Spring 2nd Quarter Journal 1996 April-June

 

April 1996 George Whiting Jr.  opened the Ogden Iron Company (154)

 

April 1996 Salt Lake Tribune Editorial “Gov. Mike Leavitt has argued repeatedly that Wednesday's special session of the Legislature should deal only with those issues about which there is a policy consensus. Yet on the eve of the session, details were not available on the agenda's two major bills: how to deal with gay and lesbian student clubs in public schools and how to structure funding for a series of projects in the state's capital budget. Apparently these two issues have defied consensus-building, at least where the nitty-gritty details are concerned. As of Tuesday, legislators didn't know specifics of either proposal. Given that special sessions omit public hearings and allow only limited time for legislative deliberation, it is prudent to question whether these items should be rushed through a special session at all, especially one which is supposed to last only a single afternoon. Certainly the gay-clubs issue is too complex for such treatment. The legal details have tied lawyers in knots for months, and the day before the special session, specifics of the new proposal remained Utah's best-kept secret.That's no way to make policy. Gov. Leavitt was right to veto Senate Bill 246, passed in the general session a couple of months ago to ban the clubs by intimidating and gagging teachers who might otherwise act as faculty advisers. But the governor should have buried S.B. 246 after the veto rather than trying to exhume and reshape it. The special-session process likely will end up passing a bill that also is deeply flawed, resulting both in bad policy and unnecessary  legal expenses when it is challenged, as it inevitably will be. (SL Tribune editorial)(ACLU News Clip 18 April 1996)                             

  04/05/96

 

 

5 April 1996 (The Salt Lake Tribune 04/05/96 Page: B2)    NO TO KIDNAPPER      The Utah Court of Appeals on Thursday refused to consider an appeal to overturn the conviction of Weber StateUniversity administrator Phillip O. Austin. The state's second-highest court said Austin failed to raise the issue offaulty jury instruction at trial and therefore it is not an issue it will consider. Austin, director of student advisement, wassentenced in November 1994 to 1 to 15 years for the sexually motivated kidnapping of an Ogden man. He wasconvicted of second-degree kidnapping for a March 12, 1994, incident involving Colby Clifford, 20. Clifford said hewas picked up by Austin in Clearfield and sexually propositioned at gunpoint, then escaped by leaping from Austin'scar. The university started termination proceedings against Austin after his conviction, but he remained on paid leaveduring the appeal.

 

04/05/96

 

Publication: The Salt Lake Tribune

Types: Utah

Published: 04/05/96

Page: B2

Keywords: Blotter

For the Record

 NO TO KIDNAPPER  

 

   The Utah Court of Appeals on Thursday refused to consider an appeal to overturn the conviction of Weber State

University administrator Phillip O. Austin. The state's second-highest court said Austin failed to raise the issue of

faulty jury instruction at trial and therefore it is not an issue it will consider. Austin, director of student advisement, was

sentenced in November 1994 to 1 to 15 years for the sexually motivated kidnapping of an Ogden man. He was

convicted of second-degree kidnapping for a March 12, 1994, incident involving Colby Clifford, 20. Clifford said he

was picked up by Austin in Clearfield and sexually propositioned at gunpoint, then escaped by leaping from Austin's

car. The university started termination proceedings against Austin after his conviction, but he remained on paid leave

during the appeal.

 

6 April 1996 April 6, 1996 The Salt Lake Tribune Letter: Utah Democrats Have It Wrong So a few disgruntled Utah Democrats want to meet privately about reducing the state party "to its foundation" to win more elections (The Salt Lake Tribune, March 24). These Democrats suggest that the party isn't in the mainstream of public opinion because the party supports protecting the equal rights of bisexual, gay and lesbian people, among other things. Some leading Democrats appear to disagree with them. President Clinton said in October that he agreed with the Democratic National Committee and most congressional Democrats who support the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit workplace discrimination against sexual orientation. He directed his administration to prohibit this discrimination in the federal government. Vice President Gore said in February that bisexual, gay and lesbian supporters would be included in his and the president's re-election campaign "in an unprecedented way." Former President Carter said in February that Americans "must make it clear that a platform of `I hate gay men and women' is not a way to become president of the United States" and that "the public must not condone, even by silence, these obnoxious attitudes." But state Democratic Chair Mike Zuhl suggested that protecting the equal rights of bisexual, gay and lesbian people isn't supported by most Utahns and that state Democrats should be silent about the issue or risk losing elections. A Valley Research and Survey poll which was published in 1992 by The Salt Lake Tribune showed that 65 percent of Utahns agreed that "gays and lesbians should be protected by laws against housing and job discrimination." The poll results contradict his statement. Those who claim this issue is politically costly are wrong. It's more surprising that this claim is made by state Democrats whose leaders are opposed to silence and inaction about the issue. The opinions of these few Democrats are at odds with most of their leaders and constituents. DAVID NELSON

Salt Lake City

 

 

7 April 1996-Utah AIDS Foundation development director Julie Mayhew and her mother, Alice Jensen, attend the Oscar Night Gala benefiting the foundation. YWCA director Jane Edwards presented AIDS Foundation's advocate of the year award to sonsof the late Les Stewart -- Zach and Jon, right. AIDS UTAH AIDS FOUNDATION ``Oscar'' came to Salt Lake City for ``An Affair to Remember'' March 25. At 13 1/2 inches tall and weighing 8 ½ pounds, the lightly gold-plated, much-coveted visiting statuette was matched only by a glittering crowd of close to 2,200 gathering in the spectacular Salt Palace Ballroom applauding Utah AIDS Foundation volunteers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and life at the Oscar Night Gala. One of 12 official Oscar Night America events, the gala was underwritten by sponsors ensuring 100 percent of the ticket price and funds raised during the evening -- $85,000 --will go to the Utah AIDS Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to stopping the spread of HIV disease throughout Utah and ensuring compassionate service to those affected with HIV/AIDS. Among awards: Delores and Maxine Sanchez, for Most Committed Support; the Rev. Barbara Hamilton-Holway, Best Divine Intervention; Utah Food Bank, Best Supporting Cast; and Intermountain Health Care, Corporation of the Year. Valerie, Veronica and Victoria Gonzales accepted the Michael T. Elliot Volunteer of the Year Award for their mother, the late Liza Gonzales. Zach, Jon and Sara Stewart accepted the Advocate of the Year Award for their late father, Les Stewart. Volunteers Miriam Cunningham and Doug Brunker checked coats while Pat Derbidge, Lynda Griffiths and Shelly Wilkerson mingled with other guests before dining-room doors opened at 6:30 p.m. Donna Lahey was there with Kitty and Glenn Getz and Mary Beth Rivetti. Diane and Paul Diehl attended with former Tooele Mayor George and Violet Diehl, who admired the Salt Palace with architect David Brems. Utah AIDS Foundation executive director Barbara Shaw stopped to chat with Bill Balken and board vice president George Miller. Camille Campbell, Kisha Russell and Roxann  Hartt posed for photographs with Pat Poce, Rich Bender, David Anderson and Deon Gooch. Mitch and Susan Gross chatted with Sophia Nepolis and Connie Lenardakis. Development director Julie Mayhew's mother, Alice Jensen, had to go to her mass meeting before the party. Among partygoers: Sharon and Bill Loya, Gina and Mark Elardo, Dennis and Judy Fuchs, Jane Edwards, Anne Stromness, Sarah and Eric Shapiro, Edna and Grant Schettler, Turid Lipman, Betsy Blee, Bruce Romney and Pam Scarpelli. The Phoenix Band enticed guests to stay late, and girl-singer Myrlene Korologos wowed them with ``The Lady Is a Tramp.''

 

12 April 1996 04/12/96 Page: E6East High Benefit Concert featuring Catie Curtis and Sweet Loretta, Utah Museum of Fine Arts Auditorium, University of Utah campus, Wednesday, 7 p.m. Tickets, $10 general admission, $8 students at University Union, Coffee Garden, Utah Stonewall Center and at the door. Proceeds go to the Gay Straight Alliance of East High. 

 

16 April 1996 04/16/96 Page: D1 Keywords: UT, Businesses, Social Trends, Business Trends, Homosexual-Gay Issues   Gay-Friendly Firms List in `Pink Pages' Byline: By Lili Wright THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE   So you are looking for a psychologist who specializes in gay relationships. Or perhaps you need a real estate agent, one who isn't homophobic.  Find them in the ``pink pages,'' a telephone directory of gay and gay-friendly businesses along the Wasatch Front.    Founded three years ago, the Rainbow Connection Directory allows lesbians and gays to support businesses that support them. Last year the 40-page guide had 300 listings. Publisher Mark Talboom predicts the 1996 guide will top 500. Talboom, who plans to shorten the directory's name this year to The Connection, says the directory has been a success. ``I have had quite a bit of business from it,'' says the Salt Lake City chiropractor. ``People are looking for gay-friendly resources.''  Like lesbians and gays across the country, a growing number of Utah homosexuals are choosing to patronize companies that support their politics. In the same way, Talboom says he wants to avoid businesses who don't believe lesbians and gays deserve equal rights.  ``The color of our money is the same,'' he says. ``They will take our money and turn around and use it to deprive us ofour basic rights.''  While many homosexuals do not reveal their sexual orientation, the disposable income of the gay market is no longer a secret. One research group, Chicago-based Overlooked Opinions, puts the U.S. gay market at $514 billion annually. Brad Dundas, a real estate agent with Wardley Better Homes and Gardens, has watched his gay and lesbian clientele grow from 16% of his gross sales in 1992 to 54% last year. While Dundas says he has gotten more referrals off gay Internet sites than the telephone directory, he plans to advertise again. ``It's a valuable resource,'' he says. Even major corporations like AT&T are getting into the act.  Renee Rinaldi, executive director of the Utah Stonewall Center, recently received a long distance direct-mail ad depicting gay couples and decorated with pink triangles, a sign of gay solidarity. Uta h's telephone directory is another tool that lesbians and gays can use to gain influence, she says.  ``It's important to let the business world know that we exist,'' she says, ``that our money is good, and if you want it, you need to treat us right.''  Modeled after Colorado's statewide Pink Pages, Utah's guide charges from $15 for a three-line listing to $120 for a full-page ad. Social-service agencies, from the Rape Crisis Center to Family Fellowship, a Mormon gay support group, are listed free.  Last year, Talboom broke even after printing 2,000 copies. He donated directories to the Stonewall Center, Salt Lake City's gay community center, which charges $1 a guide.  May 10 is the deadline for listings and ads for the 1996 directory, which will appear on national Gay Pride Day in June.

 

17 April 1996 04/17/96 Page: B4 Keywords: Events Schedule Happening Today    Vintage Jazz Quartet, jazz, Salt Lake Art Center, 20 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, 5:30 p.m. Free. East High Benefit Concert featuring Catie Curtis and Sweet Loretta, Utah Museum of Fine Arts Auditorium, University of Utah campus, 7 p.m. Tickets, $10 general admission, $8 students at University Union, Coffee Garden, Utah Stonewall Center and at the door. Proceeds go to the Gay-Straight Alliance of East High. AA4

Keywords: Guest Editorial   Gay Club Bill Too Sketchy on Qualifications for Bans    School Clubs At the Mercy Of Sketchy Bill Byline: BY ROBERT STEINER SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE    Editor's Note: The author is a veteran Democratic senator in the Utah Legislature from  Salt Lake  I have decided to record some of my observations on the debate of Sen. Craig Taylor's Senate Bill 1003, banning gay  and lesbian clubs in high schools, in the Legislature's special session April 17. As a participant in the debate and as a close observer of the bill's legislative course since it originally appeared as SB246 and SB262 in the 1996 general session, I feel my perspective may in some small way enlighten public discourse on the new law.  On the morning of the special session, I arrived at the Capitol for an 8 a.m. committee meeting.  It ran until lunch. Most lawmakers were similarly occupied with such ordinary business all morning. SB1003 and some supporting documents finally were printed and placed on our desks around 10:30 a.m. The final version of the bill was approved for filing at 2:32 p.m. It varied slightly from the one distributed before lunch.  The text of SB1003 had not been available before this time.  The fact that we had not had time to study the bill and that we had not held public hearings to receive public comment became almost as important to the debate as the substance of the measure itself. At lunch, Sen. Dave Steele, R-West Point, strongly expressed his concern. Later, during debate, Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley City, made a motion to consider the bill again May 15, permitting ourselves and the public to study it in the intervening month.  Sen. Dave Buhler, R-Salt Lake City, wondered if the bill ought to be taken up for voting in the 1997 general session. Thrust of Presentation:  Taylor explained his bill on the Senate floor in some detail. We took up consideration of his bill around 3 p.m.   Taylor spoke for nearly an hour. He followed the sense of a text that had been distributed with the bill and titled ``Legislative History.''  It is an 18-page legal brief presumably prepared by Dan Berman, Dave Jordan and school board attorneys. They were asked by Gov. Mike Leavitt to help  Taylor draft a better bill than SB246, which Leavitt had vetoed in March. Taylor's main arguments were that homosexuality is a dangerous and destructive lifestyle and, therefore, the state may act to forestall this lifestyle choice for the health, safety and morals of its young citizens. The premise was that homosexuality is dangerous and destructive because of its high correlation to HIV. Taking action to prevent susceptible people from experimenting with homosexuality may help them delay or altogether avoid those destructive actions, he said. Taylor also argued that some young people could be recruited into homosexuality by the existence of a school gay club.  He supported this argument with references to a couple of psychiatric opinions that were forcefully expressed but not qualified as to whether they represented the views of most psychiatrists, a respected minority or other group Finally,  Taylor asked the rhetorical question of whether the interests of the state and its young people were to be better served by those intending to protect the young people from the dangers of homosexuality or by those who would permit the clubs in our schools -- making possible the recruitment to homosexuality of students under the guise of offering ``support'' to them.  Incidental Problems? SB1003 is too broad in at least two respects: First, the bill proscribes any student organization seen to ``promote bigotry.'' Bigotry is undefined in the bill and, consequently, the bill will gather too many organizations into its net. There seems to be some overlap in meaning between the words bigotry, racism and prejudice.    Prejudice is ``pre-judgement'' about anything. It means you have made up your mind before you have heard the whole story. Racism means categorizing people according to their race, especially by one group that pretends to have power over another group. The meaning of ``bigotry'' is less clear to me. Black's Law Dictionary defines bigot as an obstinate person, one that is wedded to an opinion, in matters of religion, etc. The American Heritage Dictionary defines bigot as a person of strong conviction or prejudice, especially in matters of religion, race or politics, who is intolerant of those who differ with him. The Oxford English dictionary defines bigotry as the condition of a bigot; obstinate and unenlightened attachment to a particular creed, opinion, system or party.   By these definitions, could a Christian club be forbidden to exist by this section of the bill? Christians are people of strong conviction. They may be intolerant of different groups, perhaps Muslims or perhaps homosexuals. Would a Christian Bible club be ``promoting bigotry'' by condemning homosexuality? Or, could a Republican political club be considered ``bigoted'' because it opposes affirmative action? Taylor replied that his team of lawyers didn't want to define bigotry in the bill. The real definition of the term will be decided by the local school boards and -- as the bill later was amended in the House -- by the state school board as well. Perhaps this means that ``as applied'' to various organizations across the state, the ``promotes bigotry'' language will not be too broad because our school boards will be so careful when they determine what bigotry means. I would have preferred to tighten up this language. The bill also proscribes those student organizations that ``involve human sexuality.'' In my opinion these terms are fairly broad, including as they do large areas of biology and literature. Interpreted literally, clubs investigating medicine or clubs performing Shakespeare's comedies should be forbidden. I suggested that this language could also be more sharply delimited by using specific language like ``sex acts'' or ``sexual actions.'' Again, the sponsor preferred the broader, original language because, as I understood it, the school boards will know what we mean by ``involve human sexuality.'' I'm not so sure. Could a club that promotes teen-age sexual abstinence be forbidden because the club would ``involve human sexuality?'' Could a ``gay/straight alliance'' formed to provide support to schoolchildren who suffer from homophobia be forbidden. What about a dancing club?    That this bill is a usurpation of the power of local school boards became even clearer when the House amended the Senate version to say that both the state school board and the local school boards could adopt rules to implement the new law. The local school boards already can take these measures. Until now they have been too smart to do so, or have done so in a way that removes all noncurricular clubs. Rather than having the state act in this area of local responsibility, we should have left it alone. I don't think having gay clubs, or gay/straight alliances can only be seen negatively by school districts. East High's Gay-Straight Alliance, offers a valuable opportunity for some vulnerable young people. A constituent wrote to me in February: ``Gay and Lesbian youth sometimes live very tormented lives due to abusive peers, parents and just their own needs to fit in and be accepted as all teen-agers long to do. This torment can lead to emotional distress, and even worse an elevated rate of teen suicide. The gay and lesbian community in Utah has a mentoring program called Project 21 administered through the Stonewall Center, which is a response to the needs of these young people. This does help, but we think the schools are closer to where the need is and can potentially reach more of these kids with the peer support that they need most.'' I appreciate how unsettling it is for many that a gay and lesbian club is present at East High. The club grew out of a need of students, both gay and straight, to deal with the issue of homosexuality in a spirit of tolerance and understanding. Instead of gay bashing and violence, the East students chose discussion and the exchange of points of view. The larger community should follow their example, even if the existence of homosexuality makes them uncomfortable. When this issue came up during general session in February, I had a visit from old college friends who live in Northern California. They told me that their oldest child's Catholic high school  has a gay support club. It is unlikely that the Catholic bishop in that area intends to promote homosexuality; rather, I believe that by permitting a gay support club there he may intend to promote tolerance and understanding.  Much of the debate comes down to whether we are being honest with ourselves. Has the state acted because we sincerely and reasonably believe that young people are being recruited into homosexuality and therefore we don't want people around discussing it, or identifying their distinct problems? If recruitment is a smoke screen and if we really just want to pretend that a point of view doesn't exist because we are not comfortable with it, then even the substance of this bill may violate the free speech of students. In Terminiello v. Chicago, Mr. Terminiello gave a speech that viciously criticized various political and racial groups. There were some disturbances. Justice William O. Douglas delivered the opinion of the court and left us with a difficult lesson: ``The vitality of civil and political institutions in our society depends on free discussion . . . The right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs is therefore one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes . . . Speech is often provocative and challenging. It may strike at prejudices and preconceptions and have profound unsettling effects as it presses for acceptance of an idea. That is why freedom of speech, though not absolute, is nevertheless protected against censorship or punishment, unless shown likely to produce a clear and present danger of serious substantive evil that rises far above public inconvenience, annoyance or unrest. For the alternative would lead to standardization of ideas either by legislature, courts, or dominant political or community groups.'' Taylor, with the help of the governor, has done a much better job with SB1003 than he did with the bills presented in the general session. Will will have a much better chance of winning in court than we would have had. I'm not sure it is worth the trouble because I don't think there is broad public consensus that a couple of gay clubs in our state can ever be injurious to us. We will know more in a few years.

 

17 April 1996 April 17, 1996

 

The Salt Lake Tribune

 

Lawmakers Return To Take On Gay Clubs

 

Special Session Today To Deal With Gay Clubs

 

By Dan Harrie and Tony Semerad

 

Eyes turn today to Utah's Capitol Hill, where state lawmakers gather in a special session to discuss new ways for curbing gay student clubs.

 

Gov. Mike Leavitt and legislative leaders emerged late Tuesday from a closed-door meeting to present the latest approach -- a complicated scheme that would let local school boards decide which clubs deserve to be forbidden, but leaving their actual banishment from public-school grounds up to state law.

 

Flanked by House Speaker Mel Brown and Senate President Lane Beattie, Leavitt called the proposal "a very nice compromise providing local control." Opponents, meanwhile, are threatening a lawsuit over any measure targeting specific clubs, including those formed by gay students.

 

State legislators take up the matter today starting at 2:30 p.m., along with consideration of the state's $51 million construction budget and other items.

 

The focus of weeks of meetings among attorneys, school officials and others, the proposal Leavitt unveiled Tuesday came as the gay-club controversy unfolded on several fronts:

 

--Religious leaders, including Catholic Bishop George H. Niederauer, spiritual leader to Utah's 80,000 Catholics, issued a statement promoting diversity and tolerance, decrying bigotry and asking elected officials "to refrain from divisive and polarizing behavior."

 

--Television crews from CBS and MTV arrived in Salt Lake City to cover legislative action and attendant fallout, which already has earned Utah worldwide publicity, much of it negative.

 

--A petition has circulated on the global computer Internet, calling for reversal of the Salt Lake School Board's February 20 decision to ban all extracurricular clubs rather than let gay students meet in school. It has drawn "thousands" of signatures, organizers said, including those of residents from California, New York, Texas, Hawaii and elsewhere.

 

--A group of gay and politically active Republicans pleaded with legislators to delay action, saying the entire debate has left citizens "disgusted and dismayed."

 

Leavitt met during the weekend with upset parents of gays and lesbians. Instead of a lobbying session, the meeting at an undisclosed private residence was to "express our anguish and concern about what is going on in the Legislature and the proposed legislation," said Gary Watts, a father and Provo radiologist.

 

The governor called today's one-day special session after he vetoed Senate Bill 246, which was designed to bar teachers and school employees from "condoning, encouraging or promoting illegal activity" -- an attempt to limit gay clubs. The governor said he feared the measure infringed unduly on free-speech rights.

 

The current language in the bill zeroes in on clubs that encourage criminal or delinquent behavior, promote bigotry, or involve human sexuality. And with the two-tiered system of letting school boards identify clubs but letting state law ban them, Leavitt said, the bill meets the two goals of giving local boards flexibility while ensuring consistent standards statewide.

 

But it also is aimed at insulating local school boards from expensive legal action. The Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups already have said the proposed law violates the federal Equal Access Act of 1984, guaranteeing student organizations access to public-school facilities.

 

And clearly state officials have no illusions about getting sued. In an April 10 letter to Leavitt from state Superintendent of Public Instruction Scott Bean, he says, "The state and the public schools will be best served by putting the issue before the courts as quickly as possible and without additional divisiveness."

 

Normally defensive about local control, Utah's 40 school boards have lobbied hard for the bill to mandate local school districts to ban or restrict gay student clubs, effectively relieving them of that legal responsibility.

 

"On this issue, knowing there will be litigation, it makes much better sense, since all districts will be impacted, to have it as state policy," said Darrell White, executive director of the State School Boards Association.

 

More simply put, said White, if the state mandates how districts treat gay clubs, the state will be responsible for legal expenses in defending the policy.

 

Leavitt and legislative leaders said they would generate an estimated cost for associated litigation in time for today's session. But they do not intend to appropriate any money before their 1997 regular session convenes in January.

 

Utah Atty. Gen. Jan Graham, who would be responsible for defending the state against such a lawsuit, has not been approached about estimating the expense to taxpayers, spokesman Palmer DePaulis said Tuesday.

 

Late last year, Democrat Graham's office agreed with attorneys for the state Office of Public Education that a ban aimed solely at the East High Gay-Straight Student Alliance would be illegal under the Equal Access Act.

 

One Utah congressional candidate on Tuesday called for the repeal of portions of the Act that mandates equal treatment of all student groups, in terms of access to school facilities.

 

"It is improper for the federal government to dictate to the local schools what their policies should be in regard to homosexual students," said John C. Houston, one of eight Republicans running for Utah's 2nd Congressional District.

 

In a news conference at the state Capitol, Houston said he would prefer to abolish the entire Act -- even if that barred Bible study groups from meeting on school grounds -- rather than agree with its dictates on gay groups, whose presence he called "disruptive to students, parents, teachers and to the very purpose of education."

 

A group of gay Republicans, on the other hand, Tuesday urged that action be delayed.

 

The Utah Log Cabin Republicans President D.J. Thompson pleaded in a letter to Beattie, R-West Bountiful, and Brown, R-Midvale, that they stall action: "Don't debate it, don't vote on it, don't act on it. Legislative leaders like you can figure out a parliamentary way to put this in the deep freeze."

 

The group estimated that passage will cost the state $1 million -- with little chance of it surviving court scrutiny.

 

But David Nelson, head of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, was more resigned. He called the bill's approval by the Legislature and governor a "slam dunk," and expected token opposition from a few lonely Democrats.

___

 

 

18 April 1996 Thursday, AIDS ANTI GAY POLITICS Bresnahan says brother, who died of AIDS, was led into lifestyle by adults.  A PERSONAL PLEA TO HALT GAY `RECRUITMENT'  For some Utah legislators, the debate over banning gay and lesbian student clubs was an abstract affair. For Rep. DavidBresnahan it was personal."My younger brother, Donald, was a homosexual who died of AIDS five years ago," Bresnahan told a quiet House lateWednesday night. "He went through three years of suffering. I made many trips to Massachusetts, sitting by his bedside withhis male friends."Bresnahan, an arch-conservative Republican from West Jordan, said he didn't know his little brother, who died at 31, verywell until later in life. Donald Bresna-han was much younger than the Utah legislator."Donald thought he was born homosexual, that it was a genetic" trait, David Bresnahan said. But as Donald Bresnahan slowlydied, he came to believe that he was conditioned into the homosexual lifestyle by adults. In his case a Boy Scout leader and anassistant leader privately abused 22 boys in the troop over a period of time.As adult men, said Bresnahan, members of the troop contacted each other. Most of the 22 were gay, and odds that geneticswould put so many gay men in a troop don't add up."I'm here to tell you kids are recruited" into homosexual acts. "My brother was," he said.Bresnahan said his brother and other troop members were kept quiet not by threats of violence but by fear that the troopleaders would tell others that the kids were homosexual. "They would say to my brother, "See, you like this, don't you. You

are gay.'"We have to protect our kids from perverts who recruit them," said Bresnahan. "And a great place to (recruit) is a club wherehomosexuals get together and talk about the "good times.'"They are after our kids. And let's talk about what they do: It's sodomy, a disgusting, filthy, awful thing. It spreads all kinds ofdiseases. I tell you, free speech doesn't include recruiting kids into a lifestyle that can kill them."I know if my brother were here," Bresnahan said, choking back tears, "he would want you to do this" - vote for the bill. "Iwant you to." Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

 

Thursday, April 18, 1996  VOLUNTEER EDUCATES AS WELL AS INSPIRES  Barb Barnhart's remarkable courage and compassion shows up in the work she does educating people about AIDS. A former nurse, she has been diagnosed with AIDS and now focuses on living with the disease, rather than dying from it. As a volunteer for the Utah AIDS Foundation and the People with AIDS Coalition, she has given countless hours to educating children and adults about HIV/AIDS.Barnhart has faced two critical phases in her life with AIDS. Last winter she was told she had "nochance for survival" after an illness, but she started getting better. When she was released from thehospital, she was out volunteering again."It is through Barb's efforts that fear and bigotry have been diminished concerning AIDS," said KimRusso, outreach coordinator for the Utah AIDS Foundation.Barnhart speaks to schoolchildren of all ages, as well as youths at risk about tolerance andcompassion for all humankindDeseret News Publishing Co.

 

19 April 1996-Courts Will Have Final Say On Fate of Gay Groups After a late-night political convulsion on homosexuality, Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt and the Legislature have handed off the controversial issue of gay student clubs to the courts. State taxpayers are likely to pay for ensuing lawsuits. Few expected Wednesday's special legislative session -- which Republican Leavitt meant as an afternoon of sharply focused lawmaking -- would turn into a disjointed 12-hour catharsis of emotion, verbal conflict and, in a  few cases, outright gay-bashing. The 104 part-time legislators finished their one-day session shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday. In hand was a bill that forces Utah's school boards to ban clubs for gay and lesbian students and other select organizations – while allowing other groups access to school facilities. The governor vetoed similar legislation, Senate Bill 246, in March, saying it veered into unconstitutional territory. The reworked measure, which Leavitt said Thursday that he will sign into law, is sure to be challenged under claims that it flouts federal law and the U.S. Constitution. ``Not only does it violate the rights of lesbian, gay and straight students,'' said Carol Gnade, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Utah, ``but [also] everyone associated with a Utah high school, including teachers, administrators and volunteers.''  The ACLU vows to sue. And while a lawsuit could cost Utahns dearly, the governor said legal action could provide a lasting solution to the dispute -- one that politicians cannot find. ``In our society, sometimes you just have to go to a court to resolve the finer points,'' Leavitt said  Wednesday. ``Many people in the state, and I'm among them, wish that this did not have to play out in our schools. This is obviously a much larger national debate. ``I wish it were finished. I don't suppose it is.''  Under the new measure, school boards have the power to limit or forbid any club, but must ban those centered around bigotry, criminal activity or human sexuality. Boards also can require parental permission for club involvement, and teachers cannot encourage criminal behavior. Leavitt and the bill's sponsor, Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville, argued that it takes back control of student extracurricular clubs. That control recently has been thrown into confusion by conflicting views of the federal Equal Access Act of 1984. Pointing to the Salt Lake School Board's Feb. 20 ban on all student clubs, Taylor argued the new state measure instead allows boards to prohibit specific clubs, something school officials and the Utah attorney general have interpreted as illegal under the act. At the same time, conservative lawmakers were adamant that state policy needed to be consistent in forbidding certain groups in all 40 school districts -- despite attempts by a few legislators to give school boards the latitude to work with such clubs. The governor, who generally expresses support for local control, said the measure ``did not come out the way  I would have liked, giving the total decision to the local school districts.''  But the bill does clear the way for the state to pay for any lawsuits filed against school districts. And it is written with legal action in mind, so much so that a senator griped that Utah's legislative branch of government had been reduced to acting as a legal clerk, preparing papers for the courts. Formulated by a small army of private attorneys, the new bill draws directly from the Equal Access Act and related court rulings. It also is accompanied by 18 pages of ``legislative intent,'' a sort of legal-brief-turned-anti-gay-club position paper, placed into the record Wednesday over objections of key Democrats and moderate Republicans. Leavitt said he ``regretted'' the bursts of anti-homosexual rhetoric that came from some House and Senate members during Wednesday night's debate. Some exchanges did turn ugly. Conservative Republicans offered up a torrent of claims that portrayed homosexuality as immoral, unhealthy and dangerous, as well as promoting pedophilia.  Late on Wednesday, Taylor closed a long speech by apologizing for remarks attributed to him during debate on SB246. It was not his intent, he said, to hurt the feelings of gay Utahns.  Taylor then said while he disagreed with the gay lifestyle, he had a lot of respect for homosexuals. As an  example, he said, ``I'm a big supporter of the arts . . .'' The remark brought snorts from the Senate gallery. Taylor quickly added, ``and I know they've made a lot of contributions in the arts.''  Opponents said they were wary of spending tax money on another legal expedition, similar to anti-abortion court fights.         ``Once again,'' said Sen. Millie Peterson, D-West Valley City, ``we're Don Quixote, tilting at windmills.'' But most of their objections centered on the fact that the bill had been drafted in secret, then given to legislators only hours before they had to vote. Supporters countered that the issue has been in the public eye for months, and used the specter of a court challenge to their advantage. ``If we don't act,'' said Taylor, ``our school boards will be frozen. This issue needs to get before the courts  and get resolved.''  That did not dissuade eight senators and 35 House members from leading an abortive attempt to delay a vote until May 15 to allow more scrutiny. ``I want the public's work done in public,'' said Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley City. Backers of the measure resorted to election-year politics to deflate the move. State law prevents legislators from accepting campaign contributions while they are in session. House Majority Leader Christine Fox, R-Lehi, warned that members technically would have to remain in session  through the 28-day delay, potentially depriving them of campaign cash leading up to May party conventions. Under the pressure, seven House members, all Republicans, reversed their vote and action on the bill went ahead. Proponents say the bill is necessary to protect children from predatory gay adults. "They're out there and they're after our children." said Rep. David Bresnahan (R-West Jordan) during floor debate, evoking the memory of his brother Donald, who he said died of AIDS after being "recruited" into the gay "lifestyle" by members of the Boy  Scouts. Others say the bill is rooted in bigotry and ignorance, and an affront to all Utahns -- gay, lesbian or straight. The ACLU and other groups has vowed to challenge the law in court. "This law flies in the face of federal law," said Carol Gnade, executive director of the ACLU of Utah, which has been lobbying heavily against the bill. "In its cruel efforts to single out lesbian and gay youth, the legislature has thrown together a bill so broad as to threaten the First Amendment rights of everyone affiliated with a Utah high school." Opposing senators also said the measure was an open invitation to expensive lawsuits. Senate Minority Whip George Mantes (D-Tooele), called it "another moral witch hunt in our state" -- one that was similar to the legal battles over abortion. Legal observers say the cost of potential litigation could cost well over $1 million.

 

21 April 1996 Anti-gay legislation is harming U.S. youths already struggling with sexual issues, former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders said at a speech in Arizona ``We can't let lawmakers sit on God's judgment seat and make those decisions for us. I haven't met a politician good enough to make that kind of decision for me,'' Elders said Friday in keynoting a conference at Arizona State University on ``affirming sexual diversity.'' With Utah lawmakers passing a bill banning gay-student clubs in high school, and with other states such as Arizona entertaining proposals to ban or refuse to recognize same-sex marriages, the struggle for understanding and equality is frustrating, Elders said ``We need to keep fighting,'' she said. ``Why should we care what people do in their bedrooms?'' Elders said that 4 in 10 adolescents who try to commit suicide are gay, lesbian or bisexual. ``Violence often perpetrated in our schools against gay youth'' and the schools' failure to respond ``is a big  problem that each of us needs to be worried about.''  Teachers, school administrators and others who work with youth must teach tolerance early, but the whole community should be the target, not just schools. Elders was forced to resign in December 1994 after she spoke openly about masturbation  © Copyright 1996, The Salt Lake Tribune  April 1996 -

 

22 April 1996 GRANITE WON'T DISTRIBUTE VIDEO ON GAY The Granite School District has refused to distribute videos and pamphlets designed to educate faculty and students on the plight of gay and lesbian teens. District officials say administrators, teachers, counselors and PTA presidents can access the materials if they ask for them. However, some teachers say they're unaware the materials could be sitting in their schools' front offices. "I would definitely want to see (the video) and read the pamphlet," said one Hunter High School teacher who, in fear of backlash from superiors, asked not to be identified. "This isn't just a Utah concern - it's a 21st century concern and I don't know how to deal with it" in the classroom, the teacher said Thursday. But the state Board of Education's guidelines say homosexuality shouldn't be discussed at school at all. The statutes prohibit the teaching of the intricacies of sex, the acceptance of or advocacy of homosexuality as a desirable or acceptable sexual adjustment of lifestyle and the acceptance or advocacy of promiscuity. Kathy J. Worthington, 45, mother of two adult daughters who attended Salt Lake City schools, is distributing the pamphlet and video. The video includes a May 1992 segment from ABC's 20-20, a short documentary called "Straight from the Heart," and excerpts from Network Q, a monthly news broadcast for the gay community. Worthington, who said she and her 21-year-old are lesbians, said she began copying the videos two years ago and has since distributed some 500 to lawmakers, school officials and students. She said she most recently delivered materials to Skyline, Cottonwood, Granite, Hunter and Granger high schools in attempt to educate and promote tolerance for homosexuality and help pave the way for other homosexuals to come out of the closet. But her attempts appear to have been, for the most part, in vain. State lawmakers earlier this week voted for a bill banning gay student clubs in high schools. Gov. Mike Leavitt is expected to sign it. et Worthington considers the fact that lawmakers even discussed the issue a victory. "In my mind, this is a step forward," she said. "There was a time when state lawmakers would never stand up and talk about gays and lesbians. Even if lawmakers pass a bill on the hill . . . you can't legislate understanding - you can't legislate tolerance." Granite district officials have sent a memo advising high school teachers that the pamphlet and video will not be placed in their mailboxes. If they so desire, teachers may request the packets from their schools' front offices. The memo also told school employees not to pass the materials to student body officers or other students. Aside from showing high school students discussing their harassment of gay peers, the video discusses gay teen suicide, sexual orientation, Biblical and religious interpretations of homosexuality, and acceptance of gay and lesbian family members.  © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co

 

4 May 1996 Saturday,  SEX CRIMES UTAH INMATE CHARGED WITH RAPING ANOTHER INMATE  A Utah State Prison inmate was charged with raping another inmate Thursday afternoon in 3rd Circuit Court. An inmate told corrections officials that another prisoner entered his cell and forced him to have sex with him, court documents said. An examination of the inmate indicated he was telling the truth about the rape. The 26-year old suspect was charged with forcible sodomy, which is a first-degree felony and punishable by life in prison.  Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

7 May 1996 May 7, 1996

 

The Salt Lake Tribune

 

Statistics Reveal Powerful Gay Voting Bloc

 

Group Favors Demos, But Not Impressed by Clinton

 

By Lili Wright

 

Harnessing data collected at the 1992 presidential election, a Washington gay-rights organization has released a report stating that gays, lesbians and bisexuals comprise at least 3.2 percent of the American electorate.

 

That makes the gay vote comparable to the Latino vote nationally, and larger than the Asian American or farm vote.

 

The study's author, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, claims its study is the first statistically reliable portrait of self-identified gays, lesbians and bisexuals in relation to the overall voting population.

 

The 1992 poll was conducted by Voter Research and Surveys, now called Voter News Service, an association of ABC News, CNN, CBS News, NBC News and The Associated Press. A total of 15,488 voters were polled in 350 precincts nationwide. The margin of error was three-tenths of a percent.

 

While the data were collected four years ago, the survey results were not widely released.

 

"The gay story was just a tiny footnote to the larger story of the election," says the report's author, John D'Emilio. "The information had not been analyzed before."

 

The poll reveals a large disparity in the size of the gay vote in rural and urban areas. In small towns, the gay vote drops to a mere 1.3 percent. But in cities of 250,000 to 500,000, 8 percent of voters identified themselves as gay, lesbian and bisexual.

 

Lesbians and gays tend to migrate to urban areas in search of a social network, support services and a more accepting environment.

 

Utah gay activist David Nelson can hardly suppress his glee over the findings. For years, Nelson has been trying to convince skeptical Utah politicians that the gay vote packs a punch.

 

"It's perhaps the most important thing to come out of a gay organization since some of the early anti-gay violence statistics in the mid-1980s," says Nelson, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats. "I don't know a candidate willing to say he does not need 8 percent."

 

But Salt Lake City, with a 1994 population of 179,000, is not Manhattan or San Francisco. And there is no way of knowing what percentage of this city's voters are gay, lesbian or bisexual.

 

While Salt Lake City has a gay community center, a monthly gay newspaper and several gay clubs and bars, the capital city is not known for its tolerance of homosexuals. Indeed, even Democrats are skittish. Earlier this year, Democratic party leaders asked Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats to remove the party label from its name. So far, the group has

refused.

 

Utah has made national headlines with the ongoing controversy surrounding a proposed gay-straight student alliance at East High School. This spring the Legislature passed a law banning all student clubs related to sexuality, including the gay alliance.

 

The national study discovered other patterns among respondents who identified themselves as gay:

 

--The gay vote tends to be young, perhaps because older people are more reticent to claim their orientation. The gay vote represented 5 percent of voters under 30.

 

--The gay vote is highly Democratic. In the Clinton-Bush race, Clinton received 72 percent of the gay vote. The remainder split between Bush and Perot.

 

--Gay voters are three times as likely to wear a campaign button and twice as likely to have been contacted by a campaign.

 

--Three-quarters of those who did not identify themselves as gay said they thought government should encourage traditional values, but 70 percent of gays and lesbians want government to promote tolerance of diverse values.

 

--Most gay respondents supported levying higher taxes to pay for health care and social services. Gay voters care about social issues such as abortion and gay rights, but put less of a priority on balancing the federal deficit.

 

"There is more of a gay voting bloc than we realize," says Murray Edelman of Voter News Services. "As more gay people come out of the closet, their potential political influence will increase."

 

As the poll asked voters who are gay, lesbian or bisexual to check a box in a public setting, it is possible some respondents declined to identify themselves. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Forces maintains the 3 percent is a floor not a ceiling; that is, the true number may be higher.

 

Interestingly, the 1994 midterm elections -- the year of the Republican takeover of Congress -- the gay vote shrank to 2 percent, according to another exit poll conducted by the same organization.

 

D'Emilio, author of the study, hypothesizes that many homosexuals stayed home from the polls after Clinton's compromise on gays in the military and his decision not to file an amicus brief challenging the constitutionality of Colorado's Amendment 2.

 

"While it is not true that the gay, lesbian and bisexual vote is up for grabs, its loyalties and turnout level are uncertain," he says. "The Republican presidential candidate is unlikely to capture this vote, but the Democratic presidential candidates can lose it by inaction."

___

 

 

 

Tuesday, May 10, 1988 PANEL PROBES CHARGES OF AIDS BIAS AT7-ELEVEN Utah's Industrial Commission has launched an investigation into charges that the Southland Corp.,owner and operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores, demoted a local store manager because hecarries the AIDS virus.A commission investigator and the two parties met behind closed doors last week to discuss thecase in hopes of either reaching a settlement or call an investigation.Dennis Farrell, 30, said he is a homosexual, tested positive for the fatal virus last year and told hisemployer about it. The decision to investigate was not what he wanted, he said."I am disappointed that they (Southland) didn't offer some kind of a settlement."Farrell says that he disclosed to Southland last December that he had tested positive for AIDS, andsix weeks later was demoted to assistant manager. Rather than take a cut in pay and responsibility,he resigned in February.He alleges Southland demoted him because he carried the AIDS virus, and thus violated Utah lawsprohibiting discrimination of handicapped or medically afflicted people, which would include AIDScarriers.Southland is also appealing Farrell's unemployment benefits to the Utah Department of EmploymentSecurity.Southland said its dealings with employees are confidential, but local personnel manager Pete Weidid say that Farrell's situation dealt with his performance as a manager, not his handicap, and hewasn't discriminated against.Wei said the national convenience store chain has had other cases of AIDS among employees, but"as long as they are performing" they have not been dismissed or demoted. Wei declined to disclosewhere those other cases are located or any other details about them.Farrell has been open about his case, although the commission's proceedings and files ondiscrimination matters are confidential and closed to the public.He said he is talking about his case to publicize the problem of AIDS sufferers being intimidated byemployers and forced to quit."There are several cases like mine, but people don't want to come forward about it because they arefraid of making it known that they are gay or intravenous drug users," said Farrell, who is avolunteer for the Utah AIDS Project.But Farrell said he only knows of one other case that was brought to the Industrial Commission andhas yet to be settled. Commissioner John Florez said he believes that case had been settled, but hedidn't have details available to discuss it.Farrell acknowledges that his public stance could jeopardize his chances of finding another job whilehe still has his health, but he said he feels obligated to get the word out.Before publicizing his case, his job search yielded nothing, but he doesn't believe his AIDS virus isthe reason. "I don't tell employers I have tested positive because it doesn't affect my work in anyway. I am not sick and I am doing well healthwise."Asked what he was seeking by way of a settlement, Farrell said he didn't know, but he does needmoney to defray his $100 a month health insurance costs and other expenses."I also want them (Southland) to know they are doing something wrong," he said. Deseret News Publishing

 

10 May 1996 May 10, 1996 The Salt Lake Tribune Letter: Words and Deeds It's hard to know which Kelly Atkinson is the real thing. Congressional candidate Kelly Atkinson said that, as a state representative, he supported Senate Bill 246 during the general legislative session which was aimed at restricting gay and lesbian student groups (Tribune, April 27) even though he doesn't have a "discriminative bone" in his body. But state Rep. Kelly Atkinson has a history of public hostility toward gay and lesbian groups and issues. He joined Democratic leaders in February who asked the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats to stop using the word "Democrats" and change its name, and said last year that gay and lesbian issues were "fringe issues." When his words don't match his action, I wonder which Atkinson would represent me in Washington. DAVID NELSON

Salt Lake City

 

 

 

11 May 1996 SEX CRIMES The credibility of a key prosecution witness is being questioned in the pending trial of eight North Star employees accused of neglecting a dying teen.   In documents made public Friday by a 6^th District judge, defense attorneys claim the Utah Attorney General's Office withheld crucial evidence about a male counselor in the wilderness treatment program. The counselor later confessed to having sexual acts with two teen-age boys enrolled in North Star.   The counselor is one of a few North Staremployees who are witnesses for the state'scase of felony child abuse and neglect in the March 1994 death of Aaron Bacon. While an attorney general's investigator was interviewing the counselor prior to last spring's preliminary hearing on the North Star case, the counselor confessed to three separate instances of sexual activity with two 17-year-old boys in 1994. The counselor and boys were in aseparate North Star hiking group than Bacon, and Bacon was not one of the alleged  sexual-abuse  While the county prosecutor has had thecase for 1  1/2 years, no sexual-abuse charges have been filed against the counselor.(The Salt Lake Tribune normally does not namesuspects until they are charged. (05/11/96 SLTribune Page: D2)

 

19 May 1996 TOPIC-AIDS DEATHS- Daniel K. Evans  12/30/58 to 5/19/96 Listening to the call I'm guided home. I dwell now in your past and will call to you from your future; your memory holds me ever-present.    As we mourn for Danny, we celebrate also the joy that his passing has brought him to. Through many trials Danny prevailed. Never despairing, he relied upon the many friends who filled his small world. He cultivated love and brought forth kindness and peace. We will remember a friend who never faltered, a spirit true.  Daniel Kenneth Evans passed from us May 19, 1996. Though he lost the battle, he won the war, for AIDS could not conquer his spirit, his faith in God or the unconditional love that radiated from him.    Daniel is survived by his mother, Rae; brothers, Michael and John; sisters, Glenda, Barbara, Ann, and Mary. He is preceded by his father, Thomas Whiting Evans. The Evenson/Barnes family would like to thank Dan-Dan for allowing us to be part of his life. We will miss him and love him always. Special thanks to Dr. Kristin Ries and Maggie Snyder and all the Clinic 1 staff, and the Journey Home Team at Community Nursing Services.  At Daniel's request, no services will be held. Family services pending. In lieu of flowers, make donations to the Utah AIDS Foundation.

 

Tuesday, May 21, 1996  CIVIL LIBERTARIANS IN UTAH APPLAUD TOP COURT'S RULING  By Jerry Spangler, Staff Writer  For Utah civil libertarians, the U.S. Supreme Court gave them good reason for a giant group hug. "Liberty and justice prevailed for all of our people," cheered Debra Burrington, Utah Human Rights Coalition, of a ruling Monday that states cannot deny basic civil rights to gays and lesbians. "The Constitution neither knows nor recognizes classes among citizens. Today gays and lesbians became citizens, finally." The high court ruling was hailed Monday afternoon during a rally on the Capitol steps in which about two dozen gay and civil rights activists cheered the news the court had struck down a Colorado constitutional amendment that forbids laws protecting homosexuals from discrimination. The ruling states equal protection clauses in the Constitution mandate that government not pass laws That deny gays and lesbians a political right enjoyed by everyone else - the chance to seek protection from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. And there is a message in that for Utah lawmakers that "laws based on hostility toward gays and lesbians will not be tolerated," said Jensie Anderson, legal counsel for Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU is preparing to file a lawsuit against the state over a law passed during last month's special session that effectively bans gay and lesbian student clubs on public school campuses. The law, which was prompted by a group of students at East High School who wanted to form a gay-straight alliance, requires school districts to deny access to clubs encouraging criminal or delinquent conduct, promoting bigotry or involving human sexuality. Rally participants said the Supreme Court ruling should give lawmakers reason to reconsider their actions, but they really don't expect them to repeal the bill. The ACLU has made no decision on when it will file its lawsuit. "We will not be bullied into filing inthe same sloppy manner the law was passed," Anderson said. Until then, civil rights advocates are cheering a "great step forward" toward equal rights for gays and Lesbians. "See my smile," said Rose Dominguez, Utah Citizens Alliance for Hate Free Schools. "We don't want special rights, we want equal rights, and the U.S. Supreme Court has said we deserve it." Deseret News Publishing Co

 

Wednesday, May 22, 1996  RULING A BLOW AGAINST INTOLERANCE  The May 20 Supreme Court decision on Colorado's Amendment 2 is a profound victory for all who believe in basic rights and the fundamental principle that all Americans deserve to live free of discrimination. Amendment 2 would have created special barriers to basic rights. It would have blocked the open and free participation in the democratic process for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Those justices who defended basic civil rights and stood up to the anti-democratic agenda of religious political extremists are to be commended. This case was not just about gay, lesbian and bisexual people. At stake are the very principles of democracy: justice, freedom, personal liberty and the right to be different and still live free of the tyranny of the majority. Let this be a message to the sponsors and supporters of Utah's anti-gay bills: Many American people do not support your campaigns of intolerance and bigotry. Many don't support discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals, and we don't want you tying up the courts in costly, prolonged legal battles. Kathy Worthington Salt Lake City  PAGE: A11

 

26 May 1996 05/26/96 Page: E3 Keywords: Festivals, Visual Arts Show, Sale to Spotlight Works by Gay, Lesbian Artists Byline: BY LANCE S. GUDMUNDSEN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE    An art show spotlighting what organizers describe as ``some of the hottest painters, photographers, poets, musicians, sculptors and potters in the gay and lesbian community'' is on deck Saturday in Nunemaker Place on the campus of Westminster College of Salt Lake City, 1840 S. 1300 East.  The public exhibit and sale runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Suggested donation is $5. In addition, local caterers will serve up edible artwork at an event titled ``Eat Your Art Out,'' from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the

same venue. Ordinary food will be transformed into famous works of art -- like one of Georgia's O'Keeffe's flowers or a Van Gogh canvas. Tickets to ``Eat Your Art Out'' are $10 in advance or $15 at the door, and may be purchased at the Utah Stonewall Center, 770 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City.   Among guest artists:     -- Lee Ann Mortensen, award-winning writer, will read excerpts from her upcoming collection of poetry, ``Fluid.'' Winner of the short-story category of the 1995 Utah Arts Council writing competition, she is assistant professor of creative writing and literature at Utah Valley State College, Orem.   -- Randal Meyers, a visual artist who uses diverse mediums -- sculpture, painting, collages, sounds, smells and lighting-- to create room-sized environments with the aim of engulfing viewers.   Sponsors are Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah and Utah Pride Day Committee

 

Memorial Day Weekend Sunday-May 1996- 21^st  Coronation held. The Drive of the Spike Scholarship was established by the 20^th reign. The scholarships are open to any male or female who is currently applying for first year post secondary studies or someone presently enrolled  in college. (161Crowned Emperor and Empress XXI were Adam Gatz and Montiel Scott Wilson was chosen Prince Royale XXI and Chaise Manhatten  Princess Royale XXI.

 

1 June 1996 06/01/96 Page: C5   Art Show, festival and fund-raiser for Utah's  lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenderedcommunities, Nunemaker Place, WestminsterCollege, 1840 S. 1300 East, Salt Lake City,5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Admission by $5 donation.Features ``Eat Your Art Out,'' with caterersturning normal food into famous works of art.Tickets for ``Eat Your Art Out'' are $10 inadvance at the Utah Stonewall Center, 770S. 300 West, Salt Lake City, or $15 at thedoor.

 

1 June 1996 06/01/96 Page: A12Keywords: Public Forum LetterNon-Mormons Are Active inCommunity Affairs   Connie Buie (Forum, May 14) posesquestions to us non-Mormons who appear to donothing but complain in Forum letters about oursorry state of affairs in this dominant LDS culture(i.e., do we attend community meetings, do wevote, are we involved in the political process?).Emphatically, yes!   The recent Salt Lake City school boardmeeting at Hawthorne Elementary was packedwith people who overwhelmingly supported the   Gay/Straight Alliance, but all to no effect --the board voted 4-3 to ban all clubs rather thanallow the alliance to meet (a vote that stronglyfollows LDS voices on the matter).   Second, the opposition was outnumbered 4-1on the issue of continuing Salt Lake Countyfunding for the YWCA Teen Pact Program andthe West Valley Planned Parenthood TeenCounselors Program, but the commissionersvoted on party lines 2-1 to end funding afterbeing deluged by disgruntled Eagle Forumvoices. Our views were expressed, again, to noavail.   Do we support political candidates who willrepresent non-Mormon interests? A majority ofthe state legislators from Salt Lake City properare non-Mormons; i.e., Frank Pignanelli, DaveJones, Bob Steiner, Loretta Baca, Steve Barth,Blaze Wharton, Pete Suazo. Non-Mormon voters like to know that there are some representatives and senators who will be concerned about the spoon-feeding of Mormon doctrine that always gets mixed up with state and local legislation.    And, finally, a question Connie forgot to pose: Why does this ``great state'' have so many progressive organizations that represent the liberal views of non-Mormons (and independent Mormon thinkers), organizations like Utahns for Choice, UPNet (that stands for Utah Progressive Network), Utah Human Rights Coalition, Citizens' Alliance for Hate-Free Schools, Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, JEDI Women and others?    Could it be because Mormons in this state just don't want to acknowledge the existence of other ways of thinking and living? If you don'tthink the non-Mormons are organized and interested in electoral politics, think again. Were we not always vigilant, we non-Mormons wouldn't have any rights at all.  GREGG HAMILTON   Salt Lake City

 

2 June 1996-06/02/96 Page: J6 Kristen Ries was honored at Salt Palace gala.      DIAMONDS & DENIM    Former Third District Judge Ray Uno added a baby-orchid lei to his Western duds as he accepted a ``Once in 100'' award at the Denim & Diamonds celebration in the Salt Palace May 15.   The lei ``isn't `Western,' but his cousin sent it from Hawaii for the occasion,'' Yoshiko Yo Uno said as she slipped the lei over her husband's head.    Ski master and birthday guy Alf Engen (it was his 87th), physician Kristen Ries, broadcast pioneer Arch Madsen, the Eccles family and Uno shared honors for outstanding contributions to the success and vitality of Salt Lake County in the past 100 years. More than 500 guests attended the event sponsored by Salt Lake County commissioners and the Utah Centennial Committee. Commissioners Randy Horiuchi, Mary Callaghan and Brent Overson attended, with Overson doing most of the commentary. Kristie Overson was there, as were Leslie and Mike Reberg and Sam Klemm. Honorees were escorted to the podium by Vicki Panella. Among others attending: Lorilee Miller, Linda, Jeff and Suzanne Itami, Maggie Snyder, Kathy Hillis, Judy Shrontz, Cindy Lampropoulos, Gary Seelhorst, Carol Keenan, Kathryn Gustafson, Pat and Don Hales and Eleanor and Herb Young.

  

3 June 1996 06/03/96

Page: D1When it comes to gay clubs in school,  Utah and Massachusetts have the samestated aim: to protect the well-being of students.But the two states could not be more different intheir approaches.   Utah recently passed legislation to ban  gay and lesbian clubs in high schools,while Massachusetts officially encourages theirformation.   In fact, the East High School gay-straightalliance, which sparked a club-banning frenzy bythe Salt Lake City School Board and UtahLegislature earlier this year, was modeled afterthe support groups the Bay State is deliberatelycultivating.   The Massachusetts Board of Education's3-year-old policy says: ``In order to supportstudents who are isolated and may be at highrisk for suicide, high schools should establishsupport groups where all students, gay,  lesbian and heterosexual, may meet on aregular basis to discuss gay and lesbianyouth issues in a safe and confidentialenvironment.''   Contrast that with Utah's new law, whichlumps together student clubs that encouragecriminal conduct, promote bigotry or ``involveuman sexuality.'' Such groups, according to thelaw, are ``detrimental to the physical, emotional,psychological and moral well-being of studentsand faculty.''   Legislators in both states acknowledge that  gay students are far more likely to commitsuicide and to be targets of violence than aretheir heterosexual peers. But that's whereagreement ends.   Utah politicians argue that gay studentsupport clubs promote homosexuality and recruitconfused teens, thus endangering the schoolpopulation by exposing it to greater incidence ofassault, suicide and AIDS.   ``Who are the ones who really care and havecompassion?'' asked Sen. Craig Taylor,R-Kaysville, in sponsoring the gay-clubprohibition during a hasty April 17 speciallegislative session. ``Is it those who encourageyouth to follow a very unhealthy, destructive andpotentially fatal lifestyle? Or is it those who pointout that they may be headed down the wrongpath?''   David LaFontaine, head of MassachusettsGov. William Weld's Commission on Gayand Lesbian Youth, said Utah's policy is builton a foundation of misinformation.   ``There's simply not a shred of evidence thatsomeone can be recruited to be a gay or  lesbian. It's complete mythology,'' saidLaFontaine. ``It's really unfortunate thatsupposedly intelligent legislators would makethose kinds of comments.   ``And it's frightening that they passed a lawlike that,'' he added. ``What your Legislature hasdone is told gay youth that they're worthlessand might as well go out and kill themselves.''   LaFontaine said since his commission in 1993first recommended encouraging gay-straightalliances in public schools they have exploded innumber from two or three to about 75.   ``The groups are not about sex or sexualactivity at all. In fact, the vast majority of gayteen-agers have not had any kind of sexualexperience when they join a group like this,''LaFontaine said.   Closely supervised by a trained facultyadviser, in consultation with the school principal,the club members talk about problems at homeand school, including being taunted, ostracizedand, in some cases, attacked.   ``It may be the only place a gay kid feelscomfortable, accepted or even safe,''LaFontaine said. ``In most states, gay youthare terrified.''   Kelli Peterson is the 18-year-old founder andpresident of East High's  gay-lesbian-straight alliance. The grouphas continued to meet weekly off campus and,without school sanction, on school groundsthroughout the months-long controversy.   In addition to talking about creating a safeenvironment for gay students, the alliancelately has spent a lot of time discussing theplanned lawsuit challenging the club-ban law.   ``To my recollection there were never anyorganized discussions of sex,'' Peterson said.``Among our group I'd say the subject comes upa lot less often than other student groups.''   ``I'll say it one more time,'' the graduatingsenior said with an edge of frustration. ``Wedon't have sex and we don't discuss sexualtechniques in the club.''   Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who activelysupported the gay-club ban, insists it doesnot signal an official abandonment of homosexualyouth.   ``There are students who need help. If theyfind themselves troubled and confused,counselors should respond to their needs,'' saidLeavitt. ``There's no reason for an educator tointerpret what has occurred as a reason not tostep forward and help those students.''   The governor's only complaint with the law isthat it dictates policy to all 40 school districts,rather than leaving the decision-making to locallyelected boards.   So how does Leavitt view Massachusetts'radically different approach?   ``Reasonable people -- which I deem BillWeld to be -- can reach conclusions that aredifferent,'' said the Utah leader.   Weld, like Leavitt, is a Republican governor,but from a distant wing of the party when itcomes to social issues, such as abortion and  gay rights.   Weld created his Commission on Gay and   Lesbian Youth by executive order after theDemocrat-controlled Legislature defeated a billto authorize it in 1991. The following year,lawmakers approved and Weld signed a lawbarring discrimination against gay students,the first of its kind in the nation.   ``The concept of schools as safe havens mustapply to all students, including gay and  lesbian teen-agers,'' Weld said in a 1993speech. ``But for too many students, schoolnstead has become a place of dread, fear andalienation.''   Citing a federal study indicating 30% of youthsuicides are committed by gays, Weld said hisanti-discrimination push was not aboutpromoting a ``different'' lifestyle, ``it is about lifeitself.''   Despite attacks from opposing groups,including Christian Coalition lobbies, Weldsuffered little conservative backlash. Hispopularity was sustained in his 1994 re-election.Presently, he is running for the U.S. Senateagainst popular Democratic incumbent Sen. JohnKerry.   Importantly, the Catholic Church as aninstitution stayed out of the gay clubs fray.   ``Here, the students themselves did thelobbying and told legislators in person whathappened to them,'' said Jerry Cheney, a formermember of the governor's commission on gayand lesbian youth. ``They actually listened tothe youth and the experts rather than allowothers to set the agenda for them.''   The governor's commission also relied heavilyon the personal testimony of gay youths infive public hearings around the state. Theirstories of harassment and torture are excerptedin the agency's recommendations and report.   It was a stark contrast to the way Utah'spolicy was formed.   Here, the legislative debate began in a secret,apparently illegal meeting of the Senate in lateJanuary. The closed-door huddle featured ananti-gay video and unsubstantiatedaccusations of homosexual-promoting activitiesin schools and colleges.   The first bill aimed at keeping gay clubs outof high schools used an oblique approach:prohibiting teachers from encouraging orcondoning illegal or immoral activities in or out ofschool.   Leavitt vetoed the bill based on concerns itviolated educators' free-speech rights. But thegovernor agreed to bring back the gay-clubissue in an April 17 special session of theLegislature.   No gay or straight student ever was calledto address the Legislature about the bill. In fact,no public testimony was taken at all.   The bill wasn't publicly released -- even tolawmakers -- until just hours before it came ontothe Senate floor for debate.   ``These men were really going out of their wayto avoid those of us who are being affected,''said Peterson. ``I found it very odd.''

 

7 June 1996 06/07/96 Page: E1There was no k.d. lang, no Melissa Etheridge,no Janis Ian.   ``No one was out then,'' said Chastity Bono,recalling the Jan. 2, 1990, issue of the tabloidStar that outed her as a lesbian.   Five-and-a-half years later, Chastity, the onlychild of Cher and musician-turned-politicianSonny Bono, outed herself in an issue of TheAdvocate, the national gay and lesbiannews magazine. The outing came after a year ofoff-the-record meetings.   ``We spent a long time talking through thedifficult concerns, and the concerns were huge,''said Judy Wieder, who wrote The Advocatestory and is now the magazine's executivedirector. ``I became the therapist and friend.   ``Chastity's a person of very strong character,and she wanted to do it and knew it wasimportant to do it.''   Today, Bono, 27, is a writer-at-large for TheAdvocate and on the road as a spokeswomanfor the Human Rights Campaign's NationalComing Out Project, which encourages gaysand lesbians to be open about their sexualorientation. This weekend, she will be in SaltLake City, where she will be grand marshal of  Gay Pride Day events.   Bono made the decision to come forward aftermusicians lang, Etheridge and Ian had outedthemselves.   ``They were very good role models for me,''Bono said via telephone from the San Franciscohome she shares with partner Laura LaMastro,who works for a computer consulting firm.   ``I was never very courageous about this kindof thing. But my story may mean something toothers struggling to come out.''   She made the decision to come out after herlover's death from cancer in 1994.   ``I never went out to events with Joan becauseI was in the closet,'' said Bono, referring to herformer partner only by her first name. ``I don'thave the opportunity to do that now, and Idecided I was never going to make the samemistake with another lover.   ``That was the last straw,'' Bono said of Joan'sdeath. ``Going through an experience like thatputs your priorities into perspective.''   She also quit the band after the loss. ``I justthought, `You know what? I don't want to dothis anymore.' ''   When Bono decided to come out, she decidedto do it in a big way.   ``I didn't want to deal with looking over myshoulder anymore or to worry about what waswritten about me. When you're a celebrity whocomes out, you really take control over [thetabloids]. They don't have any power anymore,and that's a good feeling.''   While she says her life is her own again, Bonostill gets angry talking about her experiences withthe tabloids.   ``I was the first famous lesbian to be outed.I'm not talking about rumors and innuendos, Imean outing,'' explained the well-spoken Bono,who made her first public appearance when shewas 2 on ``The Sonny and Cher ComedyShow.''   After the Star outing, Bono, then a musician,panicked and retreated into a life of hiding, lying,shame, confusion and rage. She dared not walkout the same door as her lover for fear of thepaparazzi.   ``It was a terrifying experience and I thoughtmy career was over,'' recalled Bono, whoserock band Ceremony was on the verge of beingsigned with Geffen Rec-ords. ``It was assumedthen that if you were rumored to be gay orcame out, it would have a negative effect.''   Bono went ``far into the closet. I was angry atthe gay community, and I was so repressedfor so long.''   Although she finds the tabloids vicious and``pretty much s--t,'' she is able to poke fun atthem today.   Bono's parents learned of her lesbianism whenshe was 18.   Cher's response was ``a typical parentalreaction. She just kind of blew up at first, wasvery upset and then digested it and dealt with it.''   In the current issue of Entertainment Weekly,Cher, who portrayed a lesbian in the movie``Silkwood,'' said, ``I freaked out, told her toget out and cried for a week. I felt angry andguilty.''   The two reconciled within days.   Cher's reaction was not borne of homophobia,said her daughter, who had grown up aroundopenly gay people. In fact, a friend of hermother's later became one of Chastity's lovers.   ``Her response was coming from `Oh, myGod, this is my child and I'm worried about herand will she be happy and stuff.' She knows itisn't necessarily the easiest life.''   Sonny Bono was the first in the family to knowshe was gay. ``I was reading this lesbianbook, and he saw it in my room,'' she told TheAdvocate in 1995. ``He picked it up and said tome, `Is there something you want to talk to meabout?' So I told him and he was like `Oh, Iknew.' He was really great about it, verysupportive.''   But now, Bono says her father is anything butsupportive. While daughter and father often havedisagreed over politics, this is the first time thedebate has become personal.   Sonny Bono, a Republican congressman fromSouthern California, apparently has flip-floppedon the issue of same-sex marriage. Chastity saysthat he told her, in an interview for TheAdvocate, that he would support the marriages ifthere was no cost to the government or privatesector.   As it turns out, Sonny Bono is one of theco-sponsors of the controversialanti-same-sex-marriage bill, known as theDefense of Marriage Act.   ``I was very disappointed in him for that,''Chastity said.  ``He's my father and sometimesyou put family over politics. But aside from that,after what he told me for The Advocate, I find itincredibly hypocritical of him.''   (Sonny Bono did not return calls from TheTribune requesting comment on the issue.)   For Chastity Bono, the pressure to stay in thecloset came from entertainment executives.   ``People are afraid it will affect theirmarketability. That's why you have so manycelebrities in the closet. A lot of those people arebeing encouraged to be in the closet by all thepeople making money off them -- producers,directors, studio heads, agents. It's all reflectedin the tone of the country.''   But Bono does not believe proclaiming one'ssexual orientation has the negative effect peopleexpect it will.   ``If you look at the people who have come out-- Amanda Bearse, Dan Butler and MitchellAnderson -- it certainly hasn't affected theircareers. And if you look at people who havebeen rumored to be gay . . . they're all doingjust fine.''   Still, Bono says, ``No big movie star has takenthat leap of faith yet.''   As spokeswoman for the 1996 NationalComing Out Project, Bono urges gay menand lesbians to be open about their sexualorientation. She also is speaking out on lesbian   health issues.   ``What people don't realize is the effect thatcoming out has on other people. There'sresearch that shows that people who knowsomeone who is gay or lesbian are muchmore likely to be supportive of our causes.Coming out can make a big difference on a smalllevel.   ``I have respect for any gay or lesbianperson who is out and open. Not living with fearand shame, that's commendable.''  The Washington, D.C.-based Human RightsCampaign, the nation's largest gay and  lesbian organization, approached the Utah  Gay Pride Day committee about having Bonoas its guest.   ``We felt like we were not being heard herenationally, but as it turned out we were,'' saidJeff Freedman, co-chairman of Sunday's events.   ``Usually people of national importance hitPride Day in major cities,'' he said. ``ButChastity Bono will have a greater impact cominghere. Leaders such as she see that, recognize itand act on it.''   Bono is concerned about teen-agers and the  Utah Legislature's ban on gay and  lesbian clubs in public schools.   ``It's terrible. . . . Gay and lesbian kidshave a higher suicide rate. That's a proven fact.To be able to have a support system is reallyhelpful. To not have that is dangerous. You'rereally dealing with issues of life and death.''   Compared with others' turbulent teen years,Bono said she was lucky. She graduated fromNew York's High School for the PerformingArts, where ``there were other gay and  lesbian kids and all my friends were veryaccepting. It was a very artistic, progressiveschool. But that's not the case where you guysare.''   Bono has advice for parents of gays andlesbians. ``It's your kid. Don't let something asunimportant as sexual orientation destroy arelationship. It's not worth it.''

 

7 June 1996 06/07/96

Page: B1Kelli Peterson is hoping that East HighSchool's protests of the 1990s will be to Utah   gays and lesbians what the landmarkintegration of Little Rock's Central High Schoolwas to blacks in the 1950s.   ``Utah is going to be as ashamed of this asLittle Rock is of the Central High Schoolincidents,'' said Peterson, founder of East's gay  -straight student alliance. ``This is going to beSalt Lake's most embarrassing moment.''   Late last year, Peterson ignited a fire-storm ofcontroversy when she asked if a group of gayand lesbian students could meet at a publichigh school. The request started a chain ofevents propelling Utah and Peterson into thespotlight of international news coverage.   Thursday evening, Peterson graduated fromEast High School. She'll enter Weber StateUniversity this fall, but isn't sure what her majorwill be.   Looking back, Peterson said she had learnedvoluminous lessons on life, the news media,political action and being in the spotlight.   Her saga began last fall when lawyers for the   Utah State Office of Education and the  Utah Attorney General's Office concludedthat gay and lesbian students could usepublic-school campuses for meetings underfederal law.   In response, members of the Utah Senateheld a secret meeting where anti-gay videofootage was shown. Some lawmakers allegedthat some Utah teachers were using obscenedemonstrations to teach schoolchildren abouthomosexuality, a claim that was immediatelyrefuted.   Then, the Salt Lake City School Boardbanned all noncurricular clubs to block gays andlesbians from meeting on the district's highschool campuses. Come fall, all political, ethnic,social, community service and hobby clubs willhave evaporated at the schools.   That action drew the ire of students who rosefrom their seats to join in rallies and protests.And some students blamed Peterson.   ``I went from being an unknown, anonymouskid to being this political figure getting telephonecalls from the White House and The New YorkTimes,'' she said.   In her days of anonymity, Petersonexperimented with fire-engine red, burgundy andpurple hair hues. She wore what she describedas weird clothing.   But her transformation into a symbol for gay   and lesbian youth made her imageparamount.   ``It's a lot of pressure to be perfect,'' Petersonsaid. ``I have to dress a certain way. There's alot of pressure to present this normal,mainstream `90210' gay kid.''   And it seemed the phone never stoppedringing. If it wasn't NBC's Today Show sendinglimousines to her house, it was the BBCinterviewing her live from London. College anduniversity gay-history and women's-studiesclasses clamored for her to appear.  Nationalawards and speaking invitations came in fromWashington, D.C., San Francisco and NewYork City.   Amid all that, she suffered personal setbacks.She said one of her male supporters beganharassing her and telling others she really wasn'ta lesbian.   Even she heard the rumors that she had had asex-change operation, that she had AIDS andthat her ``mother was a flaming lesbian fromSan Francisco who put me up to this.   ``Sometimes I wondered if people are reallyall that separate from animals,'' Peterson said.   Her sister, Holly Peterson, and RachelBauchman started a gay-straight alliance atWest High. Bauchman has made headlines forher failed lawsuit claiming her choir teacherinfused Mormonism into the repertoire.   Through all the brouhaha, people forgetPeterson was a teen-ager trying to finish highschool. Aside from her family's support, EastPrincipal R. Kay Peterson, no relation, kept aneye out for her.   ``Kelli and I were good friends through it all,''Kay Peterson said. ``I have counseled herthrough some of the tough times.''   Peterson said the principal called regularly ather home to see how she was faring. ``He madethe high school experience safe for me. When Iwas being harassed, I told him who was doing itand it ended.''   Now the American Civil Liberties Union andthe Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fundare planning a lawsuit against the state for newlegislation aimed at banning gay and lesbian   clubs from public high schools.   Peterson expects that by the time shegraduates from college, the case will have landedin the U.S. Supreme Court.   ``The biggest disappointment is the realizationthat I could not change everything,'' Petersonsaid. ``I could not make people think these arenormal teen-agers who needed help.''   But the issue won't be going away. Clubs atEast and West still are meeting unofficially, andstudents from other Salt Lake Valley highschools have joined the East group. Students atTooele and Hunter high schools have said theywant to start alliances.   Charlene Orchard of the Utah HumanRights Coalition, a gay and lesbian civilrights group, has worked closely with Petersonduring the past year. Orchard said Peterson hasmatured and become a leader.   ``She has been a focal point for a lot of ourfrustrations, concerns and anger,'' Orchard said.``It really has brought out many of the elementsin Utah that we want to change. Ourlegislators met about it secretly while our kidshave taken it to the streets.''

 

7 June 1996 06/07/96 Page: E1

There is one moment during last year's Gay Pride Day parade that Carrie Gayler remembers as clearly as asnapshot.   The activist was walking toward the front of the procession. After marching down Salt Lake City's Capitol Hill, shestopped at the intersection, then turned to admire the crowd and colors that streamed down Main Street like amulticolored ribbon.   ``You saw a continual stream of people, a thousand people marching down the hill, proud, saying, `This is who we are,''' she recalled. ``I cried. I was so moved.''   Part festival, part politics, Gay Pride Day, in many ways, is an anomaly. While many homosexuals hide their sexualorientation for fear of persecution, one day each year, gays and lesbians, their friends and families take to the streets tocelebrate their place in American society.   Festivities Sunday start with a march downtown, followed by an afternoon party at the City and County Building'sWashington Square with speakers, bands, information booths and food. Organizers predict this year's celebration willdraw the largest crowd to date, topping 5,000 people.   Officially, Gay Pride commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. Commonly considered thecatalyst for the gay-rights movement, the three-day riots began after police shut down The Stonewall Inn inGreenwich Village. While police often raided gay bars, for the first time patrons fought back in what has been calledhe ``Gay Boston Tea Party.''   In major cities, Gay Pride Day is celebrated the last Sunday in June. Smaller cities pick other weekends so residentscan attend larger celebrations across the country. While Utah's march is a decidedly tamer affair than San Francisco'sinfamous parade, organizers expect some local color.   Leading the parade will be a group of leather-clad lesbians known as Dykes on Bikes. Chastity Bono, daughter ofSonny and Cher, will preside as grand marshal. Also expected are a half-dozen floats, horses from The Utah GayRodeo Association and several men dressed like Gayle Ruzicka, leader of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum.   The majority of marchers will be neither famous nor flamboyant. Doctors, lawyers, accountants, artists, travel agentsand telecommunications workers -- gay and straight -- will walk to show solidarity and support for lesbian, gay,bisexual and transgendered people.   Some gay activists wish the media would focus on the gay everymen and women instead of those wearing themost outrageous costumes.   ``The media will portray it as a freak show,'' Gayler said. ``It's how they always do it.''   While Gay Pride Day is often compared to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the right wing has used footage from SanFrancisco Gay Pride marches in anti-gay videos, suggesting such antics typify the ``gay lifestyle.'' Even some  gay activists concede that TV footage of men strutting with feather boas hurts their crusade to assimilate in mainstreamAmerica.   Others, like Marlin Criddle, a Salt Lake City attorney, believe Gay Pride must maintain an open-tent philosophy.Discrimination against drag queens, for example, is no different from any other kind of prejudice, he said.   ``Perhaps from a public-relations standpoint you would like not to see so much of that,'' Criddle said. ``At the sametime, they are an element of the gay community. I don't see them as dangerous. We do ourselves greater harm if wetry and eliminate them.''   Just as the women's movement has many sectors, there is no single gay platform or way of life. Likewise, many  Utah lesbians and gays won't march -- or even watch the proceedings -- for fear of being identified, or worse, filmedby TV cameras and broadcast across the valley.   The consequences of being outed can be severe. Few Utah companies include gays and lesbians in theirnondiscrimination policies, which means they could be fired solely on the basis of their sexual orientation.   ``Everyone must make a decision for themselves,'' said the Rev. Bruce Barton, co-chairman of the parade. ``I respectand honor whatever decision people make.''   The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the State Capitol. The public is invited to march alone, with friends or withorganizations such as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.   At the City-County Building, Bono will deliver the noon keynote address. The Kristen Ries Award will be given at 1:30p.m. Since 1987, the  award is given each year to someone involved in community service who has served as a rolemodel and mentor to others. The honor is named after Ries, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of UtahMedical Center, who has treated many Utahns living with HIV and AIDS.   Music will continue throughout the afternoon with performances by J. Nelson Ramsey, Megan Peters, The Royal Courtof the Golden Spike, The Lesbian and Gay Chorus of Salt Lake City, Sweet Loretta, Honest Engine and the DiscoDrippers.   The night preceding Gay Pride Day, the Utah Human Rights Coalition will hold a town meeting with a panel of  Utah activists involved in controversy surrounding the Gay/Straight Alliance at East High School. Bono will speakand respond to questions. Refreshments follow. The event, which begins at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Red Lion Hotel, is freeand open to the public.Kelli Peterson, original organizer and first president of East High School's Gay-Straight Alliance, was a featuredspeaker at the International Pride Rally and March in San Francisco last weekend. Sponsor: The San Francisco Lesbian,   Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committee in memory of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York.   In recognition of her efforts to promote understanding for people of diversity, she was presented a black leather jacketby another East High graduate -- author Geraldine Barr, who once wrote comedy material for sister Roseanne.

 

9 June 1996 06/09/96 page: B1 Rallied by a call to action from their church,many Latter-day Saints are playing prominentroles in the political war against same-gendermarriages in Hawaii.   The question of whether gays and lesbians canmarry legally is scheduled to go before aHawaiian court this September. Meanwhile,members of The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints have led efforts aimed atpreventing the Hawaii Legislature from validatinghomosexual wedlock.   Retired Salt Lake City advertising executiveArthur Anderson was enlisted into the fight lastNovember with a phone call from MormonElder Loren C. Dunn, president of the church'sNorth America West Area.   At Dunn's behest, Anderson and his wifeembarked on months of volunteer work inHonolulu, mostly answering phones for Hawaii'sFuture Today, a group set up to lobby againstlegislative attempts at legalizing gay wedlock,gambling and prostitution.   Now returned home, Anderson said he is gladfor his chance to serve. Gay and lesbianmarriages ``are really destructive to the socialorder,'' he said.   According to a statement from the MormonChurch's Salt Lake City headquarters, churchmembers such as Anderson are responding to aplea by the ruling First Presidency to getinvolved as citizens. LDS Church cooperationwith Hawaii's Future Today, the statement said,comes in conjunction with Catholic leaders, aspart of a duty by church officials to be involvedon issues affecting traditional values.   ``The Church is indeed, politically neutralwhen it comes to parties and candidates andmost issues,'' said the LDS statement.``However, when a political issue has moralovertones, the Church has not only the right butthe responsibility to speak out and becomeinvolved.''   Some Hawaiians deeply resent what they seeas interference from powerful outside influencesin a local issue.   James Cartwright, a Honolulu-based memberof Affirmation, an advocacy group for gayMormons, called it an example of ``individualbigotry that hides behind institutional skirts.''   ``This is not an issue of marriage,'' saidCartwright, born and raised in Draper beforebecoming a faculty librarian at the University ofHawaii. Those involved in Hawaii's FutureToday, he said, ``are not opposed to gay and  lesbian marriages, but to gay and lesbian   human rights.''   In February 1994, the LDS First Presidencyissued a call to the faithful to oppose legalizationof same-sex marriages, urging them to ``appealto legislators, judges and other officials topreserve the purposes and sanctity of marriagebetween a man and a woman.''   The plea reflects deeply held church beliefs.   Homosexual behavior is part of a Satanicstrategy to divert humans from God's plans,according to a lengthy Oct. 1995 article onsame-sex attraction published in the churchmagazine Ensign, written by Elder Dallin H.Oaks, member of the Quorum of the TwelveApostles.   Though such public forays into politics by theMormon Church are rare, there are precedents.Notable examples include church opposition tothe siting of MX missiles on Utah soil in the1970s; fighting passage of an Equal RightsAmendment to the U.S. Constitution; and, morerecently, a campaign against a 1992 initiative tolegalize betting on horse races in Utah.   Hawaii's Future Today grew out of fears thepolitically liberal state would be the first tosanction gay marriages. Begun through adialogue between leaders of the Mormon andCatholic churches, the group now has some2,000 members, organization treasurer GeorgeP. Shea, Jr. said in an interview from Honolulu.   And to hear Shea and others tell it, themovement sprang from actions by individuals,rather than edicts from top ecclesiastical leaders.   Still, several of the lobbying group's organizersare prominent Hawaiian Mormons.   Group co-chairwoman Debbie Hartmanworks at the church-run Brigham YoungUniversity-Hawaii campus. Anotherco-chairman is Jack Hoag, chief executiveofficer of Hawaiian Reserves Incorporated, anLDS Church-owned company that managescommercial acreage surrounding the church'sPolynesian Cultural Center on Oahu's NorthShore.   While playing down any direct links betweenhis group and the Mormon Church, Hoagacknowledges that ``we've had a lot ofencouragement from church leaders. There's noquestion that doctrinally, we're tuned into thechurch's feelings.''   The movement began quietly.   Pamphlets circulated at select MormonChurch meetings throughout the Pacific islands,urging members to support anti-gay marriagelegislation pending in the Hawaii Legislature.Key statements were faxed to legislativecommittees, from LDS Church facilities.   Meanwhile, in Utah, the church'sproclamation prompted state legislators, 80% ofwhom are Mormon, to vote in 1995 in favor of alaw that purports to free Utah from having torecognize same-sex marriages that might beperformed in other states.   Drafted by BYU law professor Lynn Wardlein Provo, the bill passed with little opposition,making it the first law of its kind in the country.Other states now are crafting similar laws,hoping to carve gay-marriage exemptions tothe U.S. Constitution's ``full faith and creditclause,'' which requires states to honor eachother's laws and decrees, including marriages.   Just as Utah passed its law, leaders of theMormon Church sought to inject themselvesdirectly into the Hawaii controversy, petitioningunsuccessfully to join the same-sex marriagelawsuit before the Hawaii Supreme Court.   ``There are times when certain moral issuesbecome so compelling that churches have a dutyto make their feelings known,'' DonaldHallstrom, the LDS Church's regionalrepresentative in Hawaii, said at the time.   The state high court denied the request andlater ordered the issue of same-sex marriages beput to trial. That, in turn, sparked attempts in thestate Legislature to short-circuit a possible rulingin favor of such marriages with a constitutionalamendment.   Moves to allow gambling in Hawaii -- the onlystate other than Utah to forbid all gaming --and a call for legal prostitution in the Waikikiarea died early in the part-time Legislature,allowing the lobby group to focus exclusively on   gay marriage.   Hawaii's Future Today moved from citizenallies and distributing leaflets to a full-blownlobbying campaign early in the year, around thesame time LDS Church President Gordon B.Hinckley visited Hawaii in February 1996,welcomed by massive crowds of well-wishers.   On the visit, Hinckley huddled with HonoluluCatholic Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, devotingpart of their discussions to the same-sexmarriage campaign. Efforts by Hawaii's FutureToday stepped up a few weeks later,culminating in a TV, radio and newspaperadvertising blitz during April and May.   According to reports filed with the HawaiianEthics Commission, money for a total of$37,712 in lobbying expenditures by the groupsince Jan. 1, 1996, has come from smallindividual donations from Hawaiians.   Twenty-two donations, ranging from $25 to$100 apiece, were made by residents of Laie, acommunity near the LDS Church-ownedPolynesian Cultural Center that is home to morethan 5,000 residents, most of whom are directlyor indirectly employed by the church.   About $25,000 went to advertising, andsurveys indicate the ads had their effect. Roughly70% of Hawaiians oppose same-sex marriagestoday, polls indicate, compared with a little morethan half of state residents before the advertisingcampaign began.   Some allege that the $37,712 represents asmall portion of what Hawaii's Future Todayactually has spent.   William E. Woods, spokesman for theHonolulu-based Gay and LesbianEducation and Advocacy Foundation, called thegroup's state spending reports ``totally false.'' Heclaims the Mormon Church has pumpedsubstantially more money than it has reportedinto backing the state constitutional amendmentto make same-gender marriages illegal.   Woods lodged formal charges to that effectwith Hawaiian Ethics Commission in late April,but little state action has been taken. The gayactivist also alleges that one $1,870 donation toHawaii's Future Today, listed as coming fromHana Pono Organization, is a front for directfinancial aid from one or more LDS wards inHawaii.   But Shea, the group's treasurer, said thereports are accurate. And group co-chairmanHoag said that in addition to contributions from``Mormons, Catholics, Protestants, Jews andBuddhists,'' there have been many donationsfrom members of Hawaii's business community,incensed about possible damage to commerceshould the state recognize gay wedlock.   The constitutional amendment, which wouldhave enshrined male-female unions as the onlylegal marriages, remained bottled up in a Senatecommittee -- until the last night of theLegislature. It then was defeated April 29 by a15-10 vote on the Senate floor.   Gay activists hailed the vote as a victory,while members of Hawaii's Future Today arevowing to hold the amendment's opponentsaccountable in state Senate elections this fall.   Meanwhile, all sides expect a protracted courtbattle, culminating in a revisit of the issue by theHawaiian Supreme Court.   ``This,'' said Shea, ``was just the first dance.''

 

9 June 1996- The  Dr. Kristen Ries Award for Community Service was given to Rev. Kelly Byrnes Charlene Orchard and Doug Tollstrup (Clariss Cartier).  Jeff Freeman and Carrie Gaylor Co-chairs of Pride Day “While vitriolic debates over gay rights have dominated state politics for months, thousands of Utahns gathered  at the City-County Building on Sunday in the name of gay pride. It appeared to be the biggest Gay Pride Day in Utah history. The parade itself had more than 60 entries -- from the lone Utah Log Cabin Club Republican to a float jammed with Village People impersonators dancing to the '70s tune ``YMCA.'' Bruce Harmon, a parade organizer, hypothesized that conflict over a gay-straight student alliance at East High School, which thrust Utah into the national spotlight, galvanized many Utahns -- gay and straight -- to attend the event. ``The Legislature and school board did more for us than we could ever do for ourselves,'' said Harmon, decked out in a rainbow vest and accessories. ``People said, `Enough is enough.' ''Funky fashions were de riguer. Men in hot pants. Men in rhinestone gowns and crowns. Women who were nearly bald. Shirtless men flaunting nipple rings. Studded tongues clicking in conversation. One man wore a straw hat covered with 21 varieties of plastic fruit, two grasshoppers and a butterfly. He also  sported a Technicolor dress he rescued from his mother's garage sale. ``Does she know I'm wearing it?'' he asked, holding his finger to his lips, ``shuuuush.'' But most folks just hoped their sunglasses and baseball caps would protect them from the broiling sun. Families sprawled out on the grass with picnics. Toddlers sucked snow cones dry, while performers sang their music from center stage. A few couples held hands . Many shrieked in joy when they found a friend they had forgotten they missed. Under one shady tree, Paula Gibbs-Taylor ticked off her reasons for bringing her daughters Jordan, 7, and  Maya, 10, to the march. ``To help expose them to different types of people,'' said the Park City physician. ``Parades are fun. Support. The concept of gay pride, of tolerance, appreciation of difference. To help kids see there is a lot of universality despite our differences.'' The morning began at the Capitol where floats and marchers congregated. Enormous trucks were repaving the street around the Capitol, which some marchers viewed as a city conspiracy. Stationed at the front were Dykes on Bikes, a group of lesbians on motorcycles. At 10:30 a.m., Harmon launched the proceedings, by announcing over the loudspeaker, ``Ladies, start your engines.'' The parade has a contagious energy. Rather than people rallied around a cause, the cause was the people. As the procession wound down Capitol Hill, past Temple Square and down Main Street, supporters cheered. Marchers carried signs and wore T-shirts with slogans such as ``Hate is not a family value,'' ``God made me and he doesn't make mistakes'' and ``Has anyone seen my Constitutional Rights?''  Several dozen high school students -- including Kelli Peterson, founder of East High's gay straight alliance --chanted: ``Two, four, six, eight. How do you know your kids are straight?'' Peterson's parents also marched wearing signs that read ``Proud Parents.'' In what Harmon deemed a precedent-setting appearance, two politicians drove in the parade: Salt Lake City Councilwoman Deeda Seed and U.S. Congressional candidate Ross Anderson. The two signs of gay solidarity -- rainbows and the color pink -- were omnipresent. There were pink parasols, pink balloons, and a man rollerblading in a pink sequined leotard. A dozen marchers spun an enormous rainbow flag as they passed the LDS Temple  “I am tired of sitting on the sidelines,'' said the woman dressed in yellow toga and hat. ``Today I am here for   everybody. When the parade reached the City-County Building, Chastity Bono delivered the keynote address, praising Utahns for standing their ground in the gay-straight student club controversy. ``You should know that the time and energy you have put in and the personal risk you have taken here in Utah has advanced the entire community's fight for human rights,'' said Bono, a spokesperson for the Human Right Campaign Fund in Washington D.C. ``And we thank you for it.'' Bono is daughter of singer and actress Cher and Republican Rep. Sonny Bono of California. Despite President Clinton's promise to sign the Defense of Marriage Act, a pre-emptive law denying federal recognition of gay marriages, Bono urged the crowd not to boycott the polls. Instead, the gay community must organize, campaign and, most importantly, vote. ``It's up to us and our friends and families to stop this Congressional gay bashing,'' she said. ``Come out and come out voting. Later in the afternoon, the annual Kristen Ries award was given to Charlene Orchard, co-chairwoman of the Utah Human Rights Coalition, and Doug Tollstrup, who has raised money for charity by performing drag shows under the name Clariss Cartier for 17 years. Ries, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Utah Hospital, has worked for years with people who have HIV and AIDS. Tollstrup's father, a 71-year-old car salesman, was on hand to watch his son accept the award. ``They get enough persecution without getting it from their parents,'' said the Utah native. ``It makes me laugh when people say you can choose to be gay. It's in your genes. Either you are or you are not. You can't change. It     takes a lot of guts to live that lifestyle.'' Police reported no incidents of violence during the day. And organizers were ebullient about the huge crowd that spanned from babies to senior citizens. `No one can take your joy,'' said the Rev. Bruce Barton. `You have to give it away. We are not willing to do that anymore.'' (SLTRIBUNE 10 June 1996)

 

 

 

Sunday, June 9, 1996  CHASTITY BONO MEETS WITH GAYS IN S.L.  By Robert C. Gehrke, Staff Writer  Chastity Bono and other leaders in homosexual and human-rights issues met Saturday night on the eve of Gay Pride Day to voice support for Utah gay and lesbian clubs and discuss how to foster political activism. The town meeting at the Red Lion in Salt Lake City, which was delayed 20 minutes while additional chairs were set up to accommodate the strong showing of supporters, was organized as an outlet for viewpoints and affirmation from supporters of the gay and lesbian community. The consensus was that education, support and activism were needed in order to guarantee the rights of gay and lesbian Utahns. Bono, whose father, Rep. Sonny Bono is a California congressman, told how she revealed to her father she was a lesbian when she was 18 years old. She said his reaction was "really unbelievable and very supportive." In his political life, Rep. Bono, a Republican, has been less supportive, co-sponsoring a bill to outlaw same-sex marriages. Recently, Chastity Bono interviewed her father for a magazine article and said she realized how uninformed he was about many of the issues. Increased education has given young people more information to help them deal with issues of homosexuality, said Doug Wortham, a member of Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers' Network. "Young people grow up in a world where they have role models, on a personal level . . . and now on the national level, people like Chastity," who are gay, he said. "They are forced to ask questions I wasn't forced to ask myself until I was 21, 23 or 25. The kids now need support at a level that's more intense." Those in attendance argued that the necessary support can only come through political battles that will be fought in coming months."We can't change minds that are already made up, but we can certainly elect people who are a little more open to stopping discrimination and putting an end to bigotry," said Silvia Behrend, director of religious education at the First Unitarian Church. _© 1999 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

 

:10 June 1996  GAY BASHING  06/10/96 page: A1 The note left on a black football player'sdormitory room at Dixie College was clear:``Get out or die.''   Another message left for the student andanother black football player at the St. Georgecollege could have proved fatal. A pipe bombexploded on the doorstep of their dorm room.   Gary Brown told a federal jury last month thatthe 1993 bombing had a terrifying effect on him.   ``I was afraid,'' he testified.   `` . . . I don't know why someone would wantto do that to me.''   Hate crimes exist in Utah, but some sayofficials do not want to admit it.   ``They feel that the '60s era has improved[relations] a lot, and therefore, citizens feel thathate crimes no longer exist,'' said JeanettaWilliams, president of the Salt Lake City branchof the National Association for the Advancementof Colored People. ``But we haven't come as faras we should.''   Last year, 124 hate crimes were reported in  Utah, according to the Crime in Utahreport, compiled by the state's Bureau ofCriminal Identification (BCI).   Race accounted for most of the hate crimesreported in the state. Since 1993, the number ofcrimes based on race has more than doubled.Most of those offenses last year, 23, werereported by Salt Lake City police.   But BCI Bureau Chief Richard Townsend saidhate crimes are underreported.   ``It's difficult for officers to make adetermination that it is a hate-based crime unlessthe victim reports it as such,'' he said. ``Theother edge to the sword is many victims arereticent to report it for fear of retaliation or ofbeing labeled.''   Salt Lake City police Officer Shane Jones, thedepartment's liaison with the gay and  lesbian community for more than four years,said victims must develop trust with the police. But ``it takes time,'' he said.   The NAACP's Williams said police must betrained to identify when bias plays a part in acrime.   Victims ``need to call it to the policedepartment's attention and have them read thereport over to make sure it is accurate, and tellthem that they need to note it as a hate crime,''she said.   And prosecutors need to pursue hate crimes,she added.   A 1992 state law added an enhanced penaltyto some misdemeanors if prosecutors prove themotivation for the crime was to intimidate anddeprive someone of constitutional rights.   But prosecutors have been slow to use thepenalty enhancement.   Davis County prosecutors did not use it whenwhite-supremacist skinheads were arrested in1993. Four youths were building a cache offirearms in their Layton apartment because theywere upset about blacks living in the complex.   Rodney James Jr., a black Utah ValleyCommunity College student, was shot in 1992by his white roommate because James wasdating white women, the NAACP contended.  Utah County Attorney Kaye Bryson saidthere was no evidence to prosecute the shootingas a racial crime.   House Minority Leader Frank Pignanelli,D-Salt Lake City, who sponsored the bill, saidthe measure originally applied to felonies as wellas misdemeanors, but legislators weakened it toinclude only lesser crimes.   ``Some very powerful legislators feltunconvinced that there was a need for a statute,''he said. ``They just felt that having a law basedon a victim's individuality was contrary to theirbeliefs.''   Pignanelli said if legislators are to address hatecrimes, they must ``examine a statute that aidsthe prosecutors and provide resources to theDepartment of Public Safety to increaseeducation [for officers].''   ``The Department of Public Safety is doing thebest it can to educate local law enforcementagencies on how to identify what a hate crimeis,'' he said. ``You just don't want to report ahate crime because the perpetrator and victimare of different colors.''   Williams said everyone must understand theviciousness behind hate crimes.   ``It concerns me that we have so many hatecrimes here in the state,'' she said. ``Until we, asAmericans, come to accept every nationality onan equal basis, we will continue to havediscrimination in this country.''

    

10 June 1996 06/10/96 Page: A8 Keywords: Public Forum LetterLegislative Failures   The horror of what the Utah Legislaturehas enacted is less that gay and lesbianhigh school students cannot assemble and morethat legislators did not assemble the necessarywisdom to make law when they were in highschool.   Clearly, we need more to take heed of aneducational system which fails to bringawareness of the U.S. Constitution to itslawmakers than to be suspicious of citizens whowish to gather together for education.   Alexander Hamilton told us, ``If the legislaturecan disfranchise any number of citizens atpleasure . . . the name of liberty applied to sucha government would be a mockery of commonsense.''   I have faith that this legislative horror andothers contemplated will stand corrected. Theframers of the U.S. Constitution built correctivemeasures into that document to disarm``doctrine of disqualification, disfranchisement,and banishment by acts of the legislature.''   JOHN J. BUSH JR.   Salt Lake City

  

12 June 1996 06/12/96 Page: B1   Members of the International Alliance of Courts were pleasantly surprised when they received a letter from Gov. Mike Leavitt who,on behalf of the citizens of Utah, welcomed them to the Beehive State for the theme-ball ``Coronation XXI: A Royal Wedding andImperial Honeymoon.''   Leavitt applauded the  group for the``considerable service you give to your communities'' and assured members: ``You will find Utah is alive with culture, history and hospitality.''   The Salt Lake City chapter wrote back, thanking Leavitt for recognizing the worth and contributions of the gay and lesbian organization.

 

14 June 1996 06/14/96 Page: B1   GAY RIGHTS   ANDERSON: Supports efforts to legalizesame-sex marriages and believes gay-straightstudent clubs have the same right to meet in localschools as any other group, as provided underEqual Access Act. Favors extending federalantidiscrimination law to cover sexualorientation.   ATKINSON: Opposes the formation of gay   clubs -- or any other controversialorganizations -- as a threat to parental controlthat would ultimately lead to voucher system.Favors antidiscrimination protection for gays andlesbians. Opposes same-sex marriages.COOK: Opposes extending antidiscriminationlanguage to cover sexual orientation; opposessame-sex marriages and believes the authority toregulate clubs rests with local school boards.NEILSON: Opposes extendingantidiscrimination language to cover sexualorientation; opposes same-sex marriages andbelieves the authority to regulate clubs rests withlocal school boards.   CANNON: Opposes same-sex marriage.Opposes gay clubs in high schools, butfavors repeal of the federal Equal Access Act toleave it to state and local governments.   DRASCHIL: Opposes same-sex marriage.Endorses Equal Access Act, believing Utah'sban on gay and lesbian clubs in highschools does not conflict with that law.

 

16 June 1996 6/16/96Page: B7Keywords: ObituariesSteven Wallace Crook   FAIRFIELD, Conn.--Steven Wallace Crook,age 34, of Fairfield Connecticut, died Monday,June 3, 1996 at his home.   Born in Salt Lake City, Utah on September24, 1961 to Wallace and Barbara Crook. Stevewas a Fairfield resident for the past six years.He was a graduate of the University of Utah andGeorge Washington University, where hereceived his Physician's Assistant degree andMasters in Public Health. Steve was aPhysicians Assistant specializing in the treatmentof people infected with the HIV Virus. Hewas a member of the Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints and the American Associationof Physicians Assistants.   Survivors include his companion, BarryVesciglio of Fairfield, Conn.; his parents,Wallace and Barbara Crook, Layton; onebrother and three sisters, Spence (Marianne)Crook, Cindy (LJ) Brewer, Monica (Zeke)Swander, Layton; Andrea (Rich) Stuart, Unitah;his grandparents, Lorene Barker, St. Georgeand Harold and Dona Wright, Bountiful; niecesand nephews, Amber, Will, Alyson, LaurenBrewer, Krista and Scott Swander, Daniel,Beth, Michelle and Kathryn Stuart; and manyaunts, uncles, cousins and friends will greatlymiss Steve.

 

22 June 1996 06/23/96Page: B7Keywords: Obituaries  Kelly K. Robinson   Kelly K. Robinson, 37, died June 22,1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah.   Born September 23, 1958, the son of RubyK. Robinson. Adopted by his dad, Ray S.  Robinson in December 1976. Kelly wasa computer specialist for BTS before his illnessrequired him to leave his job. He helped manyfriends and family members in setting up theircomputers. Whenever something didn't work,  Kelly knew how to fix it. He was anentreprenurial spirit and ran other businesseswith enthusiasm and expertise.   He is survived by brothers, Mike, Pat(Karen), T.J.(Debbie), Ray F.(Tammy); sisters,Glenda Fuller (Jack), Bonnie Peterson (Don),Linda, Laurie Garff (Bob); grandmother Evelyn;his parents; many nieces and nephews; and hislong time companion, Sheldon Salazar and hisdaughters, Malisa and Rainy and their mother,Cincy Salazar.   Special thanks to the care providers atDoxey-Hatch and at Hillhaven...and to Dr.Kristen Reis.   A celebration of Kelly's life will be heldTuesday, June 25, 1996, 11 a.m., Larkin SunsetLawn Mortuary, 2350 E. 1300 South, wherefamily and friends may call one hour prior, to bidhim a fond farewell. Interment: Larkin SunsetLawn.   T 6/23    N 6/24 S Foundation, 1408 So. 1100 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105.

 

June 21, 1996 - Friday - " Drove with Al Smith to what we in San Diego call, the third friday meeting at the stake center in Westwood, Los Angeles. A member of the stake high Council announced that the stake president which guided the group for several years was released from his calling as stake president. There will be two high council members in charge of the group now. The elder who originated the group, was asked to step down. A new leader/teacher would be teaching us as gay and lesbian members of the group.

The high council member later told me that the former stake president was reprimanded and released by Apostle Hales. The reason was the group meeting on September 15, 1995 was publicized beyond the Westwood Stake. This group could only be under this stake president's direction for members specifically of the Westwood Stake. We from San Diego could still attend. However I would not receieve a post card reminder of the meeting. (Donald Attridge)

 

 

23 June 1996 06/23/96 Page: B1The Legislature's controversial vote in April toban gay clubs in public high schools hasbecome the hot-button issue in a primaryelection race in Utah County.   Incumbent Rep. Jordan Tanner, R-Provo, isaccusing his challenger Kenneth Grover offocusing exclusively on the gay-rights issueand of trying to squeeze political advantage outof Tanner's April 17 vote against the ban.   The race is one of 13 Republican Partyprimaries across the state Tuesday. There are noDemocratic legislative primaries and one racebetween two Independent-American Partycandidates in District 29, covering Iron andWashington counties. (See related story).   Tanner, a three-term legislator and governmentconsultant, claims his opponent ``brings it [gay  -club issue] up at every appearance. He's usedthat definitely as his theme in his campaign,saying that because of that issue I don't reallyrepresent the district the way people want itrepresented.''   But Grover insists he has not seized on thevote, as Tanner is claiming.   ``I haven't done anything to smear him,''Grover said.   The stage for the Tanner-Grover clash is  Utah County, the state's heartland of moralistRepublicanism. It is a district in whichDemocrats don't even bother to run, and thisyear's election is no exception. The winner ofTuesday's primary takes the seat.   Not surprisingly, moral issues such as gayrights and abortion resonate loudly with districtvoters.   Otherwise conservative in his voting record onsocial matters, 64-year-old Tanner shockedsome GOP colleagues -- and delighted  gay-rights lobbyists -- when he joined ahandful of House Republicans opposing thecontroversial ban.   Grover, a 27-year-old Salt Lake City SchoolDistrict teacher, business owner and recentBrigham Young University graduate,acknowledged mentioning in a speech at the  Utah County GOP convention that he wouldhave voted in favor of the ban -- and highlightingthat as a reason he should win over Tanner.   But Grover said Friday he would havesupported the ban only with heavy reservations.   ``It was a lose-lose situation,'' he said of theban on clubs involving sexuality, bigotry andcriminal activity. ``We should have waited andlet it be resolved at the school level.''   He said Tanner's vote was based ``on goodreasoning. I don't fault him for it. I just wouldhave voted differently.''   During heated debate on the gay-clubs bill-- drafted behind closed doors just hours beforeit was passed without public hearings -- Tannercalled it an ``affront to the school boards.''   ``It's an affront to persons both in the gayand the lesbian communities to which this billis aimed,'' he said. ``Of all the communities thatwe should be having compassion for  . . . it's thatcommunity.''   Tanner also said he took issue with how thebill was handled.   ``I don't vote for bills that have 16 pages ofintent language that has not been read and thathas no public input,'' he said.   And in the aftermath, Tanner, who in pastelections has refused to seek donations andactually has returned unsolicited checks, hasamassed a legislative campaign war chest ofnearly $10,000.   Grover, meanwhile, has spent about $1,250,nearly all of it raised from sources he said who``are mostly friends.''   Half of Tanner's money -- $5,000 -- waskicked in by WordPerfect co-founder BruceBastian. The Orem resident is the main financialpatron of Gay and Lesbian UtahDemocrats.   Tanner's second largest contributor is GaryWatts. The Provo physician is the father of a  gay son and pleaded for moderation duringthe fight over the gay-clubs issue.

 

23 June 1996 06/23/96 page: B3 Why are they buried where they are?   Week after week, I read them in the``Utah'' section of The Tribune, usually on thesecond page. They are short news items, two orthree inches, never with pictures. For more thantwo years, I have been monitoring them,astonished by their frequency, their brevity, andmost of all, the relatively scant attention theyreceive.   -- Boyfriend Arraigned in Death of Infant.   -- Baby-Shaker Gets Two Years.  -- Teacher Pleads Guilty to Molesting Boys.   -- Father Cited for Brutality to Toddler.   Let me make clear up front that a) I am angryabout the lack of attention paid to child abuse,and b) I do not think stories of these crimes are``buried'' on the inside pages because of editorialindifference.   The record of the The Salt Lake Tribune, forexample, on issues of social justice is superb. Itsrecent series on the national crises in childadvocacy got front-page prominence and lots ofinside space as well. Its record on women'sissues, gay and lesbian activism, minorityconcerns, its equity in coverage of men's andwomen's sports -- all of these and much more --testify of editorial responsibility to thecommunity.   No, the callousness about mounting childabuse does not originate in newsrooms. It beginswith us, society at large.  In 1994, there were 10,430 substantiated --substantiated -- victims of child abuse in  Utah, including physical and sexual abuse,physical neglect and emotional maltreatment.   Now let's see: How many students lobbied for  gay-lesbian clubs in Salt Lake highschools? Twenty? Thirty? And how many inchesof newspaper space have the subsequent storiesconsumed? How many hours of TV interviews,panels, call-in shows have focused on thecontroversy?   Well, of course, anything having to do with sexholds the public interest. How manygang-related murders did Utah have lastyear? Under 30? And how much news mediaattention did they receive? Now let's ask howmuch attention we have given to Utah's10,000-plus babies and children who werevictims of criminal child abuse?   Why? Why are we, the public, so littleinterested in this epidemic of child abuse?   I have tried to think of possible answers.   1. Children don't vote. No vested interestslisten why they cry. Compare their lack ofpower with the clout of groups such as thetobacco growers, the NRA, the senior citizens,the anti-smoking-in-my-state league.   2. Victims of child abuse don't make goodnews-media subjects. They don't give juicy TVinterviews or sound bites. They don't show upon ``Oprah,'' at least until years later, and then,only if they survive.   3. Drive-by shootings, bombings andhigh-speed chases that end in mayhem are morecolorful and thus more interesting than crimesinvolving ordinary fists, belts, lighted cigarettes.   4. Child abuse, we reason, hurts only thevictims. The crime doesn't hit home with us.Anyone might get hurt in a drive-by shooting.Anyone could be the victim of a desperate drugaddict. According to our chapter ofThe-Sky-Is-Falling-Society, every home in  Utah would be threatened by high school  gay and lesbian clubs. But if a child isbeaten, debased, raped, who beyond the childand its family is injured?   (Well, of course, we all are threatened. Thepain and the loss our society bears because ofthe long-term results of child abuse cannot,simply cannot, be calculated.)   5. There are too many of these crimes.Familiarity indeed breeds contempt. We haveseen how sympathy for the nation's homeless hasturned into indifference, distaste, and, in someplaces, backlash.   Whereas the story of one child trapped in amine shaft will rally millions to watch the rescueefforts hour by hour, and to donate money andmuscle-power to extricate the child, 10,000children in danger are too many. We growbored. We want fresh news. We turn the page,quickly. For the children, of course, repetitiondulls nothing, except hope.   Tom, none of these reasons seems goodenough to excuse our neglect. What am Imissing? Gabriela Mistral, the NobelPrize-winning poet from Chile, says this:   ``We are guilty of many errors and manyfaults, but our worst crime is abandoning thechildren, neglecting the fountain of life. Many ofthe things we need can wait. The child cannot.Right now is the time his bones are beingformed, his blood is being made, and his sensesare being developed. To him, we cannot answer,`Tomorrow.' His name is `Today.' ''   Elouise Bell is professor emeritus at BrighamYoung University.   RESPONSE BY TOM BARBERI    Elouise, what you may be missing is theobvious. It's so simple I am stunned you don'tsee it. The reasons the subject of child abusetakes little space in the paper and isn't prominenton the 6 p.m. news is the sheer numbers --10,430 incidents in one year alone.   That's almost 29 individual acts of child abuseevery day for a year. We are so numbed bythese numbers we ignore their significance. Itwould be almost like going back to the VietnamWar coverage with the nightly body count thatbecame a regular feature.   I also am appalled at the rather cavalierattitude we seem to have toward child murder. Ihave noticed with increasing dismay that thepenalty for child murder is proportional to theage of the victim. If a person bounces an infantoff the driveway and causes its death he/she mayget a few years in prison and be out in a shorttime. If that same person puts a bullet betweenthe eyes of a convenience-store clerk with thesame end result the death penalty is a realpossibility.   Why are infants lesser humans than say storeclerks? This makes no sense, but it is the way itis.   Another possibility for this attitude towardchildren stems from Utah's culture.  This issomething we don't want to know about, don'twant to hear about, don't want to acknowledgeexists in this land of family values.   I hate to say it, but it seems that there is anaversion to acknowledging that in this bastion offamily values and large families with such apositive emphasis on children that we arereluctant to acknowledge that this even goes on,much less to such an extent.   To do justice to the incredible numbers we aretalking about on this issue, The Tribune wouldhave to publish a separate section in the paperevery day to do justice to all these cases.   If it did this,  what we would find would bequite disturbing, the victims are really just littlekids, some still in diapers and those committingthese horrible acts are neighbors, co-workers,relatives, friends, etc. I don't think anybodywants this and that, Elouise, is the crime.   Ciao!   Tom Barberi is a talk show host onKALL-AM.

 

27 June 1996 27^th  Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village