April
1 April 2005 Friday
KRCL's progressive talk show
RadioActive and the GLBTCCU held its First Friday Forum at The Center from noon
to 1pm for a live broadcast. Panelists included D. Michael Quinn, Mormon social
historian, author of Same Sex Dynamics in the Nineteenth Century: A Mormon
Example, Evelyn Garlington, artist and Center chair, Samantha Harmon, youth
activist and member of Queers in Action, and Tala Fakhouri, a PhD candidate and
Lesbian Chair of Utah Now and the National Equal Marriage Taskforce.
Kate Kendall, Executive
Director of The Center for Lesbian Rights also was able to attend.
“There will be
an open mic, and an opportunity to share your vision and your voice - live - on
air. Join us the Conversation at The Center, 361 N 300 W in SLC this Friday!”
A local
fundraiser for the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Equality Utah were co-beneficiaries
of an event which featured NCLR executive director and native Utahn Kate
Kendall, the Sister Wives, and the Blue Lotus Egyptian Dancers. “Although there
will be a lot of wonderful women there, don't think that guys won't have a
great time as well! Several men we know attended last year and had a fantastic
time.”
Babs De Lay
Responded to my Article in SLMetro about Pam Parson. “I have just read
"The Pam Parson Scandal" under "Lambda Lore".
"Lore" is correct, the facts are not. There is a difference in
publishing as to editorial columns and historical information. I'm afraid was
presented as historical but had its own editorial bent.
I am amazed that
a) I was not called to check on facts (especially those regarding me) and that
b) the facts would not be checked prior to publication, to wit: 1) The
Parsons/Buck story was actually made public first at the University of South
Carolina. Sports Illustrated (then Time, Inc.) picked up the story because
Parsons was such a famous coach in the U.S.
I was told they
made further allegations that she traded favors to advance her students and
paid to have her star athletes tests done by other to keep those athletes in
good academic standings. What unraveled was that-male or female-she was
practicing unethical academic and coaching standards as well as denying she was
a lesbian.
2) I did see the
story break on KUTV and was infuriated that Parsons got on the stand, in
Federal Court and testified that she was not a lesbian and "that lesbians
made her sick".
I did not …
`have a secret that she could not wait to tell' about Parsons or Buck. This is
an editorial comment and not factual. As Mr. Williams was not present at that
moment, it would seem to me that he had the choice to write his opinion or the
facts.
Indeed, I never
knew they had a secret. I didn't follow basketball or sports. They were two
women who came to Puss N Boots all summer to dance and ended up being invited
to spend the night at friends’ homes, to BBQ's and parties.
I did however,
after seeing the news, call the bar manager and met with her and 6 other women
the next day. To my knowledge, all of those 6 women called KUTV after seeing
the story and were just as infuriated that Parsons was testifying in Federal
Court that she was not a lesbian and most important, saying `that lesbians made
her sick'.
3) When the 6 of
us got together, we knew that the law was being broken by Parsons via her
testimony. She wasn't just saying these statements to the press, this was
testimony in FEDERAL court and she and her partner were suing for $75,000,000.
All of us had
been working, in our own ways for gay rights in Utah. We wanted the laws to
respect us, and we wanted hate crimes and hate legislation to disappear in our
State. As an example, all of us went to the State Fair Grounds to boycott Anita
Bryant, by standing up during her performance, facing backwards, and then
leaving in mass.
We marched together and protested many times
to get the ERA passed.
That Bryant
boycott may not seem much today when compared with the efforts of the HRC,
Amendment 3/Equality Utah, and the NCLR, but it was big enough then to bring
100 troopers/police to circle the fairgrounds to protect her from `fags and
dykes'.
None of the
other 6 women were out, but all of us knew someone had to come forth for Utah
gays and our queer nation to say that these women were lying. We did not wish
to gain our equality, our freedoms via people who lied in court about their
gayness-let alone potentially winning $75million on the backs of those lies.
I was the only
one out publicly of the 6 and I agreed to go. The bar manager (who was a
manager at a local utilities company and deeply in the closet at work) reviewed
the membership log and pointed out
Parsons and Buck's signatures. That log, by the way, was only a signature book
and had no information about addresses or phones on any person who had walked
into the door.
4) I never told
the Time attorneys I had a `smoking gun' (i.e. the membership log/signature
book). They interviewed several of us on the phone and also agreed that I would
be the best person to travel to No. Carolina-because I was OUT and didn't have
a job/ that would fire me for being gay.
The owner of the
bar, Hattie [Radon], did not give me the membership log. The attorneys
requested the signature log, and the 6 of us agreed I should bring it. The bar
manager provided it. It didn't leave my sight in the 24 hours I was gone to
testify and back. What was also important is that ALL the signatures were
blacked out EXCEPT for Parsons and Buck's on the page (I still have a copy of
it) and again, there was no information on the page with address or phone of
the signators.
It was a
signature log and not a membership list or membership data. As a matter of
fact, the attorneys I met with representing Time, Inc. told me on the way to
court that IF no one had come forward from Utah to testify of Parsons and Bucks
lies in Federal Court, they would have "turned Salt Lake upside down and
subpoenaed the full membership records of not only Puss N Boots but the Sun
Tavern and Radio City as well". Membership records, with addresses,
phones, etc. are far more revealing than a signature log.
For me, hearing
them threaten that potential witch hunt was chilling. Time, Inc. was one of the
biggest corporations in the U.S. at that time and they had the money and
resources to turn the Utah gay scene upside down and expose hundreds of gays.
I don't like to
re-live the hell I went through from those many gays in this community when I
returned after the trial. I was banned from all gay bars for years here in
Utah. Joe Redburn was the first owner to allow me to come back in any club
about three years after the trial. The Royal Court threw me out as a member of
the Royalty and officer of the court.
It was my
testimony, and mine alone, that caused Parsons and Buck to not only lose their
suit against Time, Inc and Sports Illustrated but caused the Federal Judge to
find them guilty of Federal perjury.
On the other
side of the coin, I received dozens of letters from judges, attorneys, and
community leaders from around the country and Utah applauding my honesty in
stepping forward and risking so much to stand up for the truth.
And, as the
Williams article stated, I received numerous and constant death threats for
over two years. My phone was tapped because of the extreme threats I was
receiving from local lesbians.
I lived to tell
about it, yet there are still gays in this community who will not speak to me
or even be pleasant to me in social situations because of their judgment and
bad information they conjured up about my actions.
My 6 other
friends who helped make the decision to testify are all great people who, 20
years later are all out at work and to their families. Some of them even have
jobs where their insurance benefits cover their same sex partners and kids.
We've come a long way in 20 years individually and as a community, and it's my
belief we've only come this far by telling the truth.
One particular
letter I received from a California gay activist months after the trial said,
"without the truth, gays will never gain the respect and rights they
deserve in this country."
Many have always
wondered what would have happened had Parsons and Buck won their $75,000,000
libel suit against Time, Inc. Given that they denied being lesbians and `that
lesbians made them sick', I doubt they would have ever filtered their libel
`winnings' down to the gay community.
I didn't receive
any money for what I did and never expected to from the get-go. My motive was
the truth.
I have always worked quietly (usually) in Utah
to better the lives of both gays and straights here through volunteerism and
donations each and every day of my life and will continue to do so until the
day I die. Most important, I always tell the truth and am proud to be a
lesbian.
I would hope
that Ben Williams, president of a historical society for gays here in Utah will
correct his facts for future generations of gays, lesbians, and transgendered
people. All the testimonies and magazine, newspaper articles are in public
domain. Babs De Lay
2 April 2005
Saturday
The Utah Bears celebrated the 1
year Anniversary of Club 161, “Our Home Bar.”
“Club 161 will be paying special thanks to the UBA and the Wasatch
Leatherman's Association for our support of the Bar. It is going to be a great
time for all.”
Salt
Lake Community College presented The Kinsey Sicks, “America’s Favorite
Dragapella Beauty shop Quartet! A feast of music and comedy which combines
award winning a cappella singing, sharp satire, and over-the-top drag,”
as “part of the school-wide
Multi-Cultural & Diversity Programming initiative.”
“The Kinsey
Sicks have headlined at fine arts venues, colleges, national fundraisers and
corporate events. The one-night-only Salt Lake Community College show was held at
the Grand Theatre, South City Campus, 1575 South State Street. “Tickets are
free for SLCC students with current school ID, $5 for other students with
current school ID and $10 for all other tickets For more information about this
event contact Gordon Storrs. Any proceeds of the show will be donated to the
Utah AIDS Foundation and The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Utah.
RED NECK WEDDIN'
Crown Prince Chuck Whyte and Crown Princess Chevy Suburban & RCGSE Present
Crown Prince and Princess Ball or CP BALL: When: Saturday, April 2nd 2005 Where:
Grand Opening Night at The Trapp Door Time: Doors Open 8:00pm Show starts at
9:00pm Cost: $6.00 at Door supports RCGSE Funds This is more than a Drag Show
it's an Event you don't want to miss....it will be night filled with lots of
laughs, camp, fun, and various performers from our community.
3 April 2005 Sunday
An after Conference Sunday
Fireside & Mission Reunion was held by Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons
and Reconciliation. The event was held at the Metropolitan Community
Church, 823 South 600 East. “It will
start at 5:30 with a potluck followed by a Fireside that will feature actor and
writer Stephen Fales. Please bring a favorite casserole, salad, or desert for
the potluck. Drinks provided by the chapter.”
“Steven Fales is
best known for his one-man play CONFESSIONS OF A MORMON BOY which has garnered
critical and popular acclaim across the country. He most recently played a sold-out run in
Fales has two
children who he takes weekly to "Music and the Spoken Word" at Temple
Square. "When I got excommunicated I threw god out with religion. I've now taken god back on my terms
and it has made such a difference in my life. I know it sounds crazy, but I
still feel god in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Despite the
institutionalized bigotry of the Church, I want my kids to be exposed to the
many good things in our Mormon pioneer heritage. The choir is one of those
things."
Fales quips,
"God has seen me through excommunication, divorce, prostitution and drugs.
Now we're working on narcissism."
He is currently
working on many projects including a new
solo show called MORMON AMERICAN PRINCESS.
Wasatch
Affirmation is the
We affirm that
live as a GLBTI person can be positive and is not incompatible with spirituality. At the same time, we are a
diverse group who embrace a variety of
lifestyles and hold a variety of
attitudes towards spirituality, religion, morality, and politics. We are united
chiefly by our desire to interact with others who share our dual background --
Mormon and GLBTI -- and who therefore share the unique struggle and blessings
which that duality engenders.
4 April 2008
Monday
No Entry-
5 April 2005 Tuesday
Seth Randal, who lived in Salt
Lake a while back, is living in Boise and is producing a film on the 'Boys of
Boise' 'sex scandal' of 1955. He has a blog about it at http://fallof55.blogspot.com/ He is
seeking people in this area who may have been caught up in the 'scandal.'
Please pass this around as he would love to interview them or otherwise get
their story for his film. Ben, I'm sure he would love any info you may be able
to pass onto him. Thanks!
-Michael Aaron
6 April 2005 Wednesday
No Entries
8 April 2005
Friday
the Utah Cyber Sluts held GAY
BINGO at the GLBT Community Center and “for a night of wickedly funny entertainment, prizes, and
friendly cutthroat competition. The
theme for April is "Springtime in Utah," so dress to express
your feelings about Spring, whether
you're covered by a rain slicker, sporting a fabulous Easter bonnet, or all
decked out in your General Conference
best.”
SIN: Strength In
Numbers hosted a dinner and movie event for HIV+ gay men.
9 April 2005
Saturday
No entry
10 April 2005
Sunday
I didn’t do anything special for
my 54th birthday since Mike Romero and I are not speaking right now.
There was a Town
Meeting at the Center that I went to instead, it was rather boring and really
hard to participate. Actually I don’t think no matter what they purport to say,
don’t want anyone’s opinion especially old Gay men like me, a dinosaur.
Center to Hold
Town Meeting April 10, 3:00 p.m. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender
Community Center of Utah (The Center) will hold its regular bi-annual town
meeting on Sunday, April 10, beginning at 3:00 p.m., at the Head Start
administrative offices, 1307 South 900 West, in Salt Lake City. The town
meeting, the third since The Center began holding town meetings twice a year last
year, will be an opportunity for a community update on the work and initiatives
of The Center as well as an opportunity for staff and board members to
facilitate discussions on the pressing needs of the community.
"These town
meetings serve as an important forum for community dialogue," said Valerie
Larabee, Executive Director of The Center. "To achieve The Center's
mission - to be a catalyst for personal growth, acceptance and equality for
GLBT people in Utah –we must remain grounded in the fundamental focus of our
origin: community. By staying community-based and community focused, The Center
allows for real life, up-close confrontations with a spectrum
of issues
affecting GLBT individuals ranging from individual and group support to
facilitating a community-wide vision for equality."
In addition to
The Center update, including The Center's Utah Pride Festival plans, part of
the afternoon will be devoted to small-group breakout sessions to discuss
issues of concern to the participants. "Each town meeting, we make sure to
invite members of the community whose interests and activities are focused in a
variety of categories including political, social, fitness/sports/recreation,
physical and mental health, and spiritual concerns," said Robert Austin,
Board Vice President and event facilitator. "We spend some time breaking
into smaller groups to hear the concerns that may be unique to these affinity
groups. Of course, all members and allies of the community are welcome. We are committed
to making sure all members of the community have a 'place at the table' and a
stake in the work of The Center."
The event is
free and open to the public, but donation will be accepted to offset costs of the event
and to continue the community- wide push to meet the recently announced Beano
Solomon challenge grant of $100,000 for new donations to The Center. RSVP's
will allow the Center to prepare refreshments and break-out sessions. Please
RSVP to Jennifer Nuttall, Coordinator of Adult Programs at The Center, by
e-mail at Jennifer@glbtccu.org or by phoning 801-539- 8800 x 13.
11 April 2005
Monday
No Entry
12 April 2005
Tuesday
The GLBT Community Center of Utah
and LGBT Resource Center at the U hosted a reception featuring Andy Wong to
commemorate the National Day of Silence and Asian-American Awareness Week. “Not
only has Andy been a highly active and visible gay rights leader, but he was also once Mormon, which he says
was “the biggest mistake of my
life.” He still struggles with
being gay in his traditional Chinese immigrant family. He recently co-authored
“Unite Against Violence” in the upcoming 50 Ways to Support Lesbian and Gay
Equality (Inner Ocean Publishing).
Pink Pistols
held its monthly indoor shooting-range meeting at Doug's Shoot 'N Sports at 4926 South Redwood Road in Taylorsville, Utah
13 Apr 2005 Wednesday
A person calling himself "Dr Buck” emailed about comments I made
about Charles
Van Dam and Gordon B. Hinckley I
posted on the Gay BYU yahoo group site “I remember first reading your article
and thinking what sensationalism. But I was talking to a female friend of mine
in
An article about
Andy Wong appearing at the U of U entitled:
“Gay, Asian, Mormon: A Conversation about Identity and Empowerment” was
published.
“Standing at the
intersections of race, sexuality, and gender, Andy Wong has been a vocal
advocate for women's rights, LGBT equality, and API (Asian Pacific Islander)
visibility. Last year, Andy helped spearhead the movement for same-sex marriage
in San Francisco and transform the city into a national epicenter for marriage
activism.
Since then, Andy
has directed his energies toward educating communities of color and has emerged
as a leading Asian American voice on the issue. Andy is also the Director of
Development and Communications at
Community United Against Violence (CUAV) and the Susan Schechter
Leadership Development Fellow at the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF).
A graduate of
Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, he received a double major in Political
Science and Women's Studies, with a concentration in Peace and Conflict
Studies. He has an extensive background that includes working for Hillary
Clinton's U.S. Senate Committee, Communities United Against Violence (SF),
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (SF), Amnesty
International (NY), and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.”
I read an
article on a Day of Silence today. How times have changed when we wore buttons
saying “Silence = Death”
“Students at
Salt Lake Area High Schools Take Part in "Day of Silence" and Create
"Night of Noise" “Get ready for area campuses to be a little quieter
during school hours on Wednesday, April 13. On that day, over 300 area high
school and college students will join students across the nation in a Day of
Silence.
The Day of
Silence, a project of Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is a
nationwide, student-led event during which hundreds of high schools and
colleges protest the oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth,
and their allies.
During Day of
Silence, participating youth, in addition to wearing t-shirts and stickers,
will carry "speaking cards" to pass out to those interested in the
protest. The cards read: "Please understand my reasons for not speaking
today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement
protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,
and their allies in schools.
My deliberate
silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and
discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward
fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What
are you going to do to end the silence?"
GLSEN's 2003
National School Climate Survey found that more than 4 out of 5 LGBT students
report verbal, sexual or physical harassment at school and 29% report missing
at least a day of school in the past month out of fear for their personal
safety.
The Day of
Silence is one way students and their allies are making anti-LGBT bullying, harassment,
and name-calling unacceptable in American schools. Following their "Day of
Silence" this year, area youth are planning a special gathering to further
draw attention to the issues faced by LGBTQ youth.
"Night of Noise" will be hosted by
the Youth Activity Center at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community
Center of Utah. The event, starting at 7 pm, will give area youth an
opportunity to join together and reflect on their day of silence. It also will
provide an opportunity to let the community know that although they have been
and still are silenced, youth are going to be the change they wish to see!
Youth will speak
out against injustice and speak powerfully about their lives and experiences
living as queer youth in Utah. "The Day of Silence," according to one
local youth organizer Amanda Krebs, "is especially relevant to Salt Lake
because of the growing visibility of LGBTQ youth and the accompanying backlash
of harassment against them." Krebs
hopes that Day of Silence, followed by Night of Noise, will contribute to
ending some of the fear and hatred students face.
14 April 2005
Thursday
My Lambda Lore column “Of QUEENS
and FOUNDING FATHERS: Spirit of 76 Vol 2 Issue 8 “ We don’t celebrate April 19 anymore. April 19
is Patriots Day. In New England this is a big deal, but not such a big deal in
Utah where Pioneer Day is king of the holidays.
Speaking of
kings, it’s a little known fact that after the revolution many of the “founding
fathers” wanted to create an American monarchy instead of a presidency. Along
with James Monroe, Alexander Hamilton was dissatisfied with the weaknesses of
the Articles of Confederation and contemplated installing a liberal-minded
monarch for the position of executive.
Hamilton
supported Prince Henry of Prussia, the younger brother of King Frederick the
Great, for that post and diplomatic letters were sent. However the 1787
Constitutional Convention convened, to form a new Constitution, before Prince
Henry could reply and the concept of a monarchy among the conventioneers was
rejected.
Had events
turned out otherwise, America's first king would have been a queen! Prince
Henry like his brother King Frederick, had never made much effort to hide his
interest in young men and an expose’ on the prince was even published in 1789
explicitly referring to Prince Henry's "passion for pederasty".
The Prussian
Court of King Frederick the Great was rife with "man on man" sex. In
fact, one such Prussian aide, to Frederick the Great, came to America to help
train the Continental Army, Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben. According to
many sources, Von Steuben originally had been forced to leave Prussia because
he had taken indecent liberties with various young men of which he was overly
fond.
In American he
joined the Continental Army and was later made Inspector General by George
Washington. Von Steuben shared the bitter winter at Valley Forge 1777-1778.
After the war, Congress voted him a pension and land in his retirement for
being "Indispensable to the achievement of American Independence".
Another Prussian, not as honored as Von
Steuben, was Frederick Gotthold Enslin. In 1778 this lieutenant in George
Washington's army was dishonorably discharged for attempted sodomy on the
person of another soldier. This is the only known case of sodomy in the
Continental Army and is found in George Washington's general orders dated March
10 1778.
"At a
General Court Martial whereof Colo. Tupper was President Lieu. Ensiling of
Colo. Malcolm’s Regiment tried for attempting Sodomy with John Moonwort, a
soldier. Secondly for perjury in swearing to false accounts, found guilty of
the charges exhibited against him being breaches of the 5th Article 18th
section of the Articles of War and do sentence him to be dismissed from the
service with Infamy.
His Excellency
the Commander and Chief approves the sentence and with abhorrence and
Detestation of such infamous crimes orders Lt. Ensiling to be drummed out of
Camp tomorrow morning by all the Drummers and Fifers in the army never to
return; the Drummers and Fifers to attend on the Grand Parade at Guard mounting
for that purpose.
The
1789 expose’ on Prince Henry of Prussia noted that "The aristocracy of the
army knows that with Prince Henry, the Ganymede’s shall always be in
control."
Never heard of Ganymede.
Your public school education has failed you. Or perhaps you just slept through
high school. Ganymede of course was the Greek youth who was so beautiful that
Zeus fell in love with him and brought the teenager to Mount Olympus to serve
the king of the god’s every pleasure.
Some historians,
okay the Gay ones, see Alexander Hamilton as a sort of Ganymede to George
Washington- the Father of Our Country! Indeed Hamilton, who was a young
handsome youth, quickly rose to power by flattering powerful older men during
the Revolutionary War.
Throughout
George Washington's life, he showed little interest in women. As a young single
man, he even told friends that there was only one woman that he would ever
consider marrying and that she was already married to his friend George William
Fairfax. George eventually caved in to pressure after being persuaded that it
was unseemly for a public figure to remain unmarried and thus he married a
wealthy widow, Martha Cutis. And while known as the father of his country,
Washington actually never fathered anyone.
Washington's
closest attachments were always young men, particularly Alexander Hamilton.
Throughout the Revolution, the young Hamilton served as aide-de-camp to the
middle aged Washington, serving as personal secretary and closest companion.
However Hamilton had his own romantic friendship with John Laurens, a well-heeled
aristocrat from a prominent Charleston, South Carolina family.
In
1776, at the age of 19, Hamilton became a captain of the American artillery and
joined General Washington's staff in 1777, where he met 24 year old Laurens.
Laurens and Hamilton, both young revolutionaries and part of the close male
circle surrounding General Washington, formed an intense and many say romantic
attachment, which was revealed in letters written from 1779 until 1782.
One, written
April 1779 by Hamilton to Laurens, stated, "I wish, my Dear Laurens, it
might be in my power by action rather than words to convince you that I love
you. …You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my
affections without my consent.” Later in the letter, Hamilton asked Lauren to
find him a wife. “To excite their emulation, it will be necessary for you to
give an account of the lover- his size, make quality of mind and body,
achievements, expectations, fortunes &c. In drawing my picture, you will no
doubt be civil to your friend; mind you do justice to the length of my nose and
don't forget (five words are crossed out). After reviewing what I have written
I am ready to ask myself what could have put it into my head to hazard this jet
de follies. Do I want a wife? No- I have plagues enough without desiring to add
to the number that greatest of all.. And if I were silly enough to do it, I
should take care how I employ a proxy. ..I have gratified my feelings, by
lengthening out the only kind of intercourse now in my power with my friend.
Adieu”
On August 27 1782 in a minor shoot-out with a
British foraging party, John Laurens was killed at the age of 28 and Hamilton
remained a trusted confidant of George Washington until February 1781 when they
quarreled.
After
the war Hamilton and Washington renewed their friendship and Washington chose
Hamilton to serve as first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton was a founder of
the Federal Party, advocating a strong central government. He was instrumental
in securing the victory of Thomas Jefferson, his political foe, over Aaron Burr
in the Presidential Elections of 1800 which led to Hamilton's death in 1804 in
a duel with Burr. Hamilton was 47 years old.
15 April 2005 Friday
An evening of music and comedy at
“The Center Space.” Bring a friend for
big laughs with Karen Bayard followed by great original music by Leraine Horstmanshoff.
Admission is free. We are very fortunate that
Karen and Leraine have donated their amazing talents to entertain you –
The
Utah GLBT Business Guild held their 2005
Social Mixer at the Hotel Monaco 15 W. 200 S. SLC, UT “Hors d'ouevres and a
cash bar. Please come by to mingle and socialize with fellow business owners.
Help us grow by inviting your friends to join us. Toni Johnson of Accounting
& More, Inc.
16 April 2005
Saturday
Come to SweRve's CLUB SWANG! “Beautiful
Ladies: are you looking for a place to bring your gal and learn to swang it Latin style? Here's your
chance! Join the sexy and talented Chela M as she teaches you how to move it on
the dance floor like a pro. No funny looks, no men asking to cut in. Just
fabulous women learning the basics of Latin dancing.”
The SL METRO’s
first F A B U L O U S F U N B U S to
Wendover, Nevada. “Leave at 1pm from Club Try-Angles parking lot Cyber Slut
Bingo on the bus with great 'adult' prizes Gamble and play until 9pm Disco nap
on the bus back Return to Club Try-Angles by 11pm $15 includes the $7 cash
back, buffet and much more. Proceeds go to the Gay Men's Meth Crisis Utah.”
Pride week at
Salt Lake Community College concluded with their final event being a Dance at
the student center at the Redwood Road campus. It will be held from 9PM to Midnight and the cost is $5.
17 April 2005
Sunday
No Entry
18 April 2005
Monday
Utah Valley State College’s
Gay-Straight Alliance Presented " “Resources For Understanding
Homosexuality; Feelings Of Homosexuality Don't Go Away
19 April 2005
Tuesday
Ruth Hussey was Jimmy Stewart's
wisecracking girlfriend in "The Philadelphia Story" one of my
favorite movies. She died today at the age of 93.
20 April 2005
Wednesday
No Entry
21 April 2005
Thursday
Utah Valley
State College’s Gay-Straight Alliance Presented "Marriage Hopes and
Realities" A Video Documentary in
the UVSC Ballroom. “ Marriage Hopes
and Realities, tells the story of an LDS man married for 25 years, who also was
a leader in the Evergreen support group. Two pamphlets will also be presented. A
Guide for LDS Families Dealing With Homosexual Attraction provides careful
counsel and direction to reach out with love and understanding.
The Persistence
of Same Sex Attraction in Latter-day Saints Who Undergo Counseling or Change
Therapy provides insight into the outcomes for over 800 LDS people involved in
counseling.
This report
includes the counseling experiences of an LDS Bishop and two important LDS
Family Counselors.
Resources for Understanding Homosexuality
is a group of Latter-day Saint families and friends whose focus is to educate
LDS families and other conservative groups about homosexuality.
The idea that homosexuality is chosen and that
homosexuals can change to heterosexuality is a misconception that our group
challenges with our Resources. We believe that when people understand that the
feelings of homosexuality don't go away, then compassion and understanding
towards homosexuals will be more widely accepted.
We believe our
Resources can be an important method for spreading educational information,
particularly among Mormons because they are designed especially for Mormons.
We
welcome your attendance to view one of our documentaries and to review our
pamphlets. For more information on UVSC'S Gay-Straight Alliance, Contact Kevin
Petersen We'd Love everyone's Attendance, Hope to see you all there. Club
President, Kevin Petersen
University of
Utah's 1st Queer Spelling. Queer (kwir) adj 1.differing from what is usual or
ordinary; off; singular; strange Come one, come all, to the University of
Utah's first Queer Spelling Bee ever! This fabulous event is being held to have
fun, and to promote Queer community empowerment for EVERYONE on campus, and we
mean ALL! At this time, we are inviting people of all sexual orientations and
gender identities, to submit their suggestions and ideas for queer words to
Charles Milne Words should be in good, campy, taste. Examples of words are, but
are not limited to, taffeta, tea cozy and DeGeneres.
Changed from
April 14th Where: Panini 299 South Main Street, located inside the
Wells Fargo Building $5 suggested Donation Register to be a contest by email
Charles Milne
22 April 2005
Friday
Sixth PrideFest Film Festival at
USU PrideFest, Utah State University’s gay and lesbian film festival, begins
April 22 and runs through the 26th. The event has been running for six years
and offers some of the finest queer-themed film programming.
This year’s
festival includes excellent new films that have never before been seen in Utah,
as well as some old favorites.
On Friday, April
22 the festival will present Pumping Velvet, an artistic and autobiographical
look at the life of Dustin Robertson, a gay man who produced music videos for
some of the music industry’s hottest stars.
This film will make you feel
uncomfortable, and also make you want to cheer, no matter whether you are gay
or straight. If you liked "Tarnation" you'll love this one.<
On
Saturday, April 23, PrideFest presents the short features selections. These
selections include "Night Shadows" one of the first gay horror films,
a unique coming of age short in "Fairies" and "Blessing". A locally produced film about a man’s journey
home to see his devout Mormon father.
Monday April
25th will have a documentary about Sister Jeanine Grammick's journey to the
Vatican on behalf of gay and lesbians. Interesting side note though.... She
actually tangled with the new Pope on the issue.
Followed by a fund raiser for the
Logan high GSA showing a film strip they produced but couldn't show at their
own diversity assembly and a great set of Youth related short films
Tuesday
April 26 will be great fun for all as Film Maker Vincent Roth will be
presenting his film Surge Of Power! the stuff of heroes". A great camp film about a Gay Super Hero.
Watch as the stars from films you haven't seen in years do cameos.
Admission is $5 for evening films
or $3 for matinee's Festival. Pass $20 All day Saturday for $10 All films to be
shown in the main auditorium of the Taggart Student Center. For more information check the website at http://www.usu.edu/pride/pridefest6/ As there have been some schedule updates
since it hit the papers. Come on up and have a great time!
23 April 2005
Saturday
Full Leather Party in support of
the Wasatch Leather man Community sponsored by Club161 2nd South 1440 West SLC “Prizes
given for: Best Leather, Amateur Leather, and Most Outrageous Leather”
24 April 2005
Sunday
Gay soccer was switched to
SUGARHOUSE PARK. “Enter Sugarhouse from the North Side off of 2100 south. Follow
the main park road around and down the hill until you see the first road on the
left. The soccer field is at the end of that road. We will still be playing at 2:30 p.m. Everybody
is invited to play or watch. Don't
hesitate to email if you have any
questions. Hope to see you all there! Kirk
I wrote this for
my Lambda Lore column in the SL Metro : “FREEDOM OF THE GAY PRESS” So important was
this basic concept that it was enshrined into our Constitution as the first
article of the Bill of Rights. The founding fathers knew that a free press was
essential for freedom from the tyranny. They also knew a free press builds a
sense of identity for a community or a people.
Thirty years ago
this month, Utah’s first paper, specifically geared for the burgeoning Queer
community, appeared. The early newspapers of the Queer communities of Utah were
primarily the work of volunteer editors, layout people, reporters, and writers.
Many of the papers had to be hand lettered and laid out. These periodicals were
barely able to survive, sustained by advertising revenue from Gay friendly
businesses. What one read in these papers was guided not by editorial policy
but by whatever the editors were able to persuade people to write. Little news
and even less editorial comment were presented in most of these periodicals.
In April 1975,
the first Queer publication was launched with Babs De Lay first editor as a
project of the Gay Community Center. This periodical was actually more of a
newsletter and printed on a mimeograph machine. The first issue even had no
name, as the name was to be chosen from a contest held at Pride Day. The
winning name was The Gayzette. The paper’s handle only lasted until January
1976 when the center changed the paper’s name to The Salt Lick, keeping Babs De Lay as editor. Places willing to
distribute The Salt Lick were Cosmic Aeroplane, Open Book, Club Baths, The Sun,
Sisters, Radio City, The Sunset Room, the Rape Crisis Center, the Name of the
Game Jr., The Munch Shoppe, Mother Earth, MCC, Grace Christian Church, and
Round Records. The Salt Lick was abandoned in 1976 after the Gay Community
Center closed up shop and Babs De Lay went on to become editor of The Rocky
Mountain Woman, a feminist paper.
Utah’s Queer
community was without a paper for over a year until the Gay Community Services
Coalition officially registered The Open Door with the state of Utah in
December 1977. The Open Door, a reference to “coming out of the Closet,” was
the primary news organ for the Gay community from 1977 until 1981. Editors and
owners were Ray Hencke, Joseph Dover alias “R. Spike Joseph,” Ken A. Kline
Michael Perry, and Robert “Bob” Waldrop, pastor of Metropolitan Community
Church. The Open Door’s articles had more substance than the previous papers. Jeff
Howrey's “Mormon and Gay…One Man’s Tale of Bloody Knuckles,” first printed in
the Open Door, was later reprinted in the University of Utah’s Daily Chronicle.
However it was the “Payne Papers,” printed as a serial, which garnered national
attention. Cloy Jenkins, a Gay BYU student, after attending an anti-Gay lecture
by BYU professor Reed Payne, prepared a thoughtful anonymous response to the lecture. Now known as
Prologue the paper called for a “well-reasoned
dialogue on these issues.” In 1978 The
Advocate published an abridged version of Jenkin’s anonymous work.
The following
year The Open Door ran this classified Ad; “BYU Underground. Note: Community
Voice-Persons interested in meeting other gays going to BYU. All correspondence
will go through The Open Door for safety reasons. Write The Open Doors Number
1004.” While the editor of the Open Door
vouched for the authenticity of the ad in an editorial piece, it was actually
placed by BYU’s security to entrap Gay students. In 1979 when BYU admitted its
covert operation, the publisher of The Open Door sold the paper.
The new owners
of the Open Door began to charge 25 cents an issue, with 40 percent of the
profits purportedly going back into the community. Religious organizations such
as Affirmation, Integrity, and MCC were to received 10%, another 10% was to be
divided between the People’s Concern Fund of the Imperial Court of Utah and the
Deacon Fund of MCC, another 10 % to the Tony Adams Political Rights Defense
Fund and 10 % into a trust fund for the eventual establishment of a Gay
community center for Salt Lake City. The attempt to fund Gay organizations from
charging 25 cents for the paper fizzled. But the Open Door continued to crank
out monthly issues until 1981 when Bob Waldrop’s amazing social activism burned
out. Another paper called the Gay Community News appeared between 1980 and 1981
but no copies of it have been located.
A series of short lived publications emerged
after the demise of the Open Door. Michael Aaron’s Gay Community News lasted from 1981 to1982.
Laura L. Ferreira along with editor “Shar” operated The Salt City Source from
1984 to 1985. David Nelson created the news magazine The Up Front, a project of
Gay Community, a non-profit Utah Corporation, from 1984 to 1985. Michael Aaron
and David Nelson teamed to make a go of The Community Reporter which lasted one
year 1985. The Salt City Source was given in 1985 to the Utah Community
Services Center and Clinic and renamed The Best Source. Michelle Beauchaine
under the alias “Michelle Cheney” ran the paper.
Most notably the
Best Source ran articles on the deadly AIDS epidemic. AIDS activist Sidney
Spears, in a letter published by the paper, was first in the community to
exhort Gays to help with the emerging crisis. “We just have to help ourselves. We
just can’t wait for the help to come to us. We have to be willing to seek it
out where ever it is …just how many have to die before we take action?” The Best Source became the first newspaper in
Utah to accept a condom ad for Trojan Naturallube Ribbed Rolled Latex Condom-
“Don’t Leave Home Without One.” Additionally,
Jay E. Lambert M.D. became the first physician to advertise in a Utah Gay publication, the
Best Source. In the 1980’s there was a major reluctant on the part of
physicians to advertised in a Queer publications. One even stated he “was already
seeing more than a fair share of patients from the Gay Community.“
In the latter
half of the 1980’s a monthly news magazine materialized that replaced all
former publications. The first Issue of The Triangle Magazine was published in
March 1986. Many of the former editors and publishers of early print media,
such as Michael Aaron, and David Nelson joined Scott Dunn, Mark Skeem, Richard
(Ragnar) McCall, and John Sasserman in the venture which featured as its
premier article- "The Church of Jesus Christ of All Latter Day
Saints." The monthly news magazine
was very professional in content but the toll it took on its staff, many who
were being diagnosed with AIDS, was devastating.
In 1987, a
Lesbian named Satu Servigna bought out the magazine and renamed it The Triangle
Community Digest. Servigna published the paper under the alias C.J. Roux for
three years, with Ralph Goff acting as editor for some of that time. The last
Issue of the Triangle Community Digest was July 1990 when a chronic illness
forced Servigna to quit publishing.
When the
Triangle folded in the summer of 1990, Becky Moorman and Alice Drake became the
editor and publisher of a newsmagazine for the Queer community called The
Bridge. The women wanted their paper to be more of an arts and entertainment
magazine then was the old Triangle. The owners were, however, the first
publisher to invest heavily in the hard and software needed to operate a news
magazine. Often controversial, local printing shops sometimes would not print
the magazine or would censor its cover. The women then would have to drive to
Las Vegas to have the paper published. Eventually the Bridge, along with the
women’s bookstore, The Rhino Nest, dissolved in 1993 when the pair’s
relationship ended.
In 1992 Ron
Shelby and Randy Richardson, with great fanfare, started a small publication
called The Out Front. The pamphlet was printed biweekly and appeared to be more
for the advertising revenue it generated then to be actually a voice of the
Queer community. Richardson turned out to be a con artist and after stealing
about $10,000 from the community he disappeared. Both the Bridge and The Out
Front ended their publications in February 1993 which left only the Womyn's
Community Newsletter as a Utah source of information, but it was geared solely
towards that particular community.
In the spring of
1993 the only attempt to gear a newspaper specifically to the men’s community
appeared. Ben Williams, along with Robert Smith, David Ball, Todd Dayley,
members of the Sacred Faeries, and Brandon Creer started a publication called
The Pillar of the Mehn’s Community, as a complement to Worthington’s periodical.
Williams wanted to call the publication The Mehn’s Organ but was out voted, but
he settled for the publishing label of Uranian. Uranians were what Queer people
were called during the 19th Century’s pioneer homosexual movement. The male
oriented concept of the paper was dropped after two issues. Within a few months
The Pillar began to report on the entire Gay and Lesbian Community, often with
entire sections devoted to women's issues.
The content of
The Pillar was reflected by its four principal editors-Ben Williams, Brandon
Creer, Kim Russo, and Todd Dayley. The paper’s succession of owners and editors
ended in 1997 when Dayley became sole proprietor of The Pillar. In April 2005,
The Pillar celebrated its 12th Year and thus has the distinction of being
Utah’s longest running Gay publication.
Kim Russo left
the Pillar to start up her own paper in 1997 called the Xchange. This
informative paper never found its niche and with Russo having so many other
things on her plate, she allowed the paper to expire in 1999.
In April 2004,
The Salt Lake Metro was launched by owners Michael Aaron and Jay Peterson for
the Queer community. The bi-weekly paper is distributed widely throughout Utah
and is on line on the internet. The first editor of the paper was Brandon Burt
followed by Jere Keys.
Women have had
about the same amount of control over the news media in Utah’s Queer Community
as have men. Indeed several periodicals were published specifically for the
women’s community. These were the Women Aware‘s Newsletter, published
anonymously by Lesbians, although most noticeably by “Marilyn, Nancy and Terri,,”
(1979–1985), Kathy Worthington’s Womyn's Community News (1991-1995), Dina and
Whitney Hannah’s The Labrys, (1995-1997) and presently Janice Eberhardt’s Womyn
4 Women.
25 April 2005
Monday
No Entry
26 April 2005
Tuesday
Film & Discussion at the GLBTCCU’s Center “Space Embracing Our
Homosexual Children” is a documentary about an LDS family with 11 children,
with three gay sons and a lesbian daughter. The parents, John, and Ilse
Horstmanshoff, share how they were able to put their arms around each of their
gay children in a loving and supportive manner.
One of the gay
sons, Ernie also tells his personal story of being raised LDS, serving a
mission, marriage in the LDS temple and his subsequent coming out. The
documentary is narrated by BYU professor, William Bradshaw.
27 April 2005
Wednesday
No Entry
28 April 2005
Thursday
The LAMBDA HIKING CLUB hosted a four day Car Camping event at Natural
Bridges National Monument. According to the Natural Bridges National Monument
web site, "Natural Bridges protects some of the finest examples of ancient
stone architecture in the southwest. Located on a tree-covered mesa cut by deep
sandstone canyons, three natural bridges formed where meandering streams
eroded the canyon walls... At 6,500 feet
above sea level, Natural Bridges is home to a variety of plants and
animals." We'll have lots of time to explore the area. Plan on our
traditional Saturday evening potluck dinner and social. Call Randy Burke for
more information
My Lambda Lore
column “Homosexuals, the Holocaust,” and Utah Volume 2 Issue 9
Okay I admit I
am a rabble rouser. I have been called worse. However, I feel that as a true
educator, I must get people out of their comfort zone to get their attention.
Perhaps that was all former Utah State Superintendent of Education, James Rex
Moss, was doing when he informed the sponsors of the Anne Frank Holocaust
Exhibit that mentioning homosexuals as victims of the holocaust to Utah school
children was forbidden. But I doubt it.
In mid-March
1990, as major snow storm blew into Utah, I snuggled in my cozy basement
apartment and began to read the SL Tribune Sunday paper. My Sunday tranquility
was shattered when I came across an article that made me blow my stack. The
Anne Frank Holocaust Exhibit was coming to Salt Lake- but the sponsors of the
exhibit were told by the State Office of Education that they could not mention
that homosexuals were among the murdered millions.
According to the
article, James Moss, state superintendent of education said,
"Homosexuality is not a major feature of the holocaust....I think the
major focus that certainly needs to be focused on was the religious and
cultural prejudice." Moss also
claimed that “it is possible to teach children they should not be bigoted
without having to include all groups that were targets of the
Nazi's."
As a 5th grade
school teacher my blood now chilled. How will children ever learn not to be
bigots when they are taught by bigots? I immediately called the officers of the
Gay and Lesbian Community Council, (GLCCU), Robert Smith, Chuck Whyte, and
Robert Austin, because I felt this hypocrisy needed an immediate response from
the community! Austin then called for an emergency meeting of the council and a
strategy was put in place to protest the exclusion of homosexuality from the
holocaust exhibit.
A loud protest
from the Gay community and their friends had the state office saying it was all
a “misunderstanding” the next day. After a furor of back tracking and press
conferences, “where education officials, gay-rights advocates and others tried
to sort out who said what to whom and when,” the final word from Joe Cannon was
that material on the Nazi persecution of homosexuals was now to be included in
the education packets about the exhibit. The state office had alleged that the
corporate sponsor, Geneva Steel, (owned by the Cannon family), originally had
deleted the information on homosexuals “at what the firm thought was the
request of state education officials.”
Apparently the
real flap was over a page in the teacher’s supplement depicting a triangle with
words "Gays Against Fascism." The Pink Triangle symbol had been
developed by the Gay Liberation Movement as a tribute to the Gay victims of
Nazi persecution. The Department of Education’s position was, "While the
State Office of Education has no concern about teaching the historical facts
about the terrible persecutions which affected homosexuals, there was concern
about sending teachers information about a symbol which, while retaining some
historical roots, has nothing to do with Anne Frank's era, but is a symbol for
a potentially controversial contemporary social-political movement.”
James Moss spoke
in private to offended community groups, including GLCCU about the controversy.
Robert Austin, the then GLCCU chairman, speaking on behalf of the Community
Council, agreed to not protest the exhibit, but instead planned to be a
"witness" to the suffering of homosexuals at the hands of the Nazis.
This "witnessing" was to include wearing pink triangles, carrying candles,
and distributing information.
The Anne Frank
Holocaust Exhibit opened March 25, 1990 in Washington Square. On the day of the
exhibit’s opening, an angry woman “outraged by the presence of Gay activists”
kicked a box full of symbolic pink triangles down the steps of the Salt Lake
City-County Building. Gay Community activists were offering these pink
triangles to everyone who entered the exhibit, explaining that they were used
by the Nazis to identify homosexuals. About half of those visiting the exhibit
that day accepted the emblem. After a rally at the City-County Building east
steps, about 100 Gays and their supporters later marched to St. Mark's
Episcopal Cathedral for a memorial service honoring Holocaust victims.
Teachers brought
Utah school children to the exhibit by the thousands, but there was a
reluctance to share the pages in the exhibits’ guidebook that were entitled The
Fate of the Homosexuals Under Nazi Rule.”
Gay activists, throughout the month long exhibit, handed out pink
triangles, and distributed informational fliers relating some of the history of
the persecution of homosexuals. It was noted in the flier that between 250,000
and 500,000 homosexuals were killed in Nazi death camps. "After the war,
Allied troops liberated the camps and helped many of the survivors go back to
European life," the flier said. "But the troops sent the homosexual
survivors to German jails for being "criminals.' Almost all died
there."
Later that year
People for the American Way, a watchdog group concerned with constitutional
liberties, selected the controversy surrounding the Anne Frank exhibit in Salt
Lake City as an example of one of 244 incidents in the United States it
believed amounted to school censorship during the 1989-90 school year.
As for James R.
Moss, he resigned as Superintendent shortly after the exhibit closed and died
in an automobile accident at the Point of the Mountain. He had a heart attack
in December 1990 at the age of 48 on route to a meeting.
29 April 2005
Friday
Prince Royale 23
Kim Russo, Princess Royale 26 Kyra Prespentte, and Princess Royale 28 Krystyna
presented "WET N' WILD" at the Paper Moon with a $5 donation. It was
a benefit for the Royal Court’s Scholarship Fund
30 April 2005
Saturday
There’s just one more month of
school left and it was announced that Merry Fusselman is not coming back and we
will have another new Principal. Lots of people are nervous about it but since
I know I am going to leave it doesn’t matter to me. I think the only persons I
will miss are Mrs. McAdams and Mrs. Fisher as everyone is I worked with is
gone.
The GLBT
Community Center of Utah’s youth leadership group known as Queers In Action held
its second annual Queer Prom, “where the only thing not tolerated is hate.” The
Queer Prom was for all youth 13-20.
“All youth are
invited to join us at the Salt Lake City Hardware Building, located at 105
North 400 West from 8p.m.-midnight on April 30,2005 Tickets are Eight dollars per person in
advance and ten dollars at the door. You can get your tickets at the GLBT
Center of Utah or you can contact your local Queers In Action representative
Until all
schools are safe for queer students, Queers In Action will continue its efforts
in providing safe spaces for queer youth. There is still time to for interested
adults to volunteer their time to help pull off this amazing event.
Queers In
Action, the youth leadership group of the GLBT Community Center of Utah, organized
several GLBTQ related events for youth, by youth.
“This year we
are organizing the second annual Queer Prom being held on April 30th, 2005.
This event is very important to us, as
it gives us a chance to come together and be ourselves, which is so unlike our
everyday experience at our various high schools. It is important to be able to
take our dates to prom and not have to worry about harassment and violence so
that we can just celebrate who we are and have a good time.
We are looking
for responsible adults to volunteer their time to help make this event possible.
We need people to help set-up the event, chaperone during it, and to help clean
up afterwards.
We are looking
for at least 20 volunteers. You can also make a monetary contribution through
the GLBT Community Center of Utah specifically for Queer Prom 2005. If you are
interested in volunteering for any part, or all of the event, contact Gretchen
Krebs
Showered in
disco ball doughnuts, Scott Feeney whirled around the dance floor, his laughter
melting into the happy shrills of chatty teenagers and pop music booming from
speakers. The 16-year-old boy - who has been kicked out of school clubs and his
LDS church - was energized by the moment. At the Queer Prom Saturday night, it
was OK to be gay. "It's a safe place to go and hang out and to get to know
more people like you," he said. Feeney jigged on the dance floor with his
friend Emily Dalpias, a 17-year-old lesbian girl who traded in traditional prom
dress garb for a black shirt and a tie that matched her cropped , flamingo pink
hair. Dalpias brought her girlfriend of two years, Lindsay, so they could
mingle with other gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth and not get
stung with taunts. While in most places it can be uncomfortable just to hold
hands, here, at the Salt Lake City Hardware building, they could hug, dance -
just be themselves. The Queer Prom is much like any school dance. Punch bowls,
prom photos and a king and queen coronation are part of the event. Hundreds of
colorful balloons hang suspended in nets strewn across the ceiling. But for the
youth who attend, it's much more. It's validation. "I think it's a good
way to get the gay community, especially the young kids, together,"
Dalpias said, as she picked at a plate of ravioli at Tucci's before the prom. "I'm
excited," she said.
May
1 May 2005 Sunday
Pride Community Softball at Jordan
Park “is now underway! All games are played at Jordan Park, every Sunday, noon
– 4pm, located at 1050 S. 1000 W. If y
our not playing you should be out their cheering the teams on. For more information
contact Dan Montoya
2 May 2005 Monday
Utah Karaoke StarQuest Contest was
held Heads Up, a private club for members. StarQuest’s Men's Qualifying Round
held, with StarQuest Contest winner prizes included singing at Utah Pride, winning
a hotel stay in Las Vegas, Laughlin, Reno, or Lake Tahoe, and earning half of
all proceeds for their favorite charity.
The other half
goes to the Salt Lake Men's Choir - cosponsors of the event. The winner is
selected by the audience.
Women’s Support Group held at 7 pm in
the Middle Meeting Room at the GLBTCCU. “All women are invited to attend this
group to discuss issues relevant to the lesbian & bisexual community and to
provide emotional and social support to other women 18 and up. Reoccurs every
Monday. Facilitated by Mary Moran, LCSW.
3 May 2005 Tuesday
No Entry
4 May 2005 Wednesday
Lavender Tribe lead by Larry
Tidwell is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping others find a
spiritual path. “We meet at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah
(GLCCU) in the black box room (across from the Stonewall Coffee Shop). 361 N.
300 W. Although the group is centered around the GLBT community, ALL are
welcome. Please join us and bring a friend. If you know someone who would like
to speak to our group, please let us know!
The topic
tonight was "Crystals and Crystal Healing". Larry Tidwell has been a
student and teacher of crystals and crystal healing for about 6 years. He will
discuss different attributes of crystals and different ways to work with them.
The Diverse City
Writing Group met in the Front Meeting Room of the GLBTCCU. “This is a diverse
creative writing group that is open to everyone. Facilitated by the
The 2nd Annual
Lavender Graduation was held for all Graduating Seniors at the U of U. “If you
are a graduating senior and identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender,
we would like to celebrate the completion of your degree at the University of
Utah. Please email me so I can put you on the list of honorees. To attend the
ceremony RVSP with Charles Milne
5 May 2005 Thursday
Jane Briggeman wrote to me, “Hi
Ben...I'm trying to find out what older lesbians in SLC do; if they gather,
etc. In
I tried the
Sunday Coffee thing at the GLCC, and the women who attended were less than
inspiring...all they seemed to want to discuss were the straight women they had
bedded. Thanks but no thanks! So, there has to be some way to find these gals
and connect them--we all know they are out there, somewhere. I tried to join
the Utah-Lesbians yahoo message board and was dumb founded when that Moderator
rejected me as a member...so thank you for allowing me to join the Utah
Stonewall History message board! But thank you for your help...and have a GREAT
evening! jb
6 May 2005 Friday
A man named Darren Tucker wrote me,
" Hey Ben! I enjoyed your article in the last
Metro. It's a very informative look back, and as my dad always used to tell
me... "Every now and then you should take a look back to make sure you
remember what the road home looks
like."
As a former
editor of the "Eagle" newspapers (the
And (this is
really not a fair question, so you don't have to answer it if you don't Want
to) do you know if he is gay? I only ask because I believe I followed him as
editor of those publications, and I would find it more than a little ironic if
the most conservative publisher on the planet, Gayle Staley, had hired two
homosexual editors in a row.
Anyway, thanks
again for an informative article as usual. As a news writer for the Metro, I am
always pleased at the great stuff our staff puts out. Darren Tucker.”
Jane Briggeman wrote
me again saying, “Hi Ben...I owe you another Thank You. I looked in your links
and found out SLC had a Gay Magazine. So I added your link as well as the SL
Metro link to the following message board I created today. Initially I wanted
the message board to be for older gays and lesbians, but right away I was
getting older guys signing up who were looking for men barely out of their
teens...so I changed it to older lesbians only, sorry. But if an older group of
guys gets a message board started, maybe the two groups can meet up sometime
for potlucks or something. Anyway, thanks again...jb”
Kathryn Warner,
Utah singer /songwriter/ guitarist, performed a solo concert at the Jeanne
Wagner Theater 138 West Broadway in Salt Lake City. Kathryn Warner is 'family'.
Native Utahn born in Spanish Fork Kathryn Warner is more than just a "girl
with a guitar"! Kathryn's powerful, crystal clear voice encircles the
hearts of her audience as she masterfully creates the purest sounds of folk, gospel,
and the blues. Her lyrics are healing, revealing, and delivered with a whole
lot of soul! Don't miss this talented local favorite.
The performance was
a benefit for Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf, a non-profit organization
that supports victims of domestic violence who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
7 May 2005 Saturday
The Utah State
Democratic Convention was held at the Salt Palace. The Salt Lake tribune had
the following article, “Gay and lesbian Utahns have been a prominent part of
the Utah Democratic Party for more than 15 years, but the state-party
convention planned for Saturday will mark the first time some of them will join
firearm advocates and owners to promote the U.S. Second Amendment among
conventioneers.
Stonewall
Shooting Sports of Utah owner and longtime party leader David Nelson, who first
organized gay and lesbian Democrats in 1990, accepted an invitation by state
National Rifle Association leaders to help recruit more firearm advocates among
Democrats. Nelson and the leaders will
share their ideas and information at an NRA-sponsored convention exhibit.
The outreach was
the idea of party Vice Chairwoman Nancy Jane Woodside who is also a candidate
for election to serve as chairwoman.
"Not
surprisingly, many Democrats are already supportive of firearm ownership,"
Nelson said. "Our job is to reach out to those who haven't yet considered
legal, responsible and safe self defense as the human right and winning Democratic issue that it is.
From Presidents
Jefferson and Kennedy, and Vice
Presidents Humphrey and Mondale, to national-party chairman Gov. Howard Dean
and the state's own U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson,
traditional Democrats have a long and proud history of protecting
the right to bear arms."
Based on their
supportive opinions about the Second Amendment, Nelson endorsed Tracy Van
Wagoner and
If Nelson's
25-year state-party past is an indication of his success, more Democrats might
soon agree with his firearm-ownership ideas. The convention is planned for May
7 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Salt Palace Convention Center, where
legally concealed firearms are
permitted.”
Crystal Meth
Anonymous Crystal Meth anonymous met in the Middle Meeting Room/ CMA is a 12 step fellowship for those in recovery
from addiction to crystal meth. There are no dues or fees for membership.
Membership in CMA is open to anyone with a desire to stop using drugs. Reoccurs
Every Saturday night.
Ron
Hunt and Todd Bennett hosted another BEAR Party. “Everyone is welcome; RSVP's
are greatly appreciated! The hot tub will be open, so bring a towel and
flip-flops if you want to get wet! We are requesting a $5 donation for this
party, to help cover expenses. In beautiful Slut Lake City, UT Address: 951 Charlton
Circle (951 E. 2775 S.)
As always, you
will be greeted at the side door off the driveway, so please cum around to the
lighted door at the side. Please arrive by 7:30, so your hosts don't have to
spend all night doing door duty! This will be an old-fashioned Bear Hug for
Bears, Cubs, Daddies and Chubs, and men of all descriptions who admire them.
Soft Drinks, Water and Snacks will be provided. Please bring your own liquor,
lube & condoms, and whatever toys you want. We ask that no illegal drugs be
consumed on the premises.
This is NOT a
clothing-optional event; clothing is NOT an option! We encourage all party
guests to engage in safer sex, especially for buttsex. This is NOT a
"barebacking" party. Your fellow guests will be expecting you to use
a condom.”
8 May 2005-9 May
2005
No Entries
10 May 2005 Tuesday,
A Men’s Support Group met in the Middle
Meeting Room “This is a great group for friendship & support for gay and
bisexual men 18 and over. Facilitated by Gary Horrenkamp, LPC. Meets the 2nd
& 4th Tuesdays of every month at 7:30 pm.
11 May 2005
Wednesday
Lavender Tribe held its meeting
with Thella Hall speaking on the topic of Native American Mandalas. “A native Navajo
(Dineh), Thella combines her artistic talent with her native and beloved
mandalas. She has used art therapy to help people deal with a variety of issues
in their lives.”
12 May 2005-
No entries
13 May 2005 Friday,
Gay Bingo! Held in the Multi-Purpose
Room of the GLBTCCU. “Last month this event SOLD OUT! So get there early to
reserve your game board for a night of wickedly funny entertainment, prizes,
and friendly cutthroat competition with the Cyber Sluts and GAY BINGO! Have
fun, win prizes, and raise money for our Community Center. Admission is only 5
dollars and includes your first game board.”
14 May 2005
Saturday
Daniel Holsinger, founder of the Family Home
Evening group, hosted the Gay and Lesbian Youth Affirmation and Family Home Evening
Family, since Aaron Cloward was out of town for work and wasn’t able to plan/host
the GLYA activity. A Movie Night @ Belvedere Party Room at 29 South State, Salt
Lake City was held “Bring your favorite movie, food, snacks, etc. to the
Belvedere Party Room for a movie night! The Party Room boasts a HUGE screen TV,
two huge comfy couches, a large kitchen area and plenty of floor space for blankets
and pillows.
The Belvedere is
an apartment building directly east of ZCMI Center mall and directly south of
the old Hansen Planetarium. Walk in to the building through two sets of double
doors. Once you're in the lobby turn left and walk down a very small hallway
and you'll walk right into the Party Room.
My Lambda Lore column,
“UTAH HAS NO MORE BALLS Volume 2 Issue 10. “The year 1977 is simply
unprecedented in the development of a Gay Community in Utah. The year started
out simple enough. In January, the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan
Community Church of Salt Lake City (MCC) voted to hold a church dance in the state
capitol’s rotunda and applied for permission from the Lieutenant Governor's
office for a dance permit. For decades, the state capitol rotunda was available
for LDS Stakes to hold their annual Gold and Green Balls as well as other non
LDS churches.
On 3 February
1977, Lt. Governor David Monson granted MCC permission to hold a dance. However
two weeks later the Lieutenant Governor’s office rescinded its permission, “due
to the restrictions we have placed on the capitol and due to the nature of your
organization.” The flabbergasted Monson evidently was not aware that MCC was a
church with a Gay outreach until an anonymous caller informed him of the fact. Monson
immediately had his office checked with “reliable sources” that confirmed that
indeed MCC was a "Gay organization" and to Monson’s way of thinking
that was enough to justify withdrawing his permission.
Serendipitously,
Gay liberationist Bob Waldrop had just arrived in Utah in February. Bob Waldrop
is a 4th generation Oklahoman who converted to Mormonism and served a mission
to Australia. Returning from his mission he settled in California came out as a
Gay man and lost faith in the Mormon Church. He then became an ordained
minister in the Metropolitan Community Church. The now Rev. Waldrop was
selected along with Vicki Alger to serve as worship coordinators for the church
and eventually was chosen by that congregation to be their pastor.
Incensed over
the blatant discrimination on the part of the Lieutenant Governor, Rev. Waldrop
urged the church's board to hire a lawyer to fight the state of Utah. They
agreed and Attorney Kendall Perkins was retained. On 25 March 1977 Perkins
filed a lawsuit against the state of Utah on behalf of MCC alleging religious
discrimination.
Monson simply
turned the lawsuit over to the State Deputy Attorney General, Mike Deamer. To
harass the MCC church, Deamer filed a warrant requesting the membership list of
MCC. Deamer arrogantly stated that he wanted the church membership records in
order to turn them over to police agencies so they could be compared with lists
kept by the sheriff and city police departments of “known homosexuals.” Rev.
Waldrop felt that Deamer was simply trying to intimidate the church into
dropping its suit but they refused. Turning over the church’s membership
records, Rev. Waldrop claimed, was a violation of the Bill of Right’s Freedom
of Religion clause.
The 3rd District
Court of Utah on 17 May 1977 upheld MCC and refused to order the church to turn
over its records to the state of Utah. The courts eventually even ruled that
the Lieutenant Governor had no right to rescind permission to hold a dance in
the state capitol building simply because the church had homosexual members.
However rather than permit same sex dancing in the rotunda, the Lieutenant
Governor’s office suspended the practice of holding dances at the capitol all
together for LDS as well as non LDS groups. Of course the decision to suspend
dances at the rotunda was said to have been for "liability reasons"
and not because of the lawsuit by MCC. Can we together all say, "bull
shit"?
The fallout over
banning dances at the capitol continued at an open forum sponsored by the Daily
Chronicle at the University of Utah in June. Senator Orrin Hatch and Lt.
Governor David Monson found that the forum they were asked to speak at quickly
became dominated by "questions posed by a vocal group of University of
Utah students” regarding the constitutional rights of homosexuals. Both of the
Republicans blithely said constitutional rights of homosexuals should be
protected but they often conflict with the rights of others.
Lt. Governor
Monson then was asked to respond to questions by representatives of the Salt
Lake Metropolitan Community Church concerning his decision to bar the church’s
use of the state capitol rotunda for a dance. Monson claimed his decision was
based on state regulations rejecting use of the rotunda that “may incite
demonstrations or pose a threat of damage to the building or hazards to people
attending. Based on investigations and
information from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s office, we felt there was a
possibility outside sources would try to disrupt the dance.”
However Perkins,
the church’s attorney, said he was unaware of "any instances that would
demonstrate a potential for such disruption". Perkins asserted that
Monson’s decision to bar the church from the rotunda was made before any
investigation ever took place.
At this same
forum Senator Hatch later piped up and stated that homosexuality is marked by a “psychological
deficiency.” “I do not advocate the denial of constitutional rights," he
said but added, " I wouldn't want to see homosexuals teaching school any
more than I’d want to see members of the American Nazi Party teaching
school.” Gay Teachers and Nazis, what a
strange analogy! I wonder where he was going with this. Anyway, because the
Queer Community had balls in 1977, the State Capitol lost theirs.
15 May 2005
Saturday
In July 1975, 28 year old Paul A.
Douglas, along with Mac Hunt, and Jim Beveridge, opened a Gay bar on the far
west side of Salt Lake City called the Rusty Bell. The bar was located at 996
South Redwood Road and later became the infamous Puss and Boots Lesbian bar.
Now it is a dilapidated Mexican meat market.
Paul Douglas, according
to his partner of 35 years, poured his heart and soul in making a go of the
bar, but after losing two homes, mortgaged to support the bar, the place closed
in 1978. Inflation, like disco, killed many a Gay business in the late 1970’s.
He died today.
Paul A. Douglas
1946 ~ 2005 Paul A. Douglas, age 58 passed away on May 15, 2005 In Salt Lake
City. Paul was born in Indio, California, November 20th 1946, to Richard and
Beatrice Douglas. Paul is survived by a sister (Bea), two brothers (Dick) and
(Jim) and many nieces and nephews, that Paul loved dearly, and his partner and
companion (Bobbie) of 35 years. Paul's "fight" to live in spite of
many medical problems these past several years only showed his strong
character. He loved his extensive music and movie collection. Super 88 Paul --
you will be missed and loved by all that your life touched. A memorial of
Paul's life will be held Sunday May 29th, 2005 3 p.m. -6 p.m. at 1820 East 3900
South Holladay, Utah.
16 May 2005 Sunday
James Viney wrote me, “Dear
Mr. Williams, The national gay men's
health collective has chosen Salt Lake as the site for this year’s annual
National Gay Men’s Health Summit, scheduled for Oct. 19-23 2005. We anticipate
that hundreds of participants interested in promoting health for gay men will
be attending this conference. They will be coming from all over the
The local Gay
Men’s Health collective is eager for this to happen, as it will enable our
local population to be exposed to a much broader variety of workshops than we
could otherwise present. We also are eager to show the rest of the
WE have been talking over potential workshops
that would be interesting to local and out of town men and think that a workshop on gay history
would be very interesting. We hope you would be willing to turn in a
application for a workshop on this subject to the national collective.
We believe in
addition to showcasing our area, this will be important in drawing in the
participation of local gay men who are interested in their own health issues
and allowing them to use the resources of this conference.
If you are interested in presenting a workshop
on gay men's health need, community building or empowerment of gay, bisexual
and queer men please go to the website at gmhs 2005 for information and
application.
I wrote him I
would be interesting in doing a presentation
17 May 2005
Tuesday
The Gay Business Guild’s April
Social Mixer / Networking Event Social Mixer was held at the Peery Hotel “historic
ambiance... timeless charm... distinguished service 110 West Broadway (300
South) Salt Lake City,” "Tell A
Friend We Mean Business" Come relax, eat, and mingle with fellow Guild
members! RSVP on e-vite greatly appreciated or call Karl. Thank you to
18 May 2005 Wednesday
The Lavender Tribe’s topic was “Hopi
chanting- Experience the healing and
melodic rhythm of the ancient Hopi chants. They have been used for thousands of
years to heal ourselves and heal Mother Earth. Please bring a pillow or
something to sit on (we will be on the floor) and a SMALL sacred item to place
on the altar.”
19 May 2005-20 May
2005 Friday
No Entries
21 May 2005 Saturday
The GLBT Tennis Social Round Robin Doubles Format for Tennis
enthusiasts from the GLBT community was at Coach Mikes Tennis Academy. There
are 8 courts available so up to 32 players can participate. Cost is $4.00 per
player. All levels are welcome. Please mention your rating if you have one.
Coach Mike's
The SL Metro’s Fabulous
Fun Bus to Wendover left the MoDiggity's parking lot at 3424 S. State Street at
1pm and returned there by 11pm. $15 gets you $7 cash back (yes - cash!) and a
Grand Buffet, not to mention the other goodies.
Cyber Sluts run
bingo on the bus for great prizes! All of this will benefit getting the
Center's new 24-hour crisis line up and running. Call 323-9500 or go to
slmetro.com/fun bus for tickets. April's bus sold out well before the trip, so
get your tickets early. Notes: This is our last Fabulous Fun Bus of the season
- until September.
The sWerve’s
Talent-No Talent night held in the GLBTCCU’s Multi-Purpose room. “Ladies, now’s
your chance! Anything you can do, that you think people ought to see, you can
do! With those kinds of loose boundaries, this should be an amazing
night!! Special performance of the “D”
word by the sWerve board!!”
22 May 2005 Sunday
The 2005 Kristen Award Nominees
were sent out for voting. “Dear Friends, Well, it's that time of year again to
select this year's Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award Recipient. Below
are five nominations for the Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award: Melissa
Larson, Capt. James Tingey, Jane and Tami Marquardt (one vote for a joint
nomination), Scott McCoy and Michael
Picardi.
The nominations
that I received are included in the text below. (For ease of reading, I've
attached the same information as a Word document.) Please read through these and respond to me
by 2:00 PM Wednesday, June 1, 2005, with the name of your preferred recipient.
At that time I will tally the votes from all the responses I’ve received.
Also, if you can
contact other past recipients of the Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award,
whom I have not been able to reach, please encourage them to contact me. I've
also attached the whole list of past recipients. I'll contact some of you by
phone if I don't have your emails. Thank you, and I hope to see you at the
Grand Marshall reception Friday, June 10, at the Salt Lake City Library from
6:00 - 9:00 PM where this award will be announced publicly, and at Pride on
Sunday, June 12. Thanks to you all, Craig Miller
Melissa Larson
Missy has been one of the most
active members in multiple non-profit events ranging in diversity from The Hope
Alliance to the League of Women Voters, to Utah Families Coalition (under the
GLBTU umbrella), to name just a few. She exemplifies what an activist should
embody & does not limit her service to just that of the gay, lesbian, and
transgender community. She truly deserves to be recognized for her un-wavering
efforts to promote compassion, leadership, and courage. Last year she received
the GLBTCCU’s Volunteer of the Year Award. She embodies what it means to be a
humanitarian. Nominated by Jodie Johnson
Capt. Tracy Tingey I would like
to nominate a friend of mine, my partner’s, and the GLBT community for the Dr.
Kristen Rice Community Service Award: Capt. Tracy Tingey, South Salt Lake
Police Department. I feel he deserves such public recognition for being: * an openly gay police officer, for
starters - ranked fourth highest in his department; * active with the GLBT Public Safety
Liaison Committee; * a
co-organizer of a group of gay and lesbian cops in the Salt Lake Valley,
allowing for safe socializing and networking; * a visible (and popular!) law
enforcement presence at the Queer Prom 2005; and, * open and honest about his involvement
in alternative (fetish) activities, having served several terms as an elected
officer of Wasatch Leather men’s Association (an affiliate group of the GLBT
Community Center of Utah), a social group for gay leather men that raised
several hundred dollars for The Center during his term as President (May '04 to
Apr '05). I am glad to see Salt Lake Metro's latest edition (volume 2, issue
10, page 10) includes an extensive article about gay and lesbian police
officers - with significant coverage of Capt. Tingey. Respectfully submitted,
by Jay Heuman
Scott McCoy
(nominated 2004)
Craig, I nominate attorney Scott
McCoy. He's a board member of Equality Utah and has led the charge to stop (or
at least slow down) the hateful anti-gay marriage legislation that came out of
the session. He's worked, and is working, tirelessly on our issues, and has now
taken a leave of absence from his law firm
to head up the "Don't Amend" campaign to fight the proposed
change to the Utah Constitution banning gay marriage and civil unions. That
will be on the ballot this November. Regards, Laura M. Gray
Jane A. Marquardt and
Tami E. Marquardt (nominated 2004)
I nominate Jane A. Marquardt and
Tami E. Marquardt for the Dr. Kristen
Ries Community Service Award. Jane and Tami are tireless activists who
are committed to bringing about political and social change in Utah. Jane and
Tami have successfully put a human face on the political controversy
surrounding gay marriage. In addition to celebrating their relationship with a
ceremony here in Utah, they have entered into civil union in Vermont, been
married in California. Their various commitments and marriages have been
publicly recognized in the local newspapers, including a front page article
(with picture) in the Salt Lake Tribune. They had spoken publicly about gay
marriage and their own personal relationship at rallies, lectures, on
television and on radio. Jane and Tami have also spoken with dozens of
politicians regarding equal rights including but not limited to Orin Hatch, Bob
Bennett, Jim Matheson, Rocky Anderson, Oleen Walker, and Scott Matheson.
Additionally, Jane and Tami are active volunteers in the community. Jane serves
on the Equality Utah board of directors and has worked tirelessly to help
launch the Don't Amend campaign. Last year Jane served as the President of the
University of Utah law school alumni association. Jane also serves on the
national Rainbow Foundation Board. Tami serves on the HRC Steering committee
and is presently volunteering her time as the interim director for the Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual Transgender Community
Center of Utah. Earlier this year, Tami and her daughter, Jacee traveled with
HRC to Washington to speak with Utah's delegation about equal rights same sex
couples. Tami also serves on a committee for the Gill Foundation's Outgiving
program. Tami formerly served on the
board of directors for the Gay Lesbian Bi-sexual Transgender Community
Center of Utah. Jane and Tami are generous donors to various local and
national GLBT organizations and to various GLBT friendly political campaigns. They
have hosted dozens of fundraisers,
including, but not limited to, fundraisers for
The Center, The National Center for Lesbian Rights, The Don't Amend
Campaign, Equality Utah, Jackie Biskupski,
and Rocky Anderson. There could be no more worthy recipient of the Dr. Kristen
Ries Community Service Award than this married couple. They are role models who
exemplify everything that the award has stood for: compassion, leadership, and courage.
Nominated by Douglas K. Fadel
Michael Picardi
(nominated 2004)
I respectfully submit the name of
Michael Picardi as a nominee for the Dr. Kristin Ries Award. I met Michael
during the 2003 session of the Utah State Legislature. As the chair of the Utah
Stonewall Democrats, he lobbied for the passage of an effective hate crimes law
for Utah. Michael was one of the few advocates of the bill who was at the
Capitol on a daily basis. His persistent and friendly nature was instrumental
in winning a few legislators to our side. Even though the bill did not pass,
Michael did not give up the fight. During the fall of 2003, I was honored to
serve with Michael on a coalition of community advocates. This coalition was
formed to help pass hate crimes legislation during the 2004 legislative session.
I vividly remember sitting around the table of our first meeting and thinking
that only a few advocates would stick it out to the end. Michael was one of
them. He brought to the coalition new ideas we had not tried before. His
endurance and passion about the issue inspired all of us on the coalition.
Again, during the 2004 legislative session, Michael was one advocate lobbying
on a daily basis. This year, however, not only was hate crimes an issue, but
also gay marriage. He organized and taught others how to lobby their elected
officials. On the last night of the session, when over 100 members of the GLBT
community were at the Capitol, Michael was there giving direction and
encouragement to those who had come. With the passage of the constitutional
amendment to ban gay marriage as well as the defeat of a hate crimes bill,
Michael vowed not to stop his fight. In his capacity as a leader in the GLBT
community, he has proved to be an invaluable asset. He has shown time and time
again his dedication and perseverance to fighting the injustices placed on the
community by those in power. Michael was recently chosen by Democrats statewide
to represent Utah at the Democratic National Convention in July. The look of
shock on his face when the results were announced is one I will always remember.
This honor shows that Michael is an excellent representative of Utah’s GLBT
community. Helen Keller once said, "I am only one; but still I am one. I
cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do
something I can do." Michael
Picardi is the embodiment of this quote. He is always willing to stand up for
the rights of everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation. He will do
anything to help another, even if he does not know them. Michael Picardi is, in
my opinion, very deserving of this award. Thank you for your consideration of
this request.
Sincerely, Megan Risbon
Thurl Ravenscroft, one of the
greatest voice actors died today at the age of 91. He sang the Grinch song and
was the voice of Tony the Tiger saying Frosted Flakes were Grrrreat!.
23 May 2005- 24
May 2005
No Entries
25 May 2005
Wednesday
Lavender Tribe’s topic was “Past
Lives” presented by Deloris, an
accomplished medium and psychic. She will discuss past lives and their
relevance in today’s world.”
26 May 2005
Thursday
Club161 and the Royal Court presented “The Mr. Salt Lake
City Man Contest Club161 2nd South 1440 West S.L.C.
The Center Space’s
Brown Bag Lunch Series Everyone is invited to have lunch with the board &
staff of the Center to discuss issues of relevance to the GLBT Community and to
ask questions. Occurs the fourth Thursday of every month 11:30 – 1 PM in the
Center Space.
My Lambda Lore Columns “I Am Gay
With a Capital ‘G’ Volume 2 Issue “In the beginning was the Word and the Word
was Gay. Okay I admit I am an anachronistic Gay Libber. There are still a few
of us left. Damn few. I still love to see rainbow flags fly from houses. I
still remember Harvey Milk and what he stood for.
Sadly, I recently heard
that Drag Queens would not be allowed to perform at Gay Pride Day, I mean Pride
Day!, this year. T’is a pity, because without some angry cross dressers in
1969, there would be no need to have a party every June at all. I hope this is
just vicious gossip.
I
get so annoyed when I hear “Why do we even need Gay Pride Day anymore?” For
Duh! It’s like saying, "why do we need to celebrate the 4th of
July?" Gay Pride Day, not Pride
Day, has its historic roots tied to commemorating the rebellion on Christopher
Street in New York City. You know at Stonewall Inn! “We are the Stonewall girls.
We wear our hair in Curls…We don’t wear underwear ... We show our pubic
hair.” I digress.
Although I am
more mellow in my Senior Discount Years, I still play this game with my editor
which none of you readers ever get to see. I capitalize the word Gay and my
editor or proof reader lower cases it. For over a year I have been upper casing
Gay while you dear readers see only the ineffectual lower casing that appears
in print. Perhaps my editor doesn’t even know I have a political motive to my
syntax madness.
As any good
editor would do, my column is scrutinized to make sure that it adheres to the
style adopted by the Associated Press handbook and the National Lesbian and Gay
Journalists Association, (notice how I carefully capitalized their name). The
latest guidelines by the NLGJA has LGBT preferable to GLBT which was used
through much of the 1990's and 2000's.A past editor once told me, “It helps
make our publication stand out by giving it a professional and consistent
editorial style”.
But every time I
write a column for this paper, I say, “
the hell with the Associated Press”, and
for that matter the hell with the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.
What a bunch of assimilation-holes!
I proudly, as a
Gay person, remain steadfast in adhering to a resolution which was voted on by
the “Committee for Homosexual Freedom” in November 1969! It was decided way
back then to “request all publications to hereafter capitalize the word Gay.”
Advocates of Gay Rights argued that Gay is a proper noun and a proper adjective
when describing a people. Libbers were reclaiming the lexicon used to define us
as a people, rather adhering slavishly to how the straight world wants to
define us. At this historic meeting it was strongly felt that heterosexual
writers and lexicographers were, by lower casing the word, aiding and abetting
in the psychological oppression of homosexuals.” Now do you see where I am
going with this. Are you going to take that crap from heteroes? Well I'm not!
Gay! Gay! Gay!
I just can’t understand why any self-respecting
Gay newspaper, or journalist for that matter, can accept this political
decision to lower case the word Gay. True it took years for the heterosexual
media establishment to even use the word in the first place and only then after
finally feeling comfortable to print the word homosexual. Why do we allow
outsiders or heterosexual lackeys to choose how we define ourselves? Notice no
one uses Negro anymore. I would like to introduce you to my Negro friend. Huh?
As an elementary school teacher, the font of
all wisdom, even my 6th grade grammar books state emphatically that all proper
nouns and proper adjectives are capitalized! Am I missing something here? The
adjective and adverb gay, as in the state of being "happy and gay", I
can understand being lower cased. But if we are a people---if we have redefined
ourselves as a distinct community or folk or
tribe then we are indeed proper nouns and adjectives and damn it- Gay!
Too bad we don't
do as the Germans do and capitalize all our nouns. Then I wouldn’t bitch so
much. But then, as long as Mormons and Baptists get to be capitalized then so
do Gays!
Therefore I will
continue to capitalize Gay, as much as anything, to say “fuck you” if you don’t
like me being Gay. Then again all my Gays may be lower case by my formidable
proof reader and this column will appear as if I've been on one too many acid
trips from 1969. I see rainbow flags everywhere!
The actor Eddie
Albert died at the age of 99. He was a good character actor and starred with
Eva Gabor in "Green Acres" which I rarely watched.
27 May 2005 Friday
After school let out we had a
faculty party to announces changes at Orchard Elementary and to recognize the
teachers and staff who are leaving including me. Some of the teachers were
retiring. Even Arnold, the head custodian who had been at Orchard even before I
cam in 1989 was retiring. So I guess I now have to start looking to be
interviewed by different schools which I haven’t had to do in 16 years. I am
kind of nervous about and questioning that I made the right decision but when I
think back over the past few years and how awful Orchard has become with its
elitist Mormon parents, I know its time. I just want to stay in the southern
half of the district not any further north than Centerville if I can.
I
know Karen Fisher hates to see me go but I know she is wanting to leave also
and Susan McAdams is becoming a school counselor to get out of the classroom.
So
glad it’s Memorial Day Weekend but next week will be a zoo but at least there’s
Field Day. Orchard is going to have a new principal next year Ophelia who
everyone says is a hardnose bitch to work for.
The PR Ball “Pirates
of the Royal Caribbean: In Search of the Golden Spike” was held tonight at the Sheraton
Hotel.
David
Nelson got his way about letting concealed weapons be permitted at Pride Day
this year. I don’t care because I will be down in Vegas for much of the Summer
helping Mom move from Palmdale to Nevada.
UTAH PRIDE DROPS
BAN, WELCOMES GAYS WITH GUNS SALT LAKE CITY -- A week after the leader of a gay
firearms group challenged a controversial policy from organizers of the state's
annual gay- and lesbian-pride events which would have banned legally concealed
firearms from most of the events, GLBT Community Center of Utah Inc. Executive
Director Valerie Larabee, who is also a lifelong shooter, said on May 27 that
organizers will instead welcome people who choose to take their legal firearms
and instead prohibit only those who violate laws.
Stonewall
Shooting Sports of Utah founder and owner David Nelson said that the change is
an encouraging reiteration of the 2003 and 2004 pride-events rules when
organizers agreed that people with legally concealed firearms could not be
denied admission to the events.
Nelson's
challenge of the policy which led to the change won the attention of state and
national news media including 365Gay.com, Alphecca.com, Connexion.org,
DaveKopel.org, DeanEsmay.com, Feeds4All.com, FortPride.org,
Free-Press-Release.com, Funender.com, GayGuideToronto.com, GayLinkContent.com,
GayMonkey.com, GayWired.com, HellInAHandbasket.net, JohnRLott.com, KCPW Radio,
LatinoGLO.com, LesbiaNation.com, LostTarget.com, PeskyApostrophe.com,
RobThurman.com, UtahConcealedCarry.com, UtahIndependent.com, WisconsinGayNews.com
and The Michelangelo Signorile Show on Out Q Sirius Satellite Radio among others.
"Despite an
unnecessarily bad start to the upcoming events, the organizers understand now
that people with Utah Concealed Firearm Permits aren't the disruptive or
illegal parts of their events," Nelson said. "No one who has met
every legal requirement including daily FBI criminal-history investigations
should be arbitrarily denied the legal, responsible and safe exercise of our
human right to defend ourselves if we choose and need to do so."
Seven of the
eight announced pride events are planned for the Salt Lake City Public Library,
Library and Washington squares, and the surrounding city streets and sidewalks
-- all government properties. Because only one of the events is planned for
church property, Nelson described most of the events as public accommodations
on public properties where legally concealed firearms are permitted.
"State laws
are very clear about who, what, when, where why and how legally concealed
firearms may be prohibited," Nelson said. "As we did in 2003 and
2004, our members will simply attend and enjoy one of the state's biggest
outdoor events without complaint and without leaving one of our constitutional
rights at the festival gates."
SSSU is a group
of gender- and sexual-minority firearms advocates and owners in the state, and
supporters of the Pink Pistols idea that was described nationally in 2000 by
writer Jonathan Rauch for the legal, responsible, and safe use of firearms for
their self-defense and shooting-sport competition and recreation, including
those who are gay and lesbian, and that of their families and friends. With
hundreds of members, they're also the largest such group worldwide.
28 May
2005 Saturday
Coronation’s Hospitality Suite was
held at the Sheraton Hotel Room 154 “Protocol for out of town show will be
taken. Empress Tea Party Club Sound 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM No Cover Out of Town Show
$10.00 Trapp Door 7:00 PM Open to Reigning Monarchs. All others as time permits
Bus Tour $10.00.”
Chuck
Whyte had a room at the Sheraton to be close to the activities. I went down to
vote for who Chuck wanted as I really don’t care. “We are back at the Sheraton
City Centre, so yes all of you that have asked, the pool is ready and open.
Maybe we will be fortunate enough to have those baseball teams back at the pool
again this year. Nothing like athletes in speedos mingling with the drag
queens. And for those of you too shy to venture to the pool, once again all of
our rooms will surround the courtyard and pool.
”
29 May
2005 Sunday
The Royal Court’s 30th
Coronation was held in the Sheridan Hotel’s Ballroom. Gone are the days when
the court could fill the Salt Palace.
I
didn’t attend as I went with Michael Romero over to Richard Packer and Steve
Merrill’s place in South Holladay to attend a wake given for a friend of
theirs. While the 30th Coronation of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire
was being held at the Sheraton Hotel, I was attending a memorial service for
Paul A. Douglas. Douglas died May 15, after a life time of community service. While
I personally did not know the man, I
knew of him, and felt the need to remember him by being present. The Royal
Court was organized in the Rusty Nail which he was a partner.
“Greetings One and ALL, Wynken,
Blynken and Nod one night sailed off in a wooden shoe. Sailed on a river of
crystal light, into a sea of dew. "Where are you going and what do you
wish?" The old moon asked the three. "We have come to
fish for the herring fish that
live in this beautiful sea. Nets of silver and gold have we!" Said Wynken,
Blyken and Nod..........
The Royal Court
of the Golden Spike Empire invites you to Coronation 30 Bedtime Stories: A
Night in the Imperial Nursery, Memorial Weekend Please join Emperor 29 Michael
Sperry and Empress 29 Syren Vaughn, as well as Prince and Princess 29 Michael
Canham and Paris Brunner-Childers as they celebrate the culmination of their
year.
Coronation 30
Bedtime Stories: A Night in the Imperial Nursery is Memorial Weekend The Royal
Court Coronation will be held on May 29th at the Downtown Sheraton Hotel.
On behalf of Reign XXVIII, we would like to
thank the following individuals for
their generosity and efforts to make this year’s Hospitality Suite at SLC
Coronation XXX possible: Pepper Prespentt, Ray Duncan, Alan Stephensen, Michael
Nabor, Tony Steele, Kennedy Cartier, Juan Carlos, Jester, Chris Trujillo, Mike
Sperry, Al Boscan, Sheneka Christie, Vanessa Michaels, Franke Holt, Mame
Cherie, Brad Earl, Earl Kane, David Sperry, Kacey Wilson, Alexis Makayla, Derek
Beebe, Bobby Fairbanks, Kyra Faye Prespentt, Krystyna Shaylee, Paris
Brunner-Childers, Bobby Childers, Tasha Montiel. We apologize if there are any
individuals whose names we have omitted, but please do not feel that your
efforts were not greatly appreciated. Many thanks, Mark & Heidi
30 May
2005 Monday
Today is Memorial Day so no school today.
The Royal Court’s Victory Brunch was held at the Trapp Krystyna
Shaylee became Empress 30 and Peter Savas was elected Emperor
31 May 2005 Tuesday
I hate the last
week of school because the kids no its over and we just babysit, take them out
for field day, and clean rooms. I am getting kind of nervous about having to
interview again for a teaching position as most principals won’t know their
hiring needs until August.
After school we
had a faculty meeting to honor those who are leaving this year. The custodian
Arnold who’s been here as long as I have is retiring while I am just changing
schools in the district.
Mom’s Palmdale
House sold and she has to be packed up and moved in June. Charline and Dennis
are packing everything there but Mike Romero agreed to go with me to drive the
moving van from Palmdale to Vegas.
This is the
column I wrote for Salt Lake Metro Lambda Lore CIRCLES Volume 2 Issue 12 “Life
is full of circles if one knows where to look. On Sunday May 29, while the 30th
Coronation of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire was about to commence
at the Sheraton Hotel, I was attending a memorial service for Paul A. Douglas
at the home of Richard Packer and Steve Merrill. Douglas died May 15, after a
life time of community service. While I personally did not know the man, I knew of him, and felt the need to remember
him by being present.
In July 1975, 28
year old Paul A. Douglas, along with Mac Hunt, and Jim Beveridge, opened a Gay
bar on the far west side of Salt Lake City called the Rusty Bell. The bar was
located at 996 South Redwood Road and later became the infamous Puss and Boots
Lesbian bar. Now it is a dilapidated Mexican meat market. [Later was a music
venue called the Outer Rim now closed 2013]
Paul Douglas,
according to his partner of 35 years, poured his heart and soul in making a go
of the bar, but after losing two homes, mortgaged to support the bar, the place
closed in 1978. Inflation, like disco, killed many a Gay business in the late
1970’s.
The Rusty Bell,
unlike some bars, was a community minded organization. I know some people get
agitated when you mention Gay and bar in the same breath. But let me try to
explain the significance of bars in the development of a Gay identity in the
1970’s. Back then there were basically only two places for Gay men to meet, the
parks and bars, but the difference is that at the bars people talked to each
other.
The Rusty Bell,
thanks in part to Paul Douglas’ community spirit, soon became a place of
convergence for Gays and Lesbians. In October 1975, the Rusty Bell held a
1950’s Party to raise building funds for the Grace Christian Church. The
following month two Lesbian activists, Shirley Price and Camille Tartaglia were
married in the bar.
In December
1975, the Western Rustlers, a Lesbian organization sponsored by the Rusty Bell,
hosted a Sub for Santa. The Western Rustlers were the first known Gay
organization in Utah to contribute to the Sub for Santa Charity.
But now I come
back full circle. As I had previously mentioned, the Royal Court was
celebrating 30 years of fantabulous glitter, glamour, gossip, and
generosity while I was attending Paul
Douglas’ memorial service. Perhaps fifteen people were there to remember him,
while 500 partied at the Sheraton. Few there I suspect, knew that the Royal Court of the Golden Spike
Empire held their first Coronation at the Rusty Bell in June 1976, when the
court was originally called The Imperial Court of Utah. I wonder if Douglas’
spirit was torn between being with his friends at his memorial service or
whether he was at the Sheraton still supporting his community. Paul may be gone
now but shall not forgotten in the history of Gay Utah.
JUNE
1 June 2005-2 June 2005
No Entries
3 June 2005 Friday
I spent most of this last week taking down all my bulletin boards and
packing boxes of my stuff to take with me from Orchard Elementary. I didn’t
have much time to be sentimental leaving Orchard after 16 years because I had
to be on the road immediately.
I drove my Sonoma truck
down to Las Vegas where Mom as already at a motel without incident taking about
5 and a half hours. I arrived about 8 in the evening so I did make it to spend
time on Mom’s 76th birthday.
4 June 2005 Saturday
I spent the day with Mom looking for a long stay place where she could
live until we find a trailer court she liked. We are staying at the Sportsmen
Royal Manor. We then drove around looking at some different trailers up for
sale.
5 June 2005 Sunday
I Picked Mike Romero up from the Vegas
airport about 9:30 this morning and I was glad to see him. The Las Vegas
Airport is fabulously glitzy.
Any way we left
the airport and drove to Budget Rental on Tropicana and picked up the U-Haul
rental truck. Then we drove mom’s car back to the Sportsmen Royal Manor where
she and I are staying and then Mike and I were on our way to California.
About Stateline
discovered that I carelessly took Mom’s cell phone instead of mine. I tried
calling her but my cell phone was dead. That was a fly in the ointment because
I was worried the whole trip about leaving her alone.
I couldn’t get a
hold of Gay Elder, Kimberlee Gile’s mom until we were in Palmdale but by then
James had called and he said he would try to get a hold of Mom.
I drove the truck all the way to Palmdale and
we got in about 5:00 in the late afternoon. Mike wanted to just load up the
furniture tonight and leave out instead of spending the night.
So we moved the
front room furniture across the street to Mom’s neighbor, Charlene, who mom
gave it to, then started in on the packing house. We were exhausted but were
done by 10:30 at night so Mike drove the U-Haul truck and I drove my Sonoma.
Mike left first
and I stayed and cleaned Mom’s house vacuumed, etc. and said goodbye to the
house where dad died. I told dad’s spirit not to linger around but if he wished
to follow us to Las Vegas.
On the old road
HWY 71 I almost fish tailed because one of the road gullies was filled with
water and at night I couldn’t see very well as it was so dark out.
I was so
exhausted and at Barstow we decided to stop and to find a hotel. It was after
midnight and we got lost. After just driving on adrenaline we found a Holiday
Inn that had two queen size beds. We paid $130 for the room but we could care
less. Better to sleep then kill ourselves on the road.
6 June 2005 Monday
Mike Romero and I rolled into Las Vegas about
9 this morning and met up with Mom. Then we went and found a storage unit in
which to store Mom’s possessions so we could turn the U-Haul in without having
to pay for an extra day. The unit is just of East Wyoming and Sand Hill road by
the 515 freeway.
Mike
had to be back in Salt Lake to go back to work and his flight was around 4.
Randy Gile said he would pick him up and the dogs were lonesome but fine.
The great Anne
Bancroft died today at the age of 73. She played Anne Sullivan with Patty Duke
as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker and seductress Mrs. Robinson in the
Graduate. She was married to Mel Brooks. “Mrs. Robinson has left and gone away,
hey, hey, hey.”
7 June 2005-12 June 2005
No Entries
13 June 2005
Monday
Jonathan Adams will forever be
Dr. Everett Scott, confronting Dr. Frank N. Furter in "The Rocky Horror
Picture Show." He died at the age of 74.
14 June 2005 Tuesday
I spent the past two weeks in Las
Vegas with Mom living at the Sportsmen Royal Manor while looking at mobile
homes and getting her used to living in Nevada. Her money for the sale of her
house in Palmdale held up any real decision but she finally found a coach she
liked that was in the same trailer park as Gay Elder. It’s in the Maycliff
Mobile Home Park at 3601 E. Wyoming however the entrance to where her coach is
located is accessed from Sandhill.
It’s
been really hot in Vegas this June. One day it was a 119 degrees. We went
looking for another vehicle for mom because the one that she and dad had was
unreliable and would often just shut down for no reason stranding us until we
could get it started again. I was worried about mom being stuck somewhere in
this heat. I had my Sonoma so used it mainly to get around and to go shopping.
Mom has excellent credit so she had no issues with buying another car. We went
to Budget Rental on Sunset and she bought a 2004 Ford Taurus. The salesman even
offered to buy my truck but there was no way I’d sale it.
Today I Went out
to breakfast with at Coco’s on Tropicana and Eastern which was good, then a
representative from Senior Dimensions called to meet with Mom. We went to a
Denny’s on
So we called Ron
and Helen Carroll who are selling their mobile home to Mom and we met them at
the Bank of America on Charleston. It only took a few minutes and Mom got the
Bill of Sale for her Mobile Home. We then went and had it notarized at the DMV.
So finally mom has her money and she now has a home as well as a new car.
15 June 2005 Wednesday
I went with Mom to opened a bank
account at the Bank of America on Charleston and Lamb. Mom put $100,000 in a CD
for 12 months at 2.96 % and $10,000 in a checking account. The rest is still setting
in Palmdale CA for about another month.
We then went
over to Ron and Helen Carroll to pick up the keys
for the mobile home and some phone numbers for utilities hook up and such.
Mom is wearing
down because her vitamin B shot is wearing off but we did go look at couches
for her as she didn’t have any living room furniture, just her bedroom items.
I called Mike Romero
to see how everyone was doing in Salt Lake and he said that Randy and Kimberley
Gile got their settlement for $35,000 for disability after Randy was attacked
at work. It doesn’t seem much for 3 years.
16 June 2005 Thursday
Mom went ahead and paid off her
Ford Taurus today so she doesn’t have to make payments. We first went out to Budget Rental this morning about 9:30,
only to find out that they had just
financed the car through Bank of America, so we had to go back up to
Charleston to pay it off. Had Mom paid it from her California account.
Then I took Mom
home to rest while I went back out to Sunset to try and get an extra key for
the Taurus. However I found out that it would cost $150 to get the key made
because it’s an anti-theft key. Other than that did not do much.
We were able to
get a truck and movers for Monday so hopefully that will work out. Mom got a
new land line phone, and had the utilities turned on for June 20.
So we are almost
done with living out of a suitcase at the Sportsmen Royal here on Boulder
Highway. It’s hasn’t been a really bad place just kind of dingy and hopefully
no cockroaches.
I went to the
Whitney Branch Library and tried the wireless internet. It was not very good but
I was able to get on their computer and do some work on my Utah Stonewall
Historical Society yahoo group site.
I called Mike Romero
who said he is very discouraged with NAPA may go back to his old job again.
17 June 2005-19
June 2005
No entries
20 June 2005
Monday
Mom was able to move into her
coach today as that the movers brought all her furniture and kitchen boxes and
household goods from the storage unit and her utilities were turned on. As that
Mom bought her mobile house outright all she has is her rental spot fee and
utilities so with her Social Security and a bit of Dad’s pension she shouldn’t
have to dip into her savings too much.
I helped mom make up her bed so
she can finally sleep in her own bed tonight and I helped setting up her
bathroom and kitchen.
It
was another scorcher today nearly 105 degrees.
21 June 2005
Tuesday
I went to Lowes today to buy mom
some nice temporary chairs for the living room, a nice corn tree plant, and
some handle grips for her bathroom. Her couch came yesterday too so I was able
to sleep on it last night. For almost 3 weeks Mom and I had been sharing a bed
at the Sportsman. I think Mom appreciated me being with her.
I
told her that I needed to go home in about a week but would some back down later in the summer
to see how she is situated.
Today
is Michael Romero’s 49th birthday.
22 June 2005-24
June 2005
No entries
25 June 2005
Saturday
Two of Winnie the Poo’s friends died
within days of each other. Ventriloquist Paul Winchell who voiced Tigger died
yesterday at the age of 82. Actor John Fiedler voiced Piglet and died today at
the age of 80. I remember him as Lawyer
Daggett in John Wayne’s True Grit.
26 June 2005
Sunday
I left Las Vegas this morning
before it got too hot. I hated to leave mom but was anxious to be back home. I
left knowing that Mom is settled in with a new home, a new car, her medical
taken care of and her finances transferred to Vegas. I was with her to get a
new driver license and so she is officially no longer a Californian. She first
moved to California in 1946 almost 60 years ago and only left for a few years
to return to Texas to look after Grandpa Johnson before he died.
It
helps to know that Gay Elder lives in the same Mobile Home Park and so mom
knows at least one other person there and Kimberlee Gile goes down to Vegas
frequently to see her mom and grandma.
I
came into Salt Lake about 2:30 this afternoon and the valley had an inversion.
The pups were so excited to see me but Mike Romero not so much. He was in one
of his moods.
27 June 2005 Monday
My Lambda Lore column for the
Salt Lake Metro. THE STONEWALL LEGACY
Volume 2 Issue 14
“It's June 27th
as I write this column, and of course the Stonewall Uprising comes to mind. I
am always amazed how little people know of the significance of this 1969 event.
I remember when the old Utah Stonewall Center closed and a new moniker was
picked for a Gay community center, a former board member stated that the name
Stonewall was dropped because no one knew what it meant. I was appalled.
Yet many times I
have heard it asked, “Why is the word Stonewall included in the name of a Utah
Gay Historical Society?” My first response is “Duh!” but then I reconsider.
Even at a meeting of the U of U's LGSU I heard a young man exclaim that
Stonewall is "so over." I almost had apoplexy. I submit to all
similarly inclined that spirit of Stonewall is not over, and it's legacy is
every bit as much our heritage here in Utah as it is for the folks of New York
City.
Yes it is true
that the Stonewall Inn was a seedy Mafia owned bar, operating without a liquor license,
or running water. Nevertheless, in the course of its brief existence, the
Christopher Street tavern became the most popular Gay bar in Greenwich Village.
Why? Because you could same sex dance there!
No one wholly
agrees about the events that precipitated the June uprising. It's the stuff
from which legends are made. However several events collided that summer night
of 1969 to make for a perfect Gay storm.
On June 27th,
1969, the funeral of Judy Garland was held in New York City where nearly 20,000
people waited hours in the blistering summer heat to view her yellow rose
draped casket. Flags were lowered at the Gay resort of Fire Island. That
evening there was a full moon over Manhattan making the street hustlers, drag
queens, faggots, and dykes especially edgy according to eyewitnesses.
Shortly after
midnight, undercover vice cops raided the Stonewall Inn for a routine bust
because they hadn’t received their payoff. Perhaps it was the full moon, or the
hot summer night, or perhaps it was indeed the ghost of Judy Garland saying,
"Aren't you faggots tired of being pushed around?,” but whatever it was,
it definitely was not a routine night.
No matter what
really happened or did not happen that night, what is poignantly clear is that
over the next three nights of rioting a paradigm shift regarding how
homosexuals in America, and eventually the world, would come to see themselves,
took place. As the homosexual beatnik poet Allan Ginsberg observed after the
riots, "The wounded fag look was gone."
There were, of
course, prior to Stonewall, homosexual organizations in America, however less than
fifty in the entire nation. These pre-Stonewall “homophile” organizations
sought to legalize homosexuality through the help of the medical and
psychiatric establishment, believing that being Gay should be recognized as a
mental illness not a criminal act.
The Stonewall
Uprising forever changed this passive approach for achieving homosexual civil
rights. Within days of the Stonewall uprising, young militant radicals
organized the Gay Liberation Front. These Liberationists believed that years of
oppression warranted a change in the collective consciousness of homosexual
people by any means. The GLF modeled itself after the African American civil
rights movement of the Sixties shifting from the social construct of being
compliant homophiles to that of demanding liberationists. The GLF was not
interested in having the approval of heterosexual institutions, rather they
demanded civil rights for homosexuals as part of inherent human rights.
Within months of
the Stonewall Uprising, Gay and Lesbian newspapers, support groups, health
clinics, community centers, student organizations, political action groups
sprang up in nearly every major American community, even in Salt Lake City. Gay
and Lesbian activists and their Gay-friendly supporters demanded the repeal of
anti-Gay ordinances across the United States.
The young New
Left movement’s replacement of the powerless homophile organizations was
epitomized when GLF activists were able to switch the “Annual Reminder Day,”
which had recognized the first homosexual protest held in Philadelphia in 1967,
to “Christopher Street Liberation Day."
Christopher Street Liberation Day was to commemorate the 1969
spontaneous Stonewall uprising and became the focus of all subsequent Gay Pride
Days.
Within five
years after the Stonewall uprising, police were no longer allowed to routinely
raid Gay bars. Gay people were finally allowed to peacefully assemble without
fear of arrest, and Gay Student Unions at hundreds of colleges across America
began to educate a new generation of Gay activists. Even in places like Utah,
hundreds of people felt enough of the spirit of Stonewall to gather to
celebrate the first Gay Freedom Day along the shores of the Great Salt Lake!
The most
important legacy of the Stonewall Uprising, I feel, is the collective sense of
being part of a community, a tribe, or a folk. Before Stonewall, the simple
_expression "coming out" meant only a self-acknowledgement of one's
homosexuality. However after 1969 "coming out" became synonymous with
announcing (to at least one other person) that you are Gay; thus tying your
fate to the collective fate of all other "out" homosexuals. Stonewall
created this sense of community of being a openly self- identified homosexual
proud to tell the world, "Gay is Good."
The
spark ignited on Christopher Street is a beckon for all Lambda people
everywhere. It is the flame that lights our journey towards equal protection
under the law. And whether we win or lose the battle for our civil rights in
the end, it truly is the struggle for those rights that ennobles us as a people.
As we struggle for the freedom to love whom we choose, we are passing a torch
of freedom lit at Stonewall. Collectively we can be indeed a “Stonewall”
standing firm against centuries of oppression, and those who would deny us the
fundamental rights to love and be loved.
28 June 2005-30 June 2005
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