NOVEMBER
1 November 1992 Sunday
It’s Samhain and it rained most of the day. I have been feeling kind of run down. Both Jeff Workman and I have some sort of virus I think. We have little energy to do much. For supper I just warmed up potato soup I made yesterday. I typed on the computer while Jeff did laundry and later went out visiting friends.
Todd Dayley aka Possum and Bobbie Smith aka Gillian came over this afternoon to pick up the Samhain Salt and Sage so it could be printed. I proofed read for them while they played Dungeon and Dragons all morning. They are both kind of upset with Terry thinking him somewhat flaky about his commitment to the Salt and Sage.
John Reeves called me and said he would really like Jeff and I to move back to Boston. Perhaps someday.
I am dissolving my ties with this community. Well it’s a new Turn of the Wheel, a time of reflection and thoughtful analysis of my life. Fuck it. Who cares? This past Turn of the Wheel was difficult for me. It’s been a hard turn. The first 6 months I was under the screws of the Whore of Babylon Eleanor Van Scriver. She put 30 pounds or more on me. David Sharpton died and Dave Reed also of AIDS. My sweet grandma died. That was really hard. Hopefully this New Year will be brighter.
2 November 1992 Monday
I am feeling ran down. It was hard making it into work but knowing that it was an early out day helped. It rained almost all that I know of with a sprinkling of snow which did not stick except on the mountains.
Hopefully this is the last day of this long dreary campaign season. It’s been a nasty one. Utah will get a rich white Republican as a Senator when Bob Bennett, the Watergate spook, wins tomorrow,
I came home from work and fixed eggplant parmesan for supper while Jeff Workman went to the store to buy me a bus pass. In the evening I made out all my bills for the month including the Utah Tax bill. Last summer when I started paying on it, the amount was $750. It stayed at that amount even though I was paying $100 a month. In September when I paid $100 it went up to $850! I paid $230 on it and it went up to $950! With them saying I owe them $578 more!. So I decided to pay it off entirely and now I’m broke until December. I wrote them a check for $1008 for a tax bill from back in 1986-1987 and that not counting all they had deducted at the time. I’m going down on the 13th when I have some time off to find out how much they are screwing me for.
3 November 1992 Tuesday Election Day
Jeff Workman took me to work this morning so I was there by 7:05. There was already a line of people waiting to vote with Orchard Elementary being a polling place. However as I was walking down the hall to my classroom, the power went off for a half an hour! My room has no windows so I went into the multipurpose room and sat by a window to read the paper. It was about all I could do until the power came back on.
It was cold this morning and was in the 40’s all day. I left right at 3:35 very tired. I’m waking up too early at 5:30 in the morning. Anyway I went and voted in District 2220 where I voted a straight Democrat Ticket and for the horse racing initiative and light rail.
I took papers home to correct but didn’t get much done. Jeff didn’t get home until about 6 in the evening. We watched Roseanne and Golden Girls reruns and a Simpson’s special before actually watching the results of the election. The polls here in Utah don’t even close until 8 but by 9 tonight our time, they were projecting Bill Clinton as the winner. I’m so grateful. The 12 year Republican nightmare is over. Now there’s no chance of the Supreme Court turning back Roe Vs Wade.
Clinton is going to lift the ban on Gays serving in the military and the obscenely rich will have to put back the money they’re stolen from Tax payers. Finally Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson can go back to hell from whence they came.
4 November 1992 Wednesday
I had a restless sleep because a car alarm or horn went off at two in the morning and woke me out of a sound sleep. I bet someone was trying to break into a vehicle. I was finally able to fall back asleep but with strange dreams about Billy Bikowski, Mark Lamar, Jon “Dixie” Merrill and going to Disneyland with Bobbie Smith.
Anyway I turned on the news to hear the results of the election and the Democratic winner Bill Clinton came in 3rd in Utah in all counties except Carbon and Grand. Locally, Democrats Karen Shepherd won against Enid Greene in my District 2, and Bill Orton won in Provo District 3. Republican Jim Hansen defeated Ron Holt in Davis County and points north in District 1. Wayne Owens lost to Bob Bennett for the US Senate. Maury Modine running as a Libertarian won less than 2 percent of the vote ha!
Democrats Pete Suazo won his race for Utah House, and Jan Graham as Attorney General. Stewart Hansen lost to Mike Leavitt for governor. Janet Rose’s race is too close to call. Both initiatives I voted for, horse racing and light rail, lost. The anti-Gay bills lost in Oregon but won in Colorado and Florida. That is why it’s so important to have a federal civil rights bill.
I think it’s pretty funny how upset the Orchard staff is that Bush lost the election. Mrs. George and Mrs. Day especially thought it was calamitous. The students were absolutely vicious about Clinton winning but they are just parroting what they hear at home.
It started snowing after my in-service class and it was pretty cold walking home from the bus stop downtown. I still have a cold and it’s settled down in my chest.
Additional Material
- Gary Alan Merkley, age 40, died November 4, 1992 at the Doxey-Hatch Medical Center. He was born July 18, 1952 in Vernal, Utah, a son of Dean and Twila Ann Murray Merkley. He married Kathryn Timmerman; later divorced. Married Nanette Damon; later divorced. Survived by his mother and father, Vernal; two sisters, Mrs. Kent (Sheila) King, Fruit Heights; Mrs. Terry (Deborah)Slade, Blanding. Funeral services will be held Saturday, 11 a.m. at Thomson's Vernal Mortuary, where friends may call one hour priorto services.Burial, Vernal Memorial Park
5 November 1992 Thursday,
I read in the Tribune this morning that Dale Sorenson and Michael Aaron are not too happy about DeeDee Corradini’s pick for the new Chief of Police for Salt Lake. They think Ruben Ortega is homophobic from reports from the Gay community in Phoenix from where he was hired. Randy Richardson of the OutFront and Kathy Worthington of the Womyn’s Community News, both relatively conservative, said that judgment should not be passed on the appointment until more information is discovered or proven. That’s fair.
Additional Material
- In November 1992, City Weekly (then Private Eye Weekly) profiled the former Phoenix police chief after he had been selected by Corradini to head the SLCPD. We quoted Phoenix New Times editor Michael Lacey: In my opinion, anybody who speaks out publicly against Ruben Ortega takes their life in their hands. I don’t mean as in hit men and physical threats, but I do mean that all of a sudden your life is opened to the kind of review that we associate with regimes in Eastern Europe.
- This is a published correction on Nov. 10, 92, pg. b1. The Deseret News erroneously reported that a lawyer with the Utah Attorney general's office argued before that Utah Supreme Court that the media and public should have an assumed right to attend preliminary hearings. In fact, the attorney argues that media and the public should not have an assumed right to examine evidence and exhibits provided in court hearings. The media and public have had an assumed right to such proceedings in Utah since 1984. That was not an issue in last week's hearing. During the hearing, Justice Michael Zimmerman suggested for the sake of argument that a lower court's ruling on access to the hearing may have been wrong. He did not say the ruling was clearly wrong. Dispute stems from Millard County case. Issue goes to Utah's high court. ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE FIGHTS LETTING MEDIA GO TO PRELIMINARY HEARINGS By Marianne Funk, Staff Writer The Utah attorney general's office does not believe the media or the general public have an assumed right to attend preliminary hearings or review court records related to those proceedings. Media in the state disagree. The two sides took that disagreement to the Utah Supreme Court Wednesday after a Millard County justice of the peace banned the public and the press from two 1989 preliminary hearings in a capital murder case. Millard County Justice of the Peace Ronald Hare also refused to allow the media to review court records in the case. Utah Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Zimmerman said Hare clearly erred in closing preliminary hearings for Michael Anthony Archuleta and Lance Conway Wood. The two men have been convicted of the 1988 torture slaying of Gordon Ray Church, 28. But the media want the high court to rule that preliminary hearings are open to the media and the public unless doing so would violate a defendant's constitutional rights. The media also want the court to declare that both the media and the public have a right to examine court records related to court proceedings. The court records the media want available include exhibits, photographs and diagrams used in court proceedings. They also include affidavits, depositions, search warrants and probable-cause statements on file with the court. The media and the public must have the right to review such documents in order to understand the decision the court reached in a particular case, said Kathryn Snedaker, attorney for the Society of Professional Journalists. Without those rights, the public can't fully understand how its judicial process works, she said. The Utah attorney general's office believes the media's request goes beyond a new law passed by the Legislature regulating the access of public records. This case is moot because the Legislature has already spoken, argued Assistant Utah Attorney General Anina Mitchell. The Legislature's 1992 law - called the Government Records Access Management Act - dictates which records in government are public and which are private. Some things the media want the court to declare public have already been declared private by that law, Mitchell said. But does the Legislature have the right to adopt rules of access for the courts, questioned Justice Christine Durham. The Legislature may have overstepped its bounds in doing so, she said. Mitchell also said the media's appeal was improper because the documents the media wanted declared public are different than the ones the media sought to see when they argued this case before a lower court. State media appealed Hare's decision to two 4th District judges in 1989. The judges ordered Hare to make transcripts of the hearing available but ruled that documents and other evidence used at the preliminary hearing remain sealed. The media originally asked for all documents related to the case, Mitchell said. Now the media wants to see post-investigative documents filed with the court in connection with the hearing, she said. The media originally made a general request for documents in the Church murder because the court files were sealed and media lawyers had no idea what was in them and, hence, what to ask for, Snedaker said. The Utah Supreme Court has never declared that the media and public have an assumed right to attend court proceedings and review court records related to the proceeding, Snedaker said. Several federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court have ruled that the public has a presumed right to attend court proceedings, she said. However, even the U.S. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on a presumed right to review court documents, though some federal courts have.
6 November 1992 Friday
This evening was community council and it was an okay turn out. No major crisis. Jeff Workman and I sat near Ray Nielsen and Bobby Smith. Todd Dayley aka Possum brought in the Salt and Sage while we were at the Gay and Lesbian Community Council. He redid the title mast and it is so much better.
Anyhow we nominated people for next year’s officers. Only Dave Ball ran for Secretary and no one spoke up to run for chair and vice chair. Sign of the times. So I had Jeff nominate me for chair not that I care if I win or lose. I also nominated Debbie Rosenberg in abstention for chair of Pride Day.
After the meeting the sacred faeries folded and distributed the Salt and Sage while at the Stonewall Center. Gary Boren donated $3000 worth of books to the Utah Stonewall Library as he is getting ready to leave Salt Lake. Bobbie Smith and Dave Ball stayed late to inventory all of them. Gary Boren said he will be moving to San Francisco instead of Portland. He said that Woodie and Storm have broken up. That’s sad as they were such a cute couple. Nothing lasts forever.
7 November 1992 Saturday-
I’m sick with some crud. It’s settled down in my chest and it is worse at night. I was up and moving around by 11 this morning because I wanted to attend the Metropolitan Community Church Conference slugfest this afternoon. Bruce Barton is under the gun with some members asking for his resignation.
The church was packed with many interested community members in attendance as well as church members. I stood up and spoke in favor of Bruce Barton’s position but also listened to why so many church members were very upset with him. I think, if true, Bruce pulled some real boners especially not care taking the needs of Lesbians in his church. However some lesbians will never be happy with Gay men being in positions of authority for whatever reason. Dick Dotson riled up many by criticizing Bruce for not having an AIDS candle going on the altar while others complained of his using church petty cash to buy cigarettes.
Bob Waldrop was in attendance and he suggested that there’s room for more than one MCC in Salt Lake City. While he had the floor, he also asked for forgiveness from the congregation for the way he abandoned his MCC pastorate back in the early 80’s due to burn out and fatigue. A little known fact is that it was Bob Waldrop who baptized Bruce Barton as a member of MCC.
I heard several good solutions to MCC’s problems. They ought to either hire a Lesbian pastor to assist Bruce, form a separate MCC in Salt Lake City, or let Bruce take some time off like a Sabbatical so he could have some time for himself to avoid burn out. Anyway I sat through all the turmoil and hard feelings until 5 in the afternoon then went home. It was such a beautiful fall day so I walked home from 6th East to 3rd West, although I was feeling really ran down.
Tonight we held the Samhain Gathering. I just did not want to go out again after the Metropolitan Community Church’s crisis meeting this afternoon. Once home I realized that the MCC quarreling took more out of me and I just wanted to stay home. Jeff Workman Morningstar brought a cheesecake I made down to the gathering but he couldn’t stay as he had to go out with Robert Austin to distribute AIDS information and brochures at the bars.
I’m sure that Bobbie Smith aka Gillian is not too happy that I missed the gathering. I just stayed home, lit some candles, and meditated on my own, over my own dead; David Reed, David Sharpton, Bob Christensen, Les Hodder, and my grandma Johnson. I’ve also been re-examing my relationship with the Goddess Mary and the Christus.
Jeff has been really helpful keeping up the house while we both have been sick. The crud settles down in the chest. I have parent teacher’s conference next week so I’ve got to finish the report cards to hand out at that time.
Additional Material
- The SL Tribune featured an article on Mormon women at risk from AIDS by their bisexual husbands. “For years, Mormon bisexuals were advised marriage would eliminate same-sex attractions. Now, the Mormon women who agreed to help their husbands ``get over homosexuality'' find themselves and their children at increased danger of HIV infection. Instead of being cured, most husbands lead double lives, engaging in furtive and often high-risk sexual behavior. “The way many women find out they are HIV positive is when they have a sick baby,'' says Barbara Barnhart, who leads the group People With AIDS and is herself HIV positive. Ms. Barnhart says the men think they are immune from infection. ``They [bisexual husbands] take risks because they believe by staying with their wives and being active in the [LDS] Church, God will protect them.'' No LDS women in this situation were willing to be interviewed -- even anonymously. ``Most of the couples in this circumstance view bisexuality as a sin, and they are trying to repent,'' says Chuck Nuttall, director of client services for the Utah AIDS Foundation`` Even though the Mormon Church now tells bishops that ``marriage should not be viewed as a way to resolve homosexual problems,'' the danger remains. Because the incubation period is so long for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, those who married any time in the last decade may just now be discovering they are infected. Even without specific counsel, the general pressure from the church to marry is still powerful. Single males are regularly admonished in speeches by LDS general authorities to do their duty and get married. ``I have talked with a lot of people who have found themselves in marriages because they thought that is what they were supposed to do,'' says Ronald Schow, co-author of Peculiar People, a recent book about Mormon homosexuality. Once these married bisexuals find their homosexual feelings haven't diminished, they often seek high-risk sexual encounters rather than admit defeat. Donald Stewart who works at Horizon House, an AIDS support network, believes these men sometimes seek high-risk sexual behaviors including cruising, quick sex in the park and restrooms or with male prostitutes – because they are desperate. ``They don't think they are worthy to have safe sex,'' he says. When married Mormon men pick up male prostitutes, who often are supporting drug habits, they are ``more interested in satisfying their short-term needs than in thinking about their long-term family needs,'' he says. It is impossible to estimate how many Mormon women in Utah are at risk, say health officials. ``It is reasonable to assume that there are large numbers of Mormon women married to bisexual men that have been exposed to HIV,'' says Dr. Sauan Sukhan, director of the AIDS program for Salt Lake County, ``but we have no concrete way to measure the hypothesis.'' ``Without hard data, we would be just guessing in the dark,'' says. Mary Beth Raynes, a Salt Lake clinical social worker and therapist `Married bisexuals form the most secretive group in America. They are going to lie no matter what because the costs for being honest are so high,'' she says.(11/07/92 Page: A7 SLTribune LDS WOMEN RISK AIDS BY WEDDING BISEXUALS : By Peggy Fletcher Stack
8 November 1992- Sunday –
Jeff Workman went to church at MCC today but I was feeling so raunchy so I stayed home. I can’t sleep at night because of this cough that’s gone deep into my chest. I’m afraid that I may have bronchitis. I am listless with this cold. I hope it’s not bronchitis
John Reeves called this morning but we didn’t visit much because I was kind of out of it when he called. Mark Lamar finally called me and said he wasn’t moving back to Utah after all. I kind of figured that and it’s just as well.
Additional Material
- George Harter Kuhn age 50 years died after a very brave fight with AIDS a terminal illness. Survived by his dear friend Gregory Johnson. He graduated from Highland High School and Darrel's College of Beauty. He also attended the U of U. After moving to San Francisco, he owned and successfully operated The Garden/Hair Salon. For the past 12 years, George has made his home in New York City. There he had both the opportunity to work as a hair stylist for a number of Broadway shows and maintained a large private practice.
9 November 1992 Monday
If I hadn’t had so much to do at school, I would have called in sick but I left the place a mess on Friday when we were kicked out early. I finished the decorations for the Pilgrim village and met with parents for the upcoming Pilgrim Fair.
10 November 1992-Tuesday-
It’s a full moon tonight. The house is a wreck but I’m feeling better.
Additional Material
- Several leaders of Salt Lake City gay and lesbian groups demanded Monday that Mayor Deedee Corradini dismiss her new police chief Reuben Ortega or guarantee in writing that he will protect the civil rights of homosexuals. ``We want to make sure that gays feel safe walking the streets,'' said Michael Aaron,chairman of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats. ``And that they feel they can report their problems to the police.'' Added LaDonna Moore, executive director of the Utah AIDS Foundation: ``Mr. Ortega is in a position of leadership, and if he doesn't fight against bigotry, it will flourish in the Salt Lake City Police Department.'' Mr. Ortega said he's already promised to assign an assistant police chief as gay community liaison and said he would ensure the department will investigate crimes against homosexuals ``Salt Lake City has worse problems -- delayed [response to emergency] calls, drugs and gangs. I've got a four-year contract in my pocket, and this is no way to start a relationship with me.'' David Nelson, of the democratic organization, accused the city of failing to adequately check Mr. Ortega's background before he was hired last week. Randy Richardson, editor of Outfront Review, a magazine for gays and lesbians, interrupted Monday's news conference to defend Mr. Ortega and demand that the critics produce evidence to support their contention that the new chief is insensitive to homosexuals. ``What's happening here is a total travesty,'' said Mr. Richardson. ``There is nothing here beyond hearsay and rumor.'' But Phoenix gay and lesbian organizations say Mr. Ortega's work was clouded by revelations of a departmental directive that vice-squad officers ``familiarize [themselves] with photos of known homosexuals and prostitutes, their vehicle license-plate numbers, home addresses and hangouts.'' Mr. Ortega said vice officers investigated heterosexual and homosexual prostitution and that he had no knowledge of the directive, which he suggested may have been written before he took office in 1980. The policy was carried out routinely, said John King, owner of Charlie's, a popular gay bar in Phoenix. He told The Salt Lake Tribune that police officers in plain clothes would copy down the license-plate numbers of vehicles in his parking lot. On occasion, they placed dime-size stickers under the bumpers of cars parked there overnight, he said.(11/10/92 Page: B1 SLTribune)
- GAY, LESBIAN GROUPS BLAST HIRING OF S.L. POLICE CHIEF By Amy Donaldson, Staff Writer Deseret News Several gay and lesbian organizations held a joint press conference Monday afternoon criticizing the hiring of Ruben Ortega as Salt Lake City's new police chief. The groups, speaking at the Stonewall Center, 450 S. 900 East, accused Ortega of being insensitive to the concerns of gay and lesbian communities. The proof they offered was testimony from members of the gay and lesbian community in Phoenix, government officials and news agencies. They gave reporters a list of quotes from Ortega and a list of quotes they said showed Ortega's inconsistencies and misrepresentations. But at least one prominent member of the gay community believes the allegations are premature. Randy Richardson, editor of Outfront Magazine, said the groups didn't have facts to support their claims and that it was unfair to hold the press conference when Ortega wasn't in town. "What's happening here is a total travesty," Richardson said. And, referring to the handout, "There is nothing here (but) hearsay and rumor. I don't think you have enough here to support what you're doing." The groups accused Ortega of misrepresenting the protection offered on the basis of sexual orientation by the Phoenix hate-crimes unit. Bob Aaron with the Phoenix Human Relations Commission said the unit didn't include investigation of anti-gay and lesbian hate crimes until after Ortega's resignation. Roger Rea, an attorney and member of the Phoenix Human Rights Task Force, said the unit didn't specifically include protection on the basis of sexual orientation, only race and religion. The groups asked for a variety of things ranging from Ortega's ousting to caution on the part of the mayor's office and the police department. "It's an obvious move to try to get them (mayor's office) to make some concessions that they haven't been able to get in the past," Ortega said from his Phoenix home. He said he couldn't name them specifically in a policy protecting gays and lesbians against hiring discrimination and other actions because the City Council or mayor had to do that. "I told them I'd appoint a top-level liaison to work with them," he said. "I told them to give me a chance and not base it on hearsay. These people have made a very tactical error. I'm going to be there for four years. I have a contract in my pocket." He said he would treat and protect them the same as any other resident of Salt Lake City. One of the current liaisons with the gay and lesbian community is Shane Jones. Jones attended the press conference and said he believes Ortega's promises to the gay and lesbian community. "I firmly believe he's going to support those policies," Jones said. "The thing I feel that's real unfortunate is I think there was a better way to approach it." The groups quoted Ortega as saying he created an AIDS task force within the department. They then quoted others on the Human Relations Commission and the Human Rights Task Force as saying Ortega didn't create the task force, the information included in videos was "bad" and that the department refused to allow the community AIDS council or the Phoenix AIDS task force to review the material. "Every organizational leader in the Phoenix gay and lesbian community that we spoke to that had an opinion about Mr. Ortega told us that we had reason for concern," said Michael Aaron, founder of the anti-violence project. Dale Sorenson, executive director of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, urged the mayor to re-consider the hiring of Ortega. He also asked the mayor to establish by executive order a city government employment and services non-discrimination policy that specifically includes "sexual orientation" as a protected class. "I have bent over backwards for them," Ortega said. "I will not be pressured or intimidated. They'll get the same protection and respect as every other citizen of Salt Lake - no more, no less."
11 November 1992 Wednesday
I had Parent Teacher’s Conference late tonight from 4:30 until 7:00 this evening. I missed my bus back to Salt Lake and sat out in the cold for 45 minutes.
12 November 1992 Thursday
The navy is reinstating this Gay Sailor after being sued. I got home from Parent Teacher’s conference by 7:30 this evening.
Additional Material
- LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Pentagon agreed to reinstate a gay sailor after a federal judge pulled rank and demanded that the military follow orders. "This is not a military dictatorship. It is not the former Soviet socialist republic. Here, the rule of law applies to the military ... even to the commander-in-chief," U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. said Tuesday in demanding the Navy take back Keith Meinhold as Hatter ordered last week. Later in the day, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said that Meinhold will be allowed to resume work on Thursday as a sonar crew instructor at Moffett Naval Air Station near San Francisco. Today is Veterans Day, a federal holiday. "The sailor is supposed to show up on Thursday, the oath of office will be administered and he will be immediately reinstated," Williams said. Meinhold, a 30-year-old petty officer, was given an honorable discharge in August after he disclosed on national television that he is gay. On Friday, Hatter, sitting in Los Angeles, ordered Meinhold reinstated until his lawsuit challenging the military's ban on homosexuals is resolved. But the sailor was turned away when he showed up at the base on Monday. On Tuesday, Hatter reaffirmed his order and criticized the military for defying him. The judge agreed, however, to a government request for a hearing Monday on arguments to reconsider the injunction. "I would be proud and honored to wear the uniform again," Meinhold said. Meinhold, who contends the ban violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution, said he expects the case to help homosexuals throughout the military. "I certainly would not have thrown away a 12-year career unless I thought I could make a difference for a lot of people," he said. The ban took effect during World War II. In recent years an average of 1,500 military personnel per year have been discharged because of it. The Pentagon says homosexuality undermines discipline and morale. Only one soldier, Army Sgt. Perry Watkins, has ever won a challenge of the ban. An appeals court reasoned that he had been candid about his homosexuality from the start of his career and the Army had continued to re-enlist him. The Supreme Court in 1990 refused to hear the Army's appeal. Watkins later agreed to retire. Hatter's order does not overturn the ban. The judge said that there was a likelihood Meinhold could prove the policy is unconstitutional and that the Navy violated regulations during its discharge proceedings against him. The judge warned that the Navy would be barred from filing further motions in the case if it disobeyed his reinstatement order. He also rejected a Navy offer to reinstate Meinhold that fell short of restoring him to his old job. In court papers Tuesday, the Justice Department argued that Meinhold was no longer in the Navy and the judge had no authority to reinstate him. While many legal experts said Meinhold could win in a federal district court and appeals court, the outcome at the U.S. Supreme Court is less certain. Don Balmer, a professor of constitutional law at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., said the conservative high court could very likely rule against Meinhold because it might be reluctant to change military policy. "Clearly, the military is a special category," he said. The Supreme Court has never accepted such a case for review. In 1990, it did leave intact two lower court rulings that upheld the ban on homosexuals.
13 November 1992 Friday
I went down to the Utah Tax Commission to see an auditor. I’m glad I did. I had almost $230 in tax refunds credited to 1985 when I didn’t owe any taxes at all. They never applied that money to my other bills, so I will get a $230 refund sometime in December I suppose.
Jeff Workman went to the AIDS Foundation for some volunteer but in the afternoon we walked down to go see Dracula at the Broadway Complex. I really liked it except at times I thought it dragged and Wynona Ryder was a weak link. She was way out of her league.
We met Bobbie Smith on the way down and asked him if he wanted to join us. It was a matinee so I paid for the three of us. Even at 4:30 in the afternoon the place was packed. I saw Jeff Grey-Lee and Jeff Wood with Ron Priddis. I hadn’t seen them in ages.
14 November 1992 Saturday
Yesterday a package from Mrs. Crutchfield came with material on Britton Williams but it didn’t tell me anything new. I went to the genealogical library and looked up information in Duplin and Sampson Counties, North Carolina. I am pretty sure Britton Williams’ family was from there before moving to Colonial Georgia and South Carolina.
I went grocery shopping today but did little else.
15 November 1992 Sunday
I didn’t even get out of my pajama today. I played on the computer mostly trying to get the printer to print without much success. I talked to Chuck Whyte on the phone today. He’s moving out of the MCC basement apartment and moving into the Midtown apartments at 254 South 300 East apartment Number 4. I think he wanted to get out from under having to be a slave to the church as he lived on the property and was expected to be at the church’s beck and call.
I stayed in this evening and tape recorded the Jackson 5 movie that Chuck wanted. Jeff Workman went out to join the bowling league but they hadn’t even begun bowling by 8 in the evening so he decided to leave and come home. It’s just another excuse for people from the Royal Court to drink and party, I think. As if they needed an excuse.
16 November 1992 Monday
After school came home immediately and worked on the computer trying to get the printer to print. I played around with it and was able to get some things printed so perhaps I can get the rest done soon.
17 November 1992 Tuesday
Gary Boren is moving to San Francisco over the Thanksgiving holiday. Becky Moorman is in a Lesbian commune in Eugene, Oregon. Bob Waldrop’s crappy friend Eric came over this evening and hung out until I gave him some gas money so that he’d leave.
18 November 1992 Wednesday
I came home from work to find that we have been robbed gain. I know it’s that slimy bastard Eric. The doors were locked except the balcony front porch because it was so hot in the apartment last night and I had the porch door opened. I forgot to latch it before going off to work. Being on the 2nd floor you wouldn’t think I’d have to lock my balcony but because the landlord doesn’t lock the front entrance, people can come and go as they please.
Our thief came in and climbed out of a window on to a ledge and then jumped up on to the balcony in seconds. I can’t prove it was Eric but I know it was him because he must have been scoping out our apartment yesterday. He said he had a car and this time more things were stolen; all our CDs again, all our cassettes, all my video tapes and our CD player.
I was just sick when I saw all of it gone. I hate the fact that someone was in our apartment when we weren’t home. I had over $2000 worth of movies, about $200 or more of CDs which were all brand new, our CD player which we just bought last year for about $200 and about 80 cassettes at about $10 a piece which is about $800 there. So we were ripped off to close to $3000.
We are moving for sure now. We are not happy at all and so discouraging because we feel we are being targeted. There’s only a 2 percent vacancy rate in Salt Lake City and 4 percent it’s like saying there’s no vacancies at all! It will be a pain moving but I can’t be here anymore feeling violated and unsafe. I’ve already paid my last month rent when I moved in here last year so I suppose we will be moving during Christmas vacation. I am totally depressed.
19 November 1992 Thursday
I was literally sick today from the feeling of being robbed yesterday. I didn’t eat any breakfast or lunch and just some cottage cheese and chips for dinner. I paid $5 for a flu short this morning at school. I hope it takes. I loaned Mr. Unger $5 so he could get a shot too because he didn’t have any cash on him.
Anyway after school, I called Bon Waldrop and asked what was Eric’s last name. His name wasn’t even Eric but Chris Shearer. Bob told me that when Eric isn’t hustling, he is a cat burglar. He said that Eric wasn’t working and was back drinking and doing drugs. I started to get mad rather than feel like a victim.
I called the police to report the crime and also called Eric’s probation officer Jim Mower who sounded pretty disgusted with this character. I don’t know for absolute certainty but it’s pretty circumstantial that it was Eric who ripped us off. At least now I don’t feel like quite as helpless and victimized as before. Mentally I am relieved to know who it was who did this rather than feeling like we had been randomly robbed by a stranger. An Officer Fanis came out to do the report and Jeff workman and I are trying to reconstruct a list of items stolen again.
20 November 1992-Friday
I woke to the first heavy snow fall of the season and the first to stick to the ground. It was a mess with accident’s and delayed busses. I didn’t even get to work until 7:45 this morning, almost a half an hour later than usual. It snowed 8 to 9 inches today.
When I got home I found out that Jeff Workman didn’t even make it into work at all. His truck was stuck in the snow and because of the angle of the street to the curb, it made it impossible to get out. Needless to say we didn’t do a lot of running around but I managed to help him push the truck out and we did make it to Smith’s to buy a turkey, I had to so I could start having it thaw out. I stayed up late typing up an inventory of all our stolen items. That was super depressing.
Additional Material
- At ART FOR LIFE, a benefit auction of more than 70 works donated by Utah visual artists Sunday, more than $20,000 was raised for the Utah AIDS Foundation. Event organized by Kelly Chopus, development director of the foundation. About 20% of the money raised will go to pay such expenses; the remainder will pay for client services, including Thanksgiving baskets for its more than 300 clients and a ``Sub-for-Santa'' program to bring Christmas gifts to those living with AIDS. Held at the Tivoli Gallery, 255 S. State, Salt Lake City. The foundation had hoped to raise about $10,000 from the benefit, which will feature both a silent and live auction, a buffet table and a pianist. (11/20/92 Page: E5 SLTribune & 12/13/92 Page: E3 SLTribune)
- According to the state's Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, 371 people have died of AIDS in Utah since 1983. There are 590 Utahns now living with AIDS, and another 790 have tested positive for HIV
21 November 1992 Saturday
Jeff Workman went out this morning and made copies of the list I made so we could take it around to Pawnshops and Record Buy Back Stores. I don’t really know how much good it will do but at least we are empowering ourselves instead of feeling just like victims.
We also went to Mervyns department store and I bought two more pair of Dockers pants and a pair of sweat pants and shirt to kick around in. I paid about $98 but clothes cost money.
From there we went to the Trolley Corner’s Theaters to see the film “Malcolm X”, what a powerful movie. We all change and evolve to a higher spiritual understanding of our place in the cosmos if we are seekers. I was about 14 years old when Malcolm X was murdered. I remember seeing two Black Muslims handing out tracts at the Orange County Plaza and they frightened me not knowing any black people. But then I was a bigoted child who equated supporting Southern Culture with being a racist. I am no longer that child but as an adult I am fighting racism within me which is a constant struggle.
22 November 1992 Sunday
I cleaned the apartment this morning while Jeff Workman did the laundry. At 11 this morning, faeries started arriving for the pot luck and for a Salt and Sage planning meeting. I made biscuits and Spanish omelets. Bobbie Smith aka Gllian brought some rice and Todd Dayley aka Possum brought soup so we had plenty to eat. I also served mocha coffee.
In attendance were Gillian, Jimmy Hamamoto aka Fuku, Possum, Tom Hennacy aka Dial Prana, Dave Ball aka Moonfire, Chuck Whyte, and myself. We agreed to input the Salt and Sage this Friday after Thanksgiving. It started to snow again pretty heavily while we visited all afternoon.
Chuck Whyte didn’t go to church at MCC today since Bruce Barton resigned being pastor of the Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church last Friday. Bruce Barton, Bruce Harmon, and Chuck all have transferred their membership to the Logan MCC where Kelly Byrnes is pastor. I guess Bruce Barton said enough is enough of all the sniping and criticism by Dick Dotson and the lesbians.
I wrote a pretty lengthy article in the Radical Forum about the whole shameful treatment of Bruce.
Jeff acted tired and sad today for some reason.
23 November 1992 Monday
It snowed on and off all day but wasn’t as severe as Friday’s storm. I had left my keys at home when I left this morning so after work I went to the Salt Lake Library to check out some Christmas music for the kids to sing in December. I called to see if Jeff Workman was home from school and was surprised that he was home before going to aerobics so I was able to get back into the apartment.
Everything is coated with a thick frosting of snow. It’s so pretty and appropriate for this time of year. I heard that 45 inches fell at Alta in the canyon. Maybe our drought cycle is breaking up.
Additional Material
- RESIDENTS SHOW OFF A FORGOTTEN WAY OF LIFE By Joe Costanzo, Staff Writer The tenants of the La France apartments in downtown Salt Lake City like to say there is nothing dividing their small row of houses - no street, generation gap or economic barrier. In good weather, they sit out on their front porches and visit with "family" in the neighboring units. Every tenant is either within earshot or a short stroll down Wayne Court. Tucked away from the noise and danger that surround them, the tenants tend tidy gardens, water the flowers in window boxes that sprout from the red-brick facades and together keep the common areas clean and safe. In good weather and bad, they watch out for each other, not just against crime, but for everyone's health and welfare. Longtime residents say not only do the row houses look like a throwback to the '20s from which they sprang, their occupants have somehow preserved the same close-knit community spirit of the past. "We are a family, here, all of us," said John Robinson. "We care what happens to each other." So when the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church announced that it was evicting the tenants in seven units to make way for a storage facility, the rest of the tenants reacted with disbelief and dismay. "They're family, these people who are being told to leave," said Robinson's wife, Cecelia. The Robinsons, who have lived in the La France apartments for 30 years, fear the project signals an end to their tenuous hold on a forgotten way of life. On Sunday, they joined the 100 or so other tenants in an open house to show off that way of life to the congregation of the neighboring Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, news reporters, city officials and anyone else who cared to stop, look and listen. "Well, unfortunately, we've had a very low turnout from the Greek Orthodox community," said tenant Andrew Olson after three hours had passed and only one church member had visited the units. "We were hoping to show them what's here, to give them a sense of the community that exists here." The church, which owns the property, plans to demolish the first seven units along the west side of Wayne Court, 250 West at 300 South, for a warehouse to store equipment. In a meeting with residents last month, church officials promised to help the evicted tenants find new homes. They also said they have tried to find an alternative location for the warehouse for the past five years without success. But the tenants said some options need further study. "We don't dispute their sincerity and their need for storage, but we just believe there is a better solution," Olson said. "We feel that it doesn't make sense to demolish these units, especially considering the housing situation in this city." He also stressed the historical value and unusual character of the La France row houses, saying those qualities are irreplaceable. The location was used by three film companies last summer, he noted. "You can't find anything like this anywhere in Utah anymore," Olson said.
24 November 1992 Tuesday
We have lost 45 minutes of daylight since the beginning of Samhain with us having 14 hours and 20 minutes of darkness now. We had our Pilgrim Fair today with parents helping with crafts and pilgrim food. Lots of popcorn and pumpkin cookies. We watched a movie in the afternoon as the kids were too wired to do any real work. It was an easy-peazy day. I was surprised that I got some Thankful for letters from Sixth Grade students saying how much they appreciated me as their former teacher. That was sweet.
25 November 1992 Wednesday
The kids had a party in the afternoon at school so it was a light teaching day. I spent the evening cooking and getting ready for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving Dinner. I made two pumpkin pies, an apple crumb pie, and a coconut cream pie. Jeff Workman went out tonight with friends but I was too tired. I just cleaned the kitchen so it wouldn’t be a wreck for tomorrow.
26 November 1992 Thursday Thanksgiving
Jeff Workman didn’t get home until 6 this morning. I have no idea where he spent the night. I let him sleep in until 10 although we had a lot to do. I was up at 6:30, stuffed the turkey and put it on to cook. I called John Reeves to wish him a happy Thanksgiving and then called Mom and Dad. We visited for about an hour and it sounded like Charline and the kids are all thinking about leaving California to move to Arizona. Mom and Dad said they are eating dinner with my uncle and aunt, Milton and Marie.
Anyway when Jeff got up, he started cleaning the rest of the place while I cooked. I noticed that he had a love bite on his neck. I didn’t say a word. I don’t know what to think. I don’t have time to think about it. If I start to think about it I’d sit down on the floor and cry so I cooked.
We had a houseful for Thanksgiving with Bobbie Smith, Jimmy Hamamoto, Dave Ball, Todd Dayley, Robert Olsen and I invited Frank Lohmeyer and Bob Manchertz over because they were out of work and they were going to just sit home alone. Jeff invited Joel Redmond and his boyfriend Todd over as well. Bob Waldrop was the only no show. I thought he might not come because he is living now way out in Herriman.
I think everyone had a nice time and the place wasn’t trashed. It was a nice Thanksgiving and nothing too ruckus but I spaced most of the day off in my own mind.
27 November 1992 Friday
I got up at 6 this morning to take Jimmy Hamamoto out to Ernst Home Improvement where they were having a two hour sale. I wanted to buy some movies. Later in the morning Jeff Workman took me to get my hair cut over on 7th East. This real cute guy cut my hair and I tipped him $5 because he was so attentive and he was very appreciative of the tip.
After that I didn’t do much of anything else. I walked home and bought some movies at Block Busters and then typed on the computer. Nothing too eventful. I haven’t seen Jeff this evening so I guess he’s staying out again.
28 November 1992 Saturday
At 2 this afternoon, Bobbie Smith, Jimmy Hamamoto, Jeff Workman and I went down to Murray, where Todd Dayley works at U.S. West to type in the Salt and Age on his work computer. We worked on it for several hours. I know I am claustrophobic for some reason. On the way up, in the elevator, it suddenly stopped and it took Todd a while to get it to start. The office was empty and I was really starting to feel anxious. Anyway while working on the Salt and Sage Jeff really hurt my feelings by calling me a dumb shit in front of Todd. With everything else that is going on between us, that really hurt. We all made plans to see Aladdin tomorrow. But I am mad and hurt as I don’t know what is going on with Jeff.
This evening Jeff bought a pizza which is his way of making up but something is going on with him. After we were robbed and we started thinking about moving, I asked him if we ought to live apart. He acted like he didn’t want to then, but I wonder if he has changed his mind.
29 November 1992 Sunday
I am so sick in my heart. I don’t know if I can write anything. Jeff Workman told me this morning he was leaving me. I am devastated. Right before Jimmy Hamamoto and Bobbie Smith were coming over to go to the show, Jeff said he thought he ought to move out.
I was in shock but knew it was coming. Hearing the words was different from simply dreading it. Jeff, Bobbie and Jimmy went to the show. I stayed home feeling flattened.
I didn’t have any time to recover before Matt Wilson dropped by thinking we were doing the Salt and Sage today. He stayed because he needed to talk and I needed to talk. We visited for several hours until the rest came home. They seemed to have enjoyed Aladdin but I was in no space to carry on a conversation as if everything was normal and my world wasn’t falling apart. My heart was breaking.
After all the company left, Jeff drove me down to Smiths as we needed groceries and I needed a December bus pass. They weren’t available yet so I just bought some postage stamps. I asked Jeff at the store whether we should buy groceries together. He said yes but I just couldn’t do it. I just sat on a bench while he shopped. Our little home, our little family is over. I am reeling from the shock.
At home I walked down Del Mar Court to Bobbie’s place. I had to get out of the apartment that seemed so devoid of happiness. We talked and I shared a little bit about what is going on between Jeff and I. I just can’t cope right now. I’m blocking and shutting down my feelings.
30 November 1992 Monday
This morning I crawled in bed with Jeff Workman and cried and cried. I was so miserable. Getting ready for work, I cried in the shower and then did everything I could do to keep from falling apart at school.
I came right home and fell on the couch prostrate with grief. I could not imagine my life now without Jeff. I wanted to just die.
When he came home from aerobics he took a shower then came out and sat down next to me. He said he had been thinking about us a lot today and said he didn’t think he had been fair to me not giving us a chance to work things out. He said that he didn’t realize how much he’d miss me until it became a reality about us splitting up. He said he saw a dead body in the snow this morning and realized that he had no one to tell about it except me.
I told Jeff I didn’t want him to leave and if our relationship is going to change, let’s change it together. We decided to stay together for at least three more months and then see how we feel. Jeff coming to his senses has lifted such a weight off my heart but I also feel like I’ve been ran over by a Mack Truck.
I hate this month.
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