4 July
1996 : 07/04/96 Page: A18 It was with supreme irony that I read theeditorial,
``Vote in Today's Primary'' (Tribune,June 25). We were informed that,
``Todaymarks the first time that Utah voters can havetheir say about (gay and
lesbian clubs inhigh schools) at the ballot box; they shouldrespond.'' At least
for those voters in Salt LakeCity, the editorial might have been better if it
hadread: ``Good luck trying to send a message.'' For all the public outcry and
supposedly ferventconcern on the part of civil libertarians whoblasted the Salt
Lake City School Board'sdecision to ban gay and lesbian clubs inhigh schools,
they apparently don't have ittogether when it comes to figuring out how toput
their political muscle into effect.
Some poor thinking went into forcing Ila RoseFife, a current Salt Lake
School Board memberwho voted to keep gay and lesbian clubs,to waste her time,
money and energy competingagainst four challengers. Where are thosesupposedly
concerned civil libertarians tocompete against those Salt Lake School
Boardmembers who actually did vote to ban gayand lesbian clubs? If the primary
schoolboard election in Salt Lake City is any reflectionon the low level of
intelligence of and the lack ofreal commitment on the part of civil
libertarians(of which I count myself as one), then perhapswe deserve what we
get, which is to lose oureffort to reverse the school club ban. Never during all the time this big
controversyraged did I receive one damn telephone call toencourage me to run
for the board after Iresigned (which happened before the petition fora gay club
at East High School waspresented to the board). It really bewilders mehow out
of touch from political reality thesepeople are. I feel sorry for Ila Rose,
whoseconsistent and firm voting pattern to uphold therights and privileges of
all children wasquestioned by having all those challengerscampaign against her.
Civil libertarians aresending the wrong message to those electedofficials who
have supported you. TAB L. UNO Salt Lake City
Tuesday,
July 9, 1996 ANDERSON CLARIFIES STAND ON
SAME-SEX UNIONS By Bob Bernick Jr.,
Political Editor Worried that his 2nd
Congressional District race could be sidetracked by an "irrelevant"
issue,Monday night Democrat Ross Anderson said he would poll his constituents
and vote on any same-sex marriage bills as his constituents wish, regardless of
his personal support for same-sex marriages. However, Anderson added that he
wouldn't vote for any bill, no matter what the topic, that he believes
unconstitutional. And parts of a current bill before Congress that would
restrict same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, he believes. Anderson's
clarification of his stand on same-sex marriages comes after media reports on
the issue and a press conference Monday morning by about 20 northern Utah
Democratic officeholders and candidates. The Democrats said that while they
support Anderson's candidacy and agree with him on some issues, they vehemently
disagree with him on same-sex marriages and his opposition to the death
penalty. "Some in the media and some (Democratic) candidates are obsessing
on this (same-sex marriage) issue," said Anderson Tuesday morning. But
Anderson clearly had (and may still have) a real political problem. The LDS
Church's First Presidency two years ago issued a statement opposing same-sex
marriages. The church is actively opposing efforts in Hawaii to legalize
same-sex marriages. There currently is no state or nation that sanctions
same-sex marriages. Upward of 60 percent of 2nd District residents are members
of the LDS Church, polling shows, and Anderson will likely need some of those
votes if he's to defeat Republican challenger Merrill Cook. Cook opposes
same-sex marriages. "This (same-sex marriages) is a very different issue
for a lot of people. Our most revered institution is involved," said
Anderson. "I hope that, as a community and a nation, we will all seek
greater understanding and compassion - and judge each other less harshly. I
also hope that our politicians will finally refrain from the politics of
division and fear." In a Deseret News story that ran over the weekend
concerning Anderson's political problem with the same-sex issue, Brigham Young
University political science professor David Magleby, himself a Mormon and a
Democrat, said same-sex marriages is a salient issue, an important issue, with
many voters, and Anderson would be mistaken to discount its impact. Anderson
won a primary battle last month, in part, due to support by the Gay and Lesbian
Utah Democrats. And GLUD supported Anderson over rival Democrat Kelly Atkinson,
in part, because of Anderson's strong support of same-sex marriages and other
gay and lesbian issues. Atkinson is against same-sex marriages. GLUD founder
David Nelson said Tuesday that his group is "disappointed and angry"
at Anderson over the "change" in his same-sex marriage stand but will
still support him. Anderson "is trying to become a centrist" by the
change, said Nelson, but he's broken a promise to support same-sex marriages in
all cases, and it could cost him "up to 8 percent of his core support
(gays and lesbians in the 2nd District), and I don't know if he can afford to
write off" so many Democratic voters. Anderson said he met with GLUD
leaders before issuing his statement and is disappointed over their reaction.
"They agreed. I can't believe some of them were hiding in waiting to take
pot shots at me now. I have not waffled at all; I will never back away from my
deeply held personal commitment to equal rights for all. But on this sensitive
issue, as a representative of all the people in the 2nd District, I'd vote my
constituents' wishes, the only responsible thing to do." Charlene Orchard
of the Utah Human Rights Coalition said she and her members still respect
Anderson. "Ross has been incredibly consistent in his support of
everyone's rights under the Constitution. It's what we admire about him. While
our group doesn't endorse candidates, I know many gays and lesbians are pleased
with his support of our issues," she said. Anderson said Tuesday that the
simple truth is that his personal beliefs on same-sex marriages, or the death
penalty or any number of other "minor" issues just won't be a factor
in the U.S. Congress. "Issues like (same-sex marriage) shouldn't be
decided in Congress anyway, they should be decided by the states and in the
courts," said Anderson, a local attorney who is seeking office for the
first time. © 1998 Deseret News
Publishing Co.
9 July
1996 07/09/96 Page: B1 Even as northern Utah Democrats movedMonday to distance
themselves from 2ndCongressional nominee Ross Anderson, the SaltLake City
Democrat attempted to moderate hissupport of legalizing gay marriage. Anderson vowed, if elected to Congress,
hewould set aside his personal views on same-sexmarriage to vote the will of
the majority ofresidents in his district covering most of SaltLake County. He would conduct a poll to determine
thewishes of residents and then ``vote accordingly,''he said. Gay and lesbian wedlock is the oneissue on
which he would place the wishes of thevoters above his own beliefs, Anderson
said,because of its potential for divisiveness. ``Andbecause these kinds of
changes in our institutionsare very difficult and sometimes take a while forus
all to accept.'' But Anderson, an
attorney, left himself a ratherlarge loophole in his pledge: that he would
notsupport any legislation he believedunconstitutional. And he attacked the Defense of Marriage
Actnow before Congress as clearly unconstitutionaland the worst example of
``political pandering.'' The pending
legislation would give statesauthority to ignore marriage contracts from
otherstates that might legalize same-sex marriage.Hawaii is considering
allowing same-sexmarriages. Anderson
said he issued the statement to putbehind the ``sensationalized'' topic of
gaymarriages and get onto the meaningful issues oftransportation, the federal
budget, environmentalprotection and saving Social Security andMedicare. The Democrat insisted his new statement
onsame-sex marriage is ``entirely consistent witheverything I've said on this
issue.'' But in answering pre-primary
electionquestions for The Salt Lake Tribune, Andersonsaid he supported efforts
to legalize same-sexmarriage. ``He has
flip-flopped, he's trying to backpedalon this,'' said Gay and Lesbian
UtahDemocrats [GLUD] founder David Nelson.
Nelson said GLUD will continue to supportAnderson, but not without some
hesitation. ``Ifwe're going to have poll-driven candidates, wemight as well
have gone with [defeatedDemocratic candidate] Kelly Atkinson. At leasthe was
honest about it,'' said Nelson.
University of Utah political scienceProfessor Matthew Burbank said the
success ofAnderson's strategy on the prickly same-sexmarriage issue rests
entirely on how it isperceived. ``The
question remains whether this will serveto allow him to get past the issue or
whether itlooks like lawyerly finessing, in which case itcould have the
opposite consequence,'' Burbanksaid. ``For some people the stronger tactic may
beto say, `Here's what I believe,' and stick by it,''he added. Republican candidate Merrill Cook said
hisopponent is practicing ``politics at its mostcynical.'' But Cook made a promise of his own: ``Weare
not going to go out and campaign on thatissue'' of same-sex marriage. Cook said he agrees with Anderson that
taxand budget policy need to be the central focus ofthe campaign, and that the
two candidates haveample differences in those areas. Other Democrats also hope
thosebread-and-butter economic issues dominate inthis election year. More than 20 Democratic office holders
andcandidates held a news conference Monday inOgden to highlight their
disagreements withAnderson's more controversial stands, includinghis support of
legal gay marriages. ``It's a
pre-emptive strike against Republicanspainting us with a broad brush,''
saidcongressional candidate Greg Sanders,Democratic challenger to 1st District
RepublicanRep. Jim Hansen. ``We went to
a lot of trouble this year torecruit good, solid, middle-class
candidates,''Sanders said. ``We don't want to take anychances of that getting
lost by dominant mediacoverage of the 2nd District race.''
9 July
1996 July
9, 1996
The Salt
Lake Tribune
Anderson:
I'll Put Aside Support For Gay Marriage
He Says
He Would Poll Residents And Vote the Will of the Majority
Issue
Explodes in Anderson's Face
By Dan
Harrie
Even as
northern Utah Democrats moved Monday to distance themselves from 2nd
Congressional nominee Ross Anderson, the Salt Lake City Democrat attempted to
moderate his support of legalizing gay marriage.
Anderson
vowed, if elected to Congress, he would set aside his personal views on
same-sex marriage to vote the will of the majority of residents in his district
covering most of Salt Lake County.
He would
conduct a poll to determine the wishes of residents and then "vote
accordingly," he said.
Gay and
lesbian wedlock is the one issue on which he would place the wishes of the
voters above his own beliefs, Anderson said, because of its potential for
divisiveness. "And because these kinds of changes in our institutions are
very difficult and sometimes take a while for us all to accept."
But
Anderson, an attorney, left himself a rather large loophole in his pledge: that
he would not support any legislation he believed unconstitutional.
And he
attacked the Defense of Marriage Act now before Congress as clearly
unconstitutional and the worst example of "political pandering."
The
pending legislation would give states authority to ignore marriage contracts
from other states that might legalize same-sex marriage. Hawaii is considering
allowing same-sex marriages.
Anderson
said he issued the statement to put behind the "sensationalized"
topic of gay marriages and get onto the meaningful issues of transportation,
the federal budget, environmental protection and saving Social Security and
Medicare.
The
Democrat insisted his new statement on same-sex marriage is "entirely
consistent with everything I've said on this issue."
But in
answering pre-primary election questions for The Salt Lake Tribune, Anderson
said he supported efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.
"He
has flip-flopped, he's trying to backpedal on this," said Gay and Lesbian
Utah Democrats [GLUD] founder David Nelson.
Nelson
said GLUD will continue to support Anderson, but not without some hesitation.
"If we're going to have poll-driven candidates, we might as well have gone
with [defeated Democratic candidate] Kelly Atkinson. At least he was honest
about it," said Nelson.
University
of Utah political science Professor Matthew Burbank said the success of
Anderson's strategy on the prickly same-sex marriage issue rests entirely on
how it is perceived.
"The
question remains whether this will serve to allow him to get past the issue or
whether it looks like lawyerly finessing, in which case it could have the
opposite consequence," Burbank said.
"For
some people the stronger tactic may be to say, `Here's what I believe,' and
stick by it," he added.
Republican
candidate Merrill Cook said his opponent is practicing "politics at its
most cynical."
But Cook
made a promise of his own: "We are not going to go out and campaign on
that issue" of same-sex marriage.
Cook
said he agrees with Anderson that tax and budget policy need to be the central
focus of the campaign, and that the two candidates have ample differences in
those areas.
Other
Democrats also hope those bread-and-butter economic issues dominate in this
election year.
More
than 20 Democratic office holders and candidates held a news conference Monday
in Ogden to highlight their disagreements with Anderson's more controversial
stands, including his support of legal gay marriages.
"It's
a pre-emptive strike against Republicans painting us with a broad brush,"
said congressional candidate Greg Sanders, Democratic challenger to 1st
District Republican Rep. Jim Hansen.
"We
went to a lot of trouble this year to recruit good, solid, middle-class
candidates," Sanders said. "We don't want to take any chances of that
getting lost by dominant media coverage of the 2nd District race."
___
13 July
1996 GAY MARRIAGE 07/13/96 Page: A1Utahn Maughn Rollins, who exchanged vows
with partner Troy Duty in a ``commitment'' ceremony, simply wants thesame legal
and financial benefits from married life that his heterosexual counterparts
enjoy. And so Rollins sighed in
frustration Friday upon learning that the House had voted to invalidate
same-sex marriagesunder federal law -- even if individual states sanction
them. ``It makes me feel really
betrayed,'' said Rollins, whose ceremony last fall in Salt Lake City was
attended by scores offriends and relatives.
Among other things, the bill would permit states to ignore gay and
lesbian marriages that may be recognized as legalin other states. But, like
other critics, Rollins believes it violates the Constitution's full faith and
credit clause, whichrequires states to honor other states' laws. However, Lynn Wardle, a Brigham Young
University family-law professor who testified earlier this week before
theSenate Judiciary Committee, said the constitutional question makes the
debate substantive and symbolic. He
said the Defense of Marriage Act attempts to clarify that the federal full
faith and credit rules neither prohibit norforce any state to recognize
same-sex marriages from other states. He said it does not prevent any state
from recognizingsame-sex marriage act.
``The rule in America is if a marriage is valid where it is performed,
it will be valid in all states everywhere unless itviolates strong public
policy,'' he said. In the past, states
have had to determine if incestuous, polygamous or underage marriages performed
in other stateswould be permitted in theirs. The results have varied. Same-sex marriages, because they are illegal
everywhere, have not been tested in the courts. The Rev. Barbara Hamilton-Holway,
co-minister of the South Valley Unitarian Church, is one of a handful of
ministerswho performs about a dozen gay or lesbian commitment ceremonies each
year. She was saddened to learn of theHouse vote. ``I am not sure why people are so scared of
differences,'' she said. ``The homophobia in people brings up their ownfear
about sexuality. There has been more visibility on gay and lesbian rights now,
so they get a counter-reaction.'' Gayle
Ruzicka, president of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, chuckled as she talked
about the bill's passage. Shesaid gay-rights activists are attempting to
undermine everything the nation stands for -- namely morality. ``Just because they want to perform a legal
ceremony does not mean it is moral,'' she said. ``Children want to be inhomes
with mothers and fathers, not fathers and fathers or mothers and
mothers.'' She rejects any complaints
about intolerance or homophobia. ``You
don't see me down at the Stonewall Center [a community center for gays and
lesbians in Salt Lake City]carrying signs that say `down with homosexuals.' If
they choose that lifestyle, that's their business, but don't legislate it.''
13 July
1996 07/13/96 Page: A1House lawmakers,
actingon a potent social issue in the heat of thecampaign season, emphatically
embraced ameasure Friday that would define marriage as aheterosexual union only
and limit same-sexmarriages. In an
overwhelming 342-67 vote, a majority ofDemocrats joined Republicans in
approving the``Defense of Marriage Act.'' Utah GOPReps. Enid Greene and Jim
Hansen voted forthe measure, along with Democrat Bill Orton. The bill goes to the Senate, where it
isexpected to pass. President Clinton haspromised to sign the measure. ``The vote today reflects exactly what
peoplein this country feel,'' said Rep. Robert Barr,R-Ga., the main author of
the measure.``America today is not ready to redefinemarriage'' in ways that
would recognizesame-sex unions. ``America will not be the firstcountry in the
world that throws the concept ofmarriage out the window.'' The bill would: -- Declare that under federal rules,
marriagestrictly is between a woman and a man. Thatmeans that even if a state
government granted amarriage license to a gay couple, the``spouse'' would not
be eligible for federalbenefits such as Social Security, Medicare orveterans
aid. -- Allow states to ignore marriage
licensesgranted to same-sex couples in other states. During Friday's debate, some House
membersquoted Bible passages to support theircontention that God meant marriage
to be aunion of a man and a woman. Anything elsethreatens the survival of U.S.
culture, they said. ``A God-given
principle is under attack,'' saidRep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind. But Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., one
ofCongress' three openly gay members, saidmany of his colleagues are in their
second andthird marriages despite other passages thatprohibit divorce or
remarriage after divorce. ``There are
clearly members in this chamber --supporters of this bill -- who do not think
thatbiblical injunction ought to be civil law,'' he said. ``Why are we so mean?'' asked Rep.
StevenGunderson, R-Wis., who also is gay. ``Whymust we attack one element of
our society forcheap political gain?''
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation'slargest gay and lesbian political
group,said the House had hit a ``new low.''
``The House committed an ugly, cowardly andunconstitutional act by
passing this bill, andhistory will remember it as such,'' said ElizabethBirch,
the group's executive director. ``This
[bill] will prevent or stop nothing, but itdoes effectively divide people in
America,'' saidRep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass.
But the conservative Traditional ValuesCoalition applauded the
vote. ``Even President Clinton, who has
nodded toevery demand from the radical homosexuals, hasnow left that camp and
joined the mainstream ofAmerica in opposing homosexual marriage,'' saidthe Rev.
Lou Sheldon, head of the group. With
polls showing that as many as 7 in 10Americans oppose marriage rights
forhomosexuals, the issue has become a minefieldfor many politicians -- such as
Clinton -- whoare inclined to favor homosexual rights. While reiterating the president's
willingness tosign the bill into law, the White House on Friday decried the
debate as ``gay baiting, pure and simple,'' and chastised Republicans for
rushingthe politically sensitive issue onto the legislativedocket during the
election season. ``It's a classic use
of wedge politics designedto provoke anxieties and fears,'' said
Clintonspokesman Mike McCurry. ``That being thecase, though, the president has
very strongviews, personal views, and he has to actconsistent with those
views.'' The marriage bill is one of several
measurestouted as ``family values'' legislation thatconservative Republicans
are trying to advance.The others include a parental-rights act and ameasure
relaxing bars on state aid to religiousinstitutions. Gay-rights groups and their allies in
theSenate, acknowledging that the measure willpass Congress, hope to sweeten a
bitter defeatby adding language to forbid employmentdiscrimination on the basis
of sexual orientation. The marriage
bill was prompted by a recentruling by Hawaii's Supreme Court that wouldextend
legal recognition to same-sex marriagesperformed in Hawaii. The case is not
settled,however, because the justices have given alower court an opportunity to
offercounter-arguments. If the high
court's ruling stands and Congressdoes not act, many believe the
Constitutionwould require all states to recognize same-sexmarriages performed
in Hawaii. But Atty. Gen. Janet Reno
has said the bill willwithstand constitutional challenges.
13 July
1996 07/13/96 Page: A10Keywords: Public Forum LetterJust a Slogan Rocky Anderson, Democratic candidate in
the2nd Congressional District, was quoted in``Gay-Rights Issue Blows Up in
Anderson'sFace'' (Tribune, July 9) that ``gay and lesbian wedlock is the one issue'' on which
hewould place the wishes of the voters above hisown beliefs. Why only one
issue? I thought ourelected representatives were supposed torepresent all of
the voters' wishes. Sounds to melike politics as usual. When Rocky was campaigning in the
primary,his campaign slogan was, ``Where DoesAnderson Sand on the Issues? Where
He HasAlways Stood.'' Nice slogan, but now it's justpolitical rhetoric. Oh, but Rocky has an out. He now says
hewould not support any legislation he believedunconstitutional, referring to
the Defense ofMarriage Act, which hecalled ``politicalpandering.'' So why isn't
Rocky's flip-flop on thisissue not political pandering? He also said we need to ``put behind us
the`sensationalized' topic of gay marriages andget onto the meaningful
issues.'' So does Rockynow get to choose which issues are``meaningful'' to the
citizens of the 2ndCongressional District? What about his stand onthe Equal
Access Act, which he cites to supporthis defense of gay-lesbian clubs in ourschools,
or the death penalty, where he called
Utah a ``murderer'' for executing WilliamAndrews, or his support of gun
control andsupport of the Brady Bill? These issues areimportant to me. Doesn't
my voice count? MARIE TAPP West Jordan
13 July
1996 07/13/96Page: D3Keywords: BriefsBulletin BoardByline: Compiled by Peter
Scarlet UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST ``An
Open and Affirming Church: Seeking toAddress the Needs and Contributions of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Christians,''will
be the subject at Sunday's 10 a.m. worshipat Holladay United Church of Christ,
2631 E.Murray-Holladay Road, Salt Lake City.
14 July
1996 07/14/96 Page: AA2 Keywords: Public Forum LetterDemocrats Desert Gays The dustup between the Democraticcandidates
in the 1st and 2nd CongressionalDistricts over support of controversial issues
isan important object lesson for gay, lesbianand bisexual voters in Utah. That
lesson isyou're better off voting for the candidate whorepresents you on the
broadest basis, because atthe end of the day the Democrats will throw
youoverboard anyway. We are constantly
asked how gay, lesbian and bisexual people
can be part ofthe Republican Party when the party soobviously snubs us. Well,
this dustup shows thatthe Democrats think gay, lesbian andbisexual people have
nowhere to go, so theytake GLB votes for granted. The Republicans,on the other
hand, are at least honest about theirfeelings and don't lead us on. Ross Anderson needs to dance with the
datewho brought him. Like it or not, he
made somevague promises to Gay and Lesbian
Utah Democrats and just can't walk awayfrom the group. If GLUD members
are upset,we invite them to join us on the conservative sideof politics. D.J. THOMPSON President
Utah Log Cabin Republicans Salt
Lake City
28 July
1996 July 28, 1996
The Salt
Lake Tribune
Utah's
Judiciary Elections May Be Less Routine This Year
By Paul
Rolly
The most
contentious campaign this fall may come in the normally nondescript judicial
retention election, even though the focus will be on the ho-hum race for
governor, three somewhat more exciting congressional elections and the attorney
general's contest.
Several
of the 39 judges up for retention this year quietly have expressed concern to
colleagues and members of the Judicial Conduct Commission about being on the
same ballot as 3rd District Judge David S. Young.
For the
past two years, Young has received unflattering publicity in the Utah and
national press generated by allegations he is biased against women.
The
National Organization for Women has promised a vigorous campaign against Young,
although recent interviews with some of the main players show there is
confusion over how to actually do that.
Utah
Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Zimmerman, an advocate of the retention
election system created 10 years ago, acknowledges some judges are concerned
about being on the ballot in the middle of a potential firestorm of negative
publicity aimed at the judiciary.
Zimmerman
cites the "Rose Bird phenomenon" as an historical matrix for the
judges' concern.
Bird,
chief justice of the California Supreme Court in the 1980s,Ê became a lightning
rod for criticism as the court consistently overturned death sentences. When
she was on the ballot for retention in the late '80s, she was defeated, as were
two other Supreme Court judges on the ballot with her.
But
Zimmerman says it may not be a fair comparison. "California voters are
more inclined to throw out incumbents than are Utah voters."
He cited
the case of veteran Utah trial judge Don Tibbs, who presided over the 6th
Judicial District in Central Utah. Tibbs had drawn fire from law enforcement
officials for rulings favorable to defendants in criminal cases. A formal
complaint was filed against him by a police chief and the southern Utah press
was critical of the judge. When Tibbs was up for retention in the early 1990s
he was retained by more than 60 percent of the vote. He retired in 1994.
A cloud
over the retention election process is seeded by complaints that while judges
run on their own record, with no opponent, the public is not allowed a full
view of that record. Most complaints before the Judicial Conduct Commission
remain secret. Since the commission was created in 1977, only one judge has
been publicly reprimanded.
The
State Judicial Council surveys attorneys about judges up for retention. In the
future, the survey will include jurors. The judges must score 70 percent
approval or better on at least 10 of the 13 survey questions in order to be
certified. If a judge does not meet that minimum standard, he or she will
appear on the ballot without the recommendation of certification.
In the
10 years of such elections, no judge has failed to be certified. In fact, this
is the first year that a judge appearing on the ballot received less than 70
percent on any question. And there were two.
Young
received less than 70 percent on Question No. 2: Does the judge weigh all
evidence fairly and impartially before rendering a decision? Third District
Judge Homer Wilkinson scored below 70 percent on three questions: Does the
judge apply the law to the facts of the case? Does the judge clearly explain
the basis of oral decisions? Does the judge write decisions in a clear and
coherent manner?
Critics
claim the closed nature of the Judicial Conduct Commission protects judges from
scrutiny. Also, some judges note that the aura of secrecy paints them all with
a brush of suspicion.
Zimmerman
says while no judge has failed to win certification, some judges have retired
or declined to run for retention when faced with survey results. Others have
improved in the areas they had relatively low scores.
Mary
Coelho, a former litigant in Young's court and a vocal critic of the judge,
says about 80 people so far have discussed a campaign against Young. Coelho
says she has discussed the danger of impugning other judges by association.
"We are trying to be very careful to target just Judge Young." She
says fund-raising efforts will begin soon and her group hopes to run radio and
television ads.
Utah NOW
President Lucy Malin says the campaign may stick to word-of-mouth and mailings.
She said her advisers worry about libel and slander issues.
David
Nelson, founder of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, says his group will spend
about $2,000 for a "Vote No on Young" campaign that will focus on
direct mailing and "perhaps a billboard."
The gay
community was outraged when Young gave a lenient sentence two years ago to a
confessed killer who admitted tracking down a gay Park City man and shooting
him in the head.
Steve
Stewart, executive director of the Judicial Conduct Commission, says the Code
of Judicial Conduct specifies that if a campaign is launched against a judge, a
committee can be formed on behalf of the judge to raise money and launch a
counter campaign. Names of attorneys who donate or decline to donate must be
kept confidential.
Most of
those involved in the judiciary, even critics, agree the current system is
better than the old contested elections where judges had to raise money, often
from attorneys, to campaign against an opponent.
One
campaign for the Utah Supreme Court between incumbent E.R. Callister and
challenger Richard Maughan in the '70s became nasty and personal. Each side
questioned the other's integrity and competence, which, judicial observers
agree, didn't do much for court integrity.
The
weakness of the contested elections became apparent in '78 when Homer
Wilkinson, the judge who scored below 70 percent on three questions this year,
filed to run against 3rd District Judge Marcellus K. Snow.
Snow
died before the election. Wilkinson claimed he was rightful heir to the seat
because he was the only other person on the ballot. Gov. Scott Matheson argued
the death left an opening and he should appoint a replacement. The Supreme
Court ruled in favor of Wilkinson.
___
31 July
1996 07/31/96Page: E7Keywords: ObituariesAllen Woodruff Stokes Allen Woodruff Stokes, age 81, of
Logan, Utah, died July 28, 1996. He was born September 16, 1914,
inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, son of Francis J. andLelia W. Stokes. He married
Alice Harper ofLancaster, Wisconsin, daughter of Hugh A. andFlorence B. Harper
on June 23, 1945. Besideshis wife, he is survived by a son, Allen W.Stokes, Jr.
of Denver, Colorado; and daughter,Susan Stokes of Riverside, Calif.;
grandchildren,Lauren Stokes, of Denver, Colo.; MarieMcCrory Nielsen, Roy; Mark,
Jr., Carl andSuzy Joy McCrory, all of Riverside, Calif.; onegreat-grandchild,
Amara Rose Nielsen; and bybrothers, Henry W. Stokes II of Hingham,Mass.; David
E. Stokes of Jackson, Wyo.; andsister, Alison S. MacLean of
Mitchellville,Maryland. His older brother, F. Joseph Stokes,Jr. of
Philadelphia, Penn., died in 1994. He
grew up in Philadelphia and graduatedfrom Germantown Friends School. He
receivedhis Bachelor of Science degree from HaverfordCollege in 1936 and then
taught at GermantownFriends School and Haverford School for sevenyears in the
Philadelphia area. He then receiveda Master of Science degree in chemistry
fromHarvard University and a Ph.D. inWildlife-Zoology at the University of
Wisconsin.In 1952, he joined the faculty of the Fisheriesand Wildlife
Department at Utah StateUniversity where he taught wildlife managementand
animal behavior until his retirement in 1976.
His honors include Phi Beta Kappa fromHaverford College, a Senior
PostdoctoralFellowship from the National ScienceFoundation, president and
honorary member ofthe Animal Behavior Society, MaytagFellowship from Arizona
State University, the Utah Fellowship,
Honorary Doctor ofScience from Haverford College, The HaverfordAward, Professor
of the Year at Utah StateUniversity, the Governor's Award, electedmember of the
American Ornithologists Union,and Distinguished Service Award at UtahState
University. He served on the boards of
Logan Library,Logan Forestry Advisory Committee, LoganRegional Hospital, United
Way of Cache Valley,Hospice of Cache Valley, Planned ParenthoodAssociation of
Utah, The Teton ScienceSchool, the National Audubon Society,Bridgerland Audubon
Society, TerrestrialPublication of the Year, and the Wildlife Society. Following his retirement he remained active
asa teacher at the Teton Science School inJackson Hole, Wyoming and as field
trip leaderof the Bridgerland Audubon Society where hehelped hundreds of young
and old to becomebetter observers of nature. He sought to gaingreater
understanding of and tolerance for gaysand lesbians and was a member of the
Gay- Lesbian Alliance at Utah State
Universityfor many years. He was a birth-right member ofthe Religious Society
of Friends. He and hiswife, Alice were founders of the Logan Meetingand have
been active ever since. A memorial
service will be Saturday, August3, 2 p.m. at the Sunburst Lounge in the
TaggartStudent Center at Utah State University.Friends and family will gather
afterward in theAtrium of the College of Natural Resources. Inlieu of flowers,
it was his wish that gifts be madeto Planned Parenthood Association of Utah,The
Gay-Lesbian Alliance at UtahState University, the Allen W. and Alice
StokesScholarship Fund at the College of NaturalResources at Utah State University,
or theAlice H. and Allen W. Stokes Scholarship Fundin the Women's Center, Utah
StateUniversity, which supports reentry students.
T 7/31
N 7/31
August
1996- During the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago,David Nelson
sent out more than a dozen GLUD news releases during the five day event. (SL
Tribune B4-6 Nov 1996)
August
1996 The Ogden Iron Company closed. (154)
1 August
1996 08/01/96 Page: C3Keywords: UT,
Public Schools, Students,Clubs, Homosexual-Gay IssuesS.L. Policy May Allow
GayClub School MeetingByline: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A loophole in district policy may allow
gayand lesbian students to meet at Salt LakeCity schools, despite a new state
law banningsuch clubs. The policy,
which has been in place since1973, allows clubs to meet at public schoolsafter
class hours so long as they pay rental feesand have a responsible adult to
supervise them. But the practice
troubles some boardmembers, who voted in February to refuseaccess to
non-academic clubs rather than allowa gay-straight alliance at East High
School. ``Are we allowing through the
back door whatwe wouldn't allow through the front door?'' SaltLake City School
Board member D. KentMichie asked during a study session Tuesday. Board member Clifford Higbee said he
fearedif a gay or lesbian student organizationrented space from a school, an
anti-homosexualstudent organization would soon follow. The law the Utah Legislature passed thisyear
prohibits student clubs that encouragecriminal or delinquent conduct, promote
bigotryor involve human sexuality.
Superintendent Darline Robles recommendedthe board leave the building-use
policy in placefor one year. However, Robles will developadministrative
regulations to guide principals.
4 August
1996 08/04/96
Page:
A2Keywords: Staff ColumnCaption: Lynn R. Johnson/The Salt LakeTribuneThe Salt
Lake Tribune editors, clockwise fromback left: Shia Kapos, Tim Fitzpatrick,
TerriEllefsen, Jeff Walton, Kurt Kragthorpe, PattyHenetz, Peg McEntee, Connie
Coyne, DavidNoyce and Dawn House.Letter From The EditorByline: BY MARK N.
TRAHANT T.S. Eliot once said: ``I
suppose most editorsare failed writers, but so are most writers.'' The poet was not talking about the
newspaperbusiness, but he could have been. We work inan environment where the
presumption has beenthat if you write well, you must manage well.Therefore, the
reasoning went, all good writersmake good editors. Part of this was economics--
writers were paid less, so there always waspressure to advance into management. But times -- and management philosophy
--have changed. Now editors are hired becausethey demonstrate editing skills.
They arepromoted because they are perceived as goodmanagers of people, words
and pictures.(Conversely, top-scale reporters are paidenough so they are not
forced into managementfor economic reasons.)
The Salt Lake Tribune subscribes to aconvention of editing called
coaching. Thatmeans editors and reporters work together on astory, sometimes
sitting side by side, carrying outa conversation that shapes the story. This system works best when we redefine
thenews, shifting away from routine and oftenmeaningless events toward more
substantialissues of the day. Let us go
then, you and I, into the newsroom.Let us go through cluttered desks, restlessdeadlines
and questions that start with, ``Howshall I begin?'' First meet Terri Ellefsen. She
coordinatesvirtually everything. She makes certain thateditors communicate (a
difficult proposition inthe communications business) with theircolleagues,
giving every one an idea of whatstories are planned for the next day's
edition. The veteran news editor is Tim
Fitzpatrick. Hehas worked at The Tribune for 15 years.Fitzpatrick's charge is
government and science. A few months
ago that was, perhaps, the mostexciting -- and time-consuming --
editingassignment at the newspaper. He worked wellinto the night while
reporters chronicled everytwist and turn in the Enid Greene and JoeWaldholtz
story. But the long hours paid off: Theribune's coverage was excellent. Dawn House's editing challenge may be
themost difficult: Questioning the way thisnewspaper reports crime and safety.
How fardoes a reporter stray from the whodunit? Do theethics change when the
same story is ontelevision? What if we always have done it thatway? As Justice
Desk editor, House balancesFront Page zeal with new ideas about how wemake
crime and safety relevant to the majority ofTribune readers. The staff writers with the most territory
workon the Communities Desk. Patty Henetz leads ateam that covers news from
virtually anywherealong the Wasatch Front. The definition ofcommunity is broad
-- it adds race, gender andage to the traditional topics of
zoning,transportation and city ordinances in areasgrowing so fast that few
bureaucrats can keeppace. This desk is an area where The Trib'scoverage
sparkles: Our readers should nowunderstand Utah's uniquely urban
problemsgenerated by a largely internal population boom. Peg McEntee is the editor responsible for
theFaith and Learning Desk. In Utah, it isdifficult to think of two
institutions that havemore influence over our lives than church andschool. It
has been a busy desk, trackingschool-board actions about gay and lesbian clubs to a new president of the LDS
Church. Now that the Olympics are over,
KurtKragthorpe, The Trib's sports editor, may take ashort break -- at least
until the fall sports getbusy. Day after day this desk handles morevolume of
reportage than any other desk. Shia
Kapos, acting business editor, hasseamlessly filled in for editor Cherrill
Crosbywhile the latter is away on leave. Business pagescontinue to improve in
style and presentation.Also, readers should take note that businessnews no
longer is relegated to its own section --often stories are displayed
prominently on A-1. The weekend news
editor is Connie Coyne.She manages a fun-house news mirror:Saturdays are as
busy as any other day of theweek (try shopping if you don't believe me),while
Sundays are so slow that one reportercould count every car that drives
downtown. Finally, at the end of the
news-gatheringprocess, news editors David Noyce and JeffWalton are the final
eyes to see the newspaperbefore it is delivered to readers. They arecomplete
professionals, acting with jack-rabbitspeed when a story breaks late -- such as
thepipe bomb in Atlanta -- to get the mostup-to-date version. I am introducing these news editors as my
waythanking them for all their help during myfour-plus years at The Tribune. I
leave this weekto be the editor and publisher of The DailyNews, a
Kearns-Tribune group newspaper, inthe university cities of Moscow, Idaho
andPullman, Wash. I take with me wonderfulmemories, and I have learned much
from themany talented journalists here at The Tribune. I'll end the way I began, quoting T.S.
Eliot: Deferential, glad to be of
use, Politic, cautious, and
meticulous; Full of high sentence, but
a bit obtuse; At times, indeed, almost
ridiculous. . . Mark N. Trahant Executive News Editor
11
August 1996 08/11/96 Page: F1Keywords: Homosexual Gay Issues,Employment,
Business TrendsPutting Money Where YourMorals Are; Investors PutMoney Where
Their MoralsAreByline: BY LILI WRIGHT THE SALT LAKETRIBUNE When attorney James Dean lived in Salt
LakeCity in the 1980s, he kept his sexual orientationa private matter. Today, Dean is president of a
moneymanagement firm in Georgia that puts gayrights at the forefront of its finan
cial agenda. Aspresident of The Stone wall Advisor, Dean onlyinvests in com
panies whose managementpolicies support lesbian and gay workers. Dean also monitors The Stonewall Index,
anunmanaged index that mea sures theperformance of 36 compa nies. Each
companyprotects gay work ers from discriminationand meets at least one of six
other gay-friendly crite ria, such as
offeringdomestic-partner ship benefits or a
gay-employee group. Dean started
the index because he wanted todisprove the conventional wisdom that
portfoliosscanned for so cial causes are a losingproposition. ``When you make the workplace uncomfortable
for talented employees, you arehurting the bottom line,'' says Dean, in
aninterview from his Atlanta office. ``The indexwas one way of proving that we
are notsecond-class citizens. We help businesses, nothurt them.'' While cause and effect are hard to prove,
theStonewall Index has so far backed Dean'shunch. Since its incep tion in 1992,
the Index hasclimbed 144%, easily beating the Dow Jones,Standard & Poors
500 and Nasdaq, which havegrown 83%, 65% and 102%, respectively. Weighted according to market capi
talizationand degree of gay support, the index includessuch diverse compa nies
as IBM and Ben &Jerry's. Top performers such as QuantumRestau rant, Oracle,
The Gap, Microsoft, Dayton Hudson, Cisco Systems and Starbucks grewby more than
34% in the first half of the year.
Socially conscious investing is not a new idea.For generations,
religious in stitutions haverefused to trade in ``sin stocks'' such as
tobacco,alcohol or gambling. The
practice of ``screening'' stocks catapultedto the forefront in the 1970s and
'80s, after thedrive for divestment from South Africa. Soonuniversities,
municipalities, foundations and individuals were using positive or negative
screens. Some were pro-environment or
hu man rights.Others were anti-nuclear power, child labor orarms. Perhaps
because of conservatives'emphasis on free enterprise, most screens aregeared to
right-wing palettes. With the death of
South African apartheid in1993, some experts pre dicted sociallyresponsible investing
would fizzle. But a study recently
released by theWashington, D.C.-based Social Invest mentForum reports the
contrary. The nonprofit groupidentified 182 major investment institutions
thatmake at least some socially responsible investments. Total investment
dollars: $639 billion.That's a huge leap from $40 billion in the
early'80s. ``The movement is growing
and will continueto grow,'' says Joan Shapiro, a founder of theSocial
Investment Fo rum. ``Certainly when westarted doing this, the general response
fromWall Street was quite negative, if not deri sive.Now there is not any major
bro kerage housethat if it does not include social screens, will notbe able to
talk about it.'' Good intentions are
one thing. Mon ey isanother. Patrick McVeigh, a port folio managerin Boston,
insists that socially responsible fundswould not work unless investors made
money.The bottom line, says McVeigh, is that most ofthe time, folks can have
their cake and eat it too. To be sure,
not all money managers quizCEOs about recycling or animal cruelty beforebuying
a piece of the pie. Pundits argue thatinvestors who screen for social causes
areplaying poker with half a deck. Their strategy:Invest for profit. Donate to
charity. McVeigh disagrees. ``If you really believe tobacco is killing
people,that it is a harmful product, then why would youinvest in a tobacco
company? You want morepeople to smoke, if you are an investor.''.-- This is not just an issue for the elite.
Anyonewith a bank account can verify whether theinstitution reinvests money in
the community byasking for its Community Reinvestment Act statement. Another branch of movement is what's
calledshareholder activism, where stockholders sendresolutions or vote their
proxies on variousissues. Representing
stockholders, McVeighconvinced Johnson
& John son to include gay workers
in its non discrimination policy.McVeigh point ed out it behooved
thepharmaceutical company to protect gayworkers as it was preparing to release
anat-home AIDS test. There is a wide
range of acceptance ofhomosexuality within corporate America. Onone end is
AT&T, which sponsors a GayAwareness Week and workshops onhomophobia. On the
other is American HomeProducts, which pulled ads from TV shows with gay characters or themes. Of course, there is a danger in ex pecting
toomuch from corporate America. Few companiesare stellar in all areas. ``Investors need to prioritize their is
sues,''says Shapiro. ``There is no such thing as a purecompany.'' As for Dean, he still is waiting for a
client callfrom Utah. None of his roughly 150 privateand public inves tors live
in his former homestate. Not that Dean is shy about placing a coldcall to the
Wasatch Front. ``Utah is not a place
where a lot ofmunicipal governments are itching to appease gay voters,'' he concedes. ``We would behappy
to manage money for the LDS Church,but we are not hold ing our breath.''
13
August 1996 08/13/96 Page: A10Keywords: Public Forum LetterI Could Be Your
Son I
am a 17-year-old gay male. Whenpeople
complain about ``those gays'' beingpushed by ``adults'' for their ``own
secretagenda,'' I laugh. I have
attempted suicide more than four times.I'm currently seeing a professional to
help medeal with American (Utah even more so)society's ignorance on the
issue. This loneliness, this
depression, these thoughtsof suicide -- where are they coming from? I
amattracted to males. I've tried, many times,desperately, to change myself.
I've datedfemales, I've read the Bible, I've prayed, I'vegone to church, I've
sought help through severalpsychiatrists and psychologists. The twopsychiatrists told me that in order
for me to everlive a happy life, I need to get over society's hateand
misunderstanding. The two psychologiststold me I need to understand myself and
behappy with myself, which means not letting thosearound me drive me to suicide
and pain. I could very well be your
son. I suppose thatfrightens you. It frightens me. I only ask you(assuming you
are heterosexual) to try to``choose to be lesbian or gay.'' I ask youwhy I would ever choose to be
attracted tomales. Why I would choose to go through fouryears of intense
psychotherapy, depression andsuicide because I didn't fit in. I am told I am wrong, evil, trying to
``recruit''others to my lifestyle. I would not wish this onanyone, ever. I
don't know how one couldpossibly understand
how much pain you put methrough by saying those things. I've volunteered to help handicapped
children.I was getting good grades. I was raised with aloving mother and
father. I didn't know what theword ``gay'' meant. I did know, however,that I
was different and I hated myself (still do inmany ways) for it. I'm not asking for special rights, not
equalrights, just tolerance. I can understand peoplebeing against same-sex
marriage. I canunderstand people being against homosexualityin general. But I
only ask you to say, ``OK, I'mnot going
to bash you at the dinner table. I'mnot
going to call you a faggot. I'll keep it tomyself.'' Maybe then I would not have to cry myself tosleep because people think I'm
out recruitingothers, I'm being led by a group of adults andthat I'm sick and
wrong for loving another guy.Loving.
ANONYMO Clint
16
August 1996 08/16/96
Page:
B1The Aug. 20, 1996, edition of The Advocate,a national gay and lesbian
magazine,contains on Page 103 an ad for John Robert Holbrook Co.'s ``Essence of
Men'' cologne. The ad features a photo
of a nude man (in adiscreet pose) and gives two 800 numbers for marketers of
the product. One number is for International Male Boutique. The other is for
ZCMI.
17
August 1996- TOPIC-AIDS DEATHS- C. Scott
Spinks born February 19, 1956, to Donna
May Spinks Slaugh and Clinton Carl Spinks, left this world peacefully, August
17, 1996, surrounded by loving friends.
Scott will be remembered as a truly caring person with an intense love
for life. He will be greatly missed. Thanks to Dr. Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder for their continuous support. A
Celebration of Life, in honor of Scott, will be held Saturday, August 24, at
1313 South 1300 East, S.L.C. Friends may call between 4-7 p.m. In lieu of
flowers donations may be made, in Scott's memory, to the AIDS Foundation.
Member of the Sacred Faeries as Jasper Nightshade
17
August 1996 08/17/96 Page: B3Keywords: Courts, Lawsuits, UT LegislatureACLU
Wants Senators atSecret Meeting to Step Intothe LightByline: BY KIMBERLEY
MURPHY THEASSOCIATED PRESS The Utah
American Civil Liberties Unionwants the state senators who gathered in
secretearlier this year to be identified as part of alawsuit challenging that
meeting. The request, made Friday in
3rd DistrictCourt, is the latest in a series of filings involvingthe ACLU
suit. The organization claims that in
order for thecase to move forward, senators ``must shedtheir hoods and mount a
defense in the light ofday.'' ``The
suggestion that senators who metsecretly in violation of state law may defend
theiractions in this lawsuit anonymously is asrepugnant to the laws of Utah and
the idealsof democracy as was the illegal secret meetingitself,'' according to
the brief filed with JudgeDennis Frederick.
Frederick refused last month to dismiss thelawsuit, which claims the
Senate violated thestate Open and Public Meeting Act when 25 ofits 29 members
secretly met behind closeddoors last January to discuss the organization ofa
gay and lesbian support club at EastHigh School. Senate leaders initially said the meeting
dealtwith the state's budget and those who attendedwere sworn to secrecy. The
ACLU,representing three plaintiffs, sued.
Frederick ruled lawmakers can not ``casuallyignore'' the constitutional
right for the public topetition its government or attend proceedingsand said
the suit should go forward. But the
senators have said they intend toappeal the decision to the Utah SupremeCourt.
Legislative attorneys also filed anobjection to an order written by
ACLUattorneys that filled in the details of Frederick'sruling. Legislative general counsel Gay Taylor
saidthe lawsuit was filed against the Utah Senateand 25 as-yet unknown ``John
Doe'' senatorswho attended the meeting. But the ACLU'sversion of the judge's
order excludes theindividual senators.
Taylor, who was not available for comment,wrote he was worried the
wording would allowthe ACLU to pursue depositions or actionsagainst those
senators while the remainder of theproceedings against the Senate were being
heldin abeyance pending the Supreme Court appeal. It was that objection that the ACLU
wasresponding to on Friday. ``If they
have got something worth saying letthem say it in the light of day,'' said John
Pace,an attorney for the ACLU. ``We're not going tolet them perpetuate the
secrecy that hascharacterized the entire case to this point.'' Senate President Lane Beattie,
R-WestBountiful, did not immediately return a telephonemessage on Friday. The ACLU asks that Frederick overrule
thesenators' objection because otherwise it would``allow the anonymous senators
to continueoperating in darkness free of accountability tothose who elected
them to perform the people'sbusiness.''
The ACLU also questioned how the casewould be able to proceed if the
senators aren'tnamed. For instance, the organization wonderedhow it should
identify the senators in pleadingsand deposition notices, how anonymoussenators
would testify in court, and whichsenators would be bound by any judgment. ``Finally, and most importantly, attempting
tokeep hidden the identities of the offendingsenators constitutes the most
distasteful effort todate of escaping accountability,'' the brief said.
18
August 1996 08/18/96 Page: B7Keywords: Candidates,
Elections,Politics-Politicians Gay
Republicans EndorseDemocrat Anderson
Utah Log Cabin Republicans, anorganization of gay and
lesbianRepublicans, is crossing the aisle to endorseDemocrat Ross Anderson for
Congress inUtah's 2nd District. The group cited Anderson's``business sense.''
And the ``fact that Rossrecognizes all human beings worthy of
everyconstitutional provision of this country'scitizenship is an extra added
bonus.'' The bylawsof the national Log Cabin organization do notallow any
chapter endorsements of Democratsfor president. Indeed, the national group
justendorsed the Dole-Kemp ticket for president.``However, this is fortunately
still a free country,and my local bylaws and chairpersons are a littleless
restrictive,'' local Chapter President D.J.Thompson said. Anderson, an
outspoken gay-rights advocate, is
running againstRepublican Merrill Cook.
Anderson also received an endorsement thismonth from the largest AFL-CIO
affiliated laborunion in Utah. The Utah SteelworkersUnion said it would
``educate'' the 15,000voting-age members of steelworkers families onthe issues
in the 2nd District. Subdistrict DirectorDallas Alexander said the union's
analysis ofAnderson and Cook showed Anderson to be``head and shoulders above
his opponent in hisconcern for middle-class working people.'' Thefull AFL-CIO
is still studying the candidates andwill make its endorsement in
September. It was a short-lived stint
on the Andersoncampaign for new manager Tom Price. TheDemocratic congressional
candidate hired Price,a Washington D.C.-based grassrootscoordinator for the
Southern UtahWilderness Alliance, in late July. Within threeweeks, the two
agreed it wasn't working out.Price is the second SUWA type to leave thecampaign.
Finance Director Chris Edwards, aSUWA fund-raiser, also has left. Andersonwould
not elaborate on the departures, but saidit was not a sign of disarray in his
campaignorganization. ``Just the opposite. The campaignis running more smoothly
than ever.'' His newmanager is Steve Harper, a school teacher, whofirst showed
up as a nearly full-time volunteer atAnderson's headquarters and now is taking
aleave of absence to head the effort.
House Majority Leader Dick Armey,R-Texas, is coming to Utah to campaign
for3rd Congressional District candidate ChrisCannon. Armey will spend a couple
hours inProvo Thursday, attending a fund-raisingreception being hosted for
Cannon by Nu Skinexecutive Keith Halls. The reception is from 6 to7:30 p.m. at
Halls' home in Provo. Armey willgive a short speech and answer questions,
thenwill be available to the news media immediatelyfter the reception. Tickets
are $100 per person.For more information contact the Cannoncampaign,
374-8880. Utah Democrats will take part
in anationwide celebration of President Bill Clinton's50th birthday via
satellite tonight from the PortO' Call Social Club in downtown Salt LakeCity.
The president will be honored at NewYork's Radio City Music Hall and over 80
sitesaround the country. The group at Port O'Callwill have a live link to the
entertainment programin New York, with festivities set to run from4:30 p.m. to
7:30 p.m. The musical lineupincludes Tony Bennett, Jon Bon Jovi, Aretha
Franklin, Smokey Robinson, Carly Simon,Kenny Rogers, Jennifer Holliday and
ShaniaTwain. Money raised at the events across thecountry will be used to help
elect Democrats.Clinton's birthday is Aug. 19. He shares abirthday with Tipper
Gore, wife of vice presidentAl Gore, who will turn 48.
18
August 1996 08/18/96Page: A22 High-Profile Demos PartyWith Young GOP Eyes grew wide and partygoers nudged
oneanother as the opposition, in the form of JamesCarville and George
Stephanopolous, strodeinto the Young Republicans bash in San Diegolast
week. But the natives were
friendly. ``Hey, Mr. Carville, can I
get a picture withyou?'' one man called out. The Clinton campaignadviser smilingly
obliged. If politics makes strange
bedfellows so, it turnsout, did the cocktail hours, receptions and othersocial
events generated by the GOP convention.Call parties the neutral turf, the
demilitarizedzone, of the gathering. So
what were Carville and senior Clintonadviser Stephanopolous doing at the
YoungRepublican fling? Not to hear '70s
retro music from the bandBootie Quake or admire the movie memorabiliadecorating
the Planet Hollywood club or try toconvert 800 members of the opposition. ``Anything that gets young people to vote,
I'mfor,'' Stephanopolous said of the event,sponsored by the organization Rock
the Vote,among others. Carville said
his ``dear friend'' Ricki Seidman,executive director of Rock the Vote, was
thereason for putting in an appearance. A brief one,however: he and his buddy
quickly scootedaway without even a canape.
Another partygoer startled others at PlanetHollywood -- Utah Rep. Enid
Greene, aformer Young Republican director whoseresume now includes a
campaign-financingscandal involving her ex-husband. ``That's a big shock,'' Young
Republicanmember Ed Munoz of Washington, D.C., saidas Greene entered the club.
``With everything,all the publicity, it's amazing she's here.'' WHO LET YOU IN? But when James Carville got on the floor
ofthe Republican convention, the GOP brass didnot like it one bit. He was there, briefly, last week
andRepublican boss Haley Barbour complained thatthe acid-tongued Clinton
adviser was usingmedia credentials.
``They had to have some credentials to get in,''Barbour said. ``I assume
the networks thatcredentialed them to get in will reciprocate at theDemocratic
convention.'' Network officials said
they did nothingunusual, and that Carville and other Democratswho appeared on
their programs for balancehad to use the passes to get to the studioskyboxes
above the convention floor. ``This is
exactly what we've done in the past,''said Tom Hannon, political director of
CNN.``There's always a surrogate there to representthe other side.'' And, he added, if Barbour or
otherRepublicans are in Chicago when the Democratsmeet next week, he will
invite them on the air --and loan them a credential to get in if they
needone. OH, BROTHER Candace Gingrich said her mother has
askedher to ``be nice to your brother.''
Mom and brother Newt may have quite await. ``I'll be nice to my brother and the GOP
whenthey start being nice to immigrants . . . the poor .. . people with HIV and
AIDS . . . people ofcolor . . . and women. I refuse to be nice tothem until
they start being nice to gays, lesbians,bisexuals and transgender people,''
CandaceGingrich said. The lesbian half-sister
of the Housespeaker marched with a noisy crowd of about400 gay-rights activists
through San Diegolast week, calling for an end to what they termedintolerance
and bigotry at the GOP convention.
AUTHOR, AUTHOR President Clinton
will be joining his wife,Hillary, in the nation's bookstores later
thismonth. Times Books has announced
the publication ofBetween Hope and History: Meeting America'sChallenges for the
21st Century, a volume thatClinton said will describe ``my philosophy
aboutwhere America is and where we ought to go.'' While it is standard for presidential
candidatesto write policy or autobiographical tomes --Clinton did the former in
1992, and Bob Doledid the latter this year -- it is unusual for apresident to
write a full-fledged book for a massaudience while in office. WHO'S THE BOSS? If Bob Dole is wondering how his
vicepresidential pick follows directions, he mightwant to talk to Jack Kemp's
old football coach. Former Buffalo
Bills coach Lou Sabanrecalled a game in the 1960s when he repeatedlytold
quarterback Kemp to run play No. 52, ashort pass. Kemp did not call the play.
Friday,
August 23, 1996 Thus, 18 of the 35-member Utah delegation are women. They
include Norma Matheson, widow of the late-Democratic Gov. Scott M. Matheson;
state Rep. Loretta Baca, D-Salt Lake; and former state Rep. Beverly White.
Republicans have no such requirements. Thus, when TV cameras panned the San
Diego hall, viewers saw crowds that were mainly white and mostly men. When
cameras pan in Chicago, say Democratic leaders, half the audience will be
women, with a large number of racial minorities in the crowd. Another kind of minority will be
well-represented at the convention, says David Nelson, founder of Gay and
Lesbian Utah Democrats. Nelson says he is the only openly gay member of the
Utah delegation and will be supporting gay and lesbian issues at the
convention. Nelson says he's been told by national party leaders that there
will be more gay and lesbian delegates - at least 145 - to this convention than
any previous convention. Said Nelson: "This is the first time that DNC
leaders have specifically recruited openly bisexual, gay and lesbian Americans
to serve as convention attendees. We plan to use our convention clout for
stronger support of our issues and victory in November." While 145 gay
activists may be the largest delegate group ever, it's still less than 3
percent of the 4,900 delegates at the convention. © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.
23
August 1996 August 23, 1996
Deseret
News
Labor
makes big showing in delegation
AFL-CIO
president is most visible union member in Utah's group.
By Bob
Bernick Jr., Political Editor
Like
Democratic delegations from other states, labor union leaders and members make
up a healthy share of Utah's 35-member delegation to the National Democratic
Convention.
According
to state Democratic Party leaders, about a third of Utah's delegation either
work for unions or employee associations - like the Utah Education Association
- or work in jobs where they are likely union members.
The most
visible union member on the delegation is Ed Mayne, president of the Utah
AFL-CIO and a state senator representing West Valley City. This will be Mayne's
fifth national Democratic convention as a delegate or alternate.
Mayne's
wife, Karen, and his AFL-CIO executive assistant, Karen Nielsen, are also
delegates to the National Democratic Convention, which opens Monday in Chicago.
Other
union or employee association leaders in the delegation include: Mark
Mickelsen, Utah Education Association director of communications; Susan
Trautmann, a leader in the teacher association that represents teachers in
Washington and Garfield counties; and Susan Kuziak, UEA lobbyist and director
of Advocacy Programs. The UEA and its district sub-associations represent more
than 16,000 teachers in the state.
Finally,
there are a number of Utah delegates who likely belong to unions or are retired
from jobs where they belonged to unions. (Utah is a right-to-work state, so
employees aren't forced to join or pay union dues even if their workplace is
represented by a union).
Those
delegates include several public education teachers (who do belong to the UEA,
says Kuziak), a number of state and county employees and retired civilian
workers at federal military bases.
Kuziak
said just because a delegate works for a union or association or belongs to
one, don't assume union control. "We (union delegates) have many
individual political interests and issues" that caused them to run for
delegate slots.
"But
it is natural for union or association (members) to be interested in political
issues, because so many of the issues have a direct affect on our
members," said Kuziak. However, she said union members in the delegation
won't have any more impact as a group than they will have individually as just
regular members of the delegation. To encourage teachers to become national
delegates and attend the party conventions, the National Education Association
(the national teacher union) is giving UEA delegates $304 each to offset their
airfare costs, said Kuziak.
Whether
delegates to the Utah State Democratic Convention, where the national delegates
are picked, choose pro-labor union national delegates or not is up to them.
However,
historically a number of union members/leaders attend their Democratic Party
mass meetings in the spring and seek to be elected delegates to their party's
county and state conventions. In turn, at those state conventions the union
delegates vote for union people running for national delegate. That's one
reason Mayne and his wife, Karen, have been elected national delegates to the
last five Democratic National Conventions.
There
are other areas where the state party doesn't have much flexibility in picking
national delegates, however. The national party changed its rules years ago to
require that women and racial minorities be placed on the state delegations -
as best as possible - in percentages found in the state as a whole.
Thus, 18
of the 35-member Utah delegation are women. They include Norma Matheson, widow
of the late-Democratic Gov. Scott M. Matheson; state Rep. Loretta Baca, D-Salt
Lake; and former state Rep. Beverly White.
Republicans
have no such requirements. Thus, when TV cameras panned the San Diego hall,
viewers saw crowds that were mainly white and mostly men. When cameras pan in
Chicago, say Democratic leaders, half the audience will be women, with a large
number of racial minorities in the crowd.
Another
kind of minority will be well-represented at the convention, says David Nelson,
founder of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats. Nelson says he is the only openly
gay member of the Utah delegation and will be supporting gay and lesbian issues
at the convention. Nelson says he's been told by national party leaders that
there will be more gay and lesbian delegates - at least 145 - to this
convention than any previous convention.
Said
Nelson: "This is the first time that DNC leaders have specifically
recruited openly bisexual, gay and lesbian Americans to serve as convention
attendees. We plan to use our convention clout for stronger support of our
issues and victory in November."
While
145 gay activists may be the largest delegate group ever, it's still less than
3 percent of the 4,900 delegates at the convention.
___
August
25, 1996
The Salt
Lake Tribune
Utah
Democrats Pack Little Power But Lots of Energy
Utah
Demos: Little Might, Lots of Fight
By
Laurie Sullivan Maddox
What if,
during the roll call of the states at the Democratic National Convention this
week, someone tells it like it really is:
Madam
Chairwoman, the great state of Utah, the state that picked George Bush AND Ross
Perot over Bill Clinton in 1992, the state that hasn't voted Democrat for
president since LBJ, the state where Democrats are more endangered than desert
tortoises, but, heck, it's still a pretty great state, warmly extends its best
wishes to the president but will inevitably deliver its five electoral votes to
Bob Dole.
What if
the Utah delegation just didn't show up in Chicago. Would it be missed?
Members
of the contingent tend to laugh off that one. After all, this is the party that
boasts in its convention press packet that Utah AFL-CIO President Ed Mayne,
state senator and delegate, recently mooned Republican Lt. Gov. Olene Walker.
(It was an accident. His drawers dropped at the governor's ball.)
But it
is true that the delegation of 35 -- squeezed into the convention hall between
Delaware and Democrats Abroad -- is not packing much clout.
The
highest-ranking elected official in the group is Rep. Bill Orton and, by his
own admittance, he has ticked off his party nearly as much as any Republican.
"Utah
doesn't play a big part in national politics," delegate and former
legislator Beverly White lamented. "We [Utah Democrats] don't have
anybody. We don't hold any offices -- no senators or things like that."
It was
not always that way. Utah's former first lady Norma Matheson, co-leader of the
Clinton-Gore effort in Utah and a three-time convention participant, certainly
remembers more limelight when her late husband, Democrat Scott Matheson, was
governor and head of the National Governors Association. Likewise Cal Rampton
before him.
"We
have to be realistic about our position in the overall picture," she said
of today's situation. "We don't have a lot of electoral votes to begin
with and the state is, of course, very overwhelmingly Republican. Maybe as a
unit we're not as significant, but combined as a whole with all the other
states we are."
And the
point of a convention is to engage all 50 states.
With no
platform fights looming, no vice presidential selection to provide suspense,
this is the Democrats' turn to nominate their ticket, rev up the troops and
connect with voters.
"In
years past, there has been more controversy and more excitement," said
delegate Jenny Wilson, chief of staff to Orton. "But the convention itself
serves a valuable purpose so that those watching [on television] and those who
care can take a look at what the various candidates have to offer."
TV
viewers will not see any prime-time podium speeches by Utahns, any
platform-committee leadership from the Beehive State, not so much as an
invocation such as the one offered by Pat Shea and Mark Maryboy in 1992.
But that
is the case for a majority of the other states, too.
What
America will see, the Utahns say, is a united Democratic Party, a dynamic
president who has brought the country its lowest deficits in years, a vision
for the next century and a more positive message than what emerged from the
Republicans' choreographed showpiece in San Diego.
"What
our delegation is looking for is carrying back a message to the state about the
accomplishments of the Clinton administration and what the Democratic Party
stands for," said state party boss Mike Zuhl.
For the
folks back home, the delegation will focus on how Utah has benefited under
Clinton: 294 new police officers on the streets; unemployment down from 4.4
percent to 3.2 percent; 74 percent more new jobs per year; commitments to
funding light rail and reconstruction of Interstate 15.
Utah
leaders boast that another thing obvious to convention viewers will be the
diversity within the party -- unlike the predominantly white-male group that
nominated Dole and Jack Kemp.
"They
were very clever in their orchestration of the convention to have speakers and
cameras panning individuals that made it look like there was diversity
there," Zuhl said. "But our convention won't be forced into doing
that. We have great diversity -- old, young, male, female, people from all
walks of life."
To be
sure, the Utah delegation nearly is all white. But under party rules it is
required to be split evenly between female and male. There are 18 women and 17
men.
Racial
diversity is about the same as the Republican delegation. It has Asian
representation in Salt Lake County Commissioner Randy Horiuchi, Latinos Loretta
Baca and Tony Montano and Pawnee Indian Larry Echohawk, although Baca and
Echohawk had to cancel plans to go because of home and work commitments.
The
delegation also has an openly gay member, David Nelson. Its senior member is
World War II veteran Phil Henson and the youngster of the group is 22year-old
Alyx Pattison.
Pattison,
the daughter of Kennecott laborers and union members from Magna, was startled
when she was elected a delegate, but plans to soak up all the seminars, the
speeches and the scene.
"Up
until the whole government shutdown and the gridlock over the budget, I wasn't
completely enthused with Clinton," she explains in between serving
customers at a Village Inn in North Salt Lake.
"But
what he did stand up for he did in the right way and that excites me because
he's protecting my children and grandchildren in the future."
Pattison,
Zuhl claimed, is someone you will not see in a Republican delegation: a
waitress.
The
group also counts two genuine FOBs -- Friends of Bill: Matheson and Democratic
godfather Ted Wilson.
Matheson
got to know the future president when her husband headed the National Governors
Association and became a respected associate of then-Gov. Clinton of Arkansas.
"They
worked together a lot and saw each other a lot," she said. "We've
known each other a long time."
Wilson,
head of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute and a former Salt Lake City
mayor, taught Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, to mountain climb in the
Tetons last year, daughter Jenny said. And yes, the families are friends.
Jenny
and Ted Wilson are Utah's only parent-child delegate tandem, although
25-year-old delegate Donald Dunn, a Hinckley Institute graduate who went on to
work in the Clinton White House and now the president's campaign, is taking
mother Rachelle along as a guest.
There
are a few married delegate couples: Ed and Karen Mayne; Jim Humlicek, a Clinton
Agriculture Department appointee; Wendy Lewis, a Salt Lake defense lawyer; and
the Hensons -- Phil and wife Louise, Utah's Democratic national committeewoman.
The
delegation is less LDS than its Republican counterpart -- about half and half
-- and has several anti-abortion activists in its ranks.
Collectively,
the group is excited about Clinton and the unaccustomed status of being in
control of the White House.
Some
even are willing to suggest that Dole is not a sure thing in Utah.
A Salt
Lake Tribune poll conducted just before the Republican convention found Clinton
leading Dole in Utah 36 percent to 31 percent, with 28 percent unsure (thought
mostly leaning toward Dole) and 5 percent backing a minor-party candidate.
"I
don't believe it," said Todd Taylor, executive director of the state
Democratic Party. "But I've sure been trumpeting it."
Matheson
does believe it -- as a snapshot of that precise time, anyway. But national
polls taken after the Republican convention show a big bounce for Dole.
Matheson
said she would be "very surprised" if Clinton were to win Utah.
"But you never say never."
Jenny
Wilson said Utah never will be a Democratic swing state. Nor is it a
"calculation" in Clinton's re-election bid. But the president is
aware of the polling numbers here. After an early-summer survey showed him
trailing Dole by just 6 points, the president noted it in a speech.
"I'm
even doing well in Utah," he said.Tomorrow: Utahns look back at the
Chicago riots of 1968.
___
August
26, 1996
KTVX
Television News 4 Utah
Subject:
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVE GAY DELEGATE IN DEMOCRATIC NATIO
Newscast:
MON_TEN - Air Date: 08/26/96
-RANDALL
AND
AMONG THOSE WATCHING CHRISTOPHER REEVE'S EMOTIONAL SPEECH, WAS UTAH DELEGATE,
DAVID NELSON. HE'S THE ONLY OPENLY GAY DELEGATE IN OUR STATE'S CONTINGENT.
-KIMBERLY
DVE 2
BOX
BUT AS
NEWS 4 UTAH'S POLITICAL REPORTER, CHRIS VANOCUR, IS STANDING BY LIVE TO TELL
US, NELSON IS BY NO MEANS ALONE. CHRIS.
SYNC 2
Vid:
(Live Shot)
Source:
C-BAND
CG: {36}
CG:
{LC1}CHICAGO
CG:
{LC2}Today
-CHRIS
NO, HE'S
NOT ALONE. THERE ARE ABOUT 150 GAY DELEGATES HERE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.
AND THAT IS THE LARGEST NUMBER EVER. BUT NELSON DOES STAND OUT BECAUSE HE'S
COME OUT FROM UTAH.
CAT PKG
Vid:
SOT, Package
Vid:
1:30 oc..)
DAVID
NELSON IS GAY AND HAPPY. HAPPY THAT HE'S A DEMOCRATIC DELEGATE, THAT HE'S A
MEMBER OF UTAH'S DELEGATION AND THAT THE HOMOSEXUAL VOICE IS FINALLY BEING
HEARD.
David
Nelson, Gay Delegate, "Gay and lesbian people are part of of American and
Utah life ... and so its right for us to be a part of our national
convention."
(MUSIC)
NELSON'S
OWN HOME VIDEO SHOWS A WORLD MOST UTAH DELEGATES CAN'T SEE AND MAYBE DON'T WANT
TO. BRIEFINGS FOR GAY POLITICAL STRATEGY AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU FROM A TOP
WHITE HOUSE AIDE.
George
Stephanopoulus', White House Staffer, "How proud we are that they are 150
openly gay and lesbian delegates to the national convention."
AND
NELSON SEES MORE THAN A LITTLE IRONY IN THE FACT THAT NATIONAL DEMOCRATS OPENLY
EMRACE GAYS POLITICALLY ... BUT IN UTAH, THE MINORITY PARTY KEEPS HIS MINORITY
AT ARM'S LENGTH.
David
Nelson, "The democratic national party has done everything possible to
make gay and lesbian democrats feel welcome...That's not always the case in
Utah."
IN
CHICAGO, HOWEVER, THINGS ARE DIFFERENT. OTHER GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTERS ARE AMAZED
UTAH HAS A OPENLY HOMOSEXUAL DELEGATE ... AND, NOT ONLY THAT SAYS NELSON, THEY
ARE ALSO IMPRESSED:
David
Nelson, "It sparks a conversation. I'm able to tell them what's it like to
be gay in Utah an d that helps us ... It gets us further along because of the
nature of it."
CG:
{BN1}MINORITY PARTY
CG:
{NT1}DAVID NELSON
CG:
{NT2}Gay Utah Delegate
CG:
{NT1}GEORGE STEPHANOPOULUS
CG:
{NT2}White House Advisor
Vid:
(Live Shot)
Source:
C-BAND
-CHRIS
SYNC 2
NOW,
EVEN IN UTAH, GAYS ARE A GROWING POLITICAL FORCE. BOTH BECAUSE OF THEIR MONEY
AND THEIR ABILITY TO ORGANIZE.
DVE 2
BOX
___
Tuesday,
August 27, 1996 GAY DELEGATE SAYS DOLE COULD REVERSE GAINS By Lee Davidson and Bob Bernick Jr., Staff
Writers David Nelson says President
Clinton has done more for gays and lesbians than all other former U.S. presidents combined, and he worries that Bob
Dole could reverse it all if he wins. He
is so anxious to spread that word as Utah's only openly homosexual delegate to
the Democratic National Convention that he has sent out nine press releases -
so far. while other members of the delegation express tolerance of the rights
for gays, many say privately they wish Nelson were not quite so zealous - and
worry that he may make it appear that the party is promoting, not just
tolerating, homosexuality. They worry that won't help the party in Utah. But
such talk doesn't deter Nelson in his crusade. "They don't worry about
whether attracting the Mormon vote may offend some other group. No party ought
to be in the business of writing off any group. They could use everyone."
In fact, Nelson contends that because gays tend to register and vote in greater
numbers than others, they represent up to 8 percent of the national vote.
"No party can afford to ignore 8 percent of the vote and win." So,
Nelson is spending much of his time at the convention working with the 145
other openly gay delegates at the convention to promote their agenda through
receptions, hospitality suites and rallies. "President Clinton hasn't been
perfect, but he's done more for gays and lesbians than all other presidents combined,"
Nelson said. "I was disappointed in his stand against homosexual marriage
and about not letting (out-of-the-closet) gays serve in the military, but he
has still done a lot for us." He said Clinton has appointed more than 100
openly gay people to serve in his administration, led the fight to repeal a
40-year-old ban on giving security clearance to homosexuals, ordered federal
agencies to protect the civil rights of gays and endorsed an employment
nondiscrimination act that would help gays. "All of that could be lost if
Bob Dole were elected. He could change a lot of that on inauguration day
through executive order," he said. Nelson was also happy that Clinton is
actively courting the gay vote, and sent a videotaped message over the weekend
to a gathering of the pro-gay Human Rights Campaign, where Clinton said his
administration "has taken more steps than any other to bring the gay and
lesbian community to the table." _© 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.
30
August 1996 August 30, 1996
Deseret
News
Convention
includes shock as well as thrills for Utah's delegates
By Lee
Davidson and Bob Bernick Jr., Staff Editor Writers
Utah's
Democratic convention delegates were exultantly thrilled and disappointingly
stunned at the same time Thursday - thrilled with Bill Clinton's speech, and
stunned that his chief campaign strategist resigned amid a new sex scandal.
"I
wish it didn't hurt, but I'm sure it does," said delegate Ted Wilson about
the resignation of Clinton strategist Dick Morris amid allegations he had a
long affair with a prostitute, and allowed her to listen in on presidential
conversations.
"People
don't vote for presidential staff members. But it does bring up memories of
other character issues," said Wilson, the former Salt Lake City mayor who
is co-chairman of the Clinton-Gore campaign in Utah.
However,
Wilson was upbeat about Clinton's speech at the convention. "He was like a
Ronald Reagan with substance," he said. "He hit many issues that
should play well in Utah, including eliminating capital gains tax on selling
your home."
State
Democratic Party Chairman Mike Zuhl lamented about the Morris scandal, "I
knew something like this would happen because everything had been going too
smoothly, and we're Democrats."
But he
pointed out, "It wasn't the president. It was a paid consultant. But the
timing is disappointing because we were building momentum, then this
happens."
Delegate
and Salt Lake County Commissioner Randy Horiuchi predicted the fallout from the
scandal will be small over the long run, "and there's probably going to be
serious credibility problems as it is investigated more ... It comes from the
same tabloid that did the Gennifer Flowers story (alleging she had an affair
with Clinton)."
"It
was perfect," delegate David Nelson said of the speech. Nelson also said
he was disappointed the scandal broke the same day, but, "This is Dick
Morris' problem, not the president's."
Dollars
for Bill, dross for Ross: Rep. Bill Orton, D-Utah, will get the full financial,
moral and administrative help of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee, Mark Lotwis, DCCC campaign planning director, told the Utah
delegation Thursday.
But Ross
Anderson in the 2nd House District needs to raise more money and do a bit
better in the polls before the DCCC can make the same commitment to him.
Lotwis
said he believes Anderson can and will win. "We know (Republican) Merrill
Cook. We've watched him run many times," Lotwis said jokingly.
"The
best way you Democrats in Utah can help Anderson is to write him a check,"
he said.
___
Tuesday,
September 3, 1996 Note: Online
Publication Only LIBRARIAN'S NOTE: Dave Schneider wanted this document saved in
the Library system for future use. It has not been on the online system nor in
the paper. UTAH DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES
TO THE 1996 DEMOCARTIC NATIONAL CONVENTION DELEGATES: Joyce Durrant,
Ogden, Jennifer Wilson, Salt Lake
City, Meghan Zanolli Holbrook, Salt Lake
City, Jim Humlicek, Midvale, Robert
Turner, Sandy, Cindy Powell Abawi,
Brigham City, K. Susan Trautmann, St. George, Beverly White, Tooele, Byron
Anderson, Riverdale, Neil Hansen, Ogden, Barbara Eubanks, Salt Lake City, Susan Kusiak, Salt Lake City, Norma Matheson,
Salt Lake City, Donald Dunn, Sandy, David Nelson, Salt Lake City, Ted Wilson,
Salt Lake City, Karen Mayne, West Valley City, Alyx Pattison, Magna, Jay Blain,
West Valley City, Ed Mayne, West Valley City, Tony Montano, West Valley City,
Wendy Lewis, Midvale, Karen Nielsen, Salt Lake City, Randy Horiuchi, Salt Lake
City, Bobbie Coray, Logan, Louise Henson, Sunset, John Clark, Concord, Mass.,
Mike Zuhl, Salt Lake City, Fae Beck, Provo, Larry Echohawk, Orem, Bill Orton,
Washington D.C., ALTERNATES: Mark Mickelsen, West Jordan, Phill Henson, Sunset,
Sandy Montano, West Valley City, STANDING COMMITTEE MEMBERS (but not delegates):
Credentials - De Anne Hanson, Salt Lake City, Platform - Annette Cumming, Salt
Lake City Rules - Gary Beer, Sundance _©
1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.
.
3
September 1996 TOPIC-AIDS DEATHS- Herman Moore "A kind and gentle man" Herman Moore, 43, was born November 4, 1952
in Window Rock, Arizona, passed away September 3, 1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah
due to complications resulting from AIDS.
Graduate of Provo High School, 1970; graduate of BYU, 1974. Worked as an
acountant for the last 22 years (most of which were with First Security
Bank). Preceded in death by mother,
Flora and brother, William Jr. Survived by brother, Ernie and his wife, Margie;
three nieces, two nephews, and one great-nephew. He also left behind his many
close friends who were his life in Salt Lake City. Herman was always there when
his friends needed him and saw them through the good and bad times. Seldom seen
without a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye. His arms were always open
to reach out and touch. Special thanks to Dr. Kristen Rees and Maggie Snyder and special friends, Ron and
Scott, for their undenying support. Memorial services celebrating Herman's life
will be held on Saturday, September 14, 1996, 2 p.m., at The Sun, 702 West 200
South. In lieu flowers, please donate to the RCGSE AIDS Fund, P. O. Box 11793,
S.L.C., Utah 84147. Empress X Donnie Marie of the Royal Court of the Golden
Spike Empire.
3
September 1996 09/03/96 Page: B1Keywords: Social Issues, Health
Care,Diseases-RareCaption: Ryan Galbraith/The Salt Lake Tribune``He's given me
the will to live,'' says DavidJohnson, left, of volunteer Vince Iturbe,
whocares for AIDS patients. Reaching Out to Those WhoHave AIDS; VolunteerLoves
Helping Patients Cope Byline: BY ANNE WILSON THE SALTLAKE TRIBUNE Vince Iturbe's first encounter with
AIDS still haunts him. It was 1984, the early days of the
epidemic,when the disease was a death sentence thatalmost guaranteed social
exile. Iturbe was asignorant as anyone.
His Roman Catholic priest told him about asick man who needed help and
was deserted.When Iturbe learned the man also was dying of AIDS, he was afraid. He agreed to a visit after the hospice
nurseassured him there was no risk of infection. Buthe was not prepared for
what he saw. ``It was kind of like
looking at a poster childfor Ethiopia, when they were starving to death,''says
Iturbe. Since that day, Iturbe has
spent untold hours with people dying of
AIDS -- feedingthem, reading to them, listening to their hopesand fears, buying
their burial plots, planning theirfunerals and comforting their grieving
families. He is paid for none of it. Iturbe is a volunteer for Community
NursingService's Journey Home program, whichprovides comprehensive care for
people inthe latter stages of AIDS, from skilled nursingservices and
occupational therapy to counselingand companionship. Volunteers are a critical component of
thehospice team, supporting patients and familiesfrazzled by the physical
demands of caring for aterminally ill loved one. ``Vince has been the biggest blessing in
mylife. He's given me the will to live,'' says42-year-old David Johnson, Iturbe's
currentpatient. ``He's like a big brother to me.'' Journey Home coordinator Ann Stromnesssays
Iturbe has an ability to ``read'' patients andsense what they need. Most want
to talk, butshe has known Iturbe to sit next to a patient'sbed for hours, in
comfortable silence. ``People feel they
can talk to him and tellhim anything. He's very nonjudgmental
andunderstanding,'' she says. Iturbe
pauses when asked why he is willing tohelp strangers die of a disease that once
was soreviled that he didn't discuss his hospice work with friends. ``I don't know. I can't explain it. I just
couldn'tenvision not taking care of them,'' he says. Maybe it was his Italian mother's penchant
forrescuing wounded animals from the streets of theNew York City neighborhood
where he grewup. More than once, Iturbe and his three siblingscoaxed wounded
birds back to health by feedingthem with an eyedropper. ``My mother showed me how to loveanimals,''
says the 50-yearold Iturbe, watchinghis calico cats, D.C. and Logger, stalk
throughhis Salt Lake City condominium.
His mother's philosophy of ``what's mine isyours'' may also have played
a part. ``If you came into the house
when we wereeating one hamburger, you got a bite of thehamburger,'' says
Iturbe. ``Some of that rubbedoff on me.''
Or it might have been the tour in Vietnam,when Iturbe began to question
the meaning of hisown life. It was October 1968, and Iturbe's firstreal venture
outside the paved world of hisboyhood.
``If you want to see something funny, look at akid from New York City in
the jungle,'' Iturbechuckles, shaking his head. Humor became hiscoping
mechanism, a way to deflect the pain ofevents he could not control. ``I had to laugh. I don't know if that's good
orbad, but it worked . . . If I'm not lighthearted, Ican't seem to quite deal
with things,'' he says. During his 18
months in the jungle, Iturbewatched half of his eight-man squad die. He
leftVietnam with valuable survival and peopleskills -- and a renewed belief in
an afterlife. But he wondered about his
purpose in life.``My Vietnam experience changed the way Ibelieved my life was
going to be,'' Iturbe says.He knew he had to make a meaningfulcontribution.
What that might be did not become clear untilthe mid-1980s, after Iturbe had
settled into acareer with the U.S. Department of Labor.He first worked for the
federal government inNew Jersey, but felt a nagging desire to see theWest. In June 1976, Iturbe arrived in Salt Lake
Cityin his Volkswagen Beetle. It was a warm,perfectly clear day, the sky was
deep blue andthe grass glowed an earlysummer green. He wassmitten.He got a
part-time job with the UtahDepartment of Employment Security, whichsoon offered
him full-time work. Iturbe workedand skied through the winter and got
promoted.In 1982, he jumped at the opportunity to workfor the Labor Department
in Washington, D.C.,for two years. When he returned from the bigcity life that
wasso familiar, Salt Lake suddenly seemed like abackwater. Iturbe fell into a
funk. It was thenthat his parish priest hooked him up with thehospice nurse.
Iturbe helped that first patient as he was dying.Then, there was another man.
And another.Iturbe read all he could about AIDS. Themore he knew, the harder it
became to excusethe social prejudice against people with AIDS. ``I have found my patients to be
nurturing,loving, creative people who wouldn't hurt afly,'' says Iturbe. ``I
have to deal with the flipside of that, a society that wants to judge,condemn
and harass an AIDS patient.'' The
stigma has lessened, but it lingers. WhenDavid Johnson came home to die, his
family's lifechanged forever, says Johnson's mother,Blanche. At one point, the Johnsons were
administering57 different medications to their son. Some hadto be given every
two hours, meaning Blancheand her husband, also named David, slept inshifts.
That stress was compounded by theignorance of some friends and relatives. ``There's so many people who don'tunderstand
about the AIDS disease,'' saysBlanche. ``We should live to be more
Christlike.We shouldn't judge everybody.''
Johnson is unlike most of Iturbe's patients: Hehas become so well, he no
longer needs hospicecare. In Iturbe's 12 years of volunteer service,that has
happened only twice. Plus, Johnson hasthe support of his family. Johnson's improved health means Iturbe
willbe assigned a new patient, probably within acouple of months. In the
meantime, he willresume his life: early morning gym workouts,work, reading,
hiking and listening to classicalmusic. Occasionally, Iturbe serves as a
speakerfor the Utah AIDS Foundation. And he hastaught a class o HIV/AIDS at a vocational school in
DavisCounty. When the call comes, Iturbe will be ready. ``I have the ability to make the patient
feelcomfortable, to laugh. . . . They
come to therealization on their own that they're still worthsomething,'' he
says
Saturday,
September 7, 1996 Report detects an increase in assaults on freedom to learn in
U.S. schools. GROUP VIEWS UTAH GAY-CLUB TIFF AS AN ATTACK BYRELIGIOUS RIGHT By
Lee Davidson, Washington Correspondent Many Utah officials saw efforts to block
creation of a gay-lesbian-straight club at East High School as an effort to
protectmorality in public education.But a national civil rights group said
Wednesday that it is an example of an attack by the religious right on the
freedom tolearn.People for the American Way, which describes itself as a
nonpartisan civil rights organization, each year issues a report on thenumber
of attacks it finds on education nationally.Usually, the report gains most
attention for examples of book censorship that it finds - but it found a
decrease in suchcensorship during the past year. But it said it found an
increase in what it sees as more general attacks from the religious right.And
it used the East High School flap - one of only two attacks on education it
found in Utah during the year - as an example.It noted that the Salt Lake City
School Board originally voted 4-3 to ban all non-curricular clubs in order to
block theproposed gay club.It noted the Legislature later passed a law to
circumvent the need for such a total ban by requiring school boards to
denyaccess to any student group that would encourage criminal conduct (sodomy
is illegal in Utah), promote bigotry or involvehuman sexuality, and it allows
boards to decide whether to require parental permission for students to join clubs.The
new report says, "The bill, crafted in secret by the governor, GOP leaders
and the Utah Eagle Forum, was neversubjected to public testimony before the
votes by the two houses."Architects of the bill included Robin Riggs, Gov.
Mike Leavitt's legal counsel; former U.S. Attorney David Jordan; Salt
Lakeattorney Dan Berman; and Utah County Attorney Matt Hilton, who has
represented conservative groups, who were assistedby a few Republican
lawmakers.Leavitt was out of town during most of the discussions but was kept
abreast of the group's work, said spokeswoman VickiVarela. "He was not
involved on a day-to-day basis as it was worked out," she said.The bill
was kept secret until it was dropped on lawmakers' desks late in the afternoon
of the one-day special session lastApril. While no public comment was sought
during the special session, the issue consumed the Legislature's regular
session.Committee meetings, during which public comment is heard, are not
conducted during special sessions because of timeconstraints and rules that
prohibit committees from meeting while either house is in session.People for
the American Way said it saw an big increase in such "broader-based
attacks on education" by the religious right.Also lumped into that
category were such actions nationally as seeking voucher programs to allow
parents to choose to usepublic education money for private and sectarian
schools; attempts to inject prayer and religious activity into the official
schoolday; and fights to add creationism to science classes.It said the number
of such "broader-based" attacks nationally increased to 175 last
year, up from 120 the previous year.Meanwhile, it found the number of attempts
at book censorship fell to 300, down from 338 the previous year."It shows
that many of these people have political or ideological agendas to promote. And
it shows that the largest organizedeffort to limit what's taught in the schools
is coming from the religious right," said Carole Shields, president of
People for theAmerican Way."I have four grandchildren. I want them to
learn not what to think but how to think. And this report shows that many
attackson public education mirror our national debates about racism, poverty,
sexuality, crime, drug and alcohol abuse and AIDS."We must analyze this
report and decide as a nation: Will we bequeath to our children the tools and
information they need toaddress these complex issues as they grow into
adulthood? Or will our gift to them be ever-narrowing horizons of thought
andspeech?" she said.The report also released a list of the most
frequently challenged books nationally.They include: "I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings," by Maya Angelou; "The Giver," by Lois Lowry;
"The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain; "Of Mice and
Men," by John Steinbeck; and "The Color Purple," by Alice
Walker.The report listed what the group said was one attempt by a parent in
Salt Lake City to remove "The City of Gold and Lead"by John
Christopher from an elementary school library because of violence and supposed
references to child abuse. Acommittee reviewed the request but decided to
retain the book.The report said 475 attacks on education occurred nationally
last year - which it said was a record - and occurred in 44 ofthe 50 states.
Only 10 states had fewer than the two incidents reported in Utah. © 1998
Deseret News Publishing Co.
8
September 1996 09/08/96 Page: J1 Keywords: Awards, Women's Issues, UT Caption:
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune Luci Malin encourages girls to enter
sciences. Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake
Tribune Former Head Start parent Marie Augustine runs the S.L. program
now. Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune
Physician assistant Maggie Snyder dedicates herself to AIDS patients. Busath Photography Carol Dunlap empowers
employees. Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake
Tribune Karen Shepherd is an activist
outside Congress now. Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune Tomiye Ishimatsu
teaches Japanese sewing art of bunka at an elder-care center. Women Who Make
The Difference YWCA Honors 6 Who Lead From Behind the Scenes Byline: BY JOAN
O'BRIEN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE A leader
does not necessarily have to be out front. The six winners of this year's YWCA
Outstanding Achievement Awards describe themselves as ``behind-the-scenes''
players. But even from behind the scenes, these Utah women have earned
recognition for their professional achievements, personal growth, support of
other women and triumph over adversity. They may lead by example or
inspiration. They may lead by doing what is right. Some lead by nurturing.
Many, including some of this year's
award
winners, would not proclaim themselves ``leaders.'' Physician assistant Maggie
Snyder, recognized this year for her work with AIDS patients, defines a leader
as ``somebody who does something, who tries to make the world a better place.'' Reclamation specialist Luci Malin, another
award recipient, agrees. ``Mainly
leadership is taking action,'' she says. ``A lot of people whine and moan about
the condition of things, but they don't do anything.'' Former U.S. Rep. Karen Shepherd, another
honoree this year, says leaders can effect change as easily from behind the
scenes as from the eye
of the
hurricane -- where she was during her
term in Congress. Although ``leadership'' cannot be defined easily, the women
who selected this year's winners recognize the quality. They were last year's
honorees. Utah Attorney General Jan
Graham, Bryant Intermediate School Principal Joyce Gray, University of Utah
professor Reba Keele, former television marketing manager Diane McCall Lennon,
Salt Lake Rape Recovery
Center
executive director Abby Trujillo Maestas and KRCL program director Donna Land
Maldonado considered 45 nominations before naming this year's winners. For
Keele, the common denominator among those honored is courage: ``people who have
done very hard stuff for other women at
cost to themselves, but without loss of integrity.''
These women's accomplishments in education,
medicine, business, government and human services will be recognized Friday at
the YWCA's annual LeaderLuncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sue Bender, author
of the best-selling Plain and Simple and Everyday Sacred, will deliver the
keynote at the gathering in the Salt Lake City Marriott Hotel. For eight years, the YWCA has singled out
female leaders for recognition at the
LeaderLuncheon.
It provides Utah businesses and organizations an opportunity to honor their
own. For information about reservations for the event, call the YWCA a
8
September 1996 09/08/96 Page: J2 Keywords: Awards, Medical Professionals Maggie Snyder:Extending Compassionate AIDS
Care Carol M. ``Maggie'' Snyder does
not have a ready response when people ask how she copes in her work with AIDS
patients. ``I'd like to have a fancy
answer, but it's basically one day at a time,'' she says of her career as a
physician assistant at University Hospital's division of infectious diseases.
After nearly a decade of caring for people with AIDS, Snyder has found that the
medical part of her job is easy compared with the emotional challenges. More
than 15 years after the AIDS epidemic began, its victims still encounter
ostracism, suspicion, intimate questions.
And that is in addition to dealing with the diagnosis of a terminal
illness. How her patients react has changed the way Snyder views life and
death, family and friends. ``People have taught me that some things just aren't
important -- not status or success,'' she says. ``It's having support of family
and friends, and the enjoyment of simple pleasures – a sunset or the smell of
rain.'' Snyder talks as though she is the sole beneficiary in her work with
AIDS patients. It is up to other people to talk of the care she provides, the
good she does. ``She's been a wonderful
care-giver,'' says physician Kristen Ries, who treats hundreds of
AIDS
patients at University Hospital and who nominated Snyder for the YWCA's
Outstanding Achievement Award in medicine. ``She saved me from drowning.'' Ries had trouble finding another physician to
help with her crushing caseload. So she approached Snyder at Holy Cross
Hospital about a decade ago ``because she was such a good nurse. I said, `How
would you like to go to P.A. school?' And she did.'' After Snyder became a
certified physician assistant, she joined Ries in caring for those suffering
the physical and emotional trauma of acquired immune-deficiency syndrome. After
the sale of Holy Cross, they moved together to University Hospital. ``We work very much as a team,'' says Ries,
who acknowledges she can't say enough good things about Snyder. ``She's a great
support to people and she really is a role model to other nurses and P.A.s in
her care-giving.'' In response to such
praise, Snyder jokes that Ries is brainwashed. Growing up in Houston, Snyder knew at a
young age that she would become a nurse. Raised by her father with a limited
income, she was drawn to the economic security of a nursing career. But it also
fit well with her commitment to public service. She got that, she says, from
her father. ``My father was very
generous to the down and out. He was always taking in a family that didn't have
a place to stay till they got on their feet,'' she says. ``He didn't do a lot
for acknowledgment -- he just did things. . . . He put his money where his
mouth is.'' Ries says the same thing about Snyder: `She always follows up and
puts her money where her mouth is. If she says she's going to do something, she
does it. . . . One of the things I admire in her is she absolutely believes in
giving back to society.'' One of the
ways Snyder does that, besides her long hours of care-giving, is by quietly
paying the rent for teens at Salt Lake City's Stonewall Center. ``I'm not much of a flag-waver. I don't do
it for acknowledgment,'' Snyder says of her donation. ``But somewhere along the
line growing up, I was taught that you give back to society.'' Snyder's move to Utah was almost accidental.
As Houston grew too big for her, she pulled out a map to find another home in
the West, a place where she could indulge her love of the outdoors. She picked
Salt Lake City. Despite her 12-hour days and the emotional intensity of her
work, Snyder manages to keep things in perspective, Ries says. ``She's just so good with people. I don't
know how to explain it.'' Snyder
explains her work with AIDS patients this way: ``I see myself as a partner in
someone's journey down a path. There's a point when I have to step aside and
let them continue that journey.''
Friday,
September 13, 1996 ALL WOMEN'S EVE FESTIVAL SUNDAY AT REDBUTTE The fourth
annual All Women's Eve Festival will be Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Red Butte
Gardens onthe University of Utah campus. The music and arts festival runs from
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.This year's performers include Lee Thomas, guitar; Lee
Mortensen, poetry; Julie Phillips, acousticfolk; Kathryn Warner, acoustic folk;
Beth York and Barbara Esther performing feminist classics;Veiled Visions Belly
Dancing; Elsie West, healing new age music; Starlette Company Ballet;
BornYesterday, traditional folk and spiritual; Megan Peters, blues, jazz and
rock; Lisa Marie and theCo-Dependents, cover tunes and dance music; and Sweet
Loretta, with "spirited world musicsound."At 11:55 a.m., author Carol
Lynn Pearson will speak on the power and creative expression ofwomen. At 1:10
p.m., potter Lily Johnson will speak on using art for healing. At 4:25 p.m.,
ReneeRinaldi, director of the Utah Stonewall Center, will speak on community
service and volunteerism.Men, women and children are invited to attend and to
bring drums and rattles for the celebration thatends the festival. Tickets are
$8 in advance, available at A Woman's Place Bookstore in FoothillVillage, Blue
Marble at 1400 S. 1100 East in Salt Lake City, and through the Ogden's
Women'sGroup at 625-1660. At the door, tickets are $10. _© 1998 Deseret News
Publishing Co
14
September 1996-: 09/14/96 Page: B1 Keywords: Awards, Lectures-Speaking, UT,
Authors Caption: Tim Kelly/The Salt Lake Tribune Sue Bender was main speaker at
YWCA leader luncheon in Salt Lake City. Identify Inner Judge, Author Tes Group
Honoring Women; Author Tells Group to Know Inner Judge Byline: BY JOAN O'BRIEN
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Plain and
Simple author Sue Bender was glowing the day she learned her book had made The
New York Times Bestsellers List -- at least
until
she proudly relayed the news t o a friend.
``She didn't even smile,'' Bender said of her friend's reaction. ``She
said, `what number on the list are you?' '' That exchange taught Bender that in
this world no accomplishment is ever good enough. ``It showed me that whatever it is I had been
seeking . . . that something was still missing,'' Bender said Friday in her
YWCA leader luncheon keynote address. The exchange also led Bender to identify
a harsh inner voice that criticizes everything she does. ``I don't think everybody has a harsh judge,''
she told some 900 people at the Marriott Hotel luncheon in Salt Lake City.
``But many of us have some inner voice that has the power to undercut, to make
us doubt ourselves, and that leaves us wondering why we're not more content.''
Bender urged the women and men at the gathering to identify their harsh judge
before it saps the energy they need to make societal contributions.
Contributing to society is what the eighth annual YWCA luncheon is all about.
The record-turnout audience had gathered to honor
six
women receiving the YWCA's Outstan ding
Achievement Awards in education, business, government, human services
and medicine. -- Marie Augustine was
recognized for her three decades with the Community Action Program, building
parental participation in Head Start.
-- Carol Ann Dunlap, spokeswoman for US WEST before launching her own
telecommunications consulting firm, was recognized for her work mentoring
others and her voluntarism. -- Tomiye Ishimatsu, University of Utah nursing
professor before her retirement, was honored for her more than 40 years as
nurse, educator and volunteer. -- Luci Malin, reclamation specialist for the
Utah Division of Oil Gas and Mining, was recognized for her more than 15 years
at the forefront of feminist and gay-rights causes. -- Karen Shepherd was honored for her
advocacy of women's issues as magazine editor, state senator, congresswoman and
currently as Common Cause board member and international emissary. -- Maggie Snyder, Physician's Assistant at
University Hospital, was recognized for her long hours of caring and advocating
for people ith AIDS. Those six women
join the 40 others honored by the YWCA during eight years' worth of leader
luncheons. Many past honorees attended Friday's program. Bender, who marveled
at the ``feeling, care and community'' at the luncheon, said it goes without
saying that the women gathered there give to their community. They might be able to offer even more if they
learn to give to themselves, she said, adding ``It takes courage to know who we
are and what we want.'' Bender's second book, Everyday Sacred, is about the
search for what really matters. The conversation with her friend about the
bestseller list convinced her that she needed to conduct such a search. Bender's first book was about the simple life
among the Amish. She applied lessons she learned among them to her own life.
The result is her second book about acceptance.
The family therapist and artist found teachers of acceptance all around
her. Among them was a potter who deliberately breaks his bowls and reassembles
them because they're more interesting that way. She found another teacher in
her own son, who sends a greeting card to his paternal grandmother every week.
That taught her the ``extreme importance'' of small things. Most people at the Marriott Friday, she
surmised, are too busy making societal contributions to give themselves time.
She urged
them to
pause every once in a while to give their souls a chance to catch up. ``It's very important for us to stop and call
our spirit back.''
14
September 1996 09/14/96 Page: A10Keywords: Tribune EditorialThe Anti-Gay
Nineties Is there any palpable
difference between thefollowing two legal arguments? 1. ``In determining the question
ofreasonableness, it [the legislature] is at liberty toact with reference to
the established usages,customs, and traditions of the people, and with aview to
the promotion of their comfort . . . ''
2. ``The moral and religious sensibilities ofmillions of Americans will
be overridden if thislegislation becomes law.'' Well, the chief difference between the two
is100 years. The first is an excerpt from the U.S.Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy
vs. Fergusondecision, which was used to justify nearly sixdecades of ``separate
but equal'' racial laws inAmerica. The second is a quote attributed to Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch Tuesday in defense
ofhis vote against the EmploymentNon-Discrimination Act, which aimed to
protecthomosexuals from workplace discrimination. Obviously, the circumstances are not
thesame, but the issue is: discrimination. And theSenate, showing much the same
deference tomajority sensibilities that the Supreme Courtmistakenly did a
century ago, decided by asolitary vote to deny gay and lesbianAmericans
workplace protection from biasedtreatment. So, in the 41 states that do
notprovide such legal protection, homosexuals canstill go unhired or be fired
if their sexualorientation is discovered.
This was a disappointing vote, half of ananti-gay double-header in the
SenateTuesday, the other half being a lopsided tally infavor of the Defense of
Marriage Act. This one,which reflects Americans' unreadiness to grapplewith the
issue of same-sex marriage, is anelection-year non sequitur that addresses
anot-yet-existent problem -- but a very existentraw nerve among voters. Surely, if the senators are interested in
a``defense of marriage,'' they could addressfactors that are threatening this
cherishedinstitution a lot more than same-sex partnershipsdo. As it is, they
passed a bill that invokes states'rights in allowing states to decide if they
want torecognize same-sex marriages, and then turnsaround and issues a federal
definition ofmarriage. A neat trick.
While the American public does not nowaccept same-sex marriage, though,
it also clearlydoes not accept workplace discriminationagainst homosexuals.
That the Senate shouldperpetuate it by defeating the
EmploymentNon-Discrimination Act is appalling; the onlyconsolation is that it
shouldn't take a century tocorrect this line of faulty reasoning
15
September 1996 09/15/96 Page: F1While Congress continues to pummel pleas
for gay rights in the workplace, much
ofcorporate America is quietly formalizing policiesthat invite some of the same
protections manypoliticians shun. In
Utah and nationwide, corporateanti-discrimination policies that expressly
forbidunequal treatment of gays and lesbians areincreasingly commonplace. Many
companiessanction employee networking and resourcegroups for gays. And more firms -- including Utah
County'sNovell Inc. and Intel Corp. -- are extendingemployee health insurance
and other benefits tosame-sex partners.
At a time when gay bashing abounds inWashington, D.C.,
characteristicallyconservative corporate America is becoming a gay-rights vanguard. The apparent dichotomy has a
simpleexplanation, gay-rights activists say.
``Most companies are more concerned withmaking money than they are with
serving outprejudices,'' says Jim Newton, vice president ofIntel Gay Lesbian or
Bisexual Employees,a networking group. ``They know equitableenvironments
improve their competitiveness andhelp them attract the best employees.'' Patricia Callahan, Wells Fargo Bank
personneldirector, agrees. ``No matter
what the legislation says, you dowhat's good for your business,'' she
says.``Work environments that respect diversitymake good business sense.'' According to the Washington,
D.C.-basedNational Gay & Lesbian Task Force(NGLTF), there are more than
500corporations, governmental bodies anduniversities that offer full or partial
benefits to gay and lesbian
employees. And the number is growing,
says MelindaParas, NGLTF executive director. ``It's a hugelypopular trend for
which we see no signs ofreversal.''
Paras says attention to gay-rights issues inthe workplace is more common
in California andthe Northwest than it is in other regions of thecountry. But
it also is more common in somesectors and particularly in high-tech
industries. That is where Utah comes
in. Computer-industry leaders Novell,
AppleComputer Co., Microsoft Corp. and OracleCorp. have offered employee
benefits todomestic partners since at least 1993. Digital Queers: Newton says the
high-techindustry extends out from California's SiliconValley, where San
Francisco-based activistgroups such as High-Tech Gays and DigitalQueers have
helped bring gay workplaceissues to executives' attention. The companiesalso
typically are run by younger, moreprogressive managers. Sonya Keetch, Novell benefits
programmanager, says competition partially motivatedNovell to adopt domestic-partner
benefits. Butshe adds Novell also prides itself as a leader inthe area. ``We value diversity and practice
thatphilosophy with family-friendly benefits thatinclude everyone's definition
of family,'' she says. Novell has a
policy called FlexWare thatallows employees to tailor health care,
disability,survivor, long-term care and legal benefits totheir family needs.
Domestic partners, whetherthey be of the same or opposite sex, areexpressly
included in the company's definition offamily.
The Orem-based company with 2,800 Utah
employees has an anti-discrimination policyand includes
sexual-orientation issues in itsdiversity training. It also recently paid
foremployees to participate in a national conferenceon gay workplace
issues. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel
Corp., whichoperates a facility in American Fork, adopted apolicy extending
employee health insurance andother benefits to same-sex domestic
partnerseffective Jan. 1, 1997, says companyspokeswoman Stacey O'Hara. Employees will begin signing up for
thebenefits during an open-enrollment period inOctober. Intel also adopted the policy to
compete.``We need our benefits to compare with those ofour competitors so we
can attract keyperformers,'' O'Hara says.
Not an Added Burden: Gay-rights activistssay domestic-partner benefits
typically costcompanies little because few employees takeadvantage of them. For
example, a BrownUniversity study cited in the June 1995American Bar Association
Journal, found only0.36% to 0.77% of employees sign up for thebenefits once
they're offered. A City of San
Francisco study similarly foundthat fewer than 1% of its workforce uses
thebenefits. The study went further to address acommon fear that
domestic-partner benefitsescalate companies' insurance costs becausethey can be
used to pay for AIDS-relatedtreatments. According to the study, the
lifetimehealth-care cost for treating an AIDS patient is$50,000, an amount
similar to what it costs tocare for a premature infant. ``There's a lot of hue and cry about cost
andabout the fact that companies can't get insurersto go for it,'' says James
Dean, president of TheStonewall Index money-management firm. ``Itsimply isn't
true.'' Scott Jeffries, chairman of an
employee taskforce working to secure domestic-partnershipbenefits at US WEST,
says making themavailable is a simple matter of fairness.Because benefits
typically make up 25% to30% of total compensation, ``Denying me myshare says
I'm worth less to the company thansomeone who is legally married,'' he says.
``Thatisn't fair.'' The Future Is
Calling: The EmployeeAssociation of Gays and Lesbians (EAGLE)Domestic
Partnership Task Force at US WESThas tried unsuccessfully since 1992 to
convincecompany officials to extend employee benefits todomestic partners,
Jeffries says. The most recent of three
formal appeals forthe policy change was rejected earlier this yearby officials
who cited prohibitive costs.US WEST spokesman Duane Cooke says thecompany
rejected the policy change in partbecause such benefits are not commonly
offeredby US WEST competitors. For now,
US WEST will continue to enforcean anti-discrimination policy addressing
sexualorientation and will continue to sanction EAGLEand other employee groups
promoting diversity,Cooke says.That puts US WEST in a category with manyother
companies. Paras says most corporationsbegin by adopting anti-discrimination
policies,sanctioning employee groups or extendingbereavement and other
family-leave to domesticpartners.Companies that offer some or all of
thosebenefits include AT&T, American Express,Wells Fargo, Hewlett Packard
Co., InternationalBusiness Machines, Lotus Development Corp.,Silicon Graphics,
Sun Microsystems and NeXTComputer Inc.
Wells Fargo, which formally enters Utahlater this fall through its
acquisition of 32 FirstInterstate Bank branches, allows employees touse the
Family and Medical Leave Act to carefor domestic partners who are ill, Callahan
says. ``We have a policy of tolerance
that is madeclear to all employees,'' she says. ``When peoplecome to the table,
we take them as they are.That's our basic philosophy.'' Callahan says Wells Fargo has stopped
shortof offering domestic-partner benefits because noother banks do. ``It gets a lot of notice, frankly,'' she
says.``We therefore have decided not to take aleadership position in this
area.'' What Are the Risks? There can
be hazards forcompanies that adopt gay-friendly policies. Walt Disney Co., for example, is the target
ofa nationwide boycott by the Tupelo, MissbasedAmerican Family Association and
otherconservative Christian groups in part because itextends employee benefits
to same-sex domesticpartners. ``Some
companies are under the falseimpression that this is healthy for their
bottomline,'' AFA spokesman Allen Wildmon says.``But they need to remember that
there areplenty of moral individuals who are unwilling tosupport them if they
insist on rewarding deviantbehavior.''
But Paras points out that Disney has held firmon its support for the
policy and hasn't appearedto suffer. As more corporations adopt
gay-friendlypolicies, the public and politicians will acceptthem as part of the
normal course of doingbusiness just as they have accepted the entry ofmore
women and other minorities into a workforce once dominated by white men. Mark Provost, president of US WEST'sEAGLE
chapter in Utah, agrees. ``It will
happen one day even here,'' he says.``It has to because it's the right thing to
do.''
18
September 1996 09/18/96 Page: B2Maybe it was the sensitive topic that keptthem
away or maybe it was the news media.
Either way, none of the 130 Utahlawmakers, Salt Lake City School
Boardmembers or principals invited to Tuesday'sprivate screening of ``It's
Elementary: TalkingAbout Gay Issues in School'' attended,although three
legislators had viewed it earlierthat day.
``I'm not surprised, but I thought at least acouple would come,'' said
Charlene Orchard,who helps head the Utah Human RightsCoalition, one of five
local organizations bringingthe documentary to Utah for its premiere
nextweek.The 87-minute film, byAcademy-awardwinning filmmaker DebraChasnoff,
explores how experienced teachersaddress lesbian and gay issues
withschoolchildren ages 5 through 13.
The lessons are more about teaching toleranceof others and not about
affirming homosexuality,said Gary Watts, a parent of a homosexual childand
organizer of Family Fellowship. The
film's public premiere is scheduled for 7p.m. on Sept. 26 at the Tower Theater
in SaltLake City and will kick off a 30-city nationaltour. Tickets are $10 and
include a reception. Orchard said
filmmakers selected the cities``where the gay issues in public schools
werecontroversial and there was a lot ofmisunderstanding.'' In Utah, the gay and lesbian issuecame to a
head last spring when students at EastHigh School wanted to form a
gay-straightalliance. The Salt Lake
City School Board decided toban all clubs not related to academic coursesrather
than to allow the club to form. TheLegislature answered with a law
prohibitingteachers from promoting any illegal activity. In light of that
controversy, ``we felt it wasimportant for concerned policy-makers to havean
opportunity to see this documentary beforethe public screening, since they will
need toanswer questions that will undoubtedly beraised,'' said Orchard. But the only people who showed for the
3:30p.m. screening at the state Capitol wereorganizers and members of the news
media. Timing may have been a factor.
The Salt LakeCity School Board members already hadscheduled a 4 p.m. meeting
and severallegislative committees met throughout the day. However, three Republican lawmakers
--anticipating scheduling conflicts -- did makearrangements to view the movie
earlier in theday. Rep. Jordan Tanner,
R-Provo, said the filmwas really about teaching tolerance. ``It is a good story to show the need to get
thiskind of education into the schools,'' said Tanner,who saw the film along
with Reps. DarleneGubler, R-Holladay and Nora Stephens,R-Sunset. Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, did
notmake it to either screening. ``I had
committee meetings I had to be in,'' hesaid. ``There were a lot of conflicting
committeemeetings today.'' In addition,
he noted, a retirement party wasplanned in the afternoon for a legislator. Filmmakers hope to raise enough moneythrough
the tour for wider distribution, especiallyto teachers. But in Utah it will take changes in laws
andattitudes before there are classroom discussionsabout tolerance of gays and
lesbians. ``Nothing in that video could
be taught in Utah public schools,'' said
Judy Allen, HIVand AIDS specialist for the state, who has seenthe film at
conferences. Allen said acceptance or
advocacy ofhomosexuality is one of the four taboo topics for Utah teachers. The others are intricacies
ofsex, use of contraceptives and advocatingpromiscuity. (DG) 1/2
Tribune reporter Judy Fahys contributed tothis story.
20
September 1996 9/20/96 Page: E2IT'S ELEMENTARY -- This documentary -- about the
issue of teaching schoolchildren about gay and lesbian culture -- will be
screened as a benefit for the Utah Human Rights Coalition, Family Fellowship
and the Utah Stonewall Center. Director
Deborah Chasmoss and the film's producers will attend for a reception and
aquestion-and-answer session. The movie will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday at the
Tower Theatre, 876 E. 900 South.Admission is $10, and advance tickets are
available at the Utah Stonewall Center, 770 S. 300 West, Salt LakeCity.
:23
September 1996 09/23/96Page: D5Keywords:
Obituaries Paul M. Callihan Paul Madison Callihan, 41, diedSeptember 21,
1996, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born
September 18, 1955, in Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, to William and Reba
Callihan. Paul attended the University
of Oklahomaand graduated from Central State University,Oklahoma, with a
bachelor's degree inmicrobiology. He was listed in Who's Who inAmerican
Colleges and Universities. Hereceived a master's degree in fine arts from
theUniversity of Utah. Paul was a very
special person who wasblessed with many wonderful friends and aloving
family. Survived by his parents; a
brother, Lt. Col.Mark Callihan, USMC, and sister-in-law,Victoria. A memorial service will be held Tuesday,
4p.m. at the Neil O'Donnell & Sons Mortuary,372 East 100 South, where
friends may call atthe time of the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requestsdonations to the Utah Arts
Council or a charilyof your choice in Paul's name.
28
September 1996 09/28/96 Page: C3-- Oasis, a program for gay and lesbianpersons,
will meet at St. James EpiscopalChurch, 7486 S. Union Park Avenue, Salt
LakeCity, Tuesday at 7 p.m. The church also will bethe site of the Blessing of
the Animals Oct. 5 atnoon in conjunction with the Feast of St. Francisof
Assisi. All are welcome to bring their pets tobe blessed, but all animals
should be on a leash,in a cage or container or otherwise controlled. MISCELLANEOUS Wasatch Affirmation is sponsoring a missionreunion
for Gay and Lesbian Mormonsand former Mormons Friday at 7:30 p.m. at theSalt
Lake Holiday Inn, 999 S. Main, Salt LakeCity. A $10 donation is requested.
Activitiesinclude a ``Gay Mormon Roadshow,'' a lightbuffet, and and remarks by
historian D. MichaelQuinn, who will discuss his most recent book,Same-Sex
Dynamics among Nineteenth-CenturyAmericans: A Mormon Example. In addition,
afireside will be held Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. at 823 S.600 East, Salt Lake City.
Speaker will be EdwinFirmage, a University of Utah law professor,who will talk
about his personal journey toward gay
rights advocacy. Refreshments will beserved.
28
September 1996 09/28/96Page: B3Byline: BY ROBERT BRYSON THE SALTLAKE
TRIBUNE Camille Lee shuffled pamphlets
and books at abooth in the Salt Palace Convention Hall,located near vendors of
wireless services,Mormon scriptures on video, and visualdisplays. But Lee is offering something at the
UtahEducation Association convention that cannot bebought: respect. ``Walk the halls of Utah schools and
theput-down of choice is `fag,' '' says Lee, ateacher at Salt Lake City's East
High andmember of the Gay, Lesbian & StraightTeachers Network. This is the organization's first appearance
atthe teachers' union annual convention. It will notbe the last, vows Lee, a
lesbian. ``We need to be here,'' she
says, ``becauserespect for all is part of safe schools,'' theconvention's
theme. By and large, she says, the
response has beenbeen positive. ``One
woman stopped at the booth and saidshe was uncomfortable, but has gay and lesbian students. She wondered if we
hadanything to help them,'' Lee says. ``Thisinformation needs to be out
there.'' The network has some 75
members on itsmailing list, she notes, including many who arestraight. The group sponsored a screening of the
video:``It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issuesin School,'' which drew a full
house. Earlier thisonth, only three of 104 legislators found thetime to attend
a private screening at the StateCapitol of the film by Academy Award
winningfilmmaker Debra Chasnoff. The
video explores how experienced teachersaddress lesbian and gay issues. The film
isnow on a 30-city national tour, but will not beshown in Utah schools. In Utah, the issue of gays and lesbians
inpublic schools came to a head last spring. TheSalt Lake City School Board,
faced with aproposal to let East High students form a gay-lesbian alliance, decided to ban
allschool clubs unrelated to academic coursesrather than allow the alliance to
be formed. Lee says gay and lesbian
teachers weremotivated to form the network by the courage ofthe high school
students -- gay and straight --who marched to the Capitol and filled
schoolboard meetings in support of the alliance. ``Some claimed it was the opposite,''
saysLee, referring to claims by some Utahns that thestudents were pushed into
the fray by olderhomosexuals with an agenda. ``But it has beenthe kids.'' The
Gay, Lesbian & Straight TeachersNetwork is involved in a number of
activities.One is a back-to-school project in which gayand lesbian high school
graduates are askedto write of their classroom experiences. ``We want to record these. And we want
totalk to different groups,'' Lee says. ``We are notpromoting sexuality, and
the organization hasnothing to do with sexual activity, but respectand teaching
kids how to live.''
29
September 1996 09/29/96Page: D2Keywords: Performing Arts, Dance, Obituary Paul M. Callihan, FormerRirieWoodbury Dancer,
Diesat 41 Paul M. Callihan, a former
dancer andadministrator with the Ririe-Woodbury DanceCompany, died Sept. 21 in
Salt Lake City aftera long illness. He was 41.
Callihan, a native of Edmond, Okla.,graduated in biology from Oklahoma's
CentralState University. He received his master's of finearts in modern dance
at the University of Utah in1989. There, he was a member of PerformingDance
Company and was the recipient of theDee R. Winterson Award and the
OrchesisPerforming Award. After
graduation, Callihan joined theRirie-Woodbury Dance Company, of which hewas a
member for five years. ``Paul was atalented dancer with a wonderful
musicality,''said co-artistic director Joan Woodbury. ``Hewas a cornerstone of
the company. He had abeautiful grasp of the quality of each of
thedances.'' After his retirement from
the stage, Callihan became part of the
company's adminstrativestaff. He worked as director of education untilearlier
this year. ``I never heard a negative
comment about Paul. Nor did I ever hear
any kind ofcriticism coming from him,'' said Woodbury.``He lived his life based
on a sense of love.'' He is survived by
his parents and a brother. In
Callihan's memory, donations may be madein his name to the Utah Arts Council or
afavorite charity.
29
September 1996 09/29/96 Page: B1For the first time, state judges facing
retentionelections have received unsatisfactory gradesfrom the attorneys asked
to evaluate theirperformance. Third
District Judges David S. Young, 53, andHomer F. Wilkinson, 70, received scores
ofunder 70% on questions in a surveycommissioned by the Utah Judicial
Council. The 70% standard is set by
state law. To becertified for retention, a trial judge must receivethat minimum
score on at least 75% of 13questions. Appellate judges face 12 questions. Young and Wilkinson met the overall
standardand were approved to stand for retention Nov.5. The ballot will ask
voters whether to keep sixappellate and 33 district and juvenile judges. But Wilkinson's legal knowledge was
foundwanting by attorneys, according to resultsreleased by the Administrative
Office of theCourts. The results will be provided to the publicin the Utah
Voter Information Pamphlet nowbeing distributed. A judge since 1979, Wilkinson
receivedunsatisfactory scores when lawyers were askedto consider three
criteria: whether the judgeapplies the law to the facts of the case,
clearlyexplains the basis of oral decisions, and writesdecisions in a clear and
coherent manner. Young, appointed in
1987, received asubstandard rating on one measure ofperformance: ``Weighs all
evidence fairly andimpartially before rendering a decision.'' Since 1994, the National Organization
forWomen and the Gay and Lesbian Utah
Democrats have criticized Young as biased.Both groups have pledged to
campaign againsthis retention. Utah
judges run unopposed, and voters areasked only if a jurist should continue to
serve. The judicial council has used
the attorneysurvey since at least the 1990 election to helpgauge whether a
judge should be certified tostand for retention, said Michael Phillips, adeputy
court administrator. Attorneys evaluate
all judges in some detail.But the council releases only generalized results,on
only 12 or 13 questions, and only for judgeswho have completed a term and are
standing forelection. Exact scores are
kept secret -- voters are toldonly whether or not the judge received morethan
70% satisfactory responses. To provide
taxpayers more information abouttheir judges, The Salt Lake Tribune
iscompleting its own statewide survey, which askslawyers to evaluate federal
and state judges.Results will be published in October. In the past, state judges who were not
facingretention elections have received unsatisfactoryscores on the
court-sponsored survey, Phillipssaid. But those scores were not made public.
Alljudges who have been up for election havereceived satisfactory rankings
across the board,Phillips said. Under a
law approved by the 1996Legislature, more information will be releasedabout how
a judge scored. Scores will bereleased in 5% increments: For example,
voterscould be told a judge received 70%, 75%, 80%,85%, 90%, 95% or 100%
satisfactory scores --instead of simply above the 70% standard. Wilkinson, a former assistant attorney
general,was elected to five terms in the UtahLegislature as a Republican
between 1966 and1976. He was elected to the bench in 1979when judge candidates
still faced traditionalelections.
Young was appointed to the bench in 1987 bythen-Gov. Norm Bangerter. He
worked inseveral law firms and also is a former chiefassistant attorney
general. He was the originaldirector of the Statewide Association
ofProsecutors.
30
September 1996 09/30/96 Page: D2 SEX
INMATE CRIMES Armed robber Penisimani
``Ben'' Po'uha, 19, is doing prison time for forcing one of his victims to
perform oral sex on him during a Salt Lake County crime spree in March. While
awaiting trial, he forced a fellow inmate to commit a similar act at the Salt
Lake County Jail, according to new charges filed Friday in 3rd
District Court. Po'uha and John Rory Gonzales, 34, allegedly assaulted the
32-year-old inmate on July 3 by jabbing a pencil into the man's throat and
forcing him to commit oral sex on each of them, sodomy charges allege. The
attack occurred the day after the victim was jailed for violating the probation
he was granted on a drug conviction. He since has been sent to Utah State Prison. Gonzales is awaiting
anOct. 28 sentencing for a drug conviction.
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