medical examiner later determined Williams died from smoke inhalation. When Crawford returned to the scene about 7 a.m., a police officer noticed a small cut on Crawford’s hand, according to charges, which Crawford said he received during the fire. Detectives learned that Crawford never reported the fire to emergency personnel, charges state. However, Crawford had called 911 twice before hanging up at 2:57 a.m. and at 3:30 a.m. A 911 operator called the number back after the first call, but the call went to voicemail. After the second call, a 911 operator called back and a male answered, saying he had meant to call 411, according to charges. Crawford has been held without bail at the Salt Lake County jail since his arrest on May 22. Prosecutors want a judge to continue to deny him bail, claiming he is a flight risk and poses a risk to others. No court dates had been set as of Wednesday. Court records show Williams filed for divorce May 4, including a motion two days later requesting a temporary restraining order against Crawford. Crawford then filed a temporary protective order against Williams, which was denied May 13, according to court documents. Williams’ attorney told police that he also filled out a petition for a protective order against Crawford on May 21, charges state. The attorney told police he was helping Williams evict Crawford and that Williams had posted a five-day eviction notice on his home May 20 at about 5 p.m. Hours before he died, Williams had dinner with a person who later told police that Williams expressed fear of Crawford, according to charges. Throughout the meal, Williams received multiple calls from Crawford on his cellphone, court records state, and restaurant staff also came to the table to say Crawford was on the restaurant phone, asking to speak to Williams.
Williams’ dining partner later told police that after they left the restaurant just before midnight on May 21, he was concerned that Williams was returning to his home while Crawford was tere, according to charges. Williams had been a partner in Gastronomy Inc., a business that owns Market Street Grill, the New Yorker and other restaurants and property in the Salt Lake City area. Gastronomy spokesman John Becker has said that Williams had been retired from day-to-day operations for several years, but he had previously directed the company’s property acquisitions for at least 40 years.
Damage to Williams’ home was estimated at $750,000.
2020
2020
Q Salt Lake "Utah Pride Center announces second
‘restructuring’" The first week of May, the Utah Pride Center
announced a restructuring, reducing their paid staff by 40 percent. Today they
announced a second round and a new vision for what their structure will look
like moving forward. “After the events of the last few days, weeks
and months, and with the uncertain economic and social future we are all
facing, we know that our world and our Center is not, and can never be, the
same place that it was just a few months ago. Community spaces, like our Utah
Pride Center, are all confronting this contemporary reality
in different ways.
One of the impacts of Covid-19 has been the need to carefully and deliberately
consider the structure of the organization,” leaders wrote in a statement. Under the new structure, several positions
were eliminated — the Pride Festival
director, which was held by Hillary
McDaniel; donor development manager, held by Michael Bryant; and bookkeeper,
who was Bek Birkett.
 |
| Hillary McDaniels |
 |
| Michael Bryant |
New positions include an associate executive
director, and a youth and family services manager. There has not been an
announcement on who will fill those positions.
The associate executive director will focus
on the day-to-day management of the Center’s vision and strategy, according to
the statement.
“This new role will focus on ensuring that we
are a community-facing and serving organization, and will be tasked with
measuring how we are meeting and evaluating both strategic and operational
tasks of our departments, as well as help with our
fundraising and sponsorship
initiatives,” the statement read.
 |
| Bek Birkett |
The youth and family services manager will
focus on at-risk young people and assist the director of youth and family
programs, currently Amanda Darrow, in developing youth programming and
resources, particularly counseling and social services.
 |
| Amanda Darrow |
“The demand for our youth and family services
has steadily increased. Our young people and parents need an expanded,
qualified, and supportive team,” the statement read.
“Due to the changes in the [Utah Pride]
Festival for 2020, and the opportunity to shift to the structure explained
above, there will no longer be one Pride Festival director. These duties will
be shared by the new Executive Pride Festival Committee.
That committee will be made up of seven
members, including UPC leadership, board members and engaged community members
who will drive the planning and decision making.
“This new structure draws on the more
cooperative and collaborative way that the Pride Festival was planned in the
past and yet positions the Center for the future in that it does not place the
burden of the Pride Festival and fundraising on one person’s shoulders, and
there is an increased ability to adapt to change,” the statement continued.
“In this time of Covid-19, we know that our
financial health and wellbeing are paramount.
The Center needs to ensure that
our financial statements and reports are accurate, and adhere to professional
accounting procedures. In the interim, the board treasurer [Chris Jensen] will
be an ‘acting’ CFO for the Pride Center. They will oversee the transition and
outsourcing of this important role to a CPA (or equivalent).”
 |
| Chris Jensen |
Controversy
The announcement is not without controversy.
Social media posts are pointing to today’s and the earlier staff reductions as
retaliation against those who have raised concerns about how the Center is
managed.
“It made no business sense to cut the roles
and fire the employees that had the strongest hand not only in serving the
community but also in ensuring that much-needed money could continue flowing
into our
non-profit,” wrote Brim Custen, former marketing and media coordinator
at UPC whose position was terminated in early May. “I knew that there was a
history of personal bias between myself and the executive director [Rob
Moolman], and I am certain that it had more than a little influence over the
decision to terminate my employment. I know that similar biases motivated the
termination of other roles in the organization as well.”
 |
| Brim Custen |
“But then the new restructure announcement
came out today … I learned that every last fundraising and financial role had
been terminated, along with the role of the festival director. I know that
executive director also had tensions and personal reasons to fire the
individuals who held those roles,” Custen continued.
At least one current employee came to the
Center’s defense.
“Please understand the claims being made,
shared, do not include all the facts,” counters
Joni Weiss, who does web design
and development for UPC. “Take whatever you hear (including this) with
suspicion. Just know that you don’t know the facts about these former
employees. I work here at the Pride Center and I still trust board members
(some of whom that I’ve known for years) and I have no reason to distrust Rob.”
 |
| Joni Weiss |
Moolman sent out a statement addressing the
posts.
“The vital resources of the Utah Pride Center
have to be ensured. The reaction to these decisions is understandable as the
have caused much pain,” he wrote. “There is a perception that we are not
fulfilling our roles as good guardians of the Center. It is in this period of
uncertain and crazy time that that role is being taken more seriously than ever
before.”
“I am, and have always been, available to
anyone who truly seeks to hear and understand what has happened, and will
always demand that we are a transparent and ethical organization,” he
concluded.
A number of community leaders have supported
the Center’s new plan. Those statements are available here.
Facebook group takeover
 |
| Rob Moolman |
Affected former employees went so far as to
take over the Center’s Facebook group, Utah Pride Center Lobby which was
created as a space for Center clients to virtually meet once it had to close
because of the Coronavirus. They have relabeled it to the “Unofficial Utah
Pride Center Lobby” and posted screenshots that depict executive director Rob
Moolman removing posts and people from the group.
Pride Center staff said the removals were an
unintentional mistake.
“The Utah Pride Center social media team was
using the credentials of Rob Moolman, who was an administrator. There was
initial confusion over altering members’ administrative access on the center
page, which resulted in inadvertently removing them from the group,” a post on
the Center’s Facebook page read. “We do not wish to silence any members of our
community. We have worked to fix this error and will continue to strive to do
better. Currently, the Utah Pride Center Lobby group is not owned or
able to be
administrated by the Utah Pride Center or its staff.”
 |
| Mona Stevens |
As this story is published, a meeting between
existing staff and volunteers and organizational leaders is taking place via
Zoom, so Moolman and board president Mona Stevens were unavailable for comment.
We will update this story as it develops.
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