Spring 2nd Quarter Journal 2002 April-June

 

APRIL

1 April 2002 Monday

No school today

5 April 2002 Friday

Really Out and About: Considering she came out on a Sally Jesse Raphael show titled "Lesbians Who Don't Look Like Lesbians," it goes without saying Suzanne Westenhoefer has a sense of humor. Often seen as the "gay girl in straight clubs," she's developed her comedy into a popular attraction, including appearances on national TV and tours of theaters, colleges and clubs across the country. Her HBO special was nominated for a Cable ACE Award, and her two comedy CDs both won Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards. Westenhoefer performs Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Rose Wagner Theatre, 138 W. 300 South. Tickets, available at all ArtTix outlets, are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and $69 for special front-row seats and a reception after the show.

Utah State University Gay & Lesbian Student Resource Center
Carousel Ballroom, Bullen Center, 43 S. Main St., Logan; Gay-Butante Ball and Benefit, cabaret performances, hors d'oeuvres; $35 for two tickets; 435-797-4297.

 

7 April 2002 Sunday

Afghanistan Holds Veil Over Homosexual Ways Stifling of women turns many males toward one another;  Afghanistan Holds Veil Over Homosexual Ways
-- In his 29 years, Mohammed Daud has seen the faces of perhaps 200 women. A few dozen were family members. The rest were glimpses stolen when he should not have been looking and the women were caught without their face-shrouding burqas.   "How can you fall in love with a girl if you can't see her face?" he asks.   Daud is unmarried and has sex only with men and boys. But he does not consider himself homosexual, at least not in the Western sense.

   "I like boys, but I like girls better," he says. "It's just that we can't see the women to see if they are beautiful. But we can see the boys, and so we can tell which of them is beautiful."   Daud, a motorbike repairman who asked that his family name not be used, has a youthful face, a jaunty black mustache and a post-Taliban clean-shaven chin. As he talks, his knee bounces up and down, an involuntary sign of his embarrassment.  "These are hard questions you are asking," he says. "We don't usually talk about such things."   Although rarely acknowledged, the prevalence of sex between Afghan men is an open secret, one most observant visitors quickly surmise. Ironically, it is especially true here in Kandahar, which was the heartland of the puritanical Taliban movement.
   It might seem odd to a Westerner that such a sexually repressive society is marked by heightened homosexual activity. But Justin Richardson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, says such thinking is backward -- it is precisely the extreme restrictions on sexual relations with women that lead to greater prevalence of the behavior.   "In some Muslim societies where the prohibition against premarital heterosexual intercourse is extremely high -- higher than that against sex between men -- you will find men having sex with other males not because they find them most attractive of all but because they find them most attractive of the limited options available to them," Richardson says.
   The love by men for younger, beautiful males, who are called helicon, is even enshrined in Pashtu literature. A popular poem by Syed Abdul Khaliq Agha, who died last year, notes Kandahar's special reputation. "Kandahar has beautiful helicon," the poem goes. "They have black eyes and white cheeks."
   When asked directly, few deny that a significant percentage of men in this region have sex with men and boys. Just ask Mullah Mohammed Ibrahim, a local cleric. "Ninety percent of men have the desire to commit this sin," the mullah says. "But most are right with God and exercise control. Only 20 to 50 percent of those who want to do this actually do it."   Following the mullah's math, this suggests that somewhere between 18 percent and 45 percent of men here engage in homosexual sex -- significantly higher than the 3 percent to 7 percent of American men who, according to studies, identify themselves as homosexual.
   That is a large number to defy the strict version of Islam practiced in these parts, which denounces sex between men as taboo. Muslims seeking council from religious elders on the topic will find them unsympathetic.  "Every person has a devil inside him," Ibrahim says. "If a person commits this sin, it is the work of the devil."  The Quran mandates "hard punishment" for offenders, the mullah explains. By tradition there are three penalties: being burned at the stake, pushed over the edge of a cliff or crushed by a toppled wall.
During its reign in Kandahar, the Taliban implemented the latter. In February 1998, it used a tank to push a brick wall on top of three men, two accused of sodomy and the third of homosexual rape. The first two died; the third spent a week in the hospital and, under the assumption that God had spared him, was sent to prison. He served 6 months and fled to Pakistan.  Many accuse the Taliban of hypocrisy on the issue of homosexuality.    "The Taliban had helicon, but they kept it secret," says one anti-Taliban commander, who is rumored to keep two helicon himself. "They hid their helicon in their madrasas," or religious schools. It's not only religious authorities who describe homosexual sex as common among the Pashtuns. Mohammed Nasem Zafar, a professor at Kandahar Medical College, estimates that about 50 percent of the city's male residents have sex with men or boys at some point in their lives. He says the prime age at which boys are attractive to men is from 12 to 16. The adolescents sometimes develop medical problems, which he sees in his practice, such as sexually transmitted diseases and sphincter incontinence.  "Sometimes when the helicon grow up, the older men actually try to keep them in the family by marrying them off to their daughters," the doctor says.   Zafar cites a local mullah whom he caught once using the examination table in the doctor's one-room clinic for sex with a younger man. "If this is our mullah, what can you say for the rest?" Zafar asks. Richardson, the psychiatry professor, says it would be wrong to call Afghan men homosexual, since their decision to have sex with men is not a reflection of what Westerners call gender identity. Instead, he compares them to prison inmates: They have sex with men primarily because they find themselves in a situation where men are more available as sex partners than are women. "It is something they do," he notes, "not something they are." Daud, the motorbike repairman, would concur that the segregation of women lies at the heart of the matter. Daud says his first sexual experience with a man occurred when he was 20, about the time he realized that he would have difficulty marrying. In Pashtu culture, the man has to pay for his wedding and for gifts and clothes for the bride and her family. For many men, the bill tops $5,000 -- such an exorbitant sum in this impoverished country that some men, including Daud, are dissuaded from even trying. "I would like to get married, but the economic situation in our country makes it hard," Daud says.  Daud talked about his sex life only in private and after being assured that no photographs would be taken and only his first two names would be used. "I have relations with different boys -- some for six months, some for one month. Some are with me for six years," he says. "The problem is also money. If you want to have a relationship with a boy, you have to buy things for him. That's why it's not bad for the boy." Daud thinks if coeducation returns and the dress code for women eases, men will have fewer reasons to seek solace in the beds -- or fields or storage rooms -- of other men.
   "As for me, if I find someone and see she is beautiful, I will send my mother over to her" to ask for her hand in marriage, Daud says. "I'm just waiting to see her."

 

9 April 2002

Jordan River Park. "I parked at the 33rd South lot and walked south about a half mile on the paved walkway. There was a lot of action but nothing that I was interested in. While walking back to my car the police and county sheriff stopped and took my name as well as any one that was parked in this lot. I had by bike with me and used that as the reason I was here. They were arresting a person in another car. I was informed that they were going to kill this gay site and that I should not ride my bike from 2100 South to 3900 South if I did not want to be arrested."

 

13 April 2002

At U., Matthew Shepard's Mom Speaks Out Against Hate
BY MICHAEL WESTLEY   THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Judy Shepard's message is simple, yet sincere.
   "I'm not a trained speaker. I'm a mom. The mom of a story and the mom of an opinion," said Shepard. "I don't want to see any more Matthews."
   Shepard's son Matthew, an 18-year-old student from Laramie, Wyo., was robbed, beaten and left tied to a fence in October 1998 because he was gay. He died a week later.
   His mother, who spoke Thursday night at the University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall, refuses to let her son's death be in vain.
   She and her husband, Dennis, created the Matthew Shepard Foundation in 1999 with money sent from all over the world in her son's honor and to defray his medical costs. The Shepards decided instead to use the money to fight hate. The foundation's Web site is www.matthewshepard.org.
   After a brief introduction, Shepard painted a vivid image of her son's last days by reading in a somber tone the victim impact statement prepared for the sentencing hearing of Aaron McKinney, who was convicted in connection with the slaying. The presentation moved many in the audience to tears.
   Shepard speaks largely to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population, but makes a special point of acknowledging all minority groups. A video presentation included scenes in remembrance of James Byrd Jr. of Jasper, Texas, who was chained to the bumper of a truck and dragged to his death in 1999 because he was black.
   "It's time to educate ourselves and each other and what we can do about [hate]," said Shepard. "It becomes our job now to put a stop to it."
   She cringed when speaking about children using "hate language," saying many hear such language at home and on TV because it's still socially acceptable. But hate, she says, is a learned behavior; unlearning it requires a commitment.
   "I blame society equally for not putting an end to discrimination," said Shepard. "Bias and bigotry come when we look for someone to blame for the things that are wrong in our own lives."
   Shepard called to gays to come out of the closet for good and share the best of themselves despite the stereotypes. She cracked a rare smile as she wondered how others might view her, joking, "That straight woman  --  what does she know about coming out?"
   But she reminded the crowd of about 700 people that she came out as a parent. Her son also came out, she said, and lost his life.
   Shepard encouraged the audience to take an active societal role, particularly in the voting booth. "The election of 2000 showed us that one vote could be important," she said.

 

Idaho Student Leaders Quit In Flag Burning
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
   MOSCOW, Idaho -- The University of Idaho's student body president has resigned after admitting he participated in the burning of a homosexual rights group's flag with three student senators.
   Kasey Cole Swisher resigned Thursday, a day after senators Matt Henman, Joel Sturgill and Kevin Smith quit their posts in student government.
   Henman, Sturgill and Smith admitted to police that they used Smith's student government electronic access card to enter the Gay Straight Alliance office on March 31 to take the group's flag.
   They took the flag to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house, where they joined Swisher, a member of the fraternity. The foursome then tried to burn the flag there.
   But it was flame-resistant and was later thrown into a nearby Dumpster, according to police reports. The senators later said it was not a hate crime, but they thought the alliance flag desecrated the American banner.
   The alliance's rainbow flag has multicolored stripes, representing diversity.
   Swisher "told me that he had knowledge of the flag burning event at the SAE house, that he watched and participated in the flag burning, and that he was inebriated at the time," university President Robert Hoover said Friday.
   Several people witnessed the event, and at least one woman may have attempted to stop it, Hoover said.
   The police investigation has been forwarded to Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson's office for possible charges against Henman, Smith and Sturgill.
 
04/14/2002    Page: A1 Pink Triangles: Gay-Sponsored Films, Exhibits Recall Holocaust's Inhumanity Holocaust Topic of Events At Gay Center BY BOB MIMS   THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Gad Beck had found his soul mate. In their stolen nights together in a Berlin basement, two teenagers had shared laughter, their zeal for the theater and, as shyness crumbled before passion, first love.  But in Hitler's Germany, theirs was a doubly doomed coming of age: The love of Beck's life not only was a Jew, but also male. And by 1942, the streets of Berlin  --  just a decade before ringing with music and raucous laughter from dozens of gay cabarets  --  instead echoed the jackboots of storm troopers engaged in a bloody maelstrom of ethnic and sexual cleansing.  "We must exterminate these people root and branch," Gestapo chief Heinrich Himmler had told his minions. Along with the Jews, he said, "the homosexual must be entirely eliminated." So when Beck's lover, Manfred Levin, was arrested  --  along with his family and 50,000 other Berlin Jews destined for the euphemistic "work in the East"  --  Beck hatched a desperate plan. Donning a Hitler Youth uniform two sizes too big, and summoning his limited stage experience, he blustered his way past an SS officer and marched Levin out the gate.  Ten feet away, then 50; 100 feet. It was working. Soon they would be in hiding, safe at an uncle's home in the village of Teltow, some 20 miles southwest of Berlin. Then, about 150 feet from the camp, Levin stopped, his face a mask of pain  --  and resolution.  "Gad, I can't go with you. My family needs me. If I abandon them now, I'll never be free," Levin said, walking back to the camp alone as a stunned Beck stood helpless. "In those seconds, watching him go, I grew up," Beck, who went on to join the resistance and survived the war, would later write. "I never got over the loss." The story of Gad and Manfred, along with five other survivors of the little-known "gay holocaust," is told in the documentary "Paragraph 175. " The film, which takes its title from the since-excised portion of the German Penal Code outlawing homosexuality, will be shown at 7 p.m. Monday  at The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Utah's multipurpose room at 355 N. 300 West.   The end of World War II brought news that Levin and his family had perished at Auschwitz, joining 6 million Jews herded into the Third Reich's gas chambers and crematoria. Millions of others died in the camps, too  --  Russian war prisoners, Slavs, Gypsies, political prisoners and homosexuals. How many gay men died at the Nazis' hands? Professor David Bankier, director of the Yad Vashem International Institute for Holocaust Research in Jerusalem, puts the number at 10,000 to 15,000, though other scholars speculate the toll could have been far higher. What is certain is that the story of the gay holocaust is largely lost to historians who see it as a subset of Hitler's primary campaign to leave behind a "Jew-free Europe." Even in Martin Gilbert's authoritative, 828-page tome, The Holocaust: A History of the Jews of Europe During the Second World War, the gay victims of the Nazis received just three sentences. For Steve Whittaker, a gay Salt Lake City machinery parts manager, it is important that homosexual victims be remembered as among those who suffered persecution during the Holocaust. So, when GLCCU floated the idea of exhibits and workshops about World War II oppression of homosexuals as well as Jews and Japanese Americans, he offered his most prized possessions  --  two soiled, pink triangle badges believed last worn by gay death camp victims. Purchased indirectly from an East German collector, Whittaker acquired the artifacts six years ago. The first, a ragged hand-sewn triangle ripped from the pocket of a prisoner's gray-striped uniform, cost $150. For $300, he added a triangle-bearing armband from another death camp.   "When I first held the triangles, there was a feeling of reverence," Whittaker recalled. "I hoped that they weren't the only reminders of these people, that they had friends and family who grieved for them  --  that there were other bits and pieces to mark their lives other than just these torn pieces of cloth and the pink triangle."  They are in small frames currently on display inside the GLCCU gallery's exhibit, "Shoah: Recognizing the Continuum of Oppression." The exhibit is above the Stonewall Coffee Shop. The bits of faded cloth are reminders of past hate and a warning that history can, if ignored, repeat itself. "Others have sacrificed their lives to be what they are," Whittaker said. "It could happen again.  . . . We must live our lives knowing God wants us to be happy, and treat each other with respect." Paula Wolfe, GLCCU's executive director, said awareness of both ethnic and sexual preference-based oppression of the past, and its continuing manifestations today, is at the heart of the series that culminates on Thursday and April 22 with exhibits and films on the wartime internment of Japanese Americans and Hitler's genocidal campaign against the Jews. "We want to show that intolerance bridges ethnicity, culture and gender issues," she said, pointing to ongoing violence in the Middle East between Jews and Arabs, religious persecution throughout the world and, in Utah, recent restrictions on adoptions by gay and lesbian couples and failure of state lawmakers to pass hate crimes legislation. "Any type of oppression is oppression," added Michael Mitchell, executive director of Unity of Utah, a gay-friendly political action committee. He is on a panel that will discuss "Paragraph 175" after its showing Monday night.  "When somebody can't be themselves and bring all their talents and skills simply because they are gay or lesbian, that is just wrong," he said. "We can pat ourselves on the back and say, 'Well, we got rid of Hitler,' but a lot of people today are still in their own personal prisons." Among them remains Gad Beck. Today approaching 90, the Berliner remains a frequent speaker on Holocaust and gay-rights issues throughout the world  --  and he still mourns. All that remains of his lost lover is a handwritten journal, donated to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1999 (http://www.ushmm. org/museum/exhibit/online/doyourememberwhen/co/co.htm).  In prose caught mid-blossom between innocence and eloquence, Manfred Levin wrote of love, life and, toward the end of the booklet's 17 pages, dark premonitions of "standing on the edge of an abyss" and being swept "away to some far distant land." But in his gift to Beck shortly before his arrest, Levin also expressed his faith in friendship: But suddenly from the blackest depths  A gentle voice came echoing Looking down I wondered who might be calling out to me Although the voice was one I knew at once It was the voice of sacred power  It was the sound of souls in harmony It was the essence of our humanity The quality we must never lose.  bmims@sltrib.com

Dates, Times of Public Events  All events of "Shoah: Recognizing the Continuum of Oppression" are free and open to the public. On display through April 26 at the GLCCU Gallery, 355 N. 300 West (next door to the GLCCU's offices and above the Stonewall Coffee Shop), are two pink triangle badges, photos of Utah's Topaz Relocation Camp for Japanese Americans and posters from the National Holocaust Museum.  Monday at 7 p.m., GLCCU multipurpose Room, 355 N. 300 West, showing of the documentary "Paragraph 175." A panel discussion will follow. Thursday at 7 p.m., the KUED film "Topaz" will be shown. Discussion will follow. April 22 at 7 p.m., showing of the documentary, "The Nazis: The road  to Treblinka." Discussion will follow.  

 

16 April 2002

Robert Urich died way too young and a handsome actor whose contribution to the TV industry earned him a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame;

 

20 April 2002

 

ACLU Leader Resigns From abortion to prisons, Gnade waged 11-year fight; Gnade Ends 11-Year Career With the ACLU
BY GREG BURTON   THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE  That shock of short blond hair. The disarming manner. The smile. The laugh. Few who waged philosophical war with Carol Gnade left the battlefield with a bitter taste in their mouth. "Carol has always applied unwavering principle with good humor and an ability to work things out in a manner that usually serves everyone's best interest," says Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson. "Respect for Carol is universal."  After 11 years at the helm of the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Gnade has announced her intent ion to walk away  --  into the wilderness to study the contours of the West and into the playrooms of her six grandchildren, whose demands for her time are growing.  "As much as I love it, I also believe I am running out of time . . . with my grandkids, while I'm young and physically active and able to hike and climb and do the things I love," she says. "I also believe change is so good. New people come in with new ideas and enhance an organization." In a letter to ACLU board members and friends, Gnade said she plans to stick around through the end of the year to help search for a new director. About a dozen years ago, Gnade was on a skiing vacation in Utah when she saw a television report about the Utah Legislature outlawing abortion. The divorced mother of three, a transplant to Madison, Wis., by way of Chicago and New York, was dumbfounded. "I thought that can't possibly be true," Gnade says. "I called the ACLU . . . and said, 'Do you need some help?' " They did. And so she did help, for a year as a volunteer and later as executive director. The fight for abortion rights, which led to the court dismissal of Utah's ban, was followed by demands that woefully inadequate medical services at the Utah State Prison be upgraded. Later, she fought for and won an end to the torture-restraint of prisoners who were strapped naked to the infamous "chair" or a board. Gnade spearheaded the defense of Spanish Fork  teacher Wendy Weaver, an award-winning educator and coach who the Nebo School District attempted to muffle because she is lesbian. Gnade jumped into the struggle over equal access for a gay student club at East High School and she tackled the ongoing fight over the sale of a block of Main Street in Salt Lake City to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  "You can make a huge difference in a place like Utah, as it is about 30 years behind the rest of the country in securing individual freedoms," she says. The ACLU's Utah board of directors will begin the search for a replacement immediately.  Salt Lake City civil rights attorney Brian Barnard won't be a candidate but he will be an interested onlooker.  "You have to be diplomatic  --  I never earned a merit badge in being diplomatic. I have a merit badge in advocacy," he said. "In Utah, the ACLU serves a very important function of reminding the establishment of the First Amendment and standing up for the rights of people who normally don't have an advocate." Gnade's unique ability to negotiate the deep social chasms in Utah with affecting niceness was never more evident than in 1999. After years of hammering the Department of Corrections over prisoner treatment and endlessly dragging prison officials to court, she was recognized with a "Citizens Certificate" for "public service or actions" that "provided a valuable service benefiting the Department of Corrections." Said then Corrections Director Pete Haun: "As we sit down and try to find solutions to these problems, we have to understand help can come from the public  --  the ACLU is part of that."  Gnade said she will leave without regret.  "I'm not angry with anyone," she says. "We just need to remember in this state that the battle of monitoring and challenging violations of the separation of church and state are constant. We must be diligent, not angry."gburton@sltrib.com formation, GLCCU at 801- 539-8800. Volume: 263    Publication number: 182

 

 

MAY

20 May 2002

Norman Michael Chase died on May 20, 2002. Interred at the Old Montefiore Cemetery, Queens County, New York. Memorial Service will be on Tuesday, June 11, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. at the Sacred Light of Christ Metropolitan Community Church, 823 South 600 East, Salt Lake City, Utah. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah. 06/08/2002    Page: D9

 

25 May 2002

Page: A14 Marriage Amendment The United States faces threats of terrorism, growing deficits and soldiers at war, yet Utah Rep. Chris Cannon wants America to focus its attention on a useless constitutional amendment. Rep. Cannon should have enough to worry about without adding an attempt to deprive gays and lesbians of rights few states have been willing to grant.   Cannon wants the nation to consider a constitutional amendment to ensure that gay and lesbian couples understand they are outside of the norm, as Cannon understands it. He wants to add a definition of marriage to the U.S. Constitution. Cannon insists the amendment will ensure the preservation of marriage as a legal status. Since no state government has attempted to deprive marriage of its status as a legal relationship, the need for the amendment is questionable, until one looks at Cannon's other intent, which is to cut off state efforts to give legal status to gay or lesbian couples. Apparently in Cannon's mind, recognizing the lifelong commitment of homosexual couples will somehow harm the legal rights of heterosexual couples. Cannon's amendment is premature at best. Why stifle debate about the legal status of homosexual couples before it has even really begun? A handful of states have considered granting marital rights to homosexual couples. The acts of those few states have spurred other states to discuss the issues the couples face, a discussion which may not garner homosexuals any more rights but which at least moves their issues from the silent fringes. Before foreclosing the debate through a constitutional amendment, the federal government should allow its state counterparts to flesh out the issues. Perhaps the states will discover that granting marital status to homosexual couples does not create any greater problems for government than traditional marriage. Perhaps not. Preventing the states from considering the question, however, prevents each state from responding to the possible needs of its citizens. That is the kind of federal intrusion states should vigorously contest. The nation faces plenty of serious problems to which Cannon and his colleagues can devote their time. Asking for a constitutional amendment now is an unnecessary diversion designed to do little more than deprive one group of rights they don't even have, yet.

 

31 May 2002 Friday

This year is finally over and the kids were cut loose right after lunch recess. They were a cute group of kids but I realized that I shouldn’t be teaching 4^th graders as their first male teacher.  I packed up my class pretty quickly as I knew I would be back after my trip to California for mom’s birthday.

            The 3^rd Gay Rodeo started today.

JUNE

1 June 2002 Saturday

 I left Salt Lake early this morning at 8 to head down to California to visit with Mom and dad in Palmdale as I wanted to be there for her birthday on Monday.  Mike is going to feed the pups while I am gone. I took the Sonoma so I could sleep in the camper shell in the back that has a futon in it so I won’t need to stay in a motel on the road. The trip down was easy with cruise control and it didn’t get real warm until leaving Cedar City where I had to stop for gas. I didn’t have to stop again until North Las Vegas where gas is cheaper. It was about 2 when I reached Vegas but it was 1 o’clock California time.  It was hot crossing the Mojave Desert and I made one stop at a rest area before heading down to Victorville. I filled the Sonoma up there because there is nothing between there and the turn off to Palmdale.

            I finally reached Mom and dad’s house around 6 California time. I unloaded and moved into the front guest bed room with my stuff and just sat in the living room to visit. We are going to go to Yucaipa tomorrow to go visit my uncle R.L. and Ellie.

 

2 June 2002 Sunday

I drove mom’s car with mom and dad to Yucaipa down to San Bernardino then over to R.L.’s house. It’s about an 2 hour drive to get there His driveway and yard was filled with blooming zinnias that looked amazing. He wanted to show off his garden in his back yard which was huge and already producing.. Ellie fixed us some dinner and we visited and Ellie then was pushing R.L. to bring up that she thought dad owed money on a grave marker for Aunt Minnie even though Dad had paid his share. I just instead wrote a check from $300 just to avoid any further issue. R.L. did give me before he left his photo album from World War II when he was stationed in Hawaii the entire time. The incident made me realize why no one likes R.L.’s second wife. When we came back to the house I checked my emails and Chad Keller was blind copying his emails to me about Pride Day and stuff.

Michael Mitchell  To Chad Keller: Chad, It was a gorgeous evening last night and you should be very proud of yourself.  Congratulations. I was with two people last night so you'll need to let me know which one you thought was handsome.  :-) I have a few questions for you: where should our riders go to meet the  cars  (where will the cars being lining up?) which begs the question where should our cars go?  Where should our flag bearer go? At this point, I have Jill, Rock and David L riding in Unity cars; I have two cars confirmed and a jeep if I need it.  It would be great if  you have an extra car so I don't have to use the jeep, but I'm fine if you don't. Still looking for people to drive the cars.  oxo MCM

3 June 2002 Monday

Today is mom’s 73^rd birthday. We went to some restaurant that dad likes for lunch to celebrate. Charline called her but Donna didn’t. Back at the house mom and I went through a bunch of old photos from her teen years in Texas and I wrote on the back of them who they were thosetaht she could recall. She told me that she and dad before they were married in 1944 went with my uncle Wallace and Mattie Lee when they ran off to get married. Mom would have only been around 15 ha!  I guess that was a big scandal.  Mattie Lee was one of mom’s best friends back then.

 

4 June 2002 Tuesday

I left Palmdale this morning after having breakfast with mom and dad to head up to Northern California. I drove to Lancaster than up past Tehachapi into San Bernardino.  That was about 100 miles of land I never saw before.  I drove west from there to San Luis Obispo and followed the coast hwy up to  Monterrey. That took 4 hours but the coast was absolutely stunning and I had never seen the Pacific Ocean along the part of California before. I stopped at the mission San Juan Bautista and walked around the courtyard taking some pictures. I loved the old California missions. It was another 2 and half hours into Petaluma driving through Oakland. It was about an hour from there through Sebastopol in to Guerneville.  I was on the road near 8 hours before reaching the Willows resort’s parking area. Where I pulled into a quiet place to sleep.

5 June 2002 Wednesday

            I was pretty grungy from sleeping in the truck and driving all day yesterday  but drove around and into the Safeway at the end of Guerneville to get something to eat and snacks for the road. There were a lot of transients in town I thought but I guess they are just kind of vagabonds hanging out like hippies. The Lazy Bear Rendezvous isn’t until next month so not a lot of Gay people in town.  I drove over to the Armstrong National Forest as it is beautiful and is wear the Ewok scenes from Star wars  were filmed. Leaving in the afternoon I stopped at Sebastopol at a huge swap meet and bought this cool ceramic bird as a souvenir of this trip.  Then I drove down to Napa to avoid the bay and into Sacramento that way. I drove by Cal State Davis because I always wondered where that university was as not ever being familiar with Northern California. I drove by the state capitol as I had never seen it the whole time I lived in California.  After that it was a straight shot over Donner Pass into Nevada. The Sonoma was really good on this trip and getting pretty good mileage. I was in Reno by 5 and stopped to get something fast to eat and load up with snack for the trip across the desert. I have been living on diet cokes but I got a few bottles of water just in case. I was in Winnemucca by 7:30 and I was getting tired.  I stopped at a rest area east of Winnemucca and climbed into the back of my truck’s camper shell and read a little until it got too dark and then just went to bed for the long trip home tomorrow.

            Chad sent me this email on this date Email Steve Kmetko to Chad Keller: Hi Chad, Below are the remarks I penned for tonight's dinner.  I hope it's not Too long.  The package arrived.  Very nice guide, but I thought we'd agreed on First Class tickets, not Coach.   mmmmmmmmmm.

Hi, folks, and thanks for inviting me to serve as Utah Pride Grand

Marshall. As those close to me have learned, I certainly can be GRAND when the situation calls for it. Anyway, I'm very excited and looking forward to meeting as many of you as humanly possible this weekend.  I'm sorry I can't be with you tonight but my home is currently undergoing renovations and the plumber had to turn off the water to the house.  I couldn't shower.  I took one look in the mirror and---after the paramedics were called and revived me---I said to myself: “I can't go to Salt Lake City with bad hair!"  Trust me, it's better this way.  I hope at the very least you'll help me celebrate Pride weekend by joining me on Friday Night at the Trapp Door. One brief story I'd like to share with you before you get on with the festivities tonight.  20 years ago, when I was but a fledgling broadcaster in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I was in line for a promotion that was very important to me.  That is until the General Manager learned that I was gay. He called me up to his office and asked me all kinds of questions he had no right to ask, and questions that had nothing to do with my job performance. Personal questions like "Do your parents know you're gay?" and "Do you show affection to your gay 'lover' in public?"  He even made the remark "You’re not going to be marching in any parades, are you?"  At the end of the meeting he told me "You may as well start looking for a new job because you’re not going any further here."  I wound up getting several good jobs, including my current one at E! where everyone knows my sexual orientation and it's a non-issue.  So now, here I am in Hollywood.  I don't know where the Hell that General Manager wound up.  And Hallelujah!  This Sunday, I finally get my chance to march in that parade, and I can't wait!  All my best till then,

From: Chad C Keller To: Steve Kmetko from E Entertainment Subject: Flight Schedule Importance: High Just in case you did not receive the package. Here is your flight information coming to Salt Lake City  Flight 324 Friday June 7 Delta Airlines  LAX 605pm will arrive here at 8:49 Leaving Salt Lake City  Flight 396 Sunday June 9 Delta Airlines 4:20pm arrive at LAX 5:16 Stella is booked.  There is only a beverage for both flights. So let me know if you would like to go eat before or after the official arrival party at The Trapp Door.   Thanks!  Chad

           

6 June 2002 Thursday

I was home by 1 this afternoon after driving 300 miles straight from Winnemucca to Salt Lake City only stopping to get some gas and something to eat in Elko. The pups were going crazy to see me especially Oscar who whimpered the whole time. I didn’t see Mike Romero until he came in from work but never asked about my trip. Oh well. I needed to get away from him just as much I suppose.

            I called Chad Keller after a while and Chuck Whyte to hear any news and Chad said that he was blind carbon copying his interactions with the Pride Committee because he thinks Sherry Booth is on a power trip. I don’t even know who she is because I never heard of her so who chose her to run Pride Day this year? Craig Miller? I don’t know. Chuck told me how Coronation went this year. I think Bobby Childers was elected Emperor. I haven’t kept up with the court in years and they really don’t keep much of a history themselves.

From Clair Wade of Rodeo Association to Chad Keller: Hey you, Yes, it was a great time.  I think it was very nice and I hope you made some good money for Pride. There is no doubt that you can't do what you set your mind to do.  I was glad it was attended as well as it was.  It was fun and I think everyone had a good time. Thanks for asking me.  I'm glad I was there to represent the rodeo association. You did yourself Proud

From: "Chad C Keller" To Clair Wade": If anything I hope you had fun.   Thanks!  You asked last night why you....To answer why?!?   I guess the biggest reason was to just show you that I could still do it.  I hope that it exceeded expectation..... in pride, ck

From Neil Billy To WLA Community: WLA and Friends: The WLA got a little surprise last night at the Grand Marshall Reception.  Utah Pride Inc. Gave Three awards.  The Dr. Kristen Ries, the Pete and Alicia Suazo, and  organization of the year awards.  The Organization of the year award was given to the Wasatch Leatherman's Association.  We have a beautiful plaque which we will display at our booth on Sunday.  This is a great honor for our us.  Thank you all for helping make our first year a success; and a special thanks to Bryant for planting the seeds.  The community is starting to really know who we are.  They are changing their attitudes about the leather lifestyle.  We have gotten to know much more about the other diverse groups in our community as well.  There are so many wonderful people to know once we remove the label and get to know them.   Our thanks to Utah PRIDE Inc., Chad Keller, and all those who gave us a vote of confidence.  We look forward to another year of service and involvement with the community.   Yours in Pride, Neil

From UTFKARL To Chad Keller: I did the large pride flag on the grassy area of the park, then I had the VIPS line up along the north side of 900 S, then I broke it down by floats, cars only, cars with walkers, and then walkers. I used orange cones along 900 south from green street back to 700 East to divide them up and then I had a stitcher with the megaphone stitch it together. Does that make sense? Have you made a tentative line up to include the banners, the parade banner, then the theme banner, your color guard, the VIPS, the large pride flag, etc. You can line that part up in advance and assign them there numbers. E-mail me back if it doesn’t.

From Adam Frost to Pride Day Committee: I don't have Trevor's or Trent's email so if you do, please forward it.

From Ron Johnson Signs SLC To Chad Keller: Chad-Oh man, don't do this to me ...Didn't you guys already know about the requirements for Bud Light's logo to be on all signs?  The 11th hour isn't the time to be making that decision. I've already completed over half of the vehicle signs and didn't leave room for a logo.  If anything, it would have to be tiny and stashed in a corner somewhere.  Don't tell me you even want a Bud Light logo on the "In Memoriam" sign? How tacky!  Not only that, but whoever "she" is didn't e-mail me anything today.  I haven't been online all day because I've been working on yours and a few other people's Pride signs.  It's after 5pm now, I just signed on, and your message is the only e-mail dealing with Pride Day stuff.  "She" didn't send the Bud Light logo like she told you she would. I'll be working the rest of tonight on Pride signs, as per MY schedule.  Like I told you, I want to have them done tomorrow evening, if at all possible.  If I need to add B.L. logos on them, it will have to be Saturday.  But regardless, I want you to see the signs and proof read everything to make sure there aren't any mistakes. Find out what happened to "her" and the Bud Light logo.  See if Budweiser has some small decals (like calling card size or something) that I can stick someone on the signs.  Let me know. Ron    

 

7 June 2002 Friday

From: "Chad C Keller" to Michael Mitchell of Unity Utah ": Hey, Mike, must have been thinking weird as both nums he left for me are not working....either that or I screwed it somewhere. Can you provide me a number for him. CK

            From Michael Mitchell to Chad Keller: HMT Design on 300 West is where he works (in case you need to look it up again).His number there is 484.9699. MCM

From: "Mark Swonson" To: "Chad Keller" Subject: Pride Reception Hi Chad: I just wanted to tell how much fun that party was. I had such a goodtime and I think everyone else did too. That’s also very nice place to hold it too. That way we can sit inside or outside. All of you have done such a wonderful job as always. I am never disappointed with Pride. All of you put so much work into it throughout the year. Thanks Chad and all the committee members.  Mark Swonson

 

From Michael Webb of Club Blue to Pride Day Committee Re: PARADE ROUTE...PLEASE SHARE TO THE World Say, I have a question. Where's the GAY in Utah Pride? Mike

Chad Keller to Mike Webb Subject: PARADE ROUTE...PLEASE SHARE TO THE WORLD The Parade will be staged at Liberty Park as it was last year.  The 8th annual Utah Pride Parade will depart from Liberty Park at 10:00 AM heading to the festivities at Historic Washington Square (down 900 south to 200 east to the City County Building)  Where Marita Gayle Empress 6 will be announcing and welcoming each contingent to the Festival.  Watch for a couple new additions and a surprise or two.  We hope to see you all there along the route or in the parade.  Remember we have some spectator awards this year!! The Committee thanks the entire community for its incredible support.  May each of you have a memorable and exciting Pride Day 2002...it’s your day to celebrate!   Yours always in Pride!-Chad Keller 2002 Parade Chair and the entire Parade Committee.

8 June 2002 Saturday

Mike Romero took off camping with some guy he met so I am watching the pups and Billy cat for the weekend. Chad Keller called me with some juicy gossip of having to go to Radio City to buy cocaine for Steve Kmetko to party with as part of his coming to Utah package. Ha!  I don’t know why we had to have celebrities as Grand Marshals when there’s so many heroes right here from our own communities like Wendy Weaver.

9 June 2002 Sunday

It was only 50 degrees today in Salt Lake City for Gay Pride Day and the parade. I didn’t go to Pride Day or the Parade because it was too damn cold.  I am still taking it easy from the quick trip to California. The Theme was Unity in the Community. Change From Within. Steve Kmetko was the Grand Marshal. He came out as gay in 1999 one of the first prominent openly gay journalists in America. Kevin Hillman who was Pride Day director in the early 90s and is with the Gay Rodeo received the Dr. Kristen Ries Award.

 

10 June 2002 Monday

Salt Lake Tribune. “To Anthony, Sunday’s colorful, eccentric parade was about one thing, Culture shock. “It’s us saying We’re here Might as well get used to it, Said Anthony who demurred to giving his last name but happily showed off his red flowery costume as the empress named Classic Diamond part of the annual Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Pride Parade. To other participants in the event the march from Liberty Park o the City County building ales was about  bolstering the diversity of Utah. “This is about showing who we are, said Ron Yates of Ogden. “it’s nice to see people can accept it.”  And thousands of people did, lining the streets to cheer on about 70 parade entries, ranging from a football field rainbow banner to balloon covered cars to an eagle proclaiming “God made you to be you. Now soar.” A group of men calling themselves the Gay Latter-day saints drew laughter from the spectators as they paraded in missionary –like white shirts and name tags asking if anyone would like to learn more about their group. A man clad in a pink shirt made continuous back flips down the road and another man paraded as Carmen Miranda the famed screen actress with a fruit basket hat. Dana Dolsen , who walked the route with his wife, Linda and two daughters said he wanted to show tolerance for different lifestyles. We’re all human, he said All you can do is stand up for what you believe in.” Dolsen and other members of the Holladay United Church of Christ held signs promoting acceptance including one that stated Straight but not narrow, referencing to someone who is heterosexual but not closed minded. Similar marches take place across the country every June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York city considered the catalyst for the gay-rights movement. The three day riot was parked after police shut down a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Parade organizer Chad Keller said the energy of the celebration should not be relegated to just one day. “Diversity should be every day. He said  We should have days when we celebrate every culture.

Keller said Sunday’s march was an opportunity to show a said of Utah that often is tucked away. But he said it was also a great chance to ruffle the feathers of the conservation Utah eagle Forum leaf=der. “Anything that annoys Gayle Ruzicka, I love,” he said.

 

11 June 2002 Tuesday

Finally doing some yard work since its warming up. I mowed the front and back yards and started pulling the rag weeds along the south sidewalk fence.  Chad Keller called me with a snoot full of gossip and complaints about how Pride Day went. I guess it was a disaster with not many showing and staying very long because it was cold out. The grand marshal guy left after the parade to party with some guys and didn’t even speak at Pride Day.  I guess they are stuck with 1000’s of dollars of water bottles and tee-shirts and other unsold merchandize. He really does not like Sherry Booth. I don’t know her at all.

 

12 June 2002 Wednesday

From Chad Keller to Pride Committee Subject: Water: Okay....The clubs are calling me back....many are interested in buying water but on a weekly or bi weekly order.  I have no problem coordinating the deliveries, so long as we are all in agreement. Couple of things: I have based my price for water on .50 per bottle with 24 bottles per case for a total of 12.50 per case.   We have had a club offer storage for us to store all we need to for a case or two for free.  This room has limited access, and would be available authorized Pride Board members or committee members from 9:00 am to bar close time.  The other clubs are interested but want to do weekly or biweekly orders, as items like water they don’t have a lot of room. I see that we right now are on a PR high.  We can use this as a way to build pride into a year round functioning organization, rather than us retreat until next May when we resurface.  Also I know that we might want to save it till next year....Personally I would not buy a bottle of water that I thought sat around for a year. But maybe some would. In addition to water, XXXXXX has asked that I see that Pride join in the Summer BBQ  rotation.  He would like us to take the BBQ on June 23 and then we would be the third on the rotation.   He only will take organizations that will have follow through.  Per our conversation a year ago and back he would never have made the offer as Pride just did not have the follow through, or people that could be trusted by the organizations he offered it to see that everyone was charged fairly, and that the money was accounted for properly.  It is another good opportunity for us to keep Pride out there functioning year round.  Plus it gives us extra cash, and a cushion for bigger things we may want to do this fall  I need to know about the storage and the BBQ thing as soon as possible.  Personally If I am going to coordinate the deliveries I like the  idea as it is centrally located to the clubs.  All water MUST be invoiced by Stacy [Robinson], Craig [Miller] or Darrin [Hobbs]..... Let me know!

 

13 June 2002 Thursday

Chad Keller to Pride Day Committee: Need an answer so that Joe [Redburn] can order the sign for the next couple of months.  He is anxious to get things in place.  He had inquired about our participation a while ago, but realized that we most likely were busy. I know how some members of the EC personally feel about the clubs, and the whole bar scene.  But that is a personal thing.  The BBQ is a good thing for Pride over the long run.  We all agree the we need to be doing more and  reaching out to more people, of all classes.  It will be fun, and gives us a chance to work side by side with the RCGSE and UGRA, which will provide an opportunity for myth and stereotypes to be broken.  If anything it will be fun money for something off the wall that may come up. Let me know Chad

 

Chad Keller to Kathryn Warner Pride Member: Just saying hi and seeing if your rested?!? I’m so glad it is over.  I can’t say that it was the most positive experience of my life (for obvious reasons)  Did you have a great time on the adventure?  I did up to a point.  The fun was taken out of it for me for various reasons. I am slightly in grumpy mode cause I don’t have any appointments or places to be after work.  It feels nice...but never fear, I have started full force on Gay Service Day.  You know me I’m never without a project or something to keep busy.  Maybe if I slowed down I could have a boyfriend...most can’t keep up...or want too much attention.... So what’s next for you?  Are you doing the Arts Festival?  I was going to but then I didn’t get asked by Darrin [Hobbs], and I haven’t heard on my Volunteer Application so I probably will just go and see the sights and sounds.  I have never really enjoyed it.  It doesn’t seem very Utah.  Which is a good thing cause if it was, it would be a lot of Toll Painting and Hodgepodge.  Of course this year I have issues relating to it. I have been summoned to the UGRA meeting on Sunday.  The overtures have started for my return.  I’m torn on it.  I really don’t want to be around or deal with the Clark Monk crap. He is a trip. I at one point really valued his friendship but somewhere we both took different paths.  Oh well, they will cross again. But it is nice for people to see me for what I can do, and what I bring to the table.  The message was....Mr. Keller....we need the Bitch to return....we have work to do...I just had to laugh...cause I know 10 minutes into my first meeting back, I’m going to have to take the bull by the horns and then they may start wondering what they have done....hhahahahaha!  It was fun working with you on Pride.  You’re too funny, we think too much alike.  I don’t know if I will stick around.  I hate the direction it is being hijacked too.  The Monday meeting is still a big irritation, and like Caesar going to the Roman Senate I’m expecting Brutus and the Cronies any moment.  Oh well, It will be a good couch conversation today in my therapy session. Is your life back in order after all of this?  Mine is coming back together.  Things were not as bad as they seemed with the break in.  And now know who did it.  Sad, situation there.  Old boyfriend, turned mega meth and crack head.  Most sentimental items are tuning up in the clutter.  Stupid person.  Well I had better get to work....just wanted to say Hi, that I love and admire you, and hope that all is well. Love, Chad

 

Sherry Booth Pride Day Director to Chad Keller: Chad, This is for the whole board to decide. I'll try to gather input. I want to address the continual comment about how some board members “feel about the bar scene". First, I am beginning to think neither you or Billy have ever listened to what I have been saying. You are right, I do not EVER condone the alcoholism and drug addiction or the risky sex habits that is rampant in the bar scene. Nor do I think those who hang out in the bars night after night have a very clear picture of those of us who do not.  In fact, I have found that the circle involved in this lifestyle seem to believe they speak for the general glbt community. They do not.  In fact, quite the contrary, they speak for a very small minority.  However, I do go to bars periodically for recreation with friends. I do enjoy a drink now and then, though my days of getting drunk or loaded are long behind me. My comments have always, always  been that the bars are not representative of our community as a whole. There is no reason they should be catered to simply because the people in  them believe it should be so.  The bar scene is simply that....one lifestyle among many.  BUT, my opinion of the "bar scene" is really irrelevant to this issue.  If the Pride board wishes to host barbecues this summer, we need to discuss it. Send out a group e-mail, give the details that you propose and we'll gather  opinions. Sherry

 

Chad Keller to Sherry Booth: Lets you and I get past this bar thing....I have heard you, and have tried to come up with ideas that satisfy and reach out to everyone.  How I hear it is that it is a social class issue.  I know that you don’t mean it that way but that is how it comes across.  But June 6 speaks volumes too me..... Be clear that I was not pointing any fingers, although I have a concern of those feelings from people who feel this way, not specifically you, translate to the masses. I guess what I am saying is that in this town I am really tired of the divisions, and the canyons that are created.  This Class issue is one of them that makes me the maddest.  I got your point long ago on the bar/nonbar thing.  But have you heard what I have said? I reflect on several conversation with many people that continually feel left out, and even worse judged and deemed unworthy by many of our community groups.  Oh sure we welcome them and take their money in all of these groups, but leave them sitting in the background or do not involve them. I was one of those outcasts for years until someone [Courtney Moser] grabbed me by the seat of my pants, kick my ass, and told me to get to work, and change it for the better, not just for me, but for everyone. No one group is any better than any other. and Yes there are those that participate in any of them to excess.  But I can look right at the A list Crowd and see the very same thing you see in the Bar Crowd.  Except is it worse, as those people have more money, and hide it better.  It was quite present on Wednesday June 5, and I will leave it at that, but will say well, well, well. If we are to bring "Unity to the Community" someone needs to step up to the plate and start reaching out.  To say we are Unified as a Community is a joke.  If we were, the drama ratio would be significantly lower.  And I know you hate it when I say this, but Pride might as well step up and get to work.  It will only be a one way street for a while. So what about the past, and how other groups have treated Pride.  Pride by its own leadership did it to itself.  It is a conversation that has been overused.  The drama bomb got dropped and like vultures this town went at those that dropped it.  I’m sorry for that, but as I have told Darrin [Hobbs], I as a committee member and most importantly as a board member will no longer be held hostage by the Kim Russo Drama and the vast number of hurt feelings and damaged egos.  Let the chips fall where they may, lets pick up what we can, repair and often start rebuilding bridges alone, and  get leading by example and make a difference in the lives of the Utah Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community, all of them A to Z, Non Bar to Bar.  I warned many people about her when I first left in 2000.  But not one person on the board or committee listened. I stand in amazement that that many groups or organizations look at other groups or organizations and say "they are beneath us."  While you personally have never said that, often the message that we have been sending as a group is that we feel we are better.  Mostly this is the past speaking for us, but our present has said a lot too. I agree, The reception proved that there is a need and a want for more and better non club, more high end events.  But let’s not forget that not  every gay guy or lesbian would attend, fit in, or be able to afford any of many of those type events.  Pride is not, and I know we agree on this, the who’s who of Salt Lake City, and I know that we agree that it needs to be elevated but not placed on a pedestal. You dream of pride doing and being more for this community, many of us involved do also.  Let’s just not let opportunities pass us by, or be quick to brush it aside.  You, I know from watching, had a blast on the  promenade, and BBQ is a flash in the pan as far as commitment for everyone. This was something that was given to the EC in March/April to bring to the board, as I put Joe [Redburn] in touch with Billy [Lewis]  personally or Billy with Joe, Lord knows which at this point.  But nothing has been brought forward.  Now the opportunity is at the door and knocking.  It says loads for us as an organization, and tons for the community, especially the person doing the knocking. So, if there are issues like risky behavior, alcoholism, drug abuse, know that they are present in every group.  Then lets team up with The Village, and Other non confrontational groups and reach out.  I know that David Ferguson [UAF] would love it, and well as I’m sure other groups.  There are problems everywhere in every social class and group. It is how we deal with it, reach out and embrace them Take any of this as you will,  I am quite used to getting slaughtered for saying what I think and feel.  Be quite clear that I am well aware of the classes and the social structure of this community, and I am well aware that the bar is one run on the ladder, we disagree on the size, but we agreed to disagree on that long ago.  The money and support I will still say is greater on an ongoing and long terms with the commoners, and the bar crowd than with those who only attend an event here or there, and never go outside their small social circle.  With Respect, Chad

 

Chad Keller  to Billy Lewis: Wow the board gets to make a decision....hold me back I don’t think I Can handle it....CK

 

Sherry Booth to Chad Keller: Chad, I do not view this as a class issue by any stretch of the imagination. I am not sure where you feel that comes in.  Nor do I feel the need to argue or discuss what we (Pride) need to do to remedy anything...or what the "bars" have or have not done to support Pride. The only issue on the table at the moment is whether or not the organization of Pride wishes to host a series of barbeques at the bars. I will repeat what I said in my first e-mail  - "..... my opinion of the "bar scene" is really irrelevant to this issue.  If the Pride board wishes to host barbeques this summer, we need to discuss it. Send out a group e-mail, give the details that you propose and we'll gather opinions." Sherry

 

Jim Rengstoff to Chad Keller: I've got approx 100 pics of the parade (tee hee) For years the parade committee has attempted to get photos of the Pride Parade to save as part of the Pride History. We are looking to see all the great pictures that the community got of the parade and the crowd that was out watching.  If you have photos of the 8th annual Pride Parade please stop by the Stonewall Coffee Company at the Center June 20th....we would be interested in seeing all of the great photos, and arranging for copies. Also if you have pictures of previous parades we would be interested in seeing those too! In Pride,  Chad Keller  2002 Parade Chair

 

Sherry Booth to Chad Keller: Chad, I do not see the issue here! I have not said whether I am for or against this idea. Why do you feel the need to defend it?  Personally, I have no opinion on it. The only time I heard about this barbeque idea  Was when we were in the middle of another event. At that time I told you it sounded like a good idea, but we'd have to talk about it later. I have not heard from Billy [Lewis] on this.  And yesterday was the first I heard from you since our original conversation. Please stop assuming there are issues and problems. I have said the board needs to consider this because they need to decide if they are willing to staff this and Attend it. They need to be informed.  I cannot make a unilateral decision.  Nor can Billy. That is all this is about.

 

Chad Keller to Sherry Booth: It is an issue, and I don’t understand why every time the bars step forward that you feel we are catering to them. I am yet to see any other group step up to help in our journey and success.   The issue was from the beginning that I needed an answer, and I was concerned that I was not getting an answer from the EC and it  involved a bar.  It is nice to see that the board will be making this decision.

 

Kathryn Warner to Pride Day Committee: I have gotten a few nice compliments on this year's pride.  I think we all did a fabulous job and it went off really well despite the weather.  It just goes to show you what we are made of.  One person said, " I didn't think in a million years you would be able to pull it off and you  did it with dignity and made it great"...It is true.  It was an honor to work with all of you.  I'm looking forward to seeing you all very soon.  Love and Pockets Full of Pride, Kathryn

 

Craig Miller to Pride Day Committee: Good coverage: Channel 4 said we had 30,000 people at the festival, and there's a nice article in the Trib this morning-- despite the fact it was the coldest June 9 on record! At 2:30 in the afternoon it was 42 degrees! It was great working with all of you. Attached are a few photos just in case you were wondering where some people were when they didn't return your call on the radio............ Craig

 

Adam Frost pride member to Chad Keller: I especially enjoy the "staff and attend" part. The only thing she attended was the actual Pride Day event. Oh sorry, she was there for setup on Saturday but then she just sat on her very large ass putting lanyards together while catching rays.

 

Chad Keller to Adam Frost: What did you mean by fortitude....and isn’t that why we have an executive committee....love how she and Darrin use it to their advantage....when it effects their agenda they keep the decision to the EC, when it doesn’t matter to the agenda then the whole board may be granted a say....I think you know where I’m going to take this one.... CK

 

14 June 2002

Chad Keller to Pride Day Committee Subject Water Ad: Jim, in selling the tons of left over water....I was wondering if you could get me the graphic about the water from the pride guide....? Let me know... Thanks! Chad PS.....to clarify so that people don’t freak out....I my person a Kinko’s has donated some printing work...each club that purchase water will get some free promotional items so we can unload it...Perishables are the hardest to get rid of.... CK

 

Sherry Booth to Pride Day Committee Water Ad: Wonderful Pride committee ~Just to clarify for everyone - The water has a 2004 expiration date. We don't need to give it away. If we can sell some of the water, that would be great. But we need to be reasonable in what we sell it for.  It also needs to be cleared through the EC before any water walks out the door. AS for the Pride Guides - Do not throw them away or recycle them or anything else until Craig and the EC has had a chance to gather together what will be needed. We will send Pride Guides out to all of this year's sponsors as well as to those we are soliciting as sponsors/ vendors for next year.  Billy and I will get back to you on Monday, 6/17 as to the date for the next Board/Committee meeting. We had a wonderfully, successful event  and deserve the time to gloat a bit about it as well as to look at what could have been done better. As a heads up, we will be requesting something in writing giving us an outline of what should/could have been done better in your area. We will also be collecting all of your contacts, binders, information in order to put it together in a 2001/2002 Master Binder. You may give us originals or copies, but the desired result is to have a complete "How To" and "Who's Who" for  future reference. Again - Thank you! We finally worked our way to a functional, supportive team. And it showed. I will share with each of you the many congratulatory notes and calls I have received on your behalf over the last week. Well done!! Sherry

 

from Sherry Booth: Pride Inventory: Chad and Pride Board/Committee members, I agree the label on the water bottles says 2002 and therefore should be sold and used this year. As for just "unloading" it, that is not the direction I think we should take.  I realize you have spoken with and been directed by Billy, however, no one person on the EC should be making unilateral decisions -  especially when it has a potential impact on us financially. I think Billy was understandably a bit panicked at the end of the festival looking at how many cases were left unsold. It was also suggested that we just toss out or recycle all of the Pride Guides immediately. Yet, they are a necessary marketing tool needed to be sent out with our "Thank you" letters to sponsors and vendors, as well as for soliciting sponsors and vendors for next year.  Clearly we need to recoup our expenses as much as possible. But there are options. We need to look at what they are and act accordingly. You are, however, on the trail of a great idea. If the bars wish to purchase water from us for a reduced rate, that would be awesome. If UAF would like us to donate some of the water for their walk this weekend, that works too. Regardless of what ultimately happens to the bottled water & Pride Guides, it is a decision that needs to be made by more than one person in order to make sure nothing is being done without the support of others. My immediate suggestion is to get the Pride flag, banners, t-shirts, bottled water, Pride Guides, Art Easels, and everything else that is Pride's, into our storage unit that has been rented for exactly this purpose.  We need to also do a complete inventory once everything is accounted for.  We will need volunteers to accomplish the moving of the items and some committee/board members to do the accounting.  Since the Arts Festival is starting up, I am thinking it needs to happen soon.  I am available tonight or sometime this weekend. I have a truck. Perhaps Dominique could use hers as well.  Who is available and when? Respectfully,

Sherry

 

Chad Keller to Sherry Booth: Please get with Billy as soon as possible.  I was give specific instruction by him to see that we unloaded as much of this as possible, as soon as possible.  I am working under his direction. From a retail stand point while it says exp 2004, the labeling says 2002. Unless we plan on relieving then it is a bad choice to let it sit.  Had the labeling been done differently I could see letting it sit, and am in agreement with Billy. Thanks! Chad

 

Chad Keller to Adam Frost: I lied on the love thing...politics ya know....

CK

 

Chad Keller to Sherry Booth:  Sherry, I want to first thank you and for wasting my time this week on this issue. You, Billy and I stood there and had a discussion on the issue.  You both told me to get to work, and get it gone so that we did not need to move all that water a million times.  I thought the directive from the two of you was clear, don't lose money just get it gone, and try to turn a profit when I do it. The fact is we spent several thousand on water, it was cold, it did not sell, the money did not return to the account as expected, now it is time to get at the least the minimum paid back into the account.  That is retail. In the retail world, you do not just throw something in the store room and say " it didn't meet expectations this year, we will try again next year."  It is a nice concept in the nonprofit world, but death in the business World and we are business first, nonprofit second.   That is why Nordstrom has the Rack and companies like Meyer and Frank and JCPenney take mark downs. I cringe when I see us giving last years and the years before shirts away. Bad form. I by far have not gotten it all sold, and figured that we would be donating some to UAF.  Yes we do need to take and inventory, but I think we are pretty sure that we didn't sell a lot of water this year.  Inventory does not draw interest, only money does.  Of course what would I know  about that.... As for the Pride Guide, please do not call me to task on it, I have never mentioned it.  I would from a PR stand point say that it is a bad  idea considering how poorly it was edited and proofed.  It is a work of art as far as design.  But that is your choice, just remember the errors could

Have an negative impact no matter how positively it is presented.  It  opens the doors of scrutiny.  Of course people gave us money with the piece of crap sponsor packet we had....but that has more to do with Craig's charm. What I take real offense to is the inconsistency of the role of the EC. One minute you tell me to do it, then next you are ripping me in an email in front of everyone.  I also find real ironic that this issue can be made by the EC but the EC can’t make a call on a BBQ.  Of course I have personal feeling about the role and structuring of  the EC and why the board is being bumped from ultimate authority which I will keep to myself for now. I am tired of trying, if you want to work with me them work with me. I am not one to sit by and let time pass by.  Strike when the Iron is hot....while the commodity can still turn a profit, cause longer we wait the greater the depreciation.  Every time I come to you or Darien with something we go to the mat. And that is a big frustration, but bigger is that we have closed ourselves off to working for the betterment of pride. I am available tonight, and Sunday, I will be happy to help, I would however like us to look at the water storage from a different perspective as it need to be in a controlled environment to keep it usable, and the storage unit in the coming weeks may be too hot.  Please call me as soon as possible at 325-3758 to discuss as the option I have found for us will put it in a perfect location for weekly deliveries to the clubs, and coffee shops so that I can get deliveries done without at huge production getting to the storage shed.  And yes the plan is to have them sign for the delivery and Stacy or Craig invoice. Respectfully (and believe it or not with a lot of love) CK

 

Adam Frost to Chad Keller: I agree with you on the water and the perishables. There is no way people are going to buy the water next year if it stays in the storage shed all year long through the heat and the cold. Come winter, they will freeze and the plastic will split leaving us with a whole lot of nothing, not to mention ruined items from the water. I know I would NOT buy water that had a label from the previous year on it.  Again, I agree with you. We got the water at .34 per bottle and had we have sold them at Pride Day, we would have made a lot of money. However, the clubs will not buy them at that price. I can walk over to Fred Meyer and get 12 bottles for $3.00. That is .25 per bottle. The clubs would be doing us a favor by buying them at .50. But she's such a dumb bitch that if it's not her idea, then it's not good. And if someone has an opposing idea, they are trying to undermine her authority, ESPECIALLY if you're a man.  Sorry to hear therapy didn't work. I should probably go back to mine as well.

 

Chad Keller to Adam Frost: Let's see how this pushes her buttons....I love psychological war fair..... While I respect Darrin’s idea of saving until next year...Glad to see he is finally thinking long term....several issues come up with the water....one it has a 2002 logo on it...but who am I to say....I said keep it simple...and generic no one listened and it wasn't brought to the board for approval of course a lot wasn't brought to the board....I for one know how finicky the Utah gay people are and last year’s water will not fly.... And these dreams of 12.00 to 15.00 per case...are a hahahahahahahah....the clubs max pay 11.00 from their distributors....10.00 is the most we will get which is not bad considering they were 8.16 per case...and that is almost a 2.00 per case profit....perishables are a bitch to unload....and there was not a lot of common sense in the logo issue....of course this wouldn't be a problem if God would have cooperated and gave us 95 degree weather....I would rather break even on it and get the money back in the bank, promote the organization, and keep us out there...but I'm sure we will just crawl back under our rock..... Therapy did not help last night....if anything he made me more angry about things..... Oh well, find my valium, sweet gentle valium...aaahhhh Thanks! Chad

 

Adam Frost to Chad Keller: you mean she actually HAD a job this year? you wouldn't have known by watching her. I'm saying that she didn't do shit except sit back and bitch about everything. On setup day on Saturday, all she did was sit her ass on a patch of lawn and do lanyards.

 

Chad Keller to Adam Frost: The editing of the Pride guide was her job you know.....CK

 

Adam Frost to Chad Keller: This is getting ugly. She's such a bitch. She was pulling the same kind of shit that she is still doing - a lot of triangulation and playing the victim role to anyone who will listen. Kim was at as much at fault as Sherry because Kim was feeding her lies that got Sherry all worked up. Sherry threatened to quit the committee the Wednesday before pride day so I had to swallow everything and apologize and ask her not to leave. At the time, I thought it was going to kill pride if I didn't which as I look back, it would have done the opposite. This is all shrink stuff. My shrink thinks as badly of Kim as I do.

 

Chad Keller to Adam Frost: what was the situation with you and her....and I take it she is the reason you resigned?

 

18 June 2002 Tuesday

From Adam Frost Subject: receipt for AMEX parade entry: Hello all:  Mike Wallentine from American Express asked me about a receipt for the parade entry. I faxed over his receipt for the exhibitor booth last night. If you have a copy of the parade receipt, would you please fax it to me at 517-1372 and I will pass it on to him? Or let me know if I need to stop by and pick it up.  Thanks, Adam

 

Chad C Keller to Adam Frost: Receipts are the responsibility of the Utah Pride, Inc. Department of Treasury, I was under the assumption like all non profits letters of donation and proper tax receipts were going out on every donation  possible. Is this not occurring? I am confident that as Stacy has been made aware of it she will jerk a chain or two and see that it that it will be done today, if it has not already been done.  As I never say checks or money I do not feel comfortable sending a blind receipt.  A check of any form serves as a receipt?  CK

 

Stacy Robinson Subject: Re: receipt for AMEX parade entry Thank you Chad for the vote of confidence. We (Darin and I) are working On getting all of the paperwork and payables taken care of in a timely manner. As far as your time line set for me, of today, I will do my best to see that it is met. However there are some other issues that need to take  priority. Thanks again for the help and encouragement. Stacy

 

Sherry Booth Pride Inventory: Geoff, I now that Darin and Stacy have been working on the financial reconciliation since the festival ended. There are a few outstanding bills that are in process of payment now. Please don't jump to the conclusion that a loan needs to be made. That is very premature at this point.  Darin and Stacy will provide an accounting of things at the next meeting. We are working on scheduling a meeting as soon as we have a day & time that works for as many people as possible. We are trying to consider that there are several board members who are involved with the Arts Festival. We will keep you posted. Until then, don't panic. Everything will be fine. Everyone - As far as the water and Pride tee shirts are concerned - Please do not arrange or agree to do anything with these things without first getting approval from the board. As far as the medals and the 5k run shirts that Geoff has, those are separate. Geoff can handle those items in whatever way he feels works best. But the water and festival t-shirts inventory needs to be looked at from an overall fiscal and public relations perspective, not one of immediate dissolution. Hope you are all resting and recuperating. We'll be scheduling a meeting very soon. Sherry

 

Chad Keller Regarding Pride Inventory: What is the difference between the Run shirts and the other shirts? It is all an asset of the board. As they are an asset of the board and will be put on hold also.  So the board can direct you and Billy what we desire to have done.  The heavy involvement of members of our board will need to be addressed at the next meeting as we really should have had a  preliminary review of the expenses before now. Also why also is confidential information such as this going to the Centers General Mail Box?  Paula and the Center staff should not be privy to these decisions, or the outcome, If the water is in their way, then it should be properly addressed in a separate email or in person meeting. Or volunteers move it to a better place. CK ....and the answer to what you are thinking is......no

 

Kathryn Warner to Chad Keller: what?,,,that you're paranoid?  Just kidding.  I don't care anymore about  PRIDE CRAP!  Do you?

 

From Chad K to Kathryn Warner: I actual do from a retail stand point, the longer we sit the less it will be worth.... How are you....

 

Sherry Booth Pride Inventory Chad: The 5k Run shirts fall solely out of the "budget" that Geoff was given to do the 5k run. It is up to him to recoup some of the charges he incurred while doing it. While I agree the shirts ultimately fall to  the entire organization, as in every single area monitored by a Chair, there is a budget and an accountability attached to it. Since Geoff purchased the shirts (as opposed to Pride as an organization), he is free to try and sell them before coming in with his final loss/gain report.   As far as the comment you made in regard to  "...the heavy involvement of members of our board..." needing to be addressed at the next meeting  What is there to be addressed?? There has not ever been free reign where finances are concerned. We certainly aren't going to start now. Pride property is inventory. Therefore it is part of the whole financial picture that is currently being assessed. When that is complete, a report will be generated.  And, if I remember correctly everyone at the last meeting was given an oral report by Darin and Stacy as to the overall picture of where the financials stood going in to the festival weekend. Expecting a report on the weekend event just days after, is  not reasonable. Finally, I am not sure why you believe Paula or "The Center" have anything to say or do with Pride business, but again I will tell you that I have not heard one complaint or concern about our water being stored there temporarily. The simple fact is that I sent the group e-mail to The Center because Darin is the person who checks that mail folder. I had that account listed for him long before I had the more direct dhobbs@glccu.com.  Much like those who send e-mails to my hotmail and aol accounts and also my work account in hopes of reaching me at least by one of them. As I stated before, we will set a day and time to meet as soon as we can. In the meantime, please trust that we are simply trying to have a clear financial picture before making decisions that affect the numbers Darin and Stacy are working so hard to compile. Sherry 

 

Chad Keller to Pride Day Committee: Budget or not Just selling things by your own direction is not acceptable. Profit and Loss statements should be near completion at this point, clearance or markdown would not come into play until after the initial  preliminary review of the finances. Please be consistent for the organizations sake.

 

Sherry Booth to Chad Keller:  Chad, Darin and Stacy have been working on the financials every day since the Pride festival. The Arts festival has not gotten in the way. And we are not in a position to force people to choose one festival or the other...and why would we want to be?  Also, giving them only 4 days  (Mon - Thur) to tally everything and prepare a report by Friday (the 5th day) when not everything has even been turned in yet, just doesn't make any sense.  Besides, setting a meeting date is a much more difficult task...Consider:  Billy left town ( I didn't even know he did), Darin, Hazel and Donna are involved in the Arts Festival set-up, etc., Craig is involved in the City twilight music series.... That leaves you, Ryan, Geoff and I as the only board members free and clear...not hardly enough... So, come on...relax. You are sounding very grumpy these days. What's up? Can you trust that: We are trying to get the numbers together. We will provide a full report as soon as we are able. We are trying to wrap things up and devise a game plan for the year. We are gathering information and suggestions. We really are trying....???  Sherry

 

Chad Keller to Sherry Booth: I am referring to the involvement of members of our EC not being Available until after the festival for the reconciliation of our books.  As the event are so close together choice will need to be made in involvement.

 

Sherry Booth to Chad Keller: Chad, Why does threatening, bullying and being nasty always become your first response? I am not your enemy. I have not attacked you in anyway. Yet you are consistently aggressive in the way you treat me and others. And why are you purposefully throwing blatant threats and innuendos in my direction? I am sorry if you are not happy with the decisions I have made, but you know what, I am just volunteering my time...just like you. I am doing the best I can with the position I have been placed in.  Yes, I have 12 years experience at production work as well as 4 years in retail (hated it!).  So, I do have experience.  Quite a bit actually.  A major difference here is that I know enough not to claim that I have all the answers.  And right now I also know  that we are (only) part of an organization that has a responsibility to be as fiscally sound as we can be.  That is, at this time, my only intent. And just FYI, retail stores do not simply slash prices to recoup

possible losses. They also market their inventory in different ways and then to different clientele. My understanding has been that Pride was not going to "disappear" until next spring, but rather schedule other events throughout the year. Why wouldn't we want to use some of Pride's water for those events? The Center's Centerpeace is coming up in August...why wouldn't we sell our water and shirts from our booth then? The hottest months of the year are coming our way. Why wouldn't we use the opportunity to continue marketing ourselves with the bottled water with our logo on it? So, you can make this personal...or you can accept once and for all that we are both players on the same team... even when we disagree. I am not afraid of you, Chad.  Quite the contrary.  And while there are undoubtedly changes coming for this organization very soon,  you might not want to be so quick to believe it will all be in the direction you have planned.  Respectfully...

 

From: Chad C Keller To: Bob Childers (E-mail) So did I answer your  questions?!?!  Or are you just swamped?!? > > Email or call

 

: "Bob Childers" To: "'Chad C Keller'"  Both. Yes you did great, thank you so much. How is everything going? By the way, I heard a nasty rumor. Are you still with Pride?  > XXVII

 

Chad Keller to Bob Childers: Yes I’m with Pride, what is the rumor....

 

Bob Childers to Chad Keller:  Agnes told me you’re fired from Pride.

 

From: Chad C Keller To: Bob Childers: Off the record.... Sherry and Darrin are trying to fire me, as I question her and Darrin  all the time and what they are doing with money....and as she has her head up her ass on 200 cases of water and other things...you know me go right to the heart of the matter, be blunt and to the point....she doesn’t like  it....and she was pissed that I spent two weeks partying with the court and the rodeo and refused to meet with her when she dictated...I’m a board member you ask me to meet with me not tell me I will meet with you . All that and she hates the bars and organizations affiliated with them, thinks that to be a great organization you cannot affiliate with the bar or bar crowd....I was fired on Wednesday before pride, they  sherry and Darrin wanted me to leave as I and sherry had issues over the club thing....she equaled me to a combination of Kim and Chaise....I told her say the word and I would  gladly turn over the parade bible and leave...then she realized that she would be screwed on the reception...so she shut up...and really got in hot water when Billy walked in and was again circumvented for her own agenda....So She put my Committee chairmanship in under a in review status and  Promised that my Board position would be taken away also....all to Billy and a few others telling her she was out of line.... and she and others promised to bring it up at the next board meeting as they felt I had been going above and beyond for Pride since I signed on... I said fine and would play their little game, and promised to question her and Darrin on many issues that have been mishandled again.....Lord when will people get it.... So Yeah I’m probably done....but I and others aren’t going without a fight.....CK

 

Bob Childers to Chad Keller: I've heard things about her. Maybe SHE needs to go. From what I have  heard, there are a few people who would like to see her. I have heard that she doesn't like the Court or people who go to bars or drink or aren't Mormon........Okay maybe not that last bit, but that's what she sounds like. I have a problem with anyone who cries for diversity and yet, still segregates our community. The comments that were made about not being able to trust the Court to give our donation to them is a bunch of BS.  First, it's a donation. Second, it's in our by-laws. We have to give half of  the Rainbow fund to them. However, we don't have to raise money for that fund. Grant you, we only gave $1,500.00 but it was still money. I just don't understand it. Some people get power and turn into Gods and  Goddess'.....all I can say is Whatever..... good luck, keep fighting and if there is anything I can do......let me  know. XXVII

 

19 June 2002 Wednesday

Chad Keller to Sherry Booth: Sherry, Why is it that when anyone questions you or Darrin or calls either of you or your favorites  to task it is Bullying and threatening.  Obviously your skin is not thick enough to handle the position you are in?  Life cannot be drama free, and it is not always sunshine, lollipops and roses, but for some reason you two think by stifling debate and conversation it will be. Or better yet if the EC makes a mandate all will be happy and avoided. I have given all  valid questions, and valid points.  But as always if it is not what Sherry wants to hear, or if it is not convenient to Sherry,  or if it didn’t fall into Sherry's plan then the keep the comments to yourself, is that it? The track record that I and others of us see is it depends on how it plays to yours and Darrin’s agendas if any of us have input or can question.   You both have gone to great lengths to turn this into a dictatorship with a yesum board.    I have made no threats,  I make promises.  The  experiment of the EC this year and the EC's unwillingness to utilize the board to plan for the best and the worst scenarios have left this organization in a  dilemma as bad a Kim, (Billy you are excluded from this statement as I have  watched in amazement how they have treated you.)  The EC is an experiment that has failed. If you had 12 years of experience then there should have been a lot More planning and less flying by the seat of our pants.  12 years of Community experience would have taught you to be more careful with how you deal with the Community, its businesses, and its organizations.  12 years of experience would have taught you that there is never a convenient time, and that you are expected to do a lot, and sacrifice a lot.  12 years of experience would have taught you to stand in the present creating the future.    This is not what I have seen, and it concerns me and others, I am unfortunately the  only one willing to say something. I will not address the retail thing as you are totally wrong and I can bring you any number of reports I work per day for JCP and can bring you many articles from several national retailing magazines to prove you wrong. Retail units just don’t change their marketing and demographics cause  the buying office screwed up.  If that is the concept you have or retail, your experience was then limited to the selling floor.  By bringing you the  facts and proving you wrong would only piss you off and make you feel more threatened, so continue to dream.  FYI, I never have said anything about me being for or against selling water and shirts at Centerpiece.  My experience in this community is that we should look for something more original And tailored to such a high profile event.  They will have paid a lot to get in and participate in it, as 20.00 shirt will be the last from my mind.  Also if this was the plan, where was the Utah Pride Water Station for the Walk for Life of the Donation of water?   Did I miss it?  I would add that many venues and facilities owned by the city, county and state keep the rights to their concessions, so again, how is this going to benefit us....I’m questioning again...better stop before I get accused of being a meanie.  We have so much water that it will be a task to get rid of it all and turn a minimum profit.  You wasted my very valuable time, and have been inconsistent in your leadership, which really makes me mad.  But gee, what would I know, I’m just a dumb drunk faggot in yours and Darrin’s book, so why listen, you both know everything there is to know about this community and how it thinks, feels, and will support.  At least I have not stuck my nose in To your personal lives. I want it clear that I have only recommended the structure the our organization should take, it has only been a suggestion, but I’m sure that when it doesn’t fit with you and Darrin’s plans to affiliate or merge with the Center the time and energy in researching solutions will be tossed out. Not to mention the many conversation with many experts, and past professors who have advised me in the proposal will I’m sure be written off as worthless.  So I’m sure on it all, and don’t second guess the Saviors of Pride...we are to again  be controlled by the gay social elite, and not by the community. We are not the Utah Arts Festival, we are a very diverse community organization that must have accountability to the community more than the UAF has to the community.  I am also not scared of you and will take you head on.    Please be ready.  Again you underestimate me and what skills, education, and experience I have.  Did you that my higher education is in Business Development?  have you ever asked where I did some of my internships?  What do you really know about me that Clark Monk hasn’t told you?   I’m not in to the what I’ve done game, cause I am quite secure in where I’ve been and where I am going.  I am a "put your money where your mouth" is kinda guy, and "call it like I see it," sorry if it upsets you.  BTW,  the Monk MO will not work, so I would be very careful, cause I have learned not to forgive nor forget, and his and people like him have records that speak for itself.  Perhaps in your next conversation with him about me you can ask why UGRA is paying out several thousand to replace a sound system he lost? At one point in the planning of Pride you resigned, Why? and What changed your mind?  Didn’t this happen last year also?  These would be interesting conversation that would maybe help us better understand each other. Respectfully...... CK

 

Sherry Booth to Billy Lewis and Chad Keller: Have it your way, Chad. It's personal now. I will not justify or explain another thing to you. I have responded to every question and every accusation you have shouted. I have tried to do it with respect. Yes, you have hurt my feelings. Yes, you have made me mad. That is only because I cared about you.  Clearly, that was wasted energy. I do think you are talented.  I have actually experienced a very gentle, good person at times.  But for the last few months, I have experienced a toxic personality.  Clearly, you need help, not answers from me.

 

Paul Ream's Wilderness Park. Provo "Constant busts are being made by cops here -- even busts of guys not involved in sexual scenes, but just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

 

20 June 2002 Thursday

Nimrod [Mel Nimer] to Chad Keller: Hey Chad; Yea, the choir leaves for Sydney on Oct 30th, and I’m sure we would love to sing in Memory Grove. We actually have two concerts here in SLC in late October, and one more out of town before we leave for the games. Talk to Jonathan Stowers – the choir pres/diva/chief coordinator/decision maker/bitch - about this idea. His email is stowerjo@xmission.com The Pride festival was really fun. I noticed in the guide that most of what was in the sponsorship brochure was just transferred over to the guide. Too bad there was nothing in the guide about the actual activities – like when the parade was to start, who was singing at what time on stage, etc. Next year the schedule should be definitely included. As far as the committee goes ----- TOOOOO much drama for my taste buds. Do you want me to call you at home or at work? I don’t think I have your new work number…. So send it to me, or I’ll just call you at home. Take care of yourself. Mel

 

Chad Keller to Mel Nimmer:     Okay the Men's Choir leaves for Australia in October right? I know that the choir has been supportive of the Memory Grove, and I was wondering if you guys would like one last chance in September to pled with your fans for money?  Jane and I are trying to put together an annual concert series in the Fall in Memory Grove, and we would love to have the SLMC, as one of the featured performers.  This would not pay a lot this year if any, but next year we are working on Grants. The title of it all will be either Them Memory Grove Fall Music Festival, or Music at Memory Grove. Who would I need to talk too? ALSO.... Sherry and I have gotten totally into it...she tried to get me kick out recently....and now the board has turned on her....Call me I can give you details. CK

 

David Ferguson to Chad Keller: I thought this article was interesting.  I am interested on your perspective on his comments. “An Advocate.com exclusive posted June 19, 2002 Ashamed of pride

What does pride mean? Is our pride best represented by the big Gay parties that explode every summer in big cities across the country? We have to face it: More and more gays and lesbians are opting out. They don’t need a flag, a parade, a banner to be proud. They just need to live openly.  By Charles Karel Bouley  

Gay pride weekend in Long Beach, Calif., where I live, is in May. That weekend, in 2001, is when I lost my partner, Andrew Howard. So this year, I didn’t feel much like participating. While the parade kicked off downtown that Sunday, I went to Home Depot to get some things for the backyard, my late husband’s pride and joy. There I met Tim, an old friend, who was shopping for lattice with his husband. A few minutes later John and Steve were found in the lighting department, getting a new dining room fixture. The parade was going full steam not five miles away, and here they were, shopping at Home Depot. And I realized that this was their pride event. Making a home for themselves, their family. Being together, a visible couple, integrated in to the community. And that touched a nerve.

As other people dust off their nipple rings, stitch up their sequins, and slurp down some steroids, we were mingling with the masses, buying fertilizer, fixtures, and furniture. We missed out on the dykes on bikes, the bars with their decked-out flatbed trucks, and the church groups marching behind the AIDS organizations nestled between the hard bodies and recovery groups, all parading down Main Streets all over the USA. 

Pride season is a time of year when we are supposed to come together as a community, to celebrate the events that took place so many years ago at a little bar in New York City, the Stonewall, when a group of drag queens said “enough is enough” and stood up for their rights. That simple act of rebellion inspired a splintered community to come together, at least once a year, to show the rest of the world that we are one, we are strong, we are proud. 

Well, at least in theory.

What’s really happened is that we’ve created events that are part circuit party, part drag fest, part sexual fetishes on parade, and part just plain embarrassing.

Perhaps it’s because the events became so successful. Perhaps it’s because we lost sight of the goal. Whatever the reason, there’s not much to be proud about any more at our pride events. Having attended hundreds across the country as both a spectator and participant it has now become my distinct pleasure to avoid the events at all costs. I’ve grown weary of trying to explain them to my nongay friends, grown tired our providing the freakish video clips that invariably run on the local news—you know, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence followed by topless lesbians and yet another heterosexual has-been disco star.

It’s not that I haven’t tried to enjoy them. My late partner, Andrew, and I were the first openly gay male couple to ever host a major-market radio show, in Los Angeles two years ago. As such, we were asked to emcee the Los Angeles Christopher Street West Pride Parade for television. Halfway through the event, we took an almost comedic tone because we just couldn’t rationalize 20 half-naked men on a flatbed truck, beer logos abounding, gyrating away to this or that disco song representing this or that bar, followed by an AIDS service group and then a church. Every time a seven-foot drag queen walked by with nothing but a T-string on, we couldn’t help but comment how proud we were to be gay men at that moment. There were no floats, no real ones, yet this was the second-largest parade in California. Aren’t we supposed to be creative? There were no contingencies of doctors, lawyers, playwrights, authors, major workers’ unions…nothing, just a lot of the same. It was fetishes on parade and the occasional straight group like PFLAG to rally the crowd.

Of course, when we mentioned this on the air, we were shunned. We were shut down when we asked why we praise parents and friends of gays for doing exactly what any normal person—parent, friend, or otherwise—should do, which is accept and love their gay or lesbian child, sibling, or friend. When we questioned why the headliner at Las Vegas Pride, Cyndi Lauper, got a sizeable fee, limo service, and a hotel suite while the gay and lesbian acts got to get dressed alongside a Porta Potti, drive themselves, and sleep where they may, we were told it was none of our business. And when we raised the issue that perhaps the grand marshal should at least be a gay man or lesbian instead of some accepting heterosexual, we were told we didn’t know what we were saying. In fact, CSW threatened our radio station, KFI, with a lawsuit if we didn’t retract some of our statements about the pride festivities. Us, the only openly gay people on the radio, the gay guys whose show aired after Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh—we get the threat of a lawsuit. The right-wing Christian groups left us alone, as did the antigay Republicans and the legions of nongay people who would want us off the air. They never once drafted proposals against us. It was the gay group that gave us grief. Because we spoke out with a contrary opinion. 

The truth is, gay pride events have become a joke. They should remove the word pride from their title and just be called what they are, Big Gay Parties. We have to face it: The community itself is becoming splintered, with more and more gays and lesbians opting out of the festivities, going to Home Depot for the afternoon.

Andrew and I used to have a rainbow triangle on our car. We never thought much about it. Then one day we had to go to a biker bar in Trabuco Canyon, Calif. A very famous, very rowdy place. On the way there, several bikers passed, and more than a few expressed upset about our rainbow. When we got there, we took it off. Now, you’re probably gasping. But you know what? We didn’t need it anymore. You see, each day we went before millions of nongays as the happy gay couple talking about life, love, and current events. We were proud by example, by living as two out gay men in front of countless listeners who then gained a better understanding of who and what gay people are. We didn’t need the flag, the parade, a banner—we just needed to live openly. 

We scream that we are the same as our heterosexual counterparts, and then we throw events to show them exactly how different we are. We put our sexual fetishes on parade in front of hundreds of thousands and call it pride. We drink ourselves silly in beer tents, dance with half-naked muscle-bound boys at parties sponsored by AIDS organizations while downing designer drugs and feel we are expressing who we truly are. We support the heterosexual arts community by paying the Cyndi Laupers, Pat Benatars, and Crystal Waterses of the world while gay and lesbian acts have to scrounge up money for airfare or a hotel room, hoping someone shows for their 20-minute set at 1:35 on a Friday afternoon. And that makes us feel we have presented something balanced and well-rounded.

Gay pride events are now business ventures, nothing more, nothing less. They don’t become more because we don’t demand more. Those who have outgrown them or lost interest simply don’t attend, and those who love the party atmosphere, the countless trinket booths, beer vendors, and overpriced food stands plop down their money willingly. It’s all economics, really. 

Even I enjoy the electric atmosphere in the city when a pride event is in town. The local clubs are full, more gays and lesbians are visible in the community as a whole, and there is a certain energy only strength in numbers can bring.

But there can be no doubt that pride events are now dinosaurs, relics of a time gone by when our sexuality was so suppressed that we thought the only way to be proud was to wear it down the street. What’s sad is that some of those attending aren’t out at work or home, haven’t learned how to have a committed relationship, don’t realize that there is a great gay heritage of scientists, doctors, lawyers, politicians, adventurers, authors, CEOs, inventors, and countless others on which to draw. They don’t see that pride comes through everyday deeds and not a parade. That living out by example, that integrating, not segregating, is the ultimate act of pride. And that until we achieve equality under the law, we will be held to a higher standard, an unfairly harsh light and microscopic scrutiny, and that as long as we keep giving those who would defeat us so much ammunition we won’t ever achieve our goals. 

Elevating what’s best about our community isn’t hard, it just isn’t as glamorous. Promoting every aspect of who we are isn’t impossible, it just doesn’t play well in a dance or beer tent. And presenting a more balanced picture to those from outside the community who would watch isn’t a huge chore, but might require a major paradigm shift in thinking that we just don’t seem willing to make.

Yet hope springs eternal. This June is seeing a new kind of pride event, one born in a country of war, of terror, of unrest. Two-hundred-fifty-plus people marched through Israel in their first-ever pride parade. They risked attack and retaliation and had the military march alongside with automatic weapons. But they marched, they made their statement. The drag queens from Stonewall would be proud. Meanwhile, in conservative Orange County, Calif., this year the pride event was canceled. A gay community of more than 30,000, and it can’t support one event. You win some, you lose some.

Be who you are. And be proud. Just be sure to present the whole picture instead of a snapshot of who we are in the bed or barroom.

Charles Karel Bouley is a Long Beach, Calif.–based talk show host and entertainer. He is a feature writer for Billboard and writes the column Karel’s Komments for the Orange County/Long Beach Blade. He can be seen on TNN’s show The Ultimate Revenge and can be heard at www.karelchannel.com

 

22 June 2002 Saturday

Eppie Lederer better known as Dear Abby died today. I used to read her religiously and she was always sympathetic towards homosexuals.

 

27 June 2002 Thursday

Darin Hobbs Receipt for Amex Parade Entry: Receipts will be issued at a later date.  Booth rentals, parade entries, etc. are not entirely tax deductible donations--they received something for their money.  Once Stacy and I (working with the EC) determine the value of these things, we will then issue letters, if appropriate. If someone is excited about getting a receipt or letter, direct them to me. No one should be making any promises about the value of a "donation" or  the timeliness of recognition for the same.  If you have done so, let me know and I will do what I can to honor that promise.  However, you may not continue in this practice from this point forward.  Darin R. Hobbs Assistant Director Operations and Financial Director Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah

 

Chad Keller receipt for AMEX parade entry: Let’s make this really clear....and I am highly offended. My opening statement to Stacy clearly states "Receipts are the responsibility of the Utah Pride, Inc. Department of Treasury."  So before you give a lecture to me or Adam, please make sure that you have read what was stated. If all of this is that complicated that Stacy is having trouble finding a receipt for a credit card, then I have yet another concern to add to a growing list.  Not to mention that there is no reason that many receipts, letters, and other financial items related to the closing of the books have not been handled and turned over to Stacy before now for a timely closing of our 2002 Records. I would add, that before any letter of any kind relating to In Kind Sponsorships, or items related to finance, the EC needs to bring them to the board for approval, as with other situations that have come forward that the EC as a body is not functioning as it should.  It is obvious the board needs to step in and see that all is handled properly, and fairly based on our organizations policies and procedures, not the policies and practices of other organizations or our personal desires. CK

 

Darin Hobbs RE: receipt for AMEX parade entry: Be that as it may, my previous email is not negotiable. Darin R. Hobbs Assistant Director Operations and Financial Director Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah

 

28 June 2002 Friday

Marcus Taylor Pride Flags 2003: Hey boys,  Here is a design of the flags and color scheme that I will be making.  I will be making 4 of each color scheme.  Let me know your opinions and any fundraiser ideas you may have to raise funds for these.  We are going to need poles and the fabric (to sew the flags with).  The rough estimate for how much I need to raise is: $210.75    Poles  (This is actually accurate) $200.00    Flag fabric $20.00     Supplies to make flags (Thread, needles, etc.) ----------$430.75    Total P.S    To have the flags professionally made would be about $900.00.  Adding that to the other costs would be $1130.75.  I would rather have them made professionally but I could sew them if I had to.  Let me know what you think.  Thanks, Marcus Taylor Phone:  801-350-2455 Fax:  801-350-2435

 

Chad Keller to Marcus Taylor: I will get with Billy and we will see what we can do.  This is a great idea, and we both want to see it grow.  Need to speak with the Board.

 

Chad to Clair Wade UGRA Joint Marketing: Clair,  I am working right now on a couple of Joint Marketing programs to be proposed to the 4 major June events.  One of them would be to combine several of the printed items into one print job, of all the we need or newly designed items that will satisfy the needs of all.  I have another person that I am getting together with that is working on Joint Grant writing, and some crossover fundraising. I know that you are thinking of moving the Rodeo to August....I would like to talk to you more about that.  I know that some. well I can think of just one or two that has a problem with the onslaught of events in June.  There are many advantages to your weekend and current location...could it be the weekend before memorial day?? Call me 325-3758 (o) or at home 322-4776.  And let me know when you will be downtown again, and when you, Clayton and I can get together to discuss the pros and the cons from your stand point.  After Denver would be fine...just don’t get to many people in on it right now, as I and the others making this proposal want to deal with those in charge first, and then if acceptable we will make the announcement. This would be complete marketing campaign promoting Coronation, Rodeo, Pride, and Walk for Life...and each of the groups yearly events....and hell no it won’t cost that much...There could be some street banners in it for the Rodeo.....!! CK

 

29 June 2002 Sunday

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Rosemary Clooney, aunt of George Clooney, died She was known for her roles in movies such as White Christmas and for her hit jazz/pop tracks such as This Ole House