12 July 12-
1890 Ogden Standard Examiner From the Capital page 3
Frank Wilson was
arrested yesterday and held to await action of the grand jury for committing a “Crime
Against Nature”.
1940-A directive from the German Reich Main Security Office
mandated that any homosexual who had seduced more than one partner would be put
into protective custody (a concentration camp). Evidence of a sexual act was
often absent in meeting the criteria.
1951 Vernal Express 'Delinquency' Charge Draws Hard
Labor Term Section Page 1 Bound
over to district Court was Gregory Base Taylor 22 of Vallejo on charge of an
infamous “Crime Against Nature”
1969 - A
16 year old youth shot Donald Trinnimen, age 22, 411 East 7200 South early
Saturday Morning in Memory Grove. Trinnimen was taken to the University Hospital
where he was treated for a shot gun wound in the chest and released about noon.
The Youth was arrested at 10:30 p.m. at the Greyhound Bus Depot at 28 West Temple and taken into
custody and charged with the shooting. (07/14/69 SLTribune page 25) (Donald
Trinnaman see 11 Feb 1968)
 |
| Stephen Holbrook |
1972-Jim Foster of San Francisco and Madeline Davis of New
York became the first openly gay delegates at the Democratic National
Convention. Stephen Holbrook was a delegate representing Utah but was not "out" about his sexuality.
1986-International
Lesbian and Gay Association voted almost
unanimously not to revoke the membership of the South African Gay Association
after testimony from a representative who stated that the organization was
opposed to apartheid.
.jpg) |
| Robert McIntier |
1986-Saturday- Pamela Calkins,
Lynn LeMasters, Michelle Hopkins, Janice, Mark Bluto, John Crane, David Ewing,
Eddie Muldong and Tony Feliz, members of the Restoration Church all came to Salt
Lake City from California for their endowment sessions done in the portable tabernacle erected in the home Robert McIntier on Dorothea Way in Salt Lake City.
1987- The 1987 Gay Pride Day was the first event to be sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah which was
formed in December of 1986. The council adopted a resolution in February of
1987 to sponsor that year’s Pride Day as a community event. Donnie Eastepp,
co-owner of the In-Between Tavern and emperor of the Royal Court, was elected
chair of Pride Day ’87. Again the celebration was held in July on the 12th but
the venue was moved from Pioneer Park back to Sunnyside Park. Eastepp and his
lover Bobby Dupray created the 1st Pride Day Community Service Award which was
to be given annually. The first award was given to Dr. Kristin Ries, Dubray’s
physician. The award then was then named in her
.jpg) |
| Dr. Kristen Ries |
honor. Donny Eastepp Gay Pride
Chairman described Dr. Ries as “a woman who daily struggles with ignorance and
oppression. We are honoring a woman who fights for this community.” The
mainstay of Gay Pride Day, the Saliva Sisters, again were the featured
performers with members of the Royal Court performing some musical numbers.
Curtis Jensen and Greg Harden of “The
Lovebird” also were featured. For the first time softball teams were organized
to give Lesbians something to do while the Gay men watched the performers. An
estimated 800 people attended throughout the day. Val Mansfield designed his
first Gay Pride Day logo. Mansfield
would be selected time and time again over the next several years for his
outstanding Pride Day designs and logos.
- Concerned
about financial accountability for Pride Day, the Gay and Lesbian
Community Council on July 16, 1987 voted not just only to sponsor Pride
Day but to make it an official committee of the council. Pride Day at that
time became a legal entity of the council which assumed all its debts and
assets.
- 1987 Sunday- About 10:30 I started getting ready for Gay Pride Day
at Sunnyside Park. We arrived at Sunnyside
Park about noon and the
weather was clear and warm. Gay Pride
Day was festive and I brought my Japanese parasol to keep the sun off me but
Lyle Bradley said that he needed it to keep the sun off the sound system's
mixing board, so the sound system was preserved but I was burned from sitting
out under the blazing sun for 4 and 1/2 hours. The highlight of the day of
course was the Saliva Sisters and of course Walt Larabee and The Love Birds
were good too. Must have been about 800 people there all told throughout the
day. The Lesbians were out in force
probably due to the fact that several softball teams were organized. I didn't see any Gay men playing ball except
for Volleyball naturally. Stereotypical. [Journal of Ben Williams]
1988 - I made banana nut bread and cream cheese sandwiches
for Unconditional Support tonight. Our
discussion was on the topic of “What
Scares You About Being gay”. I had
people write down anonymously their fears and then we read them and discussed
them. My premise is that I think that we as Gay men are more alike than
different and that we probably share common anxieties and I was right. The overwhelming number said that their main
fear was being lonely and growing older alone.
So we discussed our fears. I felt like Jim Hunsaker was attacking me for
some reason tonight. Anyway after the meeting some of us went to the show and
saw Bull Durham. [Journal of Ben
Williams]
 |
| Ben Barr |
1988- Salt Lake AIDS Foundation is in the news with Ben Barr being
controversial because he wants to distribute condoms at The Neighborhood Fair
at Liberty Park on Pioneer Day. The
Mayor’s office said no way. [Journal of Ben Williams]
1988 At
The Royal Court’s General Meeting Larry White emperor of The Royal Court made a
speech about Beyond Stonewall asking members to support it [Journal of Ben Williams]
Tuesday, July 12, 1988 HOLLADAY MAN DIES OF
GUNSHOT WOUND A Holladay man died Monday morning of a gunshot wound suffered
late Sunday in Jordan Park. Police have no suspects. Gordon L. Winslow, 46,
2064 E. 4675 South, was shot once in the chest while apparently lighting
firecrackers in the park, 1000 S. Ninth West. Witnesses told police they heard
firecrackers throughout the evening Sunday. About 10:30 p.m., the witnesses
observed a man on his hands and knees near a van, which was parked between a
playground and the south fence of the International Peace Gardens. Several
shots were fired, then two people, possibly juveniles, were seen running away,
according to police reports. A short time later, the man got in the van and
tried to exit the park but crashed into a fence. The witnesses ran to help and
noticed Winslow was injured, said homicide squad Sgt. Don Bell. They asked him
what had happened and he replied, "Nothing." When police arrived,
Winslow, lying on the van's floor but still conscious, told officers he didn't
know why he was shot but said he thought one of his assailants called the other
"Mario." "He had a chance to tell us everything that went on but
he didn't," Bell said. Spent illegal fireworks were found in the van, but
no weapons were recovered. Winslow, who was wearing only a pair of shorts, was
taken to LDS Hospital, where he died about 6:15 a.m., a hospital spokesman
said.
1998The first annual Rainbow
Rebound held in the parking lot of Paper Moon. The event is a two on two
basketball, free throw and three point shooting competition
2002 Billy Lewis Money Situation: Hey everyone, I just talked with
Darin [Hobbs] about Pride's money situation. And
so far, it's not looking pretty. Now we
don't need to panic, but we do need to get some more income coming in or we
will need to panic. So, here are a few
of my suggestions. If anyone else has
some suggestions please let me know. We
have approximately $2900 dollars worth the water (at cost) sitting in the Black
Box theatre [Gay and Lesbian Community Center]. If we start selling it ASAP
we will still be able to get it sold for around $11.00 a case which would bring
us in about $3740.00 for our account.
The faster we sell it the more we will get for it. Because this is an event specific product the
longer we wait past the event the more it will depreciate. I know there was some talk of using for
promotions, but we need to look at it now as if we don't sell it and promote
from that way then we won't have an event to promote. So, please what are your suggestions or
should we start selling it. Next, Adam [Frost] has agreed if we want to take
over the website again he will help with
 |
| Adam Frost |
getting an online "shop" set
up. Darin has agreed to do the financial
organizing of it. I would like to put on
the "shop" the items that we have left over from Pride. That would include Pride Shirts, Bagley
Shirts, Hats, and Posters. We can then
do an ad in the Pillar and leave flyers around town letting people know that
they can purchase the items online. I
know TeinnaMarrie [Nelson] was planning car washes. I think we all need to jump on board with her
and promote and help wash the cars. It
could be fun and cooling in this weather.
And last but not least Adam has agreed to sell his body at the corner of
State Street
and 4th south with us getting 90% of the profit. :) just kidding. Anyway let me know. Cost Per
Bottle $0.36 Bottles in A Case 24 Cost Per Case $8.64 Number of Cases 417 Total
Cost $3,600. Retail If Sold on Pride Day $2.00 per bottle-Retail per case
$48.00-Mark Up 82 % Mark up $ 1.64-Gross Profit: $20,016.00 minus $3,600-Over
All Profit: $16,413.00-If Sold at discount rate $0.45 per bottle Number of
Cases left over 350 +/- Mark up 20% Over all Profit $756.00-If Sold at discount
rate $0.50 per bottle-Number of Cases left over 350 +/- Mark up 28% Over all
Profit $1,176.00-If Sold at discount rate $0.55 per bottle-Number of Cases left
over 350 +/- Mark up 35% Over all Profit $$1,596.00.
- Chad
Keller Money Situation ;I wasn't paying attention to the whole
note.....As for car washes...while they are a wonderful idea...and I have
expressed it to Stacy [Robinson]...whose partner had a great
suggestion.....which I will share later...As both a non profit and a
corporation we have a responsibility to the environment....Due to the
current situation, and what is now being brought forward by experts and
scientists will we be fulfilling or civic responsibility to helping save
water. I’m in favor of it, especially if we are being conservative and
have a solid water conservative plan in place. Teina, what is the plan?
2003 Saturday Michael Aaron Subject: Lunch was fun. Over 200 members Hey
all, Just wanted to touch in and thank those who attended today's Naked Lunch.
We had about a dozen guys here and had a great, mellow time. Our group now has
over 200 members! If you know of other guys who like to get naked with other
guys, please forward this email onto them; Our activities are drawing a great mix of men. What do people think about an
overnight campout, maybe at the nude beach? Other locations could work too, if
people have suggestions. See ya in the nudes! JeepNekkid
- Utah male naturists NudeUtah's July
Swim Saturday July 12, 2003 6:00 pm
- 10:00 pm This event does not
repeat. Event Location: Absolute
Scuba, Orem Notes: This month's swim is July 12th from 6:00 PM to
????Where: Absolute scuba in Orem. Cost: $5.00 per person. Contact: Bill at 801 201-0157 for more
info
2003 Saturday Subject: Re: [gayProvo] Hey
boys, if you guys wanna fool around with sexy 15/m, email me, i love to be
dressed up in womens lingerie and i will do whatever you want, and filming is a
big turn on, so email me!! I am not around provo tho, so if you could meet me in slc..
- Subject: Re: [gayProvo] Hey Ben Williams
to Gay Provo Group Why does the moderator of this site let postings like
this occur? First of all its illegal to have even consenting sex with a
minor-prison time- and it is quite common for vice departments to use
sites like this to find pedophiles. Young man, if you are in SLC I suggest
you go the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah where they have many
youth oriented programs and met people your own age in a healthier setting
then cruising cyberspace. Who knows you might even meet friends to hang
out with. Being Gay is a journey, don't fall into pits where vipers are
ready to get you. Pride is more than a party.
 |
| Tami Marquardt |
2004- MONDAY 'Queers Kick Ash'
campaign loses state funding The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community
Center of Utah has distributed a variety of incentives at activities promoting
anti-smoking awareness among the gay community. The program recently lost government
funding. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune) By Mike Cronin The Salt Lake
Tribune For eight months, the "Queers Kick Ash" campaign hummed
along, spreading its anti-tobacco message to Utah's gay and lesbian community
with help from a state grant. During that time, records show the Utah
Department of Health routinely approved and funded promotional materials --
posters, banners, T-shirts, newspaper ads, even a Web site -- for the campaign by
the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah. Then, in
mid-May, several students were disciplined at Hillcrest High for wearing
"Queers Kick Ash" T-shirts. A few weeks later, the Health Department
yanked the funding – an expected $200,000 over the next two years -- and the
anti-tobacco campaign fizzled. Ever since then, the community center has
wondered why it lost the funding. "We've made phone calls, mailed letters
and sent faxes – and nothing," said Tami Marquardt, the center's acting
executive director. "They haven't had the courtesy or the public decency
to give us an answer. I don't know why they won't talk to anyone if this is all
aboveboard. This is nothing but a homophobic cover-up. It's discrimination,
pure and simple." For its part, the Health Department -- in a June 1
letter from Heather Borski, manager of the department's Tobacco
 |
| Heather Borski |
Prevention and Control
Program -- maintains that it opted not to renew the center's grant to
"prevent the anti-tobacco health message from being overshadowed by
unrelated advocacy activity." Richard Milton, the department's deputy
director, and two department spokeswomen would not define "unrelated
advocacy activity." "Our statement speaks for itself," Milton
said Friday. "It's a question of interpretation." In a statement
released June 11, department officials said the anti-tobacco project's
"use of sexually related messages . . . was inconsistent with the
department's general approach to addressing tobacco use." Again, Milton
could not provide specific examples of "sexually related messages"
used in the center's campaign. He did say, however, that "the whole issue
is sexually related because the group represents a certain sexual
preference." Milton conceded that the controversy caused by the center's
"provocative" messages has Health Department officials re-examining
why they initially awarded the center the first of three potential
$100,000-a-year grants. "I can't get into that," he said. "I can
just say there's a discussion going on about why it happened." Through a
records request, The Salt Lake Tribune obtained hundreds of documents about the
relationship between the Health Department and the center. Spokeswoman Jana
Kettering said the department could not
 |
| Jana Kettering |
provide at least three months of
pertinent e-mails because they had been destroyed -- a possible violation of
Utah's public records laws. Even so, the records released show that many
department officials knew precisely how the center was spending its
anti-tobacco funding. Quarterly reports and expense reimbursement forms dating
back to October specifically mention "Queers Kick Ash" as the name of
the anti-tobacco campaign. Documents also show that department officials routinely
approved not only the "Queers Kick Ash" moniker but also the expenses
incurred for materials and events using that name. In one entry, a Health
Department official praised the campaign's Web site: "I checked out the
site, queerskickash.org. It looks great." Some documents depict visual
representations of various ways the "Queers Kick Ash" logo would be
used, how it would be displayed and what it would look like. Not once in the
documents did department officials object to or suggest changes to the center's
anti-tobacco approach -- until mid-May. Milton said staff members below the
executive level had approved the campaign slogans and materials during the
eight months without upper-level officials' knowledge. Marquardt maintains the
"Queers Kick Ash" name became a problem only after the Hillcrest
incident made headlines. Milton acknowledged the incident contributed to the
department's policy revision, but also said that the attention was not directly
responsible for the change in department practices. He added that, to his
knowledge, the gay-lesbian center is the only one among roughly 20
organizations receiving anti-tobacco money from the state that did not earn a
grant renewal. That frustrates Marquardt and her staff. "We offered to
recraft our message and do whatever they wanted, but it was a no-go."
2005 A COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION On July 12, 2005, the Salt Lake County
Council considered, and then voted down by a one vote margin, a proposal to
extend domestic partner benefits to county employees. The proposal, and the
public discussion, are major steps on the road to fair and equal treatment for
all people, regardless of marital status, sexual orientation and gender
identity. This letter is to ask you to
show your support for this type of legislation by taking one (or all) of the
following action steps: The GLBT Community Center of Utah is sending this email
in partnership with Equality Utah , HRC, the Utah Stonewall Democrats and the
Utah Log Cabin Republicans A COMMUNITY CALL TO ACTION On July 12, 2005, the
Salt Lake County Council considered, and then voted down by a one vote margin,
a proposal to extend domestic partner benefits to county employees. The
proposal, and the public discussion, are major steps on the road to fair and
equal treatment for all people, regardless of marital status, sexual
orientation and gender identity. This letter is to ask you to show your support
for this type of legislation by taking one (or all) of the following action
steps: 1). THANK the supporters of this proposal: Councilperson Jenny
Wilson, Joe Hatch, Randy
Horiuchi, and Jim Bradley 2). Let the opponents know of your disappointment: Councilperson Michael
Jensen, David
Wilde, Mark
Crocket, Cortlund Ashton, and Marvin Hendrickson 3). Write a Letter to the Editor of the Salt Lake Tribune, the Deseret News, or
your local paper, and let them know you support domestic partner benefits. Let
them know your personal story and how you are impacted! 4). Let your GLBT
friends and neighbors working at Salt Lake County know you care. BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
What would the proposal have done? It would have allowed employees of Salt Lake
County to provide domestic partners and dependent children with the following
benefits: health and dental insurance, life insurance, extended funeral leave,
sick leave to care for a dependent, employee assistance program, COBRA
benefits. In short - it would have recognized the reality that unmarried
employees also have partners for whom they are providing, and that under the
current system, those employees (by being denied substantial benefits such as health
insurance coverage for their partners) are simply paid less than their married
counterparts. A majority of the five Republican council members who voted
against this proposal cited the State's approval of Amendment 3 as their reason
for voting against the proposal. Council Chairman Michael Jensen was quoted in
the Salt Lake Tribune as having said, "Maybe in 10 years or 20
years the county will be ready for this move. My sense is the valley spoke in
November." Senator Scott McCoy, who attended the hearing, pointed out that Amendment 3 does not prohibit basic benefits for lgbt people.
"Unfortunately, it is being used as an excuse by some officials to vote
against anything that might benefit lgbt individuals and their families.
However, it is important to continue the discussion. By fighting the fight, we
are making the future come faster." ACT NOW - People need to hear our
stories! Sincerely, Jane Marquardt, Board Chair, Equality Utah Valerie Larabee,
Executive Director, GLBTCC of Utah Bruce Bastian, Board of Directors, Human
Rights Campaign Mike Picardi, Chair, Utah Stonewall Democrats, Gordon Storrs,
President, Utah Log Cabin Republicans
2006 Utah GLBT BUSINESS GUILD MEET AND GREET The
UPS STORE - 32 W 200 S (ACROSS FROM EL MONACO) 7:00-9:00PM Bring a friend,
socialize, and network
2009 Protesters smooch near LDS Temple Demonstration They exchanged
'gentle' kisses to show support for a gay couple detained for kissing on Main
Street Plaza on Thursday. By Lindsay Whitehurst The Salt Lake Tribune Wearing
bright red lipstick, Isabelle Warnas smiled and planted a big kiss on her
husband's cheek, something she said she has done often under the spires of the LDS Church's
Salt Lake Temple.
"Nobody has said a thing to us," the 50-year-old Salt Lake City resident said. This time,
though, they had an audience of
more than a hundred. They were gathered for a
"kiss-in" staged Sunday morning near Main
 |
| Derek Jones |
Street Plaza to show
support for a gay couple, Derek Jones, 25, and Matthew Aune, 28, who say they
were detained by Church of Jesus
 |
| Matthew Aune |
Christ of Latter-day Saints security guards
after one man had kissed the other on the cheek Thursday. They had argued with
the guards and were later cited for trespassing. "My husband and I cannot
understand the discrimination," Warnas said. "This is not
right." The atmosphere Sunday morning was genial, and even merry among
protesters. Organizer and former city councilwoman Deeda Seed encouraged
"gentle" displays of public affection, and participants stuck to
short kisses on the mouth and cheeks. Several LDS Church security guards
dressed in suits kept a watchful eye, and turned some protesters back when they
tried to cross the church-owned plaza or walk onto the property to share a
kiss. Guards called police when protesters staged a walk onto the plaza, and
officers stood to block the entrance. "They were asked repeatedly not to
come onto the property, and they chose to do so anyway," said LDS church
spokeswoman Kim Farah. Though a few people spoke in protest, there were no
direct confrontations, and guards did not stop the protesters gathered past the
property line. In a prepared statement, Farah said the church welcomes the
millions of visitors who come to its headquarters each year. "We
 |
| Kiss- In |
are glad
they come ... . We do ask that certain guidelines be kept on church property,
including that no demonstrations are allowed here," she said. The incident
became a flash point for overlapping controversies: Anger over church support
of Proposition 8, which outlawed gay marriage in California,
and still-simmering frustration over the city's sale of Main Street
Plaza to the church about
10 years ago. "A lot of people feel disrespected, feel less than fully
human because of church policies toward gay and lesbian people, and that's got
to stop," said Salt Lake City Councilman Luke Garrott, who represents the
downtown district. The sale allowed the church to ban objectionable activities,
from protesting to sunbathing, on the plaza, which borders Temple Square and church headquarters.
Jones and Aune attended the event with their two dogs. The couple stayed
quietly in the background. "I just want to get the message out,"
Jones said. "We're very flattered and very proud." "This
community is a great one," Aune said.
More Trouble In Utah
Eric
Moutsos, the former cop who resigned from the Salt Lake City Police Department
 |
| Eric Moutsos |
after he was suspended for refusing to ride his motorcycle in the Pride Parade
last year, has been in the middle of a previous gay-rights controversy. Moutsos,
who has gone to work as a fundraiser and community-outreach organizer for the
conservative Sutherland Institute think tank, was the officer who cited two gay
men for trespassing on LDS property in 2009. The
misdemeanor charges against Matt Aune and Derek Jones were dropped by then-Salt
Lake City prosecutor Sim Gill, who said the men had a reasonable belief they
had a right to be on the Main Street Plaza, a former public street purchased by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Moutsos was the Salt Lake City police officer
who responded. In his police report, he wrote the two men were "kissing
and hugging on [LDS] property." The
dispute made national headlines and prompted a "kiss-in" protest that
attracted about 100 couples near the plaza, where gay and straight couples
affectionately kissed and wore paper hearts.
Moutsos resigned from
the police department after he was placed on paid leave for refusing to ride in
the parade last June. He cited his religious convictions for his refusal. Paul Rolley Salt Lake Tribune 30 April 2015
2009 Salt Lake Tribune by Rosemary Winters Gena Edvalson tried for
years to be a mom.
 |
| Gena Edvalson |
So when her partner of six years, Jana Dickson, became
pregnant through artificial insemination and gave birth to a boy in March 2006,
nothing brought her “instantly more joy.” And nothing brought Edvalson more
pain than a recent court ruling depriving her of a chance to even visit the
child. After all, she had eyed every ultrasound. She had read Little Quack to
“the little guy” when he was inside Dickson’s womb. She had clicked on a
flashlight throughout his first night home from the hospital to check on the
sleeping babe. Both Salt Lake City
women, were “mama” and — with the help of lactation medication for Edvalson —
both breast-fed the newborn. But the two split up when the boy was 17 months
old and last week, after
 |
| Jana Dickson & Gena Edvalson |
a yearlong legal fight, Edvalson was cut off from any
contact with the 3-year-old she loves as a son. A 3rd District judge, citing a
2008 Utah
law, upheld Dickson’s “fundamental” right, as the biological parent, to refuse
visitation. “I never want him to think I gave him up voluntarily. I never
abandoned him,” Edvalson wrote on her blog. “I loved him, and I love him
still.” The case highlights the predicament of same-sex parents in Utah, a state where gay
and lesbian couples cannot marry, adopt children or even expect their own
contracts for shared parenting and guardianship to stand in court. Such
documents did not protect Edvalson, who signed co-parenting and co-guardianship
agreements with Dickson near the time the baby was born. Although this case is
“not binding precedent,” Edvalson’s Salt
Lake City attorney, Lauren Barros, said she wouldn’t
recommend a co-parenting agreement to other same-sex couples. “It was my last
hope,” Barros said. It didn’t work. Frank Mylar, Dickson’s attorney, said the
“important principle” in the case is that the law upholds the “right of a
parent to make decisions for their child and to change their mind.” That, Mylar
said, is precisely what Dickson did: change her mind. Dickson and Edvalson met
at the YWCA, where Dickson worked with teens and Edvalson with battered women.
The couple moved in together in 2000 and formally declared their love with a
commitment ceremony in 2003. “Jana had kind of joked that she was old-fashioned
like that,” Edvalson said. “She didn’t want to have a kid without making that
official.” Edvalson began artificial insemination. Two years later, she still
wasn’t pregnant. Dickson, who is nine years younger than Edvalson, decided to
give it a go. She became pregnant after her second treatment. “We must have
taken like 10 pregnancy tests,” Edvalson, now 42, recalled. “I can’t even
describe it. I was so excited.” After the boy’s birth, the couple planned to
move to California
so that Edvalson could adopt him, Dickson said, but, “due to major issues in
our relationship, that never happened.” When the boy was 4 months old, the pair
had a fight. Edvalson moved out for a week. “She told me that he wasn’t my kid,
he was her kid, and she told me I should move on,” Edvalson said. “We worked it
out for another year — but that never went away.” Dickson and Edvalson broke up
in 2007, when their son already was calling both of them “mama” (”Mama G” for
Edvalson was a little too tricky). Dickson, 33, now is married to a man, but
said, in an e-mail, she has “dated both men and women” in her life. An attorney
who defends parents in abuse, neglect and custody cases, Dickson said she is a
“stronger believer than ever” in the right of lesbians to marry and adopt — if
the biological mom wants her partner to do so. She declined to comment
specifically on why she has made the “very hard decision to limit Gena’s role”
in her son’s life, noting Edvalson’s “palpable hostility” toward her
complicated the visits. But she agreed the relationship “never really recovered
from that initial move-out.” While the couple still were together, Edvalson
complained that her lack of “legally recognized rights” to the child created
“unfair power dynamics” in the relationship, according to an affidavit Dickson
filed. For 10 months after the breakup, Edvalson generally saw the boy two days
a week, but she felt Dickson was “whittling away” her time when the visits
dropped to one afternoon a week. Edvalson asked her attorney to send Dickson a
letter, requesting mediation to uphold the co-parenting agreement. “Then Jana
hired Frank Mylar,” Edvalson said, “and it was kind of
 |
| Frank Myler |
game on.” Mylar, a
former Utah
attorney general candidate, belongs to a conservative alliance of “Christian
attorneys,” the Alliance Defense Fund, and regularly fights against the
extension of rights for gay and lesbian couples. He did just that in pushing
changes to the 2008 law that severely limited Edvalson’s ability to press for
visitation in court. Dickson declined mediation and stopped letting Edvalson
visit the child. Edvalson did not see him for a year until — after a hearing in
April — the judge ordered visitation once a week in advance of his ruling. That
decision came last week. The boy now is off-limits to her. There is no next
step in getting to see her boy again, Edvalson said. “The next step is
[Dickson] doing the right thing. I have no legal recourse.” Her advice for
other same-sex couples: Don’t have kids unless you have the legal protection of
an adoption (something you cannot get in Utah).
For now, Edvalson, who is working on a master’s degree in social work, is
keeping an online journal to record her experience in case her one-time son
someday notices the hyphenated last name on his birth certificate and has questions.
She cannot say enough about how sweet and outgoing he is — even “old men” at
the grocery store, she said, would comment, “Your kid’s a flirt.” She calls him
“my sweet boy.” “I know everyone thinks their kid’s the greatest,” Edvalson
said. “It just doesn’t help that mine actually was the greatest.”
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| Dennis Piernick |
2012 30-year-old cold-case murder of gay Salt Lake City man closed QSL A 30-year-old cold-case murder case of a gay man in Salt Lake City has been closed and police have named a suspect who is now deceased. On May 16, 1982, Dennis Piernick was found dead in his apartment at 927 E. South Temple. He had been stabbed multiple times in the head and neck. Piernick was gay, as were many key witnesses in the case who were afraid to come forward about the investigation because they feared backlash due to their sexual orientation, a Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson said in a press release. Leads dried up and no arrests were made. As the case was reviewed in 2011, a new detective learned that
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| Rodney VanKomen |
Piernick’s former neighbor Rodney VanKomen confessed to a friend in 1983 that he had murdered Piernick. The witness was afraid of VanKomen, who died in a car crash when he was 41 years old in 2005. Detectives have since learned there were several factors linking VanKomen to the murder, including a backpack, clothing and a pack of cigarettes left at the scene. Also, an eyewitness placed VanKomen at the scene with the victim an hour before his death.
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| Bob Zancanella |
2017 Robert "Bob" Charles Zancanella, 78, of Salt Lake City, UT, passed away Bob
was born on January 13, 1939 in Rock Springs, WY Bob
graduated from Rock Springs High School in 1957. He attended Westminster
College and graduated in 1960 with a BA in Music and German. He later graduated
with a Masters in Music in 1963 at the University of Utah. Bob
taught for 25 years at the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind and retired in 2005. Bob
was a lifelong member of the First Congregational church in Rock Springs and in
SLC. He enjoyed music and sang in the church choir, the Utah Opera, the
University of Utah Men’s Choir, and a member of the Oratorio Society of Utah
for “50 Years.”
Bob was a well known face
in the SLC gay community during the time I was coming out. I knew Bob from my
days of doing shows at Theatre 138. And Bob would always be a regular at the
Radio City Bar, which was behind Theatre 138. I was in one show with Bob. And
on the other shows, Bob always seemed to be involved assisting Ariel, Tom or
Stu with some aspect of the show. He was always a positive, pleasant, joyous
and kind gentleman. RIP. Doug Murri
Bob was a regular at the RC. He was a good supporter of the Royal
Court too.Alan Anderson
I saw " Bob Z " recently , we both had appointments at the same
building , he was waiting for his transportation and i was early for my appt ,
we sat by the front door for what seem like hours but it was just a few minutes
, we laughed and chatted about the earlier reigns of the court , both he and i
did comedy numbers during shows , I never heard a negative comment from him and
he always was smiling , and one of the firsts in line to help those in need.......i remember when the van arrived and i walked with him outside...he
was assisted in to the van , he said take care of yourself , I replied with You
too we waved at each other as the van pulled away....he is now with the
Angels....Chuck Whyte
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