This Day In Gay Utah History June 17th

17 June

1924 Weber County’s Old Folks Day List of events for Old Folks Don’t bring children to the park tomorrow is requested. Entertainment numbers at the Weber County Old Folks Outing in Lorin Farr Park tomorrow. Outing for residents seventy years of age or beyond. The program will begin at 1 p.m. Mayor P F Kirkendall will give an address. Other numbers will be character act by Jeff Jones, female impersonator, songs by Ogden Male Quartet. Ogden Standard Examiner.

1959 – On this date a London court awarded pianist Liberace $22,400 in damages against the “London Daily Mirror” for implying that the flamboyant entertainer was a homosexual by referring to him as a “mincing ice-covered heap of mother love.” The case went to trial, and when Liberace was asked by his own counsel whether he was gay. Liberace said no, saying: “My feelings are the same as anybody else’s.  I am against the practice because it offends convention and offends society.” – 

1965   A voluntary manslaughter verdict was returned against Leon A. Dyer age 26 of Ogden and Gary Lynn Horning age 26 after the jury deliberated for four and ½ hours. They were tried for the death of George Roy Moriarty. The voluntary manslaughter verdict brings imprisonment 1-10 years. (06/18/65 Page A26 SLTribune)

1977-  Vice President Walter Mondale angrily left a San Francisco Democratic fund raising event when his speech on human rights in South America was interrupted by a man who demanded to know when he would speak in favor of gay rights. Members of the newly formed San Francisco Gay Democratic Club held up signs demanding a statement on human rights in the United States. The club was created by Harvey Milk

1978 - Church News headline "Interracial Marriage Discouraged" in same issue which

announces authorization of priesthood for those of black African descent. Sources at church headquarters indicate that Apostle Mark E. Petersen requires this emphasis.

1981- [POLITICS] Sen. Roger Jepson (R-IA) introduced the Family Protection Act in congress. It specified that anyone who was homosexual or openly supportive of homosexuals could not receive student aid, social security, or veterans benefits; and regulated what public school text books could say about human sexuality. It never passed, and Jensen lost his bid for re-election when it was revealed he had a membership at a brothel.

1983 – New York State Funeral Directors Association announced its members would not embalm the bodies of those who had died of AIDS. From: The New York Times: The state’s largest such group, urged its members yesterday not to embalm victims of AIDS until the government issues guidelines for safe handling of such cases. Governor Cuomo characterized the action as “unfortunate.” He said he had asked state officials to investigate all legal remedies “to insure that the civil rights and human dignities of AIDS victims’ families are not compromised.”

1985 – Johnny Greene was fired from his job with McDermott International Inc. after writing an article for PEOPLE magazine about his own suspected case of AIDS. “They just walked in and said, ‘Get the hell out,’  Green said. “I hope they were acting out of panic or confusion, not belligerence or homophobia.”

1987  Salt Lake Affirmation met at Aardvarks for the last time. In attendance were John Reeves, Ken Francis, Ken Bruck, James Connally, Shaun Donnelley, Kevin Clark, and Ben Williams. The topic was “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” “It was a pretty good meeting and we got to talk out some feelings. 

1990 – Twelve US marines attacked three gay men outside a gay bar in Capitol Hill, Washington DC leaving two of them unconscious. Two of the marines were fined $400 and confined to their barracks for 30 days. Despite witness accounts that several of the marines chanted, “Kill the fags,” Marine officials ruled that it was not a gay bashing but a bar brawl.

1992 Dr. Kristen M. Ries and Holy Cross Sister Olivia Marie Hutcheson received the 1992

Dr. Kristen Ries

 Rose Garden Charity Care Award for their lifelong efforts in providing health care to the poor.

1995 Saturday, NAMES OF UTAHNS JOIN AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT  The brother and sister of Doug Ownbey present a panel bearing his name at dedication of panels for the National AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Utah Capitol Friday. The panel and 16 others each represent a Utahn who has died of AIDS. Six panels from the national quilt, which is large enough to cover 12 football fields, will be on display this morning during the Utah AIDS Foundation's annual Walk for Life at Liberty Park. [Deseret News]

1995-Thursday  Craig Ellis Barnard, age 27, died of complications due to AIDS, in Salt

Lake City, Utah.  He enjoyed lapidary as his hobby. He was very talented in music. He was active in The Utah AIDS Foundation. He is survived long time companion, Bruce Amundsen, Salt Lake City.

2000 Utah AIDS Foundation Walk for Life FROM THE UTAH AIDS FOUNDATION Saturday June 17 is the big day!  Please join us for the 12th annual Utah AIDS Foundation Walk for Life at the Salt Lake City and County building, 451 South State Street in Salt Lake City. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the Walk  begins at 9:00 a.m.  If you have not registered already, you can just show up in the morning. You are welcome to register and bring pledges on Saturday, or you can just come and walk. We would love to have you join us and pets of all kinds are not only welcome, but encouraged.  In fact, for only a $5.00 registration and another $20 in pledges, your pet will earn a snappy pet bandana and will be the envy of the neighborhood. Along the Walk route there will be some great entertainment and the Disco Drippers will be performing at the City/County building at the end of the Walk.  They are a very fun band. The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, Utah Chapter will be unfolding Quiltpanels at 8:00 in the morning.  There will also be a dedication of several new Quilt panels from Utah. If you would like additional information, please follow the link in the logo above, or call us Friday at 801-487-2323 or 800-865-5004.  Hope to see you Saturday. Sincerely, Stan Penfold Utah AIDS Foundation

2001 S.L. Council Race Highlights Religious Rift Among Democrats BY PAUL ROLLY   The Utah Democratic Party's Mormon/non-Mormon division that keeps it weakly beneath the boot heel of the state's Republican juggernaut has manifest itself again, this time in a relatively small political race for a non-partisan Salt Lake City Council seat.    Mike Reberg, who grew up politically in the faction of county politician and former State Democratic Chairman Randy Horiuchi, was part of a three-way race for the City Council seat in District 5, which includes the Central City and lower Sugar House areas. It is considered one of the most liberal and diverse voting areas of Utah. But when Reberg announced to supporters that he was dropping out of the race recently, in some minds that left a clear choice between incumbent Roger Thompson and Jill Remington, a veteran Democratic activist who also cut her political teeth in the old Horiuchi peer group. hompson beat openly gay candidate Jackie Biskupski by 44 votes four years ago, using the backing of his Mormon associations and a split within the large gay community in that district. Some gays and lesbians felt Biskupsi was not vocal enough on gay issues and Thompson earned their favor by trumpeting his vote against an anti-gay proposal when he was on the Salt Lake City School Board. But   once   on   the   City   Council, Thompson voted to repeal an ordinance protecting gays and lesbians in the workplace. This year, the district's strong block of minority groups are considered a factor in the possible ouster of the one-term incumbent. When Reberg dropped out, Remington, president of Utahns for Choice, figured she was the clear choice for those who thought Thompson too conservative. But when she sought the support of Biskupski, who since has become a Democratic state representative for that area and emerged as a strong voice for minorities in the Utah Legislature, Biskupski balked.  "It's not that I am against her," Biskupski said. "I don't know enough about her to just come out and endorse her. I need to sit down and talk to her and learn more about where she stands on the issues. My voice is important in the gay and lesbian community and among all minorities, and that carries a heavy responsibility." One cause of the concern is that like Thompson, Remington is a practicing Mormon and Biskupski, like other liberal activists in the district, admits that past experiences has made her wary of Mormon Democrats and how committed they will be to the issues dear to her heart.  "I'm not anti-Mormon," she is quick to point out. "I don't want it to come across that I am against Mormons. I am not."   But she also notes that Thompson won a portion of the gay and lesbian vote by sounding as though he was their friend, then "broke their hearts" with his vote to repeal the city ordinance protecting gays. She felt crushed at the Legislature when fellow Democratic female legislators, who are members of the LDS Church, voted for a bill forbidding unmarried couples from adopting children. That bill was seen as an attempt to make sure gay people could not adopt in Utah. "I was told by so many people that they were with me philosophically [in opposition to that bill], but they were under so much pressure to vote for it." Biskupski translated those comments to mean they had to vote the way their church wanted them to vote. And she still wants to assess if Remington would buckle under that pressure. Remington, who believes she has strong liberal credentials that fit the majority sentiments of her district, sees herself as caught in the middle of warring philosophies. "I am the president of Utahns for Choice, so Roger Thompson will try and paint me as some kind of pro-abortionist," she said. "But because I'm a Mormon, there are those who have an image that I'm right wing." Biskupsi says that because the filing deadline for City Council is two months away, she will wait to see if anyone else files. "This is an extremely diverse district represented by many different minority groups. This district affords one of the few opportunities in this state for a minority to be elected to public office," said Biskupski, who added that Utah needs a larger minority voice among elected officials. Jim Gonzales a political consultant who takes on minority causes and most recently led the unsuccessful campaign to defeat the initiative last year making English Utah's official language, is another liberal Democratic constituent of District 5 who feels Thompson is too conservative but is withholding his support of Remington.  There is a perception that Democratic leaders are obsessed with finding Mormon candidates to run against the Mormon Republicans, Gonzales said. "Many minorities who are not Mormon feel disenfranchised already. Now we are beginning to feel disenfranchised by our own party." Biskupski said she was welcomed by her fellow Democrats when she was elected to the House in 1998. But when she decided to run for a House minority party leadership position, the Democrats had a special meeting to express their concerns.   "People in my own party, who had said they supported me, were worried that if I had a high-profile position it would hurt their chances for re-election," said Biskupski,. Ironically, she says she has a "super" relationship with the conservative Mormons on the Republican side of the aisle.  "I am treated very well by [House Speaker] Marty Stephens and [House Majority Leader] Kevin Garn," she said. They, too, voted for the bill banning adoption by unmarried couples and are on the opposite side of Biskupski on virtually all gay and lesbian issues.  "You already know where they are coming from," she said. "They have their stated beliefs and they stick to them." But some of the Democratic Mormons, she feels, act like they are with her then bolt away.   "I have great admiration for Gayle Ruzicka," Biskupski said of the Eagle Forum President who arguably is the most vocal anti-gay and lesbian lobbyist on Capitol Hill. "She has strong beliefs and she works hard for those beliefs. She has never been inconsistent. How can you not admire that?"  Biskupski made no secret of the fact that she looked for someone to run against Meg Holbrook for state party chairman this year, although those efforts were unsuccessful. She says there were many reasons for that decision, among them the perception that Holbrook looks for potential Democratic candidates who fit the Mormon profile.  "Profiling is bad in any context," said Gonzales, "whether you are trying to recruit Mormons exclusively or whether you are trying to exclude Mormons." Meanwhile, Remington doesn't want to be labeled because of her religious beliefs any more than Gonzales and others want party leadership to seek candidates who only fit the Mormon profile. "I just want to be judged for who I am, as an individual, and for what I have done for the Democratic Party and for my community," she said.

2003 James P Hicks [Subject Pride Day]  Hi all, I think this year’s Pride was the best I've

James Hicks

seen in seven years!  Everyone did a great job. I put in my three hours in volunteering at one of the booths and loved it. I'd do it again next year, but we need more shade, my booth was in the sun at the Library Courtyard. I believe I sweated off a few pounds, "no comments please." Colorful patio umbrellas in the courtyard would be a nice addition. I also love the suggestion to  start Pride at 10:00 a.m., it would give some of us who need it a little  more time to get ready for this event in the morning. Whoever heard of  getting up before 9:00 a.m. on the weekend anyway? In addition, I would seriously love to have Pride on Saturday and not Sunday. Two very good  reasons: I personally would love to party the night away "Saturday  Night After Pride" and then sleep in on Sunday and recover before I have to  go back to work on Monday. Other cities have adopted Saturday as the day for Pride, why can't we? Oh, yes, some folks think it's tradition -- screw tradition -- let's do something different and do something that might make Pride an even better event than it already is. I can provide  a list of cities who have changed from Sunday to Saturday because they  all like to party all night and they also benefit from the exposure  they receive from their community. In addition, more "straight" people  might attend this event just because they are downtown on Saturday. Not  that I want to make this a straight event, "Absolutely not! However, it  would give us more exposure to the straight world and they can see us  for who we really are, "a vital part of this community!" I hate the way our local media paints us, they do such a poor job. Cheers! James P. Hicks "The Deviant One"

Toni Palmer

2003 Toni Palmer [Subject Pride Day] I have a comment regarding Pride too. First, good job to everyone that helped pull it off. Next; what was the deal with the stage? Didn't we learn in years past (when Pride was at Sunnyside Park and the Salt Lake County Fairgrounds) that having the stage (and thus seating area) in open sun is a BAD IDEA? In case that didn't sink from past experience, or for those who don't remember, let me state it again: having the stage in full sun, BAD IDEA, BAD. And another thing, besides the seating being in full sun, it was also on hot blacktop. Most people brought blankets, not chairs. I dunno about you, but I'm not planting my behind on burning hot blacktop. This is what I do at Pride normally: Walk around and look at booths, go sit in the SHADE and watch the entertainment, go get lunch or a drink, go back and sit in the shade and watch the entertainment, etc. This year, I didn't see a single performer because it was just too hot and being in the sun literally makes me sick. I know there are a lot of sun lovers out there but I think we need to take into consideration those people who honestly cannot be in the sun. Come on, let's be reasonable, move it back to the north side of the Salt Lake City and County Building. There was grass to sit on and lots of shade. -Toni P.

2003 Ben Williams to Rob Johnson [Subject  Rodeo History Kiosks] Sorry it took me a while to get this to you. I was in California over the weekend for Father's Day. Best Regards  Ben PS You should be able to pull up anything posted from the groupsite's message board.

GAY RODEO

• 1975- First Gay rodeo held in Reno, Nevada. Emperor I of Reno, Phil Ragsdale of the Imperial Court of Northern Nevada, created an amateur Gay rodeo to raise money to help out the local Senior Citizens Annual Thanksgiving Day feed.
• 1977-Ragsdale founded the Comstock Gay Rodeo Association and his rodeo project became the National Reno Gay Rodeo. Following the Imperial Court's lead, Ragsdale added the titles "Mr., Ms., and Miss National Reno Gay Rodeo" contest to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
• 1979 Utah's Golden Spike Gay Rodeo Association was created with Gary Wayment as its first President.
• 1980 - The "Pacific Coast Gay Rodeo Association," was organized.
• 1980 At the Reno Gay Rodeo talented rodeo contestants from Fresno, California and Utah were some of the top contenders for the Mr., Ms., and Miss titles.
• 1981- John King opened "Charlie's" in Denver and Gay country bars were opening across the nation. Steve Baxter opened The Deer Hunter in Salt Lake City as a "levi-leather" bar.
• 1981- The Colorado Gay Rodeo Association (CGRA) was organized.
• 1982 The Reno Gay Rodeo was dominated by Colorado, which brought over 150 supporters wearing shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Colorado  Rides With Pride".
• 1983 The "Rocky Mountain Regional Rodeo," was held in the Denver metropolitan area and Colorado became the second location in the United States to stage a Gay rodeo.
• 1983 The Texas Gay Rodeo Association (TGRA) was organized.
• 1984 Texas became the third state to stage a Gay rodeo at Simonton, 35 miles outside of Houston. 1984 The Golden State Gay Rodeo Association (GSGRA) officially  organized.
• 1984 John King opened a second "Charlie's" in Phoenix and in a matter of weeks the Arizona Gay Rodeo Association (AGRA) was formed. 
• 1984, The ninth and final National Reno Gay Rodeo brought over 10,000 people to the rodeo grounds and thousands more to Reno for the gambling and nighttime parties.
• 1984 Steve Oldroyd, prominent Utah Pianist, was winner of first national talent Show at the Reno Gay Rodeo. First known Utah Gay activist to recognize in a speech "all of Utah gay/lesbian/bisexual community."
• 1985-The Los Angeles Equestrian Center, located in Burbank, California became the site for the fourth state to host a gay rodeo.
• 1986-Arizona became the fifth state to host a gay rodeo and the event took place in on the south side of Phoenix: at a Mexican Charro rodeo arena.
• 1985 The International Gay Rodeo Association was organized and  chartered in Denver by delegates from five founding states of Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Oklahoma to encourage the education on or preservation of "Country/Western" lifestyle heritage.
• 1985 The Oklahoma Gay Rodeo Association (OGRA) was organized.
• 1986- The In-between (Bricks) became home bar of the Golden Spike Gay Rodeo Association. Bar owner Bobby Dubray was president of the Gay Rodeo Association while Donny Eastepp, his lover, served as Mr. Utah Gay Rodeo for two years.
• 1986- The Golden Spike Gay Rodeo Association went to the Rocky Mountain Gay Rodeo Association's Regional Rodeo in Denver. For the first time Utah was recognized as participating in the regional rodeo.
• 1988- After two years of being in Limbo, The Golden Spike Gay Rodeo Association was reorganized by Earl Ashley, Chris Trujillo, and Donny Eastepp. 1989, The Utah Gay Rodeo Association was officially organized. UGRA was seated as a member of the International Gay Rodeo Association at the annual IGRA Convention, which was held in Albuquerque, NM.
• 1990 The Utah Gay Rodeo Association attended the Texas Gay Rodeo.
• 1997 The International Gay Rodeo Association completed its 11th annual International Rodeo of Champions in Phoenix, AZ. Women's Bull Riding winner was Rusty Beatty, of Utah Gay Rodeo Association 1997 UGRA hosted the 500 delegates of the 13th annual IGRA.
• 2000 The UGRA produced its first of three-sanctioned rodeo at the Utah State Fair Park called, the "Wild West Festival". Profits from the rodeo were distributed to five charities which best exemplified the vision and values of the association and its membership. The charities were; City of Hope, YWCA, Camp Kostopulos, Special  Olympics, and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah.

2005 The RCGSE along with Empress 30 Krystyna Shaylee, Kyra Prespente and  Kim Russo Would Like to Invite you to: "Summer Lovin" Friday June 17th at 9pm at the Paper Moon*  $5 cover All Proceeds will go to benefit the RCGSE General Fund

 2005 Friday - Saturday – Sunday This is a tour of the wine area called Palisade, about 15 minutes  from downtown Grand Junction.  Some people will travel Friday and stay over night Friday and Saturday.  This will give them time to see more of the area and maybe take a walk in the streets of Grand Junction.   There are quite a bit of sculptures on the sidewalks of this small downtown.  Be sure to look for the chrome buffalo at the bank.  Others may want to travel early Saturday morning and meet us for lunch but remember, you will be tired and this may take away from the fun of the event. We will meet at 10:30 AM on Saturday at a restaurant for lunch.  After lunch, a van will pick us up and drive us through the wineries.   At the wineries we will sample the various wines and shop for food items and gifts.  The full spectrum of wine from sweet to dry is available.  Some are very good.  Have you ever tried a Cabernet Franc or Mead?  We will have one actual tour of a winery and after our excursion in Palisade, we will go to the hotel and get ready for dinner. After dinner there is a quaint Bar named Quincys that you may 

Dan Fahndrich

want to try. How to confirm your reservation to go on the trip: „h Email Dan at address below and give quantity of people in your party. Make Hotel reservation and get reservation confirmation. Email Dan [Fahndrich] with hotel reservation confirmation so we know you are for sure.  Let Dan know if you will drive and how many you can take in your car or if you need a ride. We ONLY have a 14-passenger van.  Cost is $31.00 each if we have 14  people. Hotel : Grand Vista Hotel  2790 Crossroads Blvd. Grand Junction, Colorado $59 Per room + 10.65 % Tax  Check in 3:00 PM Reservation under :   Salt Lake Travel Group or Group Number  6 4 6 2 We ONLY have 15 rooms :  5 rooms with 1 Queen  & 10 rooms with 2 doubles * *   Please double up if possible  * * Dan Fahndrich      Ph : 801-487-2593 Email = plumwine@networld.com Itinerary  and  Information When you make your reservation check in time at the hotel is 3:00 PM.  If you cannot make this time, tell them when you make reservation.  Use your own credit card to make your reservation. „h IMPORTANT :  Rooms are only pre-reserved until : May 27 If you cannot get a room, call Dan and he will give you more hotels  to try. There is a bike rally in town the same weekend and rooms are somewhat tight. „h Right now, we only have a 14-passenger van.  It is very important to communicate with Dan in the case we need another van. Itinerary in Grand Junction: * Highlighted wines are in BOLD Sat. Morning:   10:30  Meet at Restaurant for Brunch 12:00  14-passenger van will pick us up at restaurant 12 : 30      Greystone      PORT , etc.. 1:20  Garfield Winery      MERLOT  ¡V Fume Blanc - Rose  2:00  Rky.Mtn.Meadery         Honey Wine ¡VSweet  2:35  Plum Creek      CABERNET FRANC ¡V Pinot Noir ¡V Sangiovese ¡V  Ice Wine 3:30       Canyon Wind      Chardonnay ¡V Cabernet  Sauvignon ¡V Port – Merlot 4:40       Grand River       Merlot - Chardonnay - Meritage ¡V Syrah ¡V Viognier – Blush 6:00      Back at the Hotel ( Wineries for another trip : Two Rivers Winery + Debeque + Colorado Cellars + Carlson Vineyards ) 8:00       Dinner at We will be staying in the airport area, fairly close to Palisade.  Nearby is a visitor center and a coffee shop that may be of interest.  Sunday AM, you may want to go downtown GJ and walk around and have coffee. Saturday - because we are paying for the van and driver per hour, we will want to keep on schedule and leave promptly from the restaurant at noon to go to the wineries in Palisade. At the wineries we will sample the various wines and food items.  The variety of wines is quite diverse.  Dry, sweet, fruity, etc¡K.Be sure to try the port at Greystone.  Many of the wineries have fun gift items that you may enjoy.   We will have one actual tour of a winery during our day.  After our excursion in Palisade, we will go to the hotel and get ready for dinner. 

2006 Saturday Saturday Night Fever Join us for the first annual Saturday Night Fever Disco

Chris McArdle

Dance. Come dressed in your favorite disco or dance threads and be prepared to Shake Your Groove Thing! Get groovy from 9 PM to Midnight at Chris McArdle ’s Home St. George, Utah.  Can you dig it? There will be a $5 door charge. $10 for persons not in dance or retro wear. Alcohol will NOT be supplied. Each individual must bring their own alcohol. Underage drinking is prohibited and will not be tolerated. Proof of age is subject to verification. Please drink responsibly. Want to know more about Pride and Pride Sponsored Events? Join the Southern Utah Pride at Zion Group site

2018  rideOUT with us every third Sunday of the month! It's a new riding group for Gay/Queer motorcycle riders and our allies/friends. We rideOUT on different scenic runs and stop mid-way to have a picnic lunch. We end up at The Sun Trapp for drinks at Leather Happy Hour. Our first ride was Sunday and we had nine bikes out with 13 riders/passengers, and it was a lot of fun! I am also happy to talk to anyone looking to learn how to ride or buy a bike for advice. Michael Sanders