Winter First Quarter Journal 1996 January - March

 

January 1996- The Board of  Directors for the Utah Stonewall Center are Chair Nikki Boyer, Julie Brizzee, Jimmy Miller, Stan Penman, Val Mansfield, Hank Hannah, Ben Williams and Kim Russo

 

1 January 1996  AIDS DEATHS  Randy Dean Readicker, age 37, died peacefully at home January 1, 1996, due to complications from AIDS. He was born April 9, 1958 to Carl and June Readicker. We will all miss his strength and courage. Randy will be remembered for his love of people. Randy's passionate love for his animals and cars will not be forgotten. Preceded in death by his parents, grandparents and many friends. Survived by Kelly O'Keefe, brother, Carl J.  Readicker, sister-in-law, Judy; nieces, Stacie and Lisa; nephew, Brad, all of Salt Lake City. A heartfelt thanks to all who cared for Randy. Graveside services at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Jan. 4, 1996 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to Utah  (01/03/96 SLC Tribune Page: D4 )

 

7 January 1996- TOPIC-AIDS DEATHS- Les Stewart  My picture on this page means that I have finally died. After at least one previous brush with the Grim Reaper, AIDS did the trick, as I have always known it would. This was no "valiant battle." I hated the whole thing. I was born long ago on 23, October 1945, and grew up in Springville, Utah. I am preceded in death by 170,000 people in this nation who have died of AIDS, many of them brave and resilient souls, who have fought against impossible medical and numbing social odds. In a strange way, I am proud to be numbered among such incredible people. I am survived Josh, my dog, and a large extended family. My best legacy survives me: three amazing children, Jon, Sara, and Zach, who have been the joys of my life. They have turned out very well. Each, in their own respect are people I admire and treasure, a credit to themselves, they will make the world a better place.   I am also survived by a number of dear friends: people I have looked up to and admired and been blessed by having the affection returned. They have truly been family, too. I thank by business associates, throughout the west and across the nation, lasting and important relationships for many years going. Much gratitude goes to Dr. Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder, PA. They are smart, competent and caring. If you have to do the AIDS thing, you want to do it with these two. If I could afford it, I would name you all. I hope that I have done a decent job in conveying how I have liked and loved you for your friendship and support through my difficulties without seeing it in print. In addition, I will miss: Cooking for friends, watching the garden wake up in the spring, talking (too much!), dirty jokes, the beauty of nature around me, great music, fixing things, building things, and planting things.    Please skip the flowers. Lovely as they are, in a few days, they will be as dead as I am. Instead send more than you might have spent on flowers to the Utah AIDS Foundation, 1408 So. 1100 East, S.L.C., Utah 84105. There are still many (too, too many) behind me. The dollars will be put to good use. Besides, it's a write off.

 

7 January 1996 TOPIC-AIDS DEATHS-  David Earl Gregg Our wonderful loving son, brother, uncle and friend, David Earl Gregg, age 38, died peacefully at home January 7, 1996 surrounded by his family and friends after a courageous and stubborn fight against HIV. David was born January 25, 1957 in Salt Lake City. He was a very talented artist who worked within the art field and his paintings and drawings are enjoyed by many. David had a great love for all animals, especially his two babies, Buffy and Buck. He was known for his keen sense of humor, wit and generous nature. David is loved and remembered by his parents, Joann Barton and Roy Zerull, sister, Leslie Bemis, her husband, Lory Bemis, brother, Michael Willard Gregg; five nephews, Jason and Chris Bemis, Darin, David and Nathan Gregg; two nieces, Amy Gregg, Melanie Bemis Miller, her husband, Alma Miller. Preceded in death by two sisters, Shelley and Heidi, grandparents and many loving friends.  Special thanks to Dr. Kristen Reis, Maggie Snyder, Alice Foy, Karen Watanabe and Alma Miller for their special love and care. Viewing will be held at Deseret Mortuary, 36 East 700 South, Wednesday, January 10, 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services conducted Thursday, January 11, 12 noon, at Rose Park North Stake, 1200 West 1155 North, South Chapel. Friends and family are also invited to a celebration of David's life Thursday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at the home of Dale Barton and Lindsay Lewis, 1645 E. Wasatch Circle (1300 So.) Interment: Holladay Memorial Park.

 

13 January 1996 TOPIC MORMON HOMOPHOBIA-Screaming Eagle Years ago, I remember that The Tribune regularly quoted noted anti Mormons Sandra and Gerald Tanner whenever the Mormon Church was being controversial.  This practice seems to have stopped, I suppose, because Tribune editors finally decided that it is just not good journalism having convoluted views in every story. And today no responsible journalist would consider contacting members of the Aryan Nation to hear their white supremacist views while covering a story about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Yet I find it interesting that The Tribune still somehow thinks it is being balanced by quoting the opponents of the gay and lesbian civil rights movement in Utah whenever they make news. I don't understand this practice of including an obligatory token quote from Gayle Ruzicka of the Utah Eagle Forum whenever reporting on gay and lesbian issues. Why is this? What credentials does this woman have, besides being a self-appointed proponent of the far right's political agenda, which is to legislate prejudice, disguised as morality, into public policy? Is she a social worker, psychiatrist or professor of sociology? The Tribune seems to have elevated this woman to an undeserved position of official critic of social progress in Utah. Why is her opinion valued any more than that of any other housewife in Utah? Please, quit giving Ruzicka free rein to espouse her political agenda in articles about the gays and lesbians of Utah. If you feel she must be heard, then give her a column on the opinion page, or let her write letters to the editor like any other citizen. If The Tribune continues to follow the practice of soliciting quotes about gay issues from the radical right, then it would seem only fair that when they begin to lobby the state Legislature this session,  that David Nelson of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats or Renee Rinaldi of the Utah Stonewall Center also be contacted and quoted as counterpoints to the Eagle Forum's hate-mongering  BEN WILLIAMS  Salt Lake City (01/13/96 Page: A10 SLTribune)

 

17 January  1996- TOPIC-AIDS DEATHS-  Cindy Jean Stoddard Kidd at the age of 39, I flew over the rainbow after living with AIDS for four years.  I was born in Concord, Massachusetts. My cherished occupations have been mother and wife, graphic artist .  "The more I know, the more I love."

 

20 Jan 1996 SAME SEX MARRIAGE MORMON HOMOPHOBIA LYNN WARDLE (01/20/96 SLTribune Page: B3)    On one side was Evan Wolfson, the New York attorney who is leading the Hawaii court battle to give gays and lesbians the right to marry. In his suit lapel was a pink triangle button denoting gay pride.  To his left sat Lynn Wardle, the conservative law professor from Brigham Young University who helped write the same-sex marriage ban that the Legislature passed last year.    About the only thing the two men have in common is that they each hold a law degree. But Thursday evening, these ideological opposites faced off at the University of Utah College of Law in a 90-minute debate over gay marriage. More than 100 people attended the debate, which swerved from writings of Thomas Jefferson to the lifestyle of polygamists.    As Wardle sees it, same-sex marriage is not in society's interest and does not reflect the values of most Americans. The institution of marriage is unique bond between a man and woman. Allowing homosexuals to get married only opens the door for other aberrant unions.    ``How do you [reject] incest or the man who says, `I want to marry my sister?' '' Wardle said. ``Or polygamist relationships or child marriages?''     Wolfson compared the worries about gay marriage to the warnings years ago about the perils of interracial marriage, like this admonition from Brigham Young: ``If the white man, who belongs to the chosen seed, mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty under the law of God is death on the spot.''    Added Wolfson, who directs The Marriage Project for the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, Inc.: ``The elements of prejudice and the classic charges that go into dehumanization of any group are always the same, whether targeting Jews or heretics or women or Muslims or Irish or Asians or African-Americans or Mormons.''    No state allows homosexuals to marry. But an extended court battle in Hawaii has pushed the issue into the international spotlight. The Economist highlights the debate in a cover story this month, and the TV news show, Dateline, filmed the U. debate for an upcoming show.    During the years, gay activists have won some concessions. Some churches perform ``commitment ceremonies.'' Large corporations such as Apple, Microsoft and Time Warner offer gay partners the same benefits afforded husbands and wives. Some newspapers, including The Salt Lake Tribune, run announcements of gay unions.    But none of this is marriage. And Wolfson maintains all Americans have the fundamental right to marry the person they love. Furthermore, they should be allowed the same governmental privileges afforded married spouses -- from joint tax returns to next-of-kin legal status.    Moderator Terry Kogan, a U. law professor, asked, if the institution of marriage is fundamentally aimed at procreation, why should gays and lesbians be allowed to marry?    Wolfson answered that many straight couples do not, cannot or choose not to have children. Furthermore, thousands of homosexual couples are parents.    Wardle countered that heterosexual married couples are the ideal parents for children and government has an obligation to promote that arrangement. ``Children suffer most when there are created alternative relationships to marriage that adults pursue for their own adult self-gratification,'' he said.    Because any discussion of the issue always comes down to sexual practices, sodomy, a practice that is illegal in Utah, was discussed.    Wolfson called government sodomy laws hypocritical. Most straight couples practice anal or oral sex, he said, but only homosexuals are prosecuted for it.    ``We all know that 90% at least do indeed engage in or aspire to the very acts covered  by the laws,'' he said.    Responded Wardle: ``I don't know how to respond here. I just am not an expert on these

sexual practices.''    Wolfson, co-counsel in the Hawaii court case, Baehr vs. Lewin, is confident he will prevail. Eventually, thousands of gays across the country will fly to Hawaii and return home demanding to be recognized as legal partners, he said.    In a law forum Friday, Wolfson predicted   Utah taxpayers will spend thousands of dollars defending the law that Utah lawmakers passed without debate in 1995.  The law prohibits same-sex marriages in Utah and refuses to recognize such unions made in other states.

 

   30 January 1996-Tuesday- TOPIC-MORMON HOMOPHOBIA- In a secret, illegal meeting on Capitol Hill,  conservative (Mormon) members of the Utah Senate confronted the state's top public- and higher-education officials with accusations that Utah schools are undermining family values and promoting homosexual acts.

 

February 1996- TOPIC-METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH- Metropolitan Community Church of Ogden started at 210 West 22^nd South in Ogden

 

1 February 1996 TOPIC-ANTI-GAY POLTICS Utah Senators Hold Secret Anti-Gay Meet State Schools Come Under Fire at Illegal Gathering Utah Senators Hold Secret Anti-Gay In a secret, illegal meeting Tuesday on Capitol Hill, conservative members of the Utah Senate confronted the state's top public- and higher-education officials with accusations that Utah schools are undermining family values and promoting homosexual acts. Sens. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper; Charles Stewart, R-Provo; and Senate Majority Whip Leonard Blackham, R-Moroni, were among those leveling such claims in a face-to-face meeting with Cecelia Foxley, state commissioner of higher education, and Scott Bean, state superintendent of public instruction, according to several sources who attended the closed-door Senate caucus on Capitol Hill. At one point in the 90-minute session, Stephenson produced a box of children's picture books, including one titled, Heather Has Two Mommies, about a lesbian couple and their daughter. He complained the books are in circulation in Utah elementary grades -- an assertion a leading Utah school-text expert later said was unlikely. Several sources at the meeting said Stephenson also claimed teachers were instructing students to have anal intercourse. Also discussed was a controversial gay and lesbian students' club organized at East High School in Salt Lake City, with Stewart threatening to close down all the school's clubs rather than let the gay and lesbian group's activities continue. He then showed colleagues an anti-homosexual video, produced by supporters of a failed Oregon initiative to restrict special rights for gay residents there. The meeting violates the Utah Open Meetings Act. No minutes were recorded, nor was a vote taken in public on whether the meeting should be closed, though both are required by state law. Few are talking about the event. Blackham said he could not discuss the meeting, as did others in attendance, including Foxley, Gov. Mike Leavitt's attorney Robin Riggs and representatives of Utah Atty. Gen Jan Graham. Bean could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Senate President Lane Beattie, R-West Bountiful, confirmed the subject of the closed-door discussion, saying only that he had organized the gathering in response to ``concerns that have been raised. ``It was to educate members of the caucus and possibly prevent some legal situations from occurring that we don't want to occur,'' he said. Beattie would not elaborate, but apologized, as the meeting's presiding officer, for breaking open-meetings laws by not keeping minutes of the meeting and not voting to close it. He and Senate Majority Leader Craig Peterson, R-Orem, steadfastly defended their reasons for excluding the public, claiming the meeting dealt with ``potentially pending litigation'' and therefore was allowed to be closed under state law. Moments before the meeting began, Peterson said in an announcement on the Senate floor that the topic would be state handling of the state's Uniform School Fund, a fund devoted to public education. That changed once doors swung shut. ``There were no votes, straws polls or caucus positions taken, nor representations of any such positions,'' Peterson said Wednesday. He described it as ``a very sensitive discussion.''  After it was over, the 20 or so meeting participants, including members of both political parties, were sworn to secrecy. Information on the discussion has trickled out privately from Democrats and moderate Republicans upset about what transpired. ``It was the worst experience I've ever had in my time with the Legislature,'' said a Capitol Hill veteran and meeting participant, who requested anonymity, fearing retaliation from Senate leaders. ``We were fooled into it,'' said another. Peterson said he was disappointed with members who have spoken out about the meeting: ``If they had felt uncomfortable, they could have expressed that at the time.'' Stephenson and Stewart refused comment, though Stewart said, ``It is common knowledge that there is an element in our society who would form a homosexual sensitivities or lifestyles club at East High School, under the guise of helping homosexual students. My concern is that it is not helping them, as much as it is promoting a homosexual lifestyle.'' Shawna Steward, instructional-materials specialist for the state Office of Education, which handles textbooks, says the book Heather Has Two Mommies never has been submitted for use in Utah schools. And before the book can be made available in school libraries, she said, it would have to be cleared by each of the state's 40 school districts. Under state open-meetings laws, official bipartisan caucuses of Senate members cannot be closed except under narrow conditions, including when the topic of discussion is pending litigation. In that case, there must be ``strong indications'' that a court action is imminent, according to a top media-law attorney.  ``These laws are not on the books so they can talk about these issues behind closed doors, but to give them an opportunity to discuss strategy with their attorneys,'' said Jeff Hunt, a Salt-Lake based lawyer for the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. ``Too often,'' Hunt said, ``it's used to close discussion of political hot potatoes that officials don't want to talk about in public.'' Stewart acknowledged he knew of no such pending litigation. Others, again, declined comment. Even if such litigation is imminent, by law the meeting closure required a vote conducted in public and support from two-thirds of those in attendance. Detailed minutes or a tape recording then should have been taken of the proceedings. None of these actions occurred, Peterson said. ``We just made a mistake,'' he said. ``There was no grand collusion. You have to remember, we're lay legislators.''  Stephenson and Stewart were key players in a meeting in October between several Utah County legislators and University of Utah President Arthur K. Smith. The subject of that closed-door session: Alleged anti-Mormonism on campus.  Some legislators claimed that several U. activities and instruction conflict with the beliefs of Utah's predominant religion, particularly, they said, in the Graduate School of Social Work and the department of philosophy. And two weeks ago, Stewart told fellow senators he was concerned some of the state's higher-education institutions were teaching ``counterculture values.'' He singled out the U.'s sociology department as espousing ``the destruction of the nuclear family.''    U. officials have denied such claims. : (02/01/96 Page: A1 SLTribune)

  

2 February 1996 TOPIC ANTI-GAY POLITICS- Anti-Gay Meet: Secret's Out, Anger Sets In Unlike the Senate's Anti-Gay Meeting, The Anger of Critics Is No Secret Criticism rained down Thursday over a secret Utah Senate meeting that saw conservative lawmakers accuse top education officials of spurning family values and promoting homosexuality in Utah schools. Two groups, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD), threatened legal action over Tuesday's closed-door confrontation on Capitol Hill, held in violation of state open-meetings laws. ACLU attorneys demanded a full list of meeting participants and a record of what was said, promising ``vigorous action,'' including a lawsuit, if they were not produced. They and leaders from a wide range of human-rights and gay-advocacy groups denounced participating senators for what one called ``outrageous gay baiting.'' ``They should be embarrassed at their shameless acts of gross misconduct and prejudice,'' said GLUD founder David Nelson. House Democrats voted to send a letter of condemnation to Senate President Lane Beattie, R-West Bountiful, about the 90-minute session -- only to back down later after meeting with their Senate counterparts, many of whom attended the meeting as well.  ``There are shades of Nazism and the ultimate in terms of back-room conspiracy going on,'' said Assistant Minority Whip Grant Protzman, D-North Ogden. After announcing Tuesday the bipartisan caucus would be devoted to a mundane budget matter, Senate leaders closed the doors on the meeting with Cecelia Foxley, state commissioner of higher education; Scott Bean, state superintendent of public instruction; and others The real topic: Proposals for banning a newly formed gay and lesbian student group at East High School in Salt Lake City. Senators said later their legal reason for excluding the public was to discuss ``pending litigation'' --  apparently expecting a court challenge to any law they might pass to shut down the club. Once doors swung closed Tuesday afternoon, Sens. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, and Charles Stewart, R-Provo, launched an anti-homosexual diatribe and a stream of accusations that left many in the room stunned. It was unclear Thursday whether senators still were considering a move to close the East High club. The Utah Attorney General's Office has concluded the club has a right to exist under federal laws guaranteeing all social groups equal access to school facilities. When the meeting came to light Thursday, the Senate's GOP leadership was besieged by news-media inquiries and calls from the public. By mid afternoon, Beattie had apologized for ``procedural mistakes'' in how the meeting was closed, but still defended the reasons for holding it outside the public view. ``Closing that caucus still was proper and correct,'' he said. The Senate president also denied claims of intolerance leveled at senators from several corners. ``There are many of us who disagree with their lifestyle,'' he said of gays and lesbians. ``That doesn't mean we look down on them. But I don't want their lifestyle taught to my children in our schools, and neither do my neighbors.'' Others defended the gathering, which broke key portions of the Utah Open Meetings Act. ``It wasn't a secret meeting. It was a closed meeting,''  Senate Assistant Majority Whip Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, insisted Thursday.  When asked the difference, he said, ``a secret meeting is one that nobody knows about.'' The gathering came to light only when Democrats and moderate Republicans privately shared details, fearful that speaking out publicly might draw retaliation from the powerful GOP Senate leadership. As Senate Majority Leader Leonard Blackham, R-Moroni, presided Tuesday, Stephenson confronted Bean with what he said were teacher-instruction materials detailing how information on various sexual behaviors should to be taught to Utah grade-school students.  Stewart threatened to end all school social clubs statewide rather than let East High's Gay-Straight Student Alliance continue to meet. He then showed caucus members an anti-homosexual video produced by supporters of an unsuccessful Oregon initiative to restrict gay rights. Before returning to the Senate floor 20 minutes late, those in attendance were sworn to keep what transpired confidential. Under the Utah Open Meetings Act, bipartisan Senate caucuses can be closed only in a few circumstances, including for the purpose of discussing legal strategy when litigation is imminent. Even then, meeting closures require a vote conducted in public and support from two-thirds of those in attendance. Detailed minutes or a tape recording then must be taken of the proceedings. Beattie said Senate leaders were ``embarrassed'' about forgetting to take those steps. He urged senators to be more vigilant in the future. Though still tight-lipped Thursday, Stephenson acknowledged obtaining some of the materials used during the meeting from members of the archconservative Christian (Mormon) group, Utah Eagle Forum. Among the materials Stephenson brought to the meeting were gay-theme children's books, including one titled, Heather Has Two Mommies, about a lesbian couple and their daughter. School officials have denied the book ever has been cleared for circulation in the Utah school system. Stephenson also produced teacher-training materials issued by the state Office of Education. He says the guidelines show how to instruct elementary students about sexual practices. Stephenson claimed Thursday he had confirmed the source of the materials was Bean's office, a claim Bean apparently denied in the meeting. ``I still haven't heard an apology from him for calling me a liar,'' said Stephenson, who also heads the business-backed  Utah Taxpayers Association. Bean, while sticking to the vow of confidentiality, said Thursday Stephenson still had not proved anything. ``I don't care what he says he's confirmed, and frankly I don't care,'' the superintendent said. Lily Eskelsen, president of the Utah Education Association that represents 85 percent of the state's public-school teachers, said she was appalled at claims made at the meeting by Stewart and Stephenson. She said they had a hidden agenda of derailing record increases in school spending this year.  ``They will sink to any depths to erode confidence in public education,'' she said. Meeting Thursday in an open caucus, House Democrats denounced the Senate meeting, which had left the hallways of Capitol Hill buzzing for most of the day. Minority members discussed the possibility of calling for an ethics investigation, but abandoned the idea.  Beattie dismissed Democratic complaints as sheer politics. ``It's small-minded, small purpose and a cheap shot,'' he said. (2/02/96 Page: A1 SLTribune)

 

2 February 1996 Friday, GAY STUDENT CLUBS ANTI GAY POLITICS 44% FAVOR ALLOWING GAY-LESBIAN CLUB IN SCHOOL  Rather than ban all extracurricular school clubs, more Utahns believe gay and lesbian student clubs should be allowed in Utah public schools. In a poll of 604 Utahns, 44 percent said gay and lesbian clubs should probably or definitely be allowed to meet. Twenty-five percent said all clubs should probably or definitely be banned rather than allow the homosexual organization to form on campus. However, pollster Dan Jones said 31 percent of the respondents either had no opinion or believed the state should pursue other options. Some respondents said they were opposed to gay and lesbian student groups meeting on school campuses. Yet they feared banning those clubs would unnecessarily impugn other student clubs. "Even though I'm against gay clubs, it would be punishing other clubs," said one respondent. Said another, "Why can't they disallow them? They wouldn't allow gangs or marijuana users to form a club or meet there, would they? This is a serious moral issue. Leaders need to determine what kinds of clubs are allowed to be recognized." State Superintendent Scott Bean said the poll results indicate Utahns are generally supportive of school clubs yet want more local control over the types of organizations allowed to meet in public schools. "I think that just verifies the concern we've had all along. The concern is with the federal law and the control school districts should be able to exercise over all clubs. We feel school districts should have total control over high school club formation. The results of that particular question seem to verify that," Bean said. Among respondents who claimed to be very conservative, 35 percent supported banning all clubs. Yet, 26 percent said the clubs should probably or definitely be allowed. The issue stems from a student request to form a gay and lesbian student group at East High School. The issue has been debated by the Utah State Board of Education and Utah Legislature. The Salt Lake school board is studying the issue and has instructed its attorney to write policies that in effect would treat all clubs equally, regardless of their controversial nature, or ban all clubs not tied to class work. The board will address the issue at its next meeting Tuesday night. Meanwhile, additional information has come to light as to the nature of Tuesday's closed-door meeting in which state senators discussed ways to keep gay and lesbian clubs from organizing at public schools. According to one Republican who participated in the meeting, the first 20 minutes of the meeting were spent discussing litigation strategy with a representative of the Utah Attorney General's Office - something that lawmakers can legally discuss in secret under Utah's open meetings laws.

After that, Sens. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, and Charles Stewart, R-Provo, took over the meeting, leveling accusations against Bean and commissioner of higher education Cecelia Foxley.” Scott got drilled and Cecelia got drilled, and it was all coming from Howard and Chuck," the source said. "No one else was asking questions at that point. Once Chuck Stewart got started, it went way beyond discussing legal strategies. He was only interested in eradicating homosexuality.” Among the allegations leveled by Stephenson and Stewart was that teachers' in-service training related to homosexuality was too explicit. Stephenson held up a green booklet he said was being given to teachers to train them on how to deal with homosexual students. Bean told lawmakers it did not come from his office and angrily asked Stephenson to retract.” He took personal offense" the Republican participant said. "And he vociferously rebutted allegations that teachers advocated homosexuality in the classroom.” Stephenson, who said he obtained the document from Gayle Ruzicka of the Utah Eagle Forum, said Thursday that he had confirmed the text indeed came from the state Office of Education. Utah Education Association president Lily Eskelsen said Stephenson's comments reveal an agenda to take away from the excitement of an optimistic public education budget, charging that he skewed the discussion Tuesday to criticize public education. "He is trying to systematically discredit public schools," she said. The Tuesday caucus was called partly to discuss state funding of public education, she said. "And what did they talk about? A homosexual agenda.” Stephenson defended his actions Thursday and demanded an apology from Bean. "I just wanted to clear my name,” Stephenson told fellow senators. "I haven't heard an apology for him basically calling me a liar.” Foxley was called to the meeting to answer allegations that at least one University of Utah professor is openly teaching homosexuality in a sociology class entitled "Gender Equity.” “There was apparently some reference to homosexuality (in the course description) and Chuck made the leap that the professor was advocating homosexuality. But no, there was not a lot of substance to back up those allegations.” Stewart also challenged Foxley concerning a symposium held several years ago at the University of Utah by an organization not affiliated with the U. Among the symposium topics was a seminar on gay rights.” People are saying that senators were using the closed meeting for gay bashing," the Republican said. "But that's not true. It was Charles Stewart doing the gay bashing. It was very clear he wanted to eradicate homosexuality.” Before Stephenson and Stewart launched their diatribes against public and higher education, the meeting was focusedexclusively on three different legal strategies. "There were no derogatory references to homosexuals, but obviously thesentiment was that we did not want the (East High School gay and lesbian) club to exist and we wanted to know what ouroptions were," the Republican said.The first option available to lawmakers is to challenge in court the federal law that mandates that all school clubs be grantedequal access to school facilities regardless of what those clubs advocate. Other states have challenged the law and have allfailed.Lawmakers were told that a Utah lawsuit on the matter would probably also fail. The U.S. Supreme Court has made it clear that states and school boards cannot regulate what is discussed in these extracurricular clubs.Lawmakers questioned whether a ban on clubs advocating illegal acts - and sodomy is still illegal under Utah law - would holdup. They were told that any group that practiced something illegal could be banned, but that students meeting together todiscuss the political issues of homosexuality and gay rights was protected under federal law."Anyone can organize to talk about whatever they want to," the Republican said. "Just because an idea is politically unpopulardoes not make it illegal." A second strategy involved requiring participants in all Utah clubs to obtain signed permission slips from their parents. Thatapproach would not ban gay and lesbian clubs from organizing, but it might discourage some students from joining.The third strategy - one that is being seriously contemplated - is to ban all extracurricular clubs at Utah's public schools. Sucha ban would probably be legal because the gay and lesbian club would be treated no differently than the chess club, the rodeoclub or any of the hundreds of other clubs that now exist. Such a ban would affect thousands of Utah schoolchildren. Senate Minority Leader Scott Howell, who attended the closed-door meeting but is opposed to banning social clubs, said theprevailing feeling among Senate Republicans is that they will do whatever is necessary to stop gay and lesbian clubs fromorganizing at public schools. If an outright ban is the only feasible option, then so be it.ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONFederal law and the U.S. Supreme Court rulings say if a school district allows student clubs to use schools all such clubs mustbe allowed to use schools. Some East High School Students want to form a gay lesbian club and meet in the school. This hascaused some negative reaction from district parents. Considering the law and court decisions should all clubs be banned fromlocal school or schould the gay and lesbian club be allowed to meet at East High School?Definitely ban all clubs 15%Probably ban all clubs 10%Probably allow gay and lesbian clubs 21%Definitely allow gay and lesbian clubs 23%Other 18%Don't know 13%Poll conducted Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 1996, of 604 residents. Margin of error +/-4%. Survey conducted by Dan Jones &Associates. ((02/08/96 D8, 9 Deseret News)

 

Saturday, February 3, 1996 SEX CRIMES With little discussion, a Utah House committee unanimously endorsed a pair of bills that would restructure sentencing forconvicted sex offenders.The bills are part of a package aimed at dealing with an increasing number of sex offenders in the Utah prison system.Sen. Lyle Hillyard's bill, which would do away with controversial minimum-mandatory sentences for sex offenders, alreadyhas cleared the Senate and passed the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday.The measure also would give judges and the Board of Pardons and Parole more leeway in dealing with child sex offenders.The second bill, sponsored by Rep. John Valentine, R-Orem, would require lifetime parole for sex offenders convicted offirst-degree felonies. Valentine said the crimes would include child kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, rape, sodomy andforcible sexual abuse.Hillyard's bill would mandate prison for the most heinous sex offenses and murder, but provides circumstances under whichthose inmates could be released before serving minimum sentences of six-, 10- or 15-years-to-life. (Deseret News Publishing Co)

  

6 February 1996 TOPIC-GAY STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS- David Nelson remembers his senior year well, even though he only attended about one week. It was 1979 and being gay at Salt Lake City's Skyline High School was too much. ``There was harassment, students avoiding me. The administration didn't have the tools to deal with it,'' he said. If there had been a club to join, he would have. Nelson ended up taking the high school equivalency test and going on to college. Now he is director of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, the group poised to file a lawsuit if students at East High are not allowed to form the East High Gay-Straight Student Alliance. Doug Bates, attorney for the state Office of Education, said students at West and Highland high schools also want permission to form such clubs. ``The more fuss that is made, the more exciting it becomes for kids to tweak the administration and their parents. The fastest way to get kids to wear strange clothes is to tell them they can't, '' he said. Official formation of East's club is on hold until the Salt Lake City Board of Education meets tonight to discuss the request. The board will consider two options. One would allow students to form and organize groups that are not related to school curriculum, like chess clubs or Highland High's nationally ranked rugby club. The other would allow only groups related to the curriculum, like science clubs. In 1984, Congress passed the Equal Access Act to address the belief that public schools discriminated against religious speech. The act had the support of several conservative and religious groups, which were pressing for Bible and Christian clubs to be allowed in schools. When Congress opened the door to religious groups, it opened it for other groups as well. The act states any school that receives federal funds, and also allows non-curricular clubs, may not deny students equal access to on-campus facilities on the basis of religious, political, philosophical or other content of speech When the furor over the possibility of gay and lesbian clubs arose, some Republican lawmakers threatened to ban all school clubs if the East High group continued to meet. The club has not been officially designated, and its roughly two dozen members describe themselves as an informal alliance. Lawmakers had until midnight Monday to file any new bills. However, Gayle Ruzicka of the archconservative Eagle Forum -- which has lobbied against gay clubs -- said she was aware of one or two bills that could be introduced by the deadline. Lawmakers also have the option of adding language to earlier legislation to address a particular issue. Ruzicka would not identify who would sponsor such legislation, but she did say it likely would involve ``clarifying the rights of parents and students.''  She suggested such bills could take the form of requiring parental permission for club membership, and not a wholesale ban on clubs in general. (02/06/96 Page: B1 SLTribune)

 

Wednesday, February 7, 1996 GLUD DAVID NELSON  LAWMAKERS ACCUSED OF GAY-BASHING It began a week ago as a quiet, secret meeting of Utah senators to discuss ways to legally prevent gay and lesbian students atEast High School from forming an extracurricular social club.On Tuesday, the broader issue of gay rights exploded in legislators' faces with angry accusations and protests that lawmakersuse family values as a forum for gay-bashing.Hundreds of gay rights and civil rights advocates rallied on Capitol Hill, chanting "we will not go back" and castigatingconservative lawmakers for trying to push Utah back to an age when women stayed in the kitchen, people of color stayed inthe back of buses and gays and lesbians stayed in the closet.The advocates, including the parents of many teenage homosexuals, decried what they called legislative fear-mongering thathas created an atmosphere of hate, lies and prejudice."The constitutional right to free speech should not end at the doors of East High School," said one parent of a gay student."The constitutional right of free assembly should not end at the doors of East High School." Kelli Peterson, the East High teenager who petitioned to organize the gay and lesbian club, told cheering supporters she didnot start the group to advocate homosexuality or to recruit heterosexual classmates into a homosexual lifestyle. Rather, "I started this group to end the misery and isolation of being gay in high school," she said.West High School student Rachel Bauchman, who brought suit against the Salt Lake City School District two years ago overthe singing of what she considered religious songs in the West High choir, denounced the Eagle Forum and conservativelegislators who labeled gays and lesbians as perverts."It is Eagle Forum and legislators who themselves are perverts" for bringing misunderstanding and hate into the debate overhomosexual clubs in the high schools, she said.Salt Lake City Councilwoman Deeda Seed said children should have the right to grow up in a world where hate is not a family value. "Young people have to know they have the right of freedom of speech," said Seed. "We have to defend the right ofstudents to talk about the important issues of the day." Gay rights advocates used the rally to plead for tolerance and equal treatment from a heterosexual majority. Barbara Hamilton-Holway, minister of the South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society, unveiled a valentine to legislators reading "love is justice," and she prayed for "love to triumph over hate, love to triumph over lies and love to triumph over fear." However, when the crowd booed the mention of Gayle Ruzicka of the Utah Eagle Forum, Ruzicka, who was watching the rally from a third-floor railing, shouted back "tolerance . . . what about tolerance?" Her words were swallowed by the growing chorus of boos. "It (the rally) proves my point that it is adult homosexuals behind this whole thing (gay rights controversy at East High)," she said. "It proves our point that they are using young people to go into high schools and do their recruiting for them. It ought to be a wake-up call for parents." Senate President Lane Beattie called Tuesday's protest much ado about nothing. "The information given them was in error," he said. "It (last week's secret Senate meeting) was not an anti-gay, anti-lesbian meeting. The meeting was not held to discuss issues they think we discussed." Rather than anti-gay, Beattie said, the Senate is anti-immorality. "That includes heterosexual immorality as well as homosexual immorality. We are not going to allow immorality to be taught or encouraged in our public education system. Period." That appears to be the thrust behind SB246, sponsored by Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville. The title of the bill - the bill itself has not been printed and is therefore not available for public review - states the measure would "prohibit schools from supporting illegal conduct." Given that lawmakers are already considering a $100 million tax cut, Sen. Charles Stewart, R-Provo, suggested the state might forgo a $100 million tax cut and instead thumb its nose at the federal education money the state receives (currently about $120 million a year). By not accepting the federal money, the state might ignore the federal law that prevents schools from discriminating against certain school clubs. Meanwhile, legislative Democrats and party chairman Mike Zuhl held a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning with leaders of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats to say the association of the Democratic Party with gay rights hurts the party in Utah. And some Democrats apparently suggested that the organization drop the word "Democrats" from its name - a suggestion that outraged GLUD founder Dave Nelson. "It is not just a cute name. It is a boring name, frankly," Nelson said. "But it is who we are. We are gay and lesbians and we are Democrats. The name Democrat is not theirs and Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats is our registered trademark." To underscore how strongly GLUD feels about a name change, Nelson suggested, hypothetically, that GLUD would drop the Democrat from the name if Democrats would sponsor legislation removing sodomy from Utah's criminal code. Democratic leadership is terrified of the political ramifications of that and flatly refused to tread those waters. Advocating removing the sodomy prohibitions in the law could be detrimental, said House Minority Whip Kelly Atkinson. "Hey, when was the last time anyone in this state was prosecuted under the (sodomy) law? It doesn't happen. It's like polygamy. But you aren't going to win (politically) trying to do away with" the sodomy law, said Atkinson. "We told (GLUD) that we can't let the (Utah Democratic) party be captured, or harmed, by one or two special interest groups and their specific agenda. We (the leaders) won't do that." Atkinson confirmed that a Democratic lawmaker, he declined to name the person, had opened a confidential bill file dealing with removing the prohibition on sodomy from state law. Tuesday was the last day to officially number bills, and Atkinson said that Monday night the sodomy bill file was closed. "To my knowledge, there will be no bill filed changing sodomy law," said Atkinson. Democratic leadership was also concerned over perceived threats that GLUD would campaign to unseat Democrats unsympathetic to gay causes. GLUD activists already claim responsibility for unseating former Democratic Reps. Ted Lewis and Ron Greensides. "We have our agenda, and it should not surprise them we would go after Democrats during the legislative season any more than it should surprise them if we go after a Republican," Nelson said. Democratic leaders were not amused. "When I draw the line is when their advocacy turns to threats," Atkinson said. © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

Wednesday, February 7, 1996 GAY STUDENT CLUBS DIVIDED THEY'LL STAND AND SPEAK ON CLUBS WHEN SCHOOL BOARD HOLDS PUBLIC HEARING  By Marjorie Cortez, Staff Writer  With patrons overflowing the board room, the Salt Lake City Board of Education made but one decision Tuesday night regarding requests to form student gay and lesbian groups on the district's high school campuses: to conduct a public hearing. A hearing has been set tentatively for Tuesday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The location not yet been determined, but the school district will provide to the public copies of two policy drafts prior tothe meeting. The board is considering two options - to eliminate all non-curriculum groups or to allow all such clubs as prescribed by the federal Equal Access Act and Supreme Court decisions. The board will hear 45 minutes of testimony on each option. Most school board members have indicated they would prefer to retain non-curriculum clubs and work within the law to develop restrictions that would apply to all student groups not tied to a class offered at school. Restrictions could include requiring parental permission to participate in such clubs; requiring disclosure statements from the groups; or restricting access to school media such as the student newspaper, bulletin boards or the public address system. If Tuesday's board meeting is any preview of the upcoming public hearing, the debate will be divided among people who believe the gay/lesbian groups are needed to help young people who are struggling with their sexuality, those who believe allowing the clubs is immoral and those who view the request as a legal issue. Irene Erickson, a parent of two elementary school-age sons, said although two members of her extended family are gay, she believes the homosexual lifestyles are not desirable. "If you allow a homosexual club to form now, what will be happening 10 years from now when my boys are there?" The real issue, she said, "ought to be what is best for the majority of students." Debra Burrington urged the board to allow the students to form homosexual support groups to help reduce the disproportionately high rate of suicide among gay and lesbian youths. Homosexual youthsare also more likely to drop out of school, she said. "These are not sex clubs. They're not going to sit around and talk about how to do it or what's the latest technique," she said. In the course of the debate on the issue, gays and lesbians have been likened to Nazis, animals and said to have no human qualities, Burrington said. "In a Christian society, that sounds awfully unchristian." Board member D. Kent Michie said the district should invite Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett as well as Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz to the hearing since the federal legislation has tied the district's hands in dealing with controversial clubs. Hatch was instrumental in the passage of the federal Equal Access Act, legislation brought at the behest of conservative groups that wanted to form Bible clubs in schools. The East High School Community Council has voted to allow the Gay-Straight Alliance the same privileges as other non-curricular groups. However, the council wants to require parental permission forms of all student groups not directly tied to a class offered at the school.  © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

7 February 1996: TOPIC- GAY POLITICS GLUD- Leading Utah Democrats confronted officers of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) Tuesday, demanding that the group remove the party label from its name and ease up on its lobbying in the Legislature. The private meeting in the old Senate Rules Committee room lasted two turbulent hours, growing so overheated at one point that GLUD Founder David Nelson walked out in fury. Nelson later described the meeting as being ``hauled into the woodshed.''  It was just the latest development on Utah's Capitol Hill in what appears to be a swelling tide of political hostility -- or at least frostiness -- toward homosexuals. Tuesday's confrontation, which included minority party leaders from the House and Senate, Utah Democratic Chairman Mike Zuhl and three GLUD representatives, came precisely a week after the Senate conducted a secret, illegal meeting to air accusations of homosexual-promoting activities in public schools. Last week's meeting, including Senate Republicans and Democrats, began with discussion of a gay-student club at East High School, but ranged into emotional charges that schools and universities are promoting a pro-homosexual agenda. ``They're blaming us for their inability to grapple with this issue called East High,'' said Nelson. GLUD Chairman Michael Aaron, who also attended Tuesday's meeting, said the source of friction is ``the Democratic Party has not been willing to stand up for our issues.'' Complaints of the group ranged from Democrats' failure to oppose a Republican bill last year strengthening Utah's ban on same-sex marriage to refusal by the party to sponsor legislation this year liberalizing state anti-sodomy laws. Both sides emerged from the closed-door meeting saying they were in ``negotiations'' over the continued use of ``Utah Democrats'' in the gay group's name and legislative matters. The session was not covered by the open-meetings law because no quorum of an official government body was involved. At one point, Nelson said he asked what GLUD could expect in return if it agreed to give up its name -- for which he obtained a trademark a year ago. Gay constituents want Democrats to sponsor a bill legalizing sodomy in the state. Democrats refused. House Minority Leader Frank Pignanelli, D-Salt Lake City, pointed to Republican-led efforts to curb existing gay rights, adding that now is no time to push for expanded rights. ``You have a Senate that basically wants to eradicate them,'' Pignanelli said. At the same time, Pignanelli said GLUD has threatened to campaign against him, Rep. Loretta Baca, D-Salt Lake City, and other urban Democrats if they will not cooperate on legislation. ``Right now it's a time for defense, and threatening and intimidating friends is not the best way to do that,'' Pignanelli said. ``Our concern with GLUD is GLUD. We're expressing concern with the organization. It is not an attack on gay rights or anything like that.' Last year, House Minority Whip Kelly Atkinson, D-West Jordan, angered gay groups by saying the party needed to end the perception that it was controlled by ``fringe groups'' such as gay- and  abortion-rights groups. Atkinson, who later apologized, said Tuesday that despite efforts to establish the party's independence from ``controversial issue groups,'' Democrats remain committed to human rights. ``This party stands very firmly and strongly for . . . people not being discriminated against or bashed,'' Atkinson said. ``Sometimes our message is diluted because we're the party of inclusion,'' he added. ``I'm not saying we should be the party of exclusion.'' Democratic Chairman Zuhl said the party stands firmly on its tradition of diversity.  ``I don't think anyone here is disavowing support of gays and lesbians or any group,'' Zuhl said. ``We are a party that welcomes different philosophies. We welcome people from all walks of life.'' That ``big tent'' stance has cost Democrats at times in conservative Utah, he said, especially when Republicans attempt to portray their political opponents as puppets of special-interest groups, including homosexuals.  ``It's outrageous politics,'' said Zuhl, ``but it works.'' (02/07/96 Page: A1 SLTribune) -TOPIC-GAY POLITICS- During the 1996 legislative session several leading Democratic legislators asked The Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats to change its name. The office holders said continued public activity by the group-and the use of “Democrat” in its name- was hurting their efforts to a broader political base. ( SL Tribune B4-6 Nov 1996)

 

11 February 1996 TOPIC-ANTI-GAY POLITICS- Sen. Charles Stewart says he has received hate mail over stand on gays. Physician Charles Stewart said he worked in one of the first hospital wards designed exclusively for AIDS patients. It was 1984; the hospital was in Houston. But the doctor ended up at the Utah Legislature in 1996 showing a gay-bashing video to a group of lawmakers behind closed doors. Sen. Charles Stewart, R-Provo, defends the action, but said he does regret not showing the material in an open meeting. ``My feelings about homosexual behavior are very clear. There's no in-between. I stood up for a very clear and moral issue,'' he said. Stewart said the video ``Gay Rights-Special Rights'' was left anonymously on his desk in the Senate. He took it home, watched it and decided to show at least part of it to a select group of lawmakers. He said the video illustrated the potential threat homosexuality poses to society. Stewart then declared it would be better for the state to lose millions of dollars in federal funds than to allow a group of  gay and lesbian students to meet at Salt Lake City's East High. Critics howled, and the first-term senator became the focus of already tumultuous session. Stewart, 48, said he has not enjoyed the notoriety the incident has brought him. He and his wife receive hate mail and he has become discouraged about his efforts as a legislator. But the controversy created one of the high points of his career. The morning after he appeared on a television news program to voice his opposition to homosexuality, Stewart said the entire Senate applauded him. Remembering the incident made him cry.  ``This has been a very difficult session,'' he said. ``But they gave me a round of applause for standing up for this issue. ``I dislike [gay] behavior and what it does to our society and human beings but it's been very tiring to see how I've been attacked personally,'' he said. Nevertheless, Stewart said he will run for office again. David Nelson, director of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats, is not so sure Stewart should be a lawmaker. ``He's a homophobe in the truest sense of the word. He doesn't have the sophisticated understanding to go beyond that simple fear, but meeting me is beginning to break away some of that fear.''  `` . . . There's room for him to grow and understand. He has made progress in the last week, but I don't think we'll ever see him as anything [other] than an anti-gay legislator.'' Lawmaker or physician, Stewart casts himself as a dedicated family man who wakes early to do a couple of plastic surgeries before heading to the Capitol some 45 miles from home. He doesn't stay in Salt Lake during the session because he likes to go home to his four children and wife of 15 years. Lately, he has been spending his evenings pulling the kids through the neighborhood on a sled tied to the back of his car. Stewart's political career started in junior high, when he and Senate Majority Leader Craig Peterson, R-Orem, ran for class offices at the same Ogden school. They both lost. Peterson said that when his friend of more than three decades won office, Stewart frequently stopped by for advice. ``I told him you have to kind of have a thick skin to survive. I know he takes a lot of guff because he really says what he feels,'' Peterson said. ``That isn't always mainstream.'' Peterson said although they both are Republicans, there are many times they don't agree. Stewart was raised in Ogden. His father was a pharmacist and his mother was active in the Republican Party. Growing up, Stewart played the piano, loved to sing and acted in school plays. After two years of trying to get into medical school, Stewart said, he was accepted to a school in Guadalajara, Mexico. After that, he said, he studied at George Washington University and then specialized as a plastic surgeon in Detroit and Houston. It was during his residency that he worked with AIDS patients. ``I'm not afraid of homosexuals. I've intubated them, thumped on their chests and mixed with bodily fluids the way most gay people would never dream of doing. I stayed up nights with them and I saved their lives,'' he said. That might not matter much to Utah's gays and lesbians, who have vilified him for his views. And they are not his only critics. Stewart also has alienated several educators during this year's session. After suggesting that all school clubs be banned, Stewart sponsored a bill calling for quasi private charter schools that would receive public funding. The bill was defeated, but Stewart insists it still has a place in Utah education. Critics say the idea promotes an elitist attitude. Stewart, who sends his children to a private school in Utah County, disagrees. He said giving parents a choice of where their children attend school would offer them more freedom to be involved in their children's education. ``The school system I attended doesn't exist anymore. If it did, I would send my children there,'' he said. ``I'm trying to find a mechanism by which they can get the same thing I did. ``We need to look to find ways to go back to more reverence as human beings instead of destroying values to create a new politically correct world.''(02/11/96 Page: C1 SLTribune)

 

12 February 1996 Monday, ANTI GAY OPINION SUBJECTION TO D.C. IS LAMENTABLE In an 1889 ruling against polygamy, the Supreme Court declared that behaviors that "destroy the purity" of marriage between men and women and "debase man" are crimes that "offend the common sense of mankind." In other words, in the 1890s, Washington required that Utah reject polygamy in order to garner the government's good graces. A hundred years later, federal approbation requires that Utah schools embrace sodomy. Federally prescribed condoms for kids will soon follow. Utah is celebrating its centennial anyway. In December, about 15 gay students at East High School learned there is a Santa after all when the Utah attorney general's office announced that Utah's public schools cannot ban gay student clubs as long as those schools accept federal education dollars. In January, the Supreme Court let stand a designation of nearly 7 million acres in the Northwest as protected habitat for the spotted owl. However, Mas-sa-chu-setts parents will have to look outside the court for protection for their children. The Supreme Court let stand a Massachusetts court decision that allows schools to distribute condoms to children in grades seven to 12 without parental notification or approval. Some are blaming religious conservatives for making gay clubs possible at public schools. It's true that conservatives pushed for passage of the federal Equal Access Act in 1984 to thwart the Supreme Court's Bible ban and to again allow Christian clubs access to school facilities. But it wasn't Christians who elevated the heterosexually challenged to the status of "sexual minority." We can thank our moral masters in Washington for that one; the empire is merely striking back. Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, mistakenly dubbed a "new federalist," said last fall that "the national government has alienated citizens to the point of disgust." Yet Leavitt, in his pilgrimage for federal money, is foremost among Utahns in embracing discredited abominations like Goals 2000 and the increased federal control that will come with it. Increased federal control of schools, as we have seen through the Equal Access Act, also means government-approved "acts of licentiousness" that "debase man." In a nation where the government is God, there is no separation of church and state. Instead, there is growing federal intolerance of religious allegiance that competes with statist supremacy. Sorry to rain on Utah's centennial parade, but being subject to Washington is rapidly becoming more a cause for lamentation than celebration. Michael Morris Spanish Fork  _© 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

12 February 1996 TOPIC-ANTI-GAY POLITICS- Utah Congressional Delegation Dueling Demos Begin 2nd District Quest Demos Battle Among Themselves In 1984, Utah's Democratic Party delegates had a choice between conservative Kem Gardner and liberal Wayne Owens. In 1992, it was pro-life Pat Shea vs. pro-choice Stewart Hanson. Both times party faithful veered to the left, and both times the Democrat was obliterated by a Republican in the general election. Now come Ross Anderson and Jim McConkie, the two Democrats gunning for the 2nd Congressional District seat held by Republican Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz. The Democrats have a golden opportunity in the financial scandal that has engulfed Waldholtz.  So how do they capitalize? The minority party has already lost the advantage of unity, because two candidates guarantee an internal fight. But is the 2nd District in 1996 a replay of Hanson-Shea. Or is it different? ``I don't see any comparison at this point,'' said Hanson, a supporter of Anderson. ``These are two different people. There are different issues involved. It is a different race.'' Shea, a McConkie man, agrees -- for different reasons.  ``The parallel stops at Utahns for Choice,'' said the former party chairman who believes his 1992 loss to Hanson turned on the abortion-rights group and its founder, Democratic donor Annette Cumming. ``Annette and a number of other leaders of Utahns for Choice are supporting Jim McConkie, and to me that's the critical element,'' said Shea. Four years ago, Cumming and her followers would not back Shea, although prevailing wisdom pegged him as the more mainstream candidate for the general election. This year, however, she has contributed $1,000 to the anti-abortion McConkie over the solidly pro-choice Anderson. The 24,000-member Utahns For Choice, meantime, has changed its policy and no longer endorses candidates in a primary unless an incumbent is running, said executive director Beverly Cooper. While Cooper acknowledged that Anderson is more in sync with the group, she said McConkie is palatable because he would ``support and uphold the laws of the land, including the Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade.'' McConkie, who admits he disagrees with the group over the availability of abortion, says the compromise is significant. ``I could say in this particular case I'm fortunate because I have broader backing and broader support,'' he said. ``Annette Cumming and other women asked me to enter the race and are very supportive even though I do not take a pro-choice position. They see this as an opportunity for the Democratic Party to win and see that I'm electable and recognize that a moderate Democrat is not inimical to their interest.'' Cumming was not available for comment, but McConkie indicated her decision to support him was difficult.  Too difficult, Anderson suggests.  ``Jim McConkie had the support of many people when he was the only candidate. Now that I'm in the race it's a completely different ball game. Some of the people whose names he has so freely used as being his endorsers would not be on an endorsement list today if they were asked.''    Democratic godfather Ted Wilson, who has allowed McConkie to use his name on campaign stationery but has not made an endorsement, said the 2nd District allows for somewhat more liberal candidates than the state overall, but not by much. This year, the choice faction of the party may be more attuned to that. ``They see that Jim McConkie is a better profile and they are realistic about politics. They're willing to compromise some on the issues to get somebody into office,'' he said. It remains to be seen, however, whether abortion will even be an issue. Cooper insists it will, and the Republicans are sure to make it one. Anderson and McConkie may even bring it up themselves since it is one of the few subjects that illuminates a difference. Anderson, pro-choice without qualification, says it is a personal decision  government should stay out of. But in the next breath he adds that he respects differing views and would like both sides to find common ground: the prevention of abortions and prevention of conditions leading to them. McConkie opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest, when the health or life of the mother is at stake and where the viability of the fetus is in serious question. He would vote for legislation and support federal funding ``consistent with this policy.''  The subject just may not excite delegates and primary voters the way it used to, certainly not as it did for Hanson and Shea, Wilson said. If so, ``that's a huge issue to get off the table,'' he said. ``There may be other issues Rocky can find to distinguish himself from Jim McConkie.'' Such as gun control and gay rights, the latter having roared into the limelight courtesy of the Legislature. ``They wouldn't help Jim or Rocky get elected in the general election, but they are issues they can stoke up and get a primary victory out of, then hope everybody forgets it when they go down the stretch and try to attract mainstream voters,'' Wilson said. Gay rights could easily become a battleground. McConkie opposes any carving out of what he calls ``special privileges'' for homosexuals. As a congressman, he would amend the current Equal Access Act of 1984 to give parents and principals say over whether a gay and lesbian student club could form at East High School in Salt Lake City. ``That's not in the best interest of the community to have those kinds of clubs and promote those kinds of ideas with children,'' he said. Asked how he felt about Democrats pressuring the group Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) from dropping the party name, McConkie responded, ``Three cheers. ``It hurts the Democratic Party to be associated with extreme positions. There is a broad middle ground where we should pursue public policy -- where most people can agree.'' Anderson said the East High and GLUD controversies reflect a ``huge difference'' between the two. ``If there's one thing that's been made clear in the last two weeks, it's that these students who want to have dialogue and want to share an understanding and work through their feelings show far more compassion and humanity than the extremist right-wing zealots who preach and practice such intolerance.'' Anderson said.  Beyond that, the two Democrats tack to the right on fiscal matters. McConkie stresses a balanced budget in seven years; Anderson says balancing the budget is a short-term fix. The nation must also eliminate the debt. ``The family that owes the bank a lot of money doesn't get the bank paid back by balancing the budget. You have to pay the bank back at some point or you're going to keep paying interest,'' he said. To do it, Anderson would start with means-testing in programs such as Medicare, and add cuts in wasteful spending and new revenues through gasoline taxes, cigarette and alcohol taxes and a graduated reduction in home mortgage deductions. There is little dispute over wilderness. Both men support more wilderness than the 1.8 million acres proposed by the delegation. McConkie favors 5.7 million acres; Anderson said he wants to talk to advocates on both sides about each of the proposed wilderness areas before settling on a figure. So where else can a delegate look for contrast in a duo one Democrat describes as Michael Dukakis -- ``in the tank'' -- and Dan Quayle. For McConkie it is electability; for Anderson personal ability.  ``Democrats are tired of losing,'' McConkie said. ``The party is famous for dotting I's and crossing T's and misspelling the entire word. ``The question is do they want to stand there and make a political statement which is rather narrow in its scope – and lose. Or do they want to have a candidate that represents the values of a majority of people who can win and bring back vitality to the Democratic Party so that it's a real player.'' Anderson disdains any labeling -- conservative or liberal. ``Once the voters in this district learn of my record of community commitment and involvement it will not be a question of `liberal' or `conservative.' Rather it will be a question of who has worked effectively to solve problems and who is better able to represent the people of the 2nd District.'' Clear choice or not, the May convention will determine if the party rank-and-file opt for unity or traditional alliances, that is unless some other development complicates the mix before then -- say Utah House Minority Leader Frank Pignanelli. Pignanelli has received encouragement to run and is giving it consideration, said state Democratic Party Chairman Mike Zuhl. (02/12/96 Page: D1 SLTribune)

 

13 February 1996 Tuesday, GAY STUDENT CLUBS SPONSORS SAY 2 CLUB BILLS ARE CONSTITUTIONALLY SOUND A pair of bills intended to limit participation in controversial school clubs - namely, proposed gay and lesbian student groups - meet constitutional muster, say the sponsor and the attorney for the Utah State Board of Education. But a gay rights advocate predicts otherwise. SB262 would require students to produce a permission slip signed by their parents or legal guardian before they could join any club. "This bill, if passed into law, would make gay and lesbian students have to come "out' to do something which is already their constitutional right to do under the freedom of speech and freedom of assembly," said David Nelson, founder of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats. A second bill, which has not yet been printed, is aimed at teachers. SB246 states that school employees and volunteers "cannot encourage, condone or support the engagement in or the acceptance of immoral conduct or other conduct prohibited by law or rule." Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville, who is an attorney, is the sponsor of both measures. Taylor has reviewed case law that supports a school district's right to control what teachers say and do as it relates to public-school children. He also has reviewed the proposed bills with constitutional law scholars who believe they would withstand a court test. the prohibition outlined in SB246 would extend to those acting in a private capacity if that person knew or had reason to believe that the "activity would undermine the health, safety, welfare or morals of schoolchildren or the confidence of the public in the operation of schools," Taylor said. "This bill gives the district some real teeth and puts the matter back into local district control," he said. "Academic freedoms are much less when you are talking about public schools." Nelson said the language of the bill is similar to an Oklahoma law, struck down in the 1980s. "Because it is so similar, I'm nearly 100 percent certain it would be thrown out without so much as a trial. He (Taylor) can pass it but I promise it will be enjoined," Nelson said. Doug Bates, attorney for the Utah State Board of Education, said language of SB246 is "well established in court cases. This simply puts it into statute." Nelson said the proposed legislation sets the stage for another losing legal battle such as the fights waged over abortion legislation and the state Cable TV Decency Act. "It's going to end up on the scrap heap, just like them," Nelson said. The proposed legislation is a response to student requests to form gay-lesbian student organizations at three Salt Lake District high schools. The issue has stirred an emotional debate in forums ranging from the board rooms of the Salt Lake City School District and Utah State Office of Education to the Capitol. The local school board plans to conduct a public hearing on the issue at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 20. A location for the hearing has not been set.  According to federal legislation and U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the point, schools must treat all noncurricular clubs equally, even those of a controversial nature. The federal legislation, the Equal Access Act, was proffered to protect religious groups that wanted to meet in public schools. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was a key sponsor of the legislation.  © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

13 February 1996 Monday-TOPIC-ANTI-GAY POLITICS SLTribune ran an article entitled “Bills Aim To Keep Gay Students in Closet”- Proposals aimed at prohibiting discussion of homosexuality in the classroom and restricting Gay student clubs by requiring permission from parents emerged in the Legislature on Monday to mixed reaction. Doug Bates attorney for the state Office of Education praised the measures as reasonable and in apparent line with federal law.  David Nelson, founder of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats stated that both bills will absolutely generate lawsuits Bills Aim to Keep Gay Students in Closet Proposals aimed at prohibiting discussions of homosexuality in the classroom and restricting gay student clubs by requiring permission from parents emerged in the Legislature on Monday to mixed reaction. An attorney for the state Office of Education praised the measures as reasonable and in apparent line with federal law. ``I really like the bills given the emotional hoopla of late,'' said state education attorney Doug Bates. ``I don't see either bill creating a problem with civil libertarians or advocates of either side of the equation, aside from those on the extremes.'' But a spokesman for a gay and lesbian political group said the measures are legal time bombs. Both bills will ``absolutely'' generate lawsuits, said David Nelson, founder of Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats ``I'll grant the first one [on parental permission for club membership] has a 50-50 chance of winning. But the second one I'm confident would be thrown out by the courts,'' he said. Sen. Craig Taylor's two bills -- which were publicly released Monday -- do not specifically mention homosexuality. One requires written parental permission for participation in any student club or organization that meets on school premises. The second prohibits teachers from advocating or promoting illegal or immoral behavior. But the two measures represent the first concrete measures to address legislative concerns over gay student clubs and alleged homosexuality-promoting activities in schools. The topics were covered in an illegal, secret Senate meeting two weeks ago.  A gay and lesbian student support group has petitioned for club status at East High School, and similar requests are being initiated in other high schools. ``Let's be honest, they're going after gay students because that's the issue of the day,'' said Nelson. ``These proposals are almost more offensive than if they simply had the nerve to tackle the issue head-on.''  He said the parental-consent bill discriminates against homosexual students because it forces them to ``come out'' with parents who may be disapproving or hostile. But attorney Bates said many school districts appear to be moving to adopt the parental-consent standard for clubs whether or not the Legislature acts. And the bill prohibiting endorsement of immoral or illegal activity merely puts into statute what already is practiced in Utah schools. Bates, along with the office of Utah Atty. Gen. Jan Graham, had warned lawmakers against trying to ban gay student support clubs outright because it would violate the federal Equal Access Act. Nevertheless, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Gov. Mike Leavitt have said they believe school boards have the moral authority, and likely the legal ability, to impose such a ban. ``That's the best solution,'' agreed Gayle Ruzicka, president of the ultraconservative Utah Eagle Forum. Ruzicka said her group supports Taylor's bills as the best options for state action. Meantime, she wants school boards to prohibit all nonacademic clubs. There also has been some discussion about the state ``possibly'' coming up with money to assist school districts to wage a court battle over gay clubs, Ruzicka said. ``There's certainly enough [public] interest for them to take action -- whatever it takes,'' she said. (02/13/96 Page: A4 SLTribune)

.

20 February 1996 Tuesday-TOPIC-GAY STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS-The Salt Lake City School Board voted 4-3 to ban all extracurricular clubs, rather than be required to give the East High gay club equal access.

 

22 Feb 1996-Thursday TOPIC-ANTI-GAY POLITICS-In one of the 1996 Legislature's defining debates, Republicans and Democrats clashed mightily over a bill sparked by formation of a gay and lesbian club at a Salt Lake City high school. Senators advanced Senate Bill 246 by an 18-8 vote after a 75-minute exchange that ranged from evocations of the U.S. Constitution and tales of teen suicide to quotations from the Nuremberg trials. Only one Democrat, Sen. Eldon Money, D-Spanish Fork, broke party ranks in the final roll call. SB246 is aimed at preventing teachers and public-school employees from promoting illegal activities, either in their professional capacity or, in some circumstances, their private lives. It requires another Senate vote before heading to the House. Supporters sought to portray the bill, sponsored by first-term Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville, as little more than a clarification of existing law and firmly rooted in established court rulings. Taylor said the controversial measure does not target homosexual activities exclusively, as SB246 critics have claimed ``This bill does nothing of the sort,'' said Taylor, who stood largely silent listening to the speeches of opponents. He noted that members of the proposed East High School Gay-Straight Student Alliance insist they do not promote homosexual acts -- which are banned under Utah law -- ``and all this does is take them at their word.'' But Sen. Bob Steiner, D-Salt Lake City, argued that SB246 was meant to ``crush'' the club and intimidate teachers from freely advising students and expressing their opinions. He and others singled out provisions in the law aimed at outlawing private actions by teachers or other employees when those actions disrupt school  activities. ``This bill is very broad, almost to have no meaning,'' Steiner warned, citing a post-World War II judge who criticized Nazi laws ``of such ambiguity that they could be used to punish almost any innocent act.'' Sen. George Mantes, D-Tooele, called the bill ``a one-way ticket to court,'' while others said it violated at least five provisions of the Utah Constitution. Steiner led a failed attempt to add language to the bill calling on teachers to promote tolerance and understanding for those of different races, religions, ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientation. The move was killed swiftly on a voice vote.  Though Taylor said he could support writing into law tolerance for all other groups, ``to include them [homosexuals] would be to elevate them to a protected status.''  Added Sen. Robert Montgomery, R-North Ogden: ``That's a leap the citizens of this state are not prepared to make.'' Echoing sentiments of many GOP colleagues, Sen. Alarik Myrin, R-Altamont, said he did not view the bill as a gay issue. Rather, he said, SB246 clarifies the treatment of a wide variety of behaviors, including, as another senator put it, ``heterosexual immorality.'' Still, Sen. Blaze Wharton, D-Salt Lake City, blasted senators for ``overreacting.'' He reeled off a litany of studies portraying gay teens as feeling isolated, being more prone to suicide and more apt to be rejected by their parents-- conditions he said the treatment by Utah lawmakers would only make worse. ``Three children -- children! -- are driving this train,'' he shouted, referring to the original founders of the East High club. ``We need to show these children how tolerance and understanding of other people works, with us not necessarily condoning what they do but working with them,'' he said. The gay-club turmoil stems from the legal implications of a 1983 federal law guaranteeing all student groups equal access to school facilities. The law, meant to aid Bible-study circles, was championed by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Adding to the controversy was a secret, illegal meeting held on Capitol Hill by senators of both parties in the legislative session's early days. Much of Thursday's discussion centered on the potential effect on teachers, with SB246 detractors claiming the law might allow school employees to be fired for common actions in their private lives, such as protesting nuclear weapons, getting a divorce or even smoking or drinking coffee. ``You're striking at the heart of civil disobedience and the right to say that something is wrong,'' Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley City, said. He said under portions of SB246, the adherence to their faith by Mormon pioneers or the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott begun by civil-rights leader Rosa Parks might have been illegal and punishable by dismissal. But Taylor argued that the legal standard was high before actions against teachers might be taken. As written, SB246 says that to be in violation, educators must know what they are doing is wrong and that their actions lead to ``a material or substantial interference or disruption '' in normal school activities. ``One of the prices they pay in teaching our children is that we set the role model,'' said Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan. ``You give up some of your freedoms when you sign that contract and go to work. It's part of the job.''

 

22 February 1996 Thursday, GAY STUDENT CLUBS SENATOR BELIEVES CLUB BAN WILL STRENGTHEN LEGISLATION Sen. Charles Stewart believes the Salt Lake Board of Education's decision aimed at banning gay and lesbian clubs in schools will strengthen proposed legislation that would require parental signatures for club participation. "Every effort to help kids participate in good clubs will be continued," the Provo Republican said. "I think this shows people are concerned about any activity in school that may be harmful to children." Stewart and Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, were the impetus behind a closed-door meeting early in the legislative session in which they expressed concerns over the formation of a gay club at East High.The meeting, which Republican leadership initially said was to discuss the state's budget, included showing a segment of a radical anti-gay video. Republican leaders have conceded the meeting was held in violation of the state's Open Meeting Act. Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Layton, is sponsoring a pair of bills he believes could remedy the situation without forcing schools to do away with all clubs. One involves parental permission. The other would prevent teachers and club sponsors from promoting any illegal activity, such as sodomy. Utah Office of Education attorneys say rules in place right now already prevent such actions. Stewart hopes to be able to find a remedy that won't require doing away with all school-sponsored clubs as the Salt Lake School District voted 4-3 late Tuesday to do.  _© 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

23 February 1996 Friday, GAY STUDENT CLUBS SENATE OKS LIMITS ON TEACHERS' ACTIVITIES With time running out in the 1996 Legislature, there's a $5.4 billion budget to be decided, a $100 million tax cut, massive state welfare reforms and a host of other weighty legislation affecting the lives of virtually every Utahn. But the dominating issue of the day - some might say the issue of the legislative session - had nothing to do with the mundane state government operations. Rather, it was the divisive issue of stopping gay and lesbian clubs from organizing at public schools. The Senate voted 18-8 Friday to approve SB246, which would prohibit schoolteachers from encouraging, condoning or supporting illegal activities, or doing anything that undermines the public confidence in school operations. "If it (the bill) discriminates against anything, it discriminates against a lawbreaker," said Senate President Lane Beattie. "It ought to be passed in every state of the nation." Although the bill mentions nothing about gay and lesbian clubs, the legislation effectively prohibits teachers from serving as faculty advisers to gay and lesbian clubs because homosexual activities, particularly sodomy, are prohibited under Utah law. The emotional and hotly debated issue deeply divided the Senate, with majority Republicans arguing on one side that school districts should be allowed wide latitude in determining the standards of conduct at schools, and minority Democrats on the other speaking passionately about the preservation of constitutional rights to speech and peaceable assembly. SB246 states that teachers and school volunteers may not, in their official capacities, "encourage, condone or support engaging in illegal conduct." More controversial, the bill goes further to regulate the private activities of teachers and volunteers if those activities "undermine the health, safety, welfare or morals of school-children, or the confidence of the public in the operation of schools." That activity must also result in "a material or substantial interference or disruption in the normal activities of the schools." Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville and sponsor of the bill, told lawmakers the courts have ruled that public schoolteachers, because of their positions as role models to children, are afforded less constitutional protection of free speech than other citizens. The state, he added, has a compelling interest in ensuring that teachers do not cause "material or substantial disruption" of school affairs. But one official in the Utah Attorney General's Office, who asked not to be identified, said the bill "probably will not pass constitutional muster. You cannot regulate what people say in their private lives." The attorney general's office, which must defend the law in an almost-certain court challenge by civil libertarians, has not been asked to review the legality of the proposed law. Most of the Senate debate, which began Thursday and concluded Friday, centered not on whether or not gays and lesbians should have school clubs, but on the issue of fundamental freedoms. "We have moved this issue to a higher elevation of constitutional rights of people," said Sen. Eddie Mayne, D-West Valley. Those opposed - all of them Democrats - cautioned that efforts to control speech could have serious unintended consequences. Sen. Joe Hull, D-Hooper, recounted an experience where a teacher lost his job because he drank coffee, something contrary to the morals of the local community. "We need to be showing those children how tolerance works . . . that different people have rights," said Sen. Blaze Wharton, D-Murray. "Homosexuality is not going to go away just because we ban these clubs." Democratic pleas aside, Senate Republicans defeated an amendment to include language that "teachers shall promote values of tolerance and understanding for differing points of view and for people of differing races, religions, ethnic backgrounds,sexual orientations and for people with disabilities. Teachers shall support the laws of this state and of the United States against discrimination." Sen. Robert Steiner, D-Salt Lake and sponsor of the amendment, argued that the language of SB246 is so broad that almost any innocent act could be punished. "SB246 is presumably aimed at intimidating public education teachers from freely advising students who might belong to the East High club and limiting their individual rights to express opinions and engage in political activities," he said. Ironically, moments after senators voted to limit the official and private activities of schoolteachers, students at area high schools walked out of class to protest the Salt Lake School Board's decision to ban all extracurricular clubs. That action violated Utah truancy laws, and any teacher who encouraged, condoned or supported that walkout could be fired under  provisions of SB246. "Did it cause a substantial interference or disruption? Probably so," Taylor said. "Teachers should not be advocating illegal activities." "If they (teachers) condoned and encouraged it, yes it would (come under the provisions of SB246)," Beattie agreed. "But I don't perceive that is what is happening here. Those students have every right to be frustrated. But those frustrations are being driven by the same misperceptions being propagated by the media." SB246 now goes to the House for its approval.  © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

23 February 1996 TOPIC-ANTI-GAY POLITICS- (02/23/96 Page: C1 SLTribune) Keywords: Ut Legislature, Homosexual-Issues, Laws-Regulations, Students, Schools, Social Issues, Social Trends Gay-Club Debate Rages, Bill Clears Senate Hurdle SB246 Clears Senate Hurdle Byline: By Tony Semerad THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE   In one of the 1996 Legislature's defining debates, Republicans and Democrats clashed mightily Thursday over a bill sparked by formation of a gay and lesbian club at a Salt Lake City high school.    Senators advanced Senate Bill 246 by an 18-8 vote after a 75-minute exchange that ranged from evocations of the U.S. Constitution and tales of teen suicide to quotations from the Nuremberg trials. Only one Democrat, Sen. Eldon Money, D-Spanish Fork, broke party ranks in the final roll call. SB246 is aimed at preventing teachers and public-school employees from promoting illegal activities, either in their professional capacity or, in some circumstances, their private lives. It requires another Senate vote before heading to the House. Supporters sought to portray the bill, sponsored by first-term Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville, as little more than a clarification of existing law and firmly rooted in established court rulings. Taylor said the controversial measure does not target homosexual activities exclusively, as SB246 critics have claimed. ``This bill does nothing of the sort,'' said Taylor, who stood largely silent Thursday, listening to the speeches of opponents. He noted that members of the proposed East High School Gay-Straight Student Alliance insist they do not promote homosexual acts -- which are banned under Utah law -- ``and all this does is take them at their word.''    But Sen. Bob Steiner, D-Salt Lake City, argued that SB246 was meant to ``crush'' the club and intimidate teachers from freely advising students and expressing their opinions. He and others singled out provisions in the law aimed at outlawing private actions by teachers or other employees when those actions disrupt school activities.  ``This bill is very broad, almost to have no meaning,'' Steiner warned, citing a post-World War II judge who criticized  Nazi laws ``of such ambiguity that they could be used to punish almost any innocent act.'' Sen. George Mantes, D-Tooele, called the bill ``a one-way ticket to court,'' while others said it violated at least five provisions of the Utah Constitution. Steiner led a failed attempt to add language to the bill calling on teachers to promote tolerance and understanding for those of different races, religions, ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientation. The move was killed swiftly on a voice vote. Though Taylor said he could support writing into law tolerance for all other groups, ``to include them [homosexuals] would be to elevate them to a protected status.'' Added Sen. Robert Montgomery, R-North Ogden: ``That's a leap the citizens of this state are not prepared to make.'' Echoing sentiments of many GOP colleagues, Sen. Alarik Myrin, R-Altamont, said he did not view the bill as a gay issue. Rather, he said, SB246 clarifies the treatment of a wide variety of behaviors, including, as another senator put it, ``heterosexual immorality.'' Still, Sen. Blaze Wharton, D-Salt Lake City, blasted senators for ``overreacting.'' He reeled off a litany of studies portraying gay teens as feeling isolated, being more prone to suicide and more apt to be rejected by their parents --conditions he said the treatment by Utah lawmakers would only make worse. ``Three children -- children! -- are driving this train,'' he shouted, referring to the original founders of the East High club.  ``We need to show these children how tolerance and understanding of other people works, with us not necessarily condoning what they do but working with them,'' he said. The gay-club turmoil stems from the legal implications of a 1983 federal law guaranteeing all student groups equal access to school facilities. The law, meant to aid Bible-study circles, was championed by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Adding to the controversy was a secret, illegal meeting held on Capitol Hill by senators of both parties in the legislative session's early days. Then on Tuesday, the Salt Lake City School Board voted 4-3 to ban all extracurricular clubs, rather than be required to give the East High gay club equal access. Much of Thursday's discussion centered on the potential effect on teachers, with SB246 detractors claiming the law might allow school employees to be fired for common actions in their private lives, such as protesting nuclear weapons, getting a divorce or even smoking or drinking coffee. ``You're striking at the heart of civil disobedience and the right to say that something is wrong,'' Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley City, said. He said under portions of SB246, the adherence to their faith by Mormon pioneers or the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott begun by civil-rights leader Rosa Parks might have been illegal and punishable by dismissal. But Taylor argued that the legal standard was high before actions against teachers might be taken. As written, SB246 says that to be in violation, educators must know what they are doing is wrong and that their actions lead to ``a material or substantial interference or disruption '' in normal school activities.  ``One of the prices they pay in teaching our children is that we set the role model,'' said Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan. ``You give up some of your freedoms when you sign that contract and go to work. It's part of the job.''

 

24 February 1996 02/24/96 Page: E1 Keywords: UT Legislature, Educators-Teachers-Faculty Caption: Senate President Lane Beattie Senate OKs Bill Aimed at Teachers Measure Prohibits School Workers From Promoting Illegal Acts Byline: By Tony Semerad THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The Utah Senate gave final approval Friday to a bill aimed at preventing public-school employees from promoting homosexual acts and other illegal conduct.  After a stormy debate on Senate Bill 246 the day before, senators were low-key Friday, though they split again by a vote of 18-8 on the controversial bill. SB246 would bar teachers and public-school employees from promoting illegal activities, either professionally or, in some circumstances, their private lives. The Republican-backed measure comes in reaction to the unsuccessful request by students at East High School in Salt Lake City to form a club for gay, lesbian and straight students. It now heads to the House. In one of their most heated debates of the 1996 session, senators differed over whether the bill was a simple clarification or so broad as to threaten rights of free speech in educators' professional and private lives. Thursday's debate left some disatisfied. Senate President Lane Beattie, R-West Bountiful, used an explanation of his vote Friday to berate Democrats, who earlier described the the bill as a runaway train, rolling across Capitol Hill to passage with little reflection. Beattie called it ``improper'' to insinuate that the straight party line Republican vote in favor of SB246 was somehow ``a group effort.'' And he said claims that the bill might infringe on the rights of teachers to civil disobedience or was discriminatory were ``hurtful.'' ``If this does discriminate against anything, it discriminates against the lawbreaker,'' the Senate president said. ``It is very straightforward and should be passed in every state in the nation.'' Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley City, said later that Beattie's remarks appeared to fly in the face of the spirit of democratic debate. ``That's what this whole system and democratic process is about, disagreement and how different people see issues differently,'' said Mayne. ``We're not here to limit debate. We're here to hear debate.''

 

25 February 1996 02/25/96 Page: F3 Keywords: Guest Column Legislators Should Work In Public Byline: By DeAnn Evans Last year about this time I wrote, ``Everything appears to be on schedule in this year's Legislature. The system is clogged with bills, major money decisions have yet to be made -- and legislators are plotting revenge against the news media.'' This year, with a few subtle differences, I could simply write, ``Ditto.'' Legislators once again are angry at journalists. The issues and the revenge factor have changed. This year's prime reason involves reports on the Senate's closed-door meeting to discuss the gay/lesbian-club controversy. And legislators have not yet stooped to the level of the silly list some circulated last year to rate journalists. It's hard to be sympathetic toward senators in the current controversy. After all, even those responsible for the closed caucus admit that it violated Utah's Open Meetings Act. It's always ludicrous when those who pass the laws end up violating them. Even if one accepts the senators' contention that the meeting fell within an exemption allowed under the open-meetings law -- to discuss pending litigation -- senators still should be criticized for failing to vote on whether the meeting should be closed and neglecting to keep minutes or record the proceedings. These are all requirements of the law -- you know, those things senators swear to uphold as they begin their service. However pure the senators' intentions were, they looked nefarious, especially since the joint caucus topic was announced on the Senate floor as the State Uniform School Fund. If this was a discussion so vital to their role as the public's representatives, why weren't the senators upfront enough to announce that the topic would be pending litigation regarding school clubs? Citizens -- and journalists -- were locked out of the meeting, so we can only rely on reports from those who attended and didn't like what they heard. Admittedly, many of these sources have vested interests. Probably most are Democrats who like nothing better than seeing their Republican counterparts shellacked by the news media. Ironically, the key senators behind the closed meeting have complained that the proceedings have been distorted in media reports. Those things happen when the public is kept out and journalists have to rely on unnamed sources' versions of how the public's business was transacted. Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, has written letters to the editor and appeared on talk shows to call news reports ``full of false information.'' Has it dawned on Stephenson that the open-meetings law is designed to protect him, and all public officials, against erroneous reports just as clearly as it protects citizens? If the actions and intentions of those who conducted this meeting have been misunderstood, perhaps they'll be more apt to include citizens the next time they have a public issue to discuss. In fairness to the senators, they may not be the worst violators of the open-meetings law. The Summit County Commission conducted 64 ``executive,'' or closed-door, sessions in the first 10 months of 1995. But legislators, who make the laws, should be exemplary in upholding those laws, especially the open-meetings law. The episode underscores the need to strengthen Utah's open-meetings law, which is toothless because it specifies no penalties.  The only recourse for citizens is to bring a lawsuit, as the ACLU has done against the Utah Senate.Journalists serve as protectors of public rights by calling the public's attention to violations of the open-meetings law -- but, to be fair, their motives are not entirely pure because they get a hot story out of the deal. Caught in the middle of this legislators/journalists tug-of-war are Utah's citizens, who deserve to have their representatives conduct their business in public -- not in secret. DeAnn Evans, a former newspaper managing editor, is an assistant professor in the University of Utah Department of Communication.

 

25 February 1996 Sunday, PRO GAY OPINION GAY STUDENT CLUBS MORALITY ISN'T ISSUE ON GAY CLUBS Lately I have seen many articles in the Deseret News that are against the forming of a club that has the constitutional right to be formed. People opposed to the gay and lesbian clubs have argued that the club is illegal, immoral and controversial. Some people even prefer getting rid of all clubs, for the sole purpose of keeping gays and lesbians from forming a club. These people, who argue that homosexuality is sodomy and therefore illegal, seem to miss the fact that sodomy is any unnatural sex. They therefore seem to advocate that any sex that does not result in a pregnancy is illegal. I personally don't understand why people are so upset about giving equal rights to their fellow human beings. There is even proposed legislation to allow elected officials to control what happens in schools by deciding if it is moral or not. If this gay-bashing is promoted by our elected officials, who will be their next target? You can't give the government the right to take away freedoms based on it being "immoral." If you do, you are only a few steps away from total communism. By giving the government the power to decide what is moral, you can be assured that the many corrupt politicians out there will want to decide that it is "immoral" not to allow them to give themselves million-dollar raises. Jaron Lindow Highland© 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

26 February 1996 02/26/96 Page: D1 Keywords: UT Legislature, Politics-Politicians Caption: Steve C. Wilson/The Associated Press What motivates Sen. Craig Taylor? ``Evil vs. right for the betterment of the human soul,'' says his wife. What's the State of Morality in Utah? kaysville Lawmaker Is On a Crusade vs. Evil  Taylor Takes His Crusade to Hill Byline: By Kimberley Murphy THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sen. Craig Taylor awakes about four each morning so he can get to the shower before his seven girls do. His day concludes at midnight after reading over the next day's bills while treading an exercise machine.  The first-term Republican and ultraconservative moral conscience of the Utah Legislature seldom sleeps. Matters of good and evil require vigilance. ``What's motivating him is evil vs. right for the betterment of the human soul,'' said Taylor's wife, Reva. Many of his colleagues admire his zeal. But others have found Taylor's crusade breathtakingly self-righteous.  ``He's kind of carrying the flag for right-wing extremists in Utah and that's about all you can say about Craig Taylor,'' said Carol Gnade, executive director of the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. ``Every single one of his bills is heavy on moral conduct and light on meaningful legislation.'' In fact, Taylor is carrying 30 pieces of legislation, more than any of his Senate colleagues. The topics are disparate -- from adoption to drug crimes -- but all are taken on with an intensity that borders on moral certainty. Taylor acknowledges his abiding belief in Mormon Church teachings shapes his world view and his legislation. And when he feels strongly about an issue, he acts. A sweeping reform of Utah's adoption laws -- which possibly would have a side effect of reducing abortions – took him just 15 minutes to write. His wife believes Taylor relies on divine inspiration, but he hesitates to make that claim.   ``You can call it what you want,'' he said. Taylor graduated from Brigham Young University with a law degree and master's of business administration. He also served a two-year church mission to Australia and works as a young men's leader in his LDS ward.  ``Anything he does, he gives it his all with his heart and his soul and anything he can fervor up,'' Reva Taylor said. The couple grew up in Kaysville, where they now live and the senator runs his law practice. Reva Taylor remembers how her husband, as a boy, would catch pails full of tadpoles. Young people then could walk to a movie or play in the town's gullies. The Taylors want their daughters to enjoy the same opportunities. He says that is the main reason he is determined to root out the moral decay he sees all around him.  That includes homosexuality. ``I have strong feelings about ultimately the gay and lesbian agenda,'' said Taylor, a former Kaysville city councilman. `They are promoters and have come right out and said we will seduce and sodomize your children.'' Taylor, 40, drafted legislation addressing the formation of gay clubs in public high schools after a closed Jan. 30 meeting by Utah senators who met secretly in violation of the Utah Open Meetings Act.    One of Taylor's bills would require parental signatures for club participation. The other would prevent teachers and club sponsors from promoting any illegal activity, such as sodomy. David Nelson of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats is not surprised Taylor is carrying most of the Legislature's more controversial bills since -- unlike many of his colleagues -- he does not face re-election this year. Senators serve four-year terms and Taylor was elected in 1994. ``By virtue of the office that he holds, he is given a lot of credibility,'' Nelson said. ``But that needs to be tempered with their own humility. They need to understand their own limitations.'' In Taylor's view, homosexuality is a sickness and an abomination. He believes sexual identity is not determined at birth, but acquired, and that gays and lesbians can change if they so choose. Such beliefs inform his opposition to high school clubs as the best support system for gay and lesbian students.``If somebody is an alcoholic, you don't get a group of alcoholics together and take them out to the bar,'' he said. ``I'm all in favor of doing all that can be done to help them correct that behavior, but not to support it.'' Taylor acknowledges that if one of his own daughters said she was gay, ``it would be really hard,'' but he still would strongly discourage her participation in a gay and lesbian club.  It is only in the current legislative session that Taylor has emerged as a force in the Capitol. His first session in 1994 was a quiet one, but he quickly learned how things work. Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, a fellow attorney, said Taylor has gone above and beyond his duty, particularly in soliciting judges' opinions on pieces of legislation.``Sen. Taylor's strength is that he cares,'' Hillyard said. But Gnade finds it disconcerting that one person is carrying most of this session's legislation dealing with moral issues. ``I just wish we had someone to balance it out,'' she said. In fashioning his adoption bills, Taylor acted on his belief that a lack of morality costs money. Thus, adoption is preferable to a system that encourages unwed mothers to keep their children. They often do not have the tools, resources or education to care for their children, he said. As a result, taxpayers are spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year in welfare, medical assistance to the poor, food stamps, substance abuse counseling and crime prevention. ``There is more than a money crisis,'' Taylor said. ``We have a moral crisis. We could take care of a lot of our money problems if we can develop a morally responsible people.'' Other morality legislation he's sponsoring would prohibit companies that provide pornographic telephone messages and talk-lines from collecting their debts in Utah. Another bill would let the families of drug addicts and others hurt by the trade of illegal narcotics sue the drug dealer. A resolution of his would seek an amendment to the Utah Constitution to prevent limitations on expression and religion that are stricter than the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He also proposed a measure at the request of Citizens for Positive Community Values to restrict public nudity and nude dancing.    Taylor, who believes the bills reflect the views of Utah's majority, said his only goal is to make a difference for his children and his community. ``If the day comes that I have to balance my decisions against political expediency,'' he said, ``then it's time to move on and let somebody else do this.''

 

27 February 1996 Tuesday, ANTI GAY OPINION PUT STOP TO GAY-LESBIAN AGENDA An Arab and his camel were stuck in the middle of the desert during a fierce sandstorm. The Arab pitched his tent, leaving the camel outside. The camel persistently asked the Arab if he could put his nose in the tent to keep the dust out of his nostrils; theArab finally consented. By exerting constant pressure and persuasion, the camel eventually got more and more of his body into the tent. Eventually there was no room for the Arab, who was forced out to die in the sandstorm. The East High gay and lesbian club proposal is like a camel's initial proposal to put his nose into the "tent" of Utah schools.The ultimate goal is to infiltrate all Utah schools, forcing traditional moral values to die out as the rising generation pities,endures, then embraces their lifestyle. Homosexuals say that they are entitled to the same rights as any other school club. Butno other school club's sole purpose is to advocate and, yes, recruit minors to perform illegal activities. In Utah, sodomy isillegal, along with pedophilia and other sexual perversions.Homosexuals argue that scientific evidence indicates that they are fundamentally different. If indeed there are differences atbirth (which I doubt), they would be classified with hereditary tendencies toward such disorders as alcoholism. It would beirresponsible to create clubs for school-age children that lure potential alcoholics to join in the revelry of heavy drinkers. Inthat company, it is unlikely that they would be informed of the significant health risks, psychological damage to self and family,and immense cost to everyone.The morally responsible thing for the rest of us to do is work through our schools and Legislature to not allow the formation ofany club that promotes illegal activities, directly or indirectly. I urge all readers to contact your local and state school boardsand your state representative and senator to make your feelings known. Otherwise, your silence is implied consent to thegay-lesbian agenda.Stan CovingtonOrem © 1998 Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

28 February 1996 02/28/96 Page: B1 Keywords: UT Legislature, Educators-Teachers-Faculty, Social Issues, Homosexual Issues, Public Schools Caption: Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune Skyline High teacher Clayton K. Vetter says that ``to not stand up now  . . [and acknowledge he is gay] would go against everything I have tried to teach.'' Skyline Teacher Tells Capitol Crowd He's Gay  Teacher Tells Crowd at Capitol He's Gay

Byline: By Samuel A. Autman THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Skyline High School teacher Clayton K. Vetter enjoys debating so much that Tuesday he placed himself in the middle of Utah's fiery discourse on morality, human rights and homosexuality. Vetter, a 12-year veteran of the Granite School District and Skyline's debate teacher, announced at the Utah state Capitol to a throng of reporters, students and citizens that he is gay. His announcement coincides with the creation of the Utah chapter of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Teachers' Alliance. ``To not stand up now, when there are so many misconceptions and questions concerning gay issues, would go against everything I have tried to teach,'' Vetter said.  ``This is why I feel I have to come forward. There is too much hope in the world not to come forward. I owe it to my profession and to my students.'' He was joined by Doug Wortham, an openly gay teacher at Rowland Hall-St. Mark's, a private school; and Scott Nelson, an East High special-education teacher who is straight. Wortham refused to reveal how many teachers are part of the new alliance, but said there are members throughout the Salt Lake Valley. His announcement came a week after the Salt Lake City School Board voted to ban all noncurricular school clubs rather than allow East High students to form a gay-lesbian-straight student alliance. Since then, students on both sides of the issue, as well as civil-rights groups, have protested. Those opposing such clubs have steadfastly resisted arguments that such groups help not only their members but other students to understand homosexuality.  And the Salt Lake City School Board invited in a consultant Sunday to help ease tensions among its seven members, who voted 4-3 to ban the clubs. In disclosing his sexual orientation, Vetter compared himself to Mormon pioneers who fled to the Salt Lake Valley to escape religious persecution and to Rosa Parks, the Alabama black woman whose refusal to sit in the back of a public bus ignited the civil-rights movement in the late 1950s. Vetter called himself a role model, a teacher and a ``hero'' for coming out. Nevertheless, he said his life is so remarkably boring ``it would scare your pants off.'' He began his teaching career in 1984 and has taught at Granite Park and Olympus junior high schools and at Cottonwood High. This is his fourth year at Skyline, where the debate team has won awards since he took over. District spokesman Kent Gardner said Vetter would not be fired for announcing he is gay, but Vetter is taking a wait-and-see attitude. According to Doug Bates, an attorney with the State Office of Education, Vetter could be sanctioned if his announcement causes disruption at Skyline. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that public employees have no right to speak or act in ways that disrupt their workplaces, he said. ``Does a public employee have a right to speak on issues that concern him? The answer is yes,'' Bates said. ``Does that person have a right to both speak and be a public employee? Not necessarily.'' While most at the news conference appeared to support Vetter, Orem resident Mili Peters said she could ``no longer be quiet'' about what she called a national gay agenda. She said she had learned of that agenda while working as a

legislative aide in Hawaii when that state's Legislature was debating a proposal to allow same-sex marriages. Vetter said he knew nothing of a national gay agenda and that his twelve years in the classroom proves he knows what is appropriate conversation. Gayle Ruzicka, president of the archconservative Utah Eagle Forum, quietly found a spot in the rear of the room during the news conference. While she never spoke out during the meeting, she had plenty to say afterward.  ``I certainly resent Mr. Vetter calling himself a hero and comparing himself to Rosa Parks,'' Ruzicka said heatedly. ``He is a homosexual because of who he chooses to sleep with. That is immoral.'' She said she would not object to Vetter teaching in a private school or even remaining in the public-school system, so long as he keeps his orientation to himself and never acts on it. ``There are parents out there who don't want their children to have gay teachers,'' she said. More than 30 Skyline students greeted Vetter in the hallway afterward, and many cried and embraced him.    ``There are a lot of people who would want it understood that we are here to support Mr. Vetter,'' said senior Blake Barlow. ``We are not here for some gay-straight club, but for Mr. Vetter, who has supported us through the years of competition.'' Earlier on Tuesday, Salt Lake City School Superintendent Darline Robles and board members Clifford Higbee, Karen Derrick, Diane Barlow and Kent Michie met with hundreds of students at West, Highland and East high schools to talk about the board's decision and its ramifications. Reporters were banned from the sessions, but Robles said later that many students asked the board members why they voted the way they did. Some East students delivered a petition with 700 names asking the board to reconsider its vote. That's not likely, said Robles, who had recommended that the board permit gay-straight alliances in order to leave the other clubs intact.  ``My job is to make recommendations that fit into the law,'' she said. ``After the board made its decision, my job is to make that decision work.'' Part of Robles' goal was to gauge student views and to help find ways to re-examine the district's curriculum to see which clubs might remain after the decision takes effect this fall.  After meeting with Robles and the board members, East student Jennifer Stevens, a ninth-grader who is not involved in any clubs, said she still strongly disagreed with the board's decision.  ``They should allow all of the clubs,'' she said. ``It's not fair what the board has done to everybody else. We got our chance to speak, but we did not get to vote.'' Dan McConkie, an East senior and former student representative on the Salt Lake school board, initially disagreed with the board's decision. Tuesday's meeting changed his mind. ``It was a good, rational dialogue between students and the school board,'' he said. ``I understand why they voted the way they did, but they did not change everyone's mind.''

     

29 February 1996 02/29/96 Page: B3 CLAYTON VETTER Gay Teacher Encounters No Ill Will Byline: By Robert Bryson THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE    Skyline High School debate teacher Clayton Vetter said Wednesday he has experienced no ill will since he went public about being gay. Vetter's announcement at a state Capitol news conference Tuesday constituted the latest development in a months-long debate over whether gay and lesbian students should be able to form clubs in Salt Lake City School District junior and senior high schools.    ``The vast majority of people, students, faculty and parents, are supportive,'' Vetter said. ``People are tolerant and open to the fact that teachers may be gay or straight and should be judged on their merits as teachers.'' Granite spokesman Kent Gardner, however, said people who called the district Wednesday were mixed in their reaction. Some said they did not condone an openly gay teacher in the classroom, while others ``were supportive of him and showed compassion for his situation,'' he said.  ``This teacher made a public announcement about his personal life,'' Gardner said. ``He is a good teacher. This may not have an impact on his classroom, but we will have to wait and see.''    Vetter, who has taught in the Granite District for 12 years and has been at Skyline for four, also announced the formation of a Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers' Alliance. He was joined Tuesday by Doug Wortham, an openly gay teacher at Rowland Hall-St. Mark's, a private school, and Scott Nelson, an East High education teacher who is straight.    Wortham has refused to reveal how many teachers are part of the new alliance. On Feb. 20, the Salt Lake City School Board banned noncurricular clubs at secondary schools. The ban was initiated after East High students petitioned to form a student gay-straight alliance. Vetter said many gay or lesbian teachers may think that coming out will cost them their jobs. However, he said, if their ``conduct is appropriate, they will not lose their jobs.'' But he said it is up to individuals to decide whether to disclose their sexual orientation.

 

29 February 1996 02/29/96 Page: B3 Keywords: UT Legislature, Public Schools, Students, Clubs, Homosexual-Gay Issues, Social Issues Legislators Criticize Board's Vote on Clubs Byline: By Dan Harrie THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Ten Utah Democratic lawmakers representing Salt Lake City have fired off a letter to the Salt Lake City School Board criticizing its decision to ban all noncurricular clubs and urging members to lift the prohibition.  ``This decision will be harmful to a majority of younger adults and will not protect anyone,'' said the letter on House of Representatives stationery. ``It is our opinion that more thought should be given to the long-term and damaging consequences.'' The legislators who signed the letter, dated Tuesday, are Sens. Bob Steiner, Rex Black and Blaze Wharton and Reps. Frank Pignanelli, Gene Davis, Dave Jones, Mary Carlson, Steve Barth, Loretta Baca and Pete Suazo. Two Republicans from Salt Lake City -- Sen. David Buhler and Rep. Afton Bradshaw -- declined to sign, said Davis. In their letter, Democrats offered to meet with school-board members if they desired, adding, ``It is our sincere hope that we will work toward a community and state that fosters unity and tolerance, not division and hate.'' They argued school-based clubs encourage good citizenship, provide coping skills and sometimes are essential to receiving scholarships or gaining admission to college. In addition to recommending a policy allowing noncurricular clubs, the 10 lawmakers said East High students who petitioned for creation of a gay-straight alliance club ``make a good case as to why resources and assistance must be expanded to certain individuals.'' The letter suggests establishment of a ``district-sponsored program to help these students.''

 

1 March 1996  TEACHER SEX CRIME A former student is suing his former Englishteacher and Granite School District for $20million, claiming the teacher sexually abused himand the district allowed the crime to occur.   Randy Burkholz, 25, claims he was sexuallystalked, abused and harassed by teacher JackA. Joyce, 66, while Burkholz was a student atChurchill Junior High School.   Joyce -- who taught English and typing --continued the abuse after Burkholz left to attendSkyline High School, the lawsuit claims.Between 1981 and 1988, the former studentclaims he endured masturbation, fellatio,fondling, seduction, obscene gestures andscatological speech from Joyce.   Much of the sexual abuse occurred in theschool building or on the grounds at Churchill,located at 3450 E. Oakview Drive (4275South), the lawsuit claims. At times, Joyceallegedly locked the boy in a room at the schooland forced him to engage in sexual conduct.On other occasions, Joyce abducted him fromChurchill and Skyline and sexually abused him.   The lawsuit claims Granite officials ``knew orhad reason to know respecting the misconduct   of Joyce,'' but kept silent.   According to case law, the school district isimmune to negligence claims. However, thedistrict would not be immune to Burkholz's $20million claim his federal civil-rights wereviolated.   The statute of limitations for reporting sexual   abuse in a civil case usually is one year. Buttime lines begin running when victims turn 18 orwhen plaintiffs become aware of abuse. The  lawsuit claims Burkholz suffered from``repressed memory syndrome'' and onlyrecalled the abuse within the last year duringtherapy sessions. Burkholz also suffered``enormous psychic pain'' and became mentallyand emotionally disabled, the lawsuit claims.   This is not the first time Joyce has beenaccused of sexual indiscretions.   In June 1989, Joyce was charged in 3rdCircuit Court with two sexual crimes at Churchill Junior High School, separate from Burkholz's claims.   Joyce was charged with class A misdemeanorlewdness involving a child in May 1989. The male student, who was under the age of 14, was a teacher's assistant and had his desk close to Joyce's, according to charging documents.    Joyce ``frequently simulated masturbation and otherwise fondled his genitals through his clothing' to get the student to look at the act,'' the charges state.    At the same time, Joyce was charged with a class B misdemeanor lewdness charge after a school janitor caught the teacher masturbating, according to charging documents.   Joyce pleaded guilty in August 1989 to thesecond charge and the first count wasdismissed. He was fined $300, sent to jail forfour days and ordered -- along with his wife --to see a therapist for 12 months. Judge Le RoyGriffiths also barred Joyce from being in thecompany of minors in a teaching situation. Joycethen resigned from his teaching job.   In July 1992, he was cited with disorderlyconduct for an unspecified sexual act that occurred in a men's restroom in Liberty Park,according to a Salt Lake City citation. Joycepleaded guilty, was fined $150 and ordered tobe tested for AIDS.   Granite School District Personnel DirectorDale Baker said Joyce worked at four juniorhigh schools from 1962 to 1989: Brockbank,Bonneville, Hunter and Churchill. He said therewas nothing in Joyce's file other than hisresignation.   Roger Mouritsen, director of certification forthe State Office of Education, said Joyce'steaching certificate lapsed in 1993 after he failedto meet the five-year renewal date. He saidGranite did not notify his office that Joyce wasinvolved in unprofessional conduct.   Joyce -- who moved last year to Mesa, Ariz.-- could not be reached for comment. (SLTribune: 03/01/96 Page: B4)

 

2 March 1996 03/02/96 Page: B1 Keywords: Protests, UT, Homosexual-Gay Issues Young Protesters Are Pawns, Critics Claim  Clubs Issue Divides Adult Society Byline: By Samuel A. Autman THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE    College freshman Jason Weaver arranged with Salt Lake City for protesters to march today on the State Capitol to voice their displeasure with the Salt Lake City School Board's decision to ban all nonacademic clubs. And when Skyline High School teacher Clayton Vetter went public about being gay earlier this week, Lynn Taylor of the Utah Human Rights Coalition reserved a room at the Capitol for a news conference.  Time and again, critics charge, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Utah Stonewall Center and The Citizens Alliance For Hate Free Schools have been behind the scenes helping arrange high school student walkouts, rallies and protests about the explosive gay-straight alliance issue.  ``It's being orchestrated by the adult homosexual organizations,'' said Sen. Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville. ``Since they can't reproduce, they have basically said, `We will seduce and sodomize your children.' ''  Added Utah Eagle Forum president Gayle Ruzicka, ``I have been saying that over and over. On the day of that rally at the Capitol, I stood over them and looked down. It appeared to me that 95% of the people protesting were adults.'' In fact, Eagle Forum members were present at school board meetings, public hearings and at the Legislature for weeks before the Salt Lake School Board banned all noncurricular clubs to block gay-straight student alliances from getting permission to meet on campus. East High senior Kelli Peterson said she approached school officials about the alliance after years of seeing gay and Lesbian students live in isolation and fear. Peterson said that far from being the pawn of outside groups, she merely wanted a place on her campus for a   gay-straight alliance to meet.  On the night before last week's walkouts at East and West high schools and Bryant and Northwest intermediate schools, student organizers used ACLU telephone banks to make calls. ACLU director Carole Gnade said students asked her organization to be their shepherd. ``When the students originally called us, they wanted to know what their rights were,'' she said. ``Our reaction was to protect their rights of free speech and association and to make sure they got the access they needed to speak out on issues.' ' Indeed, Gnade said, the notion of adult forces using young people harkens back to the civil-rights movement and the anti-war demonstrations during the Vietnam era, when the establishment labeled protesters ``outside agitators.'' Charlene Orchard, co-leader of the Utah Human Rights Coalition, said that when the East High request surfaced, a number of groups -- including the coalition, ACLU, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and the Utah Stonewall Center -- created The Citizens Alliance for Hate Free Schools to rally around the students.  ``What we are trying to do is create community support across the board,'' Orchard said. ``One of the interesting things

that started to happen was I was beginning to get calls from straight parents who wanted to do something.'' Orchard said the groups were not working together until Kelli Peterson came to them. And that's when the Utah Eagle Forum got interested, Ruzicka said.    ``They all have the same agenda to push these clubs onto the campuses,'' she said. ``It goes back to the same thing we have been dealing with for years. They are promoting the homosexual lifestyle.'' Taylor, who sponsored a new state law that makes it illegal for teachers to promote illegal activity, said that while some homosexuals are not promiscuous, others are still pushing that ``adult homosexual agenda.'' But Doug Bates, attorney for the Utah State Office of Education, said schools have been battlegrounds for larger societal issues for as long as he can remember. ``It's almost as if people need to have a controversy so they can say, `This is what I stand for,' '' Bates said. ``It's a tribalism concept we have in humanity and it seems to be dividing us. MISCELLANEOUS The Wasatch Chapter of Affirmation, a support group for gay and lesbian Mormons, will hold its 4th annual mission reunion Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Utah Stonewall Center, 770 S. 300 West, Salt Lake City. The program includes a comedy missionary presentation and remarks from guest speaker Tom Mathews, assistant professor of Spanish at Brigham Young University. Donations of $3 are suggested. -- The Mormon Alliance's critique of LDS General Conference will be held April 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Salt Lake City Public Library, 209 E. 500 South, Salt Lake City. A panel of long-time conference observers will offer their opinions about the LDS event, which will be April 6-7.  

 

3 March 1996 03/03/96 Page: A1 Keywords: UT Legislature, Special Interest Groups, Personalities Caption: Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune Gayle Ruzicka, armed with her ever-present and networked cellular telephone, directs the Utah Eagle Forum in an effort to steer the Legislature toward her vision of the moral high ground. Legislature Scores a Morals Victory Lawmakers Made Clear The Value of Values In Their Works, Words  Legislature Offers Utah Morals Support Byline: By Dan Harrie THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE From the opening prayer by President James E. Faust of the Mormon Church's ruling First Presidency to final passage 45 days later of a law aimed at barring homosexual-promoting activities in schools, the 1996 Legislature was a study in moral certitude.  ``Community values'' was its watchword. One hundred years after Utah gained statehood with a constitution that promised an end to theocracy, political leaders -- at times -- were overcome with nostalgia for that pioneer blend of religion and government credited with producing societal harmony.  Faust, in his Senate blessing Jan. 15, referred to Utah as ``a beacon on the hill of this nation, and even the world.''  Later that same evening, Gov. Mike Leavitt delivered a State of the State address flush with references to Utah's centennial and its destiny as a ``keeper of the flame'' -- a place ``where the world turns to renew its sense of basic values.'' House Minority Leader Frank Pignanelli of Salt Lake City, not to be outdone, used the word ``values'' 21 times in his Democratic response to the Republican governor. The tone established on that first day carried through the legislative session, which was infused with more morals legislation and sermonizing speeches than any in the past 10 years.  ``It has been one of our better years. We ended up with some great legislation,'' said Gayle Ruzicka, president of the Utah Eagle Forum. The ultraconservative, Christian political-action group was a driving force in the Legislature's pilgrimage to the moral  high ground. It seemed that in the key battles, Ruzicka always was there, armed with her most powerful weapon: a cellular telephone that could, at the tap of a touch-tone, light up a phone tree of hundreds of followers.    From a bill supporting a daily ``moment of silence'' in classrooms to new abortion restrictions that are expected to draw court challenges, lawmakers advanced an ambitious values-laden agenda. At the same time, they defeated -- amid claims of government interference in parental responsibilities -- an initiative to expand state oversight of day-care centers.  Lawmakers also spent time on a stack of other bills -- including a proposal to soften the state constitution's church-state separation clause -- that received serious consideration before ultimately failing.  ``I was enormously disturbed by their activity on the morals front,'' said retired University of Utah political scientist J.D. Williams, a lifelong Democrat who described the session as one long ``morality play .'' ``All of a sudden, they have put themselves in the kind of business -- regulating private conduct -- that you would think conservatives would be the last ones to interfere with,'' lamented Williams.  While the Eagle Forum played a key role, the focus on values was due as much to pressure from within the Legislature as from outside lobbying.  Several lawmakers stepped forward as protectors of the public morals, notably Sens. Howard Stepenson, R-Draper; Charles Stewart, R-Provo; and Craig Taylor, R-Kaysville. Taylor particularly stood out by combating what he called the ``moral crisis'' in society, characterized by homosexuality, pornography and a general lack of responsibility. He acknowledged his belief in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shaped his opinions and legislation. And his wife, Reva, said his motivation was ``evil vs. right for the betterment of the human soul.'' More than 80 percent of Utah lawmakers are practicing Mormons. That compares to the approximately 70 percent of residents listed on membership roles. A church spokesman said the institution took no official stand on any of the bills considered this year.  Nevertheless, attention to the inspired side of lawmaking was pronounced on Capitol Hill ``I've definitely sat up there and had some spiritual experiences when passing legislation that would benefit Utah in a very moral way,'' said Ruzicka. But the LDS mother of 12 said, ``I don't believe it's a Mormon thing.'' Rather, she attributes this Legislature's focus on values to public outrage about the petition of a small group of East High School students to form a gay-straight alliance club.  ``It kind of seemed to give a moral push to the Legislature,'' she said.  A few legislators pushed back  ``I'm tired of being part of the moral police of the state of Utah,'' Sen. Millie Peterson, D-West Valley City, complained during emotional debate on an anti-abortion bill. The measure originally proposed requiring women to watch a state-produced video on abortion. Then it was watered down to mandate that the state provide the tape. Lawmakers approved it, a second bill banning two rarely used methods of late-term abortions and $200,000 in expected legal-defense funds on the final night of the session. Also passed in the final hours was the controversial bill prohibiting teachers from condoning or supporting illegal behavior -- even in their private lives -- if it disrupts or interferes with normal school activities.    Republican proponents of the measure shied away from taking a moral tone in floor debate on the bill, saying it was aimed only at preventing illegal influences. Earlier, senators were embarrassed by accounts leaking out about their secret, illegal meeting at which school officials were questioned about allegations of homosexual-promoting activities in classrooms and lecture halls. But even Democrats who unsuccessfully opposed the bill put a heavy religious veneer on their speeches. Rep. Kurt Oscarson, D-Sandy, quoted one-time LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith, while Rep. Grant Protzman, D-North Ogden, talked of ``free agency.'' Meanwhile, Rep. Steve Barth, D-Salt Lake City, thundered in defense of homosexuals that ``these people have a God, too -- the same God. . . . And it's God's place to judge, not ours.''  While publicly defending the civil rights of homosexuals and other minorities, Democrats privately distanced themselves from a gay-rights agenda. Legislative leaders of the minority party and state Democratic boss Mike Zuhl summoned officials of the Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats [GLUD] to a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill and demanded the group remove the party tag from its name.  That confrontation, along with the vocal religious references in floor debate, is part of a long-term Democratic survival strategy. Political advisers have for several years warned Democrats that to reverse their declining electability in Utah, they must appeal to a larger bloc of LDS voters now securely in Republican hands.

 

3 March 1996 : 03/03/96 age: C1 Keywords: UT, Courts, Judges Caption: Jump pg C6: The Salt Lake Tribune graphic: Judicial Misconduct Has Judicial Watchdog Grown Teeth?  Judicial Watchdog Vows To Earn Trust yline: By Sheila R. McCann THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE    Battling an image of secrecy and weakness, Utah's judicial watchdog says it is poised to win the public's trust.  The Judicial Conduct Commission has been a low-budget and low-profile agency charged with monitoring the ethical behavior of judges. Its part-time staff has labored in obscurity since its inception in 1977. Now, after 18 months of unusual public scrutiny, the commission has hired its first full-time executive director and secured a visible office in the Utah Law and Justice Center in downtown Salt Lake City. Attorney Steven H. Stewart, who formerly regulated Utah's real-estate industry, promises to provide accountability and professionalism. Critics say the commission has a long way to go. Before Stewart took control, it quietly dismissed two complaints against 3rd District Judge David S. Young -- without hearing from those complaining. Ironically, it was those cases that drew enough fire to merit budget increases from the Legislature, put Stewart on the payroll and taught Utahns where to complain about state judges. Alicia Larson accused Young of religious and gender bias after he ruled she would lose custody of her children if she moved away from Utah and the Mormon environment.  No one from the commission checked with Larson before the complaint was dismissed months ago. And she did not learn of the dismissal until last week when she called to check the status of the case.  ``I'm just boggled,'' says Larson. ``How do you do an investigation without interviewing the person who filed the complaint? They have no credibility.'' The Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats (GLUD) filed a complaint against Young after he gave a reduced prison sentence to David N. Thacker, who killed Douglas C. Koehler in 1993 after Koehler allegedly tried to kiss him. Thacker kicked Koehler out of his Park City apartment, later tracked him down and shot him between the eyes. Young sentenced Thacker to a maximum of 6 years in prison -- rather than the usual term of up to 15 years. GLUD says it was told by the commission that it did not have the right -- called legal standing -- to complain. ``That ignores the merits of the complaint,'' says founder David Nelson. ``The person who was harmed is dead.'' Additional complaints have been lodged against Young. But since the commission keeps its work secret, it is possible all of them have been thrown out with no action.    Meanwhile, Stewart and chairwoman Denise Dragoo believe the commission will begin earning the public's trust as it winds through its pending agenda: -- An unprecedented 10 formal misconduct charges are pending against justice and state court judges, based on complaints dating back to 1993. Historically, three or fewer formal charges are filed each year. Most cases end in dismissals or private, informal scoldings. -- For two of the 10 misconduct charges -- which remain secret -- the commission has asked the Utah Supreme Court to approve its recommendations for public sanctions. The commission publicly has sanctioned one judge since it was created in 1977. -- State lawmakers just passed a bill allowing the commission to alert Utahns when their claims against judges are dismissed, ending a policy of silence that left critics -- like Larson -- with no idea their case had been resolved. The bill becomes law April 29, Stewart says. -- A task force will be named this month to examine whether the intense secrecy surrounding the commission's work should be rolled back. Dragoo says the commission is finally coming of age. ``We've had a chance to look at the long-term and where we're going,'' says Dragoo, an attorney. ``We've really turned things around, and that helps the judiciary overall.'' Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, agrees. ``We are starting to do our job,'' says Ure, who also is a commission member. ``Judges are taking a second look and realizing we mean business.''  Nelson of GLUD says the jury is still out.  ``All of that is for naught if the commission is allowed to disregard --  without interviewing anyone -- the complaints that come before it,'' he says.  Critics assailed the commission last year when the series of publicized bias complaints against Young appeared to be stalled. An anonymous legislator and the Utah chapter of the National Organization for Women called for an audit of the commission, laboring under a tripled workload of complaints. But legislative auditors decided no independent review could be done, because state law and the Utah Constitution give the commission and judges unusually rigid confidentiality. While claims against other Utah professionals -- doctors, lawyers, accountants, contractors -- become public if misconduct charges are filed, formal charges against judges remain cloaked in secrecy.  Thirty-one states make formal charges against their judges public.    Making those charges public in Utah would maintain confidentiality for the vast majority of the commission's cases. Changing Utah's system may require an amendment to the state constitution. That is what California voters did last year. A 1988 law had given California's Commission on Judicial Performance the discretion to open its hearings to the public when certain types of formal complaints were filed. But when the commission tried to hold public hearings, judges contested the issue to the state Supreme Court, delaying their discipline cases, says Victoria Henley, the commission's director and chief counsel.  ``The voters got annoyed when six years later there were no public hearings,'' Henley says.Last November, California voters approved a constitutional amendment overhauling the commission and making discipline proceedings against judges public as soon as charges are filed. A tragedy led Washington state voters to approve their constitutional amendment to make judicial discipline more open. The Washington Commission on Judicial Conduct secretly had admonished a King County judge in 1982 for improper out-of-court contacts with male juveniles. The judge killed himself in 1988 as a Seattle newspaper prepared to run a story about allegations that he had sexually molested young men before his appointment to the bench. Washington lawmakers determined the commission had failed to pursue the allegations and the constitutional amendment was approved the next year.  Arkansas' commission is considered one of the most accessible. All final actions are public -- dismissals, letters of admonishment, or formal charges. Arkansas' Supreme Court has abolished private reprimands, says James Badami, executive director of the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission. But each state has to strike its own balance between judicial privacy and independence and the public's right to know whether their judges are abiding by a code of conduct, Badami says.  ``There has to be an active discussion about what is needed . . . and what is best for the culture of the state,'' he says. The national trend toward openness represents a second stage for judicial conduct commissions, created in the 1960s and '70s, Henley says. Today, the public's demand for increased accountability from courts has spread to judges and discipline commissions, she says. Utah's task force will begin by surveying what other states do, Stewart says.  ``I welcome the task force and would like to have things a little more open to the public,'' commission member Ure adds. Building public confidence in the judicial discipline system helps ``take the cloud off'' judges, he says.    ``There are lots of good judges out there,'' he says, ``who don't have to worry about us.''

 

4 March 1996 Monday, ANTI GAY OPINION GAY STUDENT CLUBS  PREVENT FALL INTO MORAL DECAY  Answer this question. In the last 100 years how many clubs have been formed associated with high schools that were organized strictly for "straight" sex? How would such an act be received? Let's look beyond all this surface banter on the forming of gay/lesbian clubs in high schools and peer into the heart of thematter. Homosexual clubs are formed with three main reasons in mind. 1. That people with like sexual desires can join inrecognized groups. A person can join and say, "Here am I. I am ready to indulge in sodomy and fellatio, etc." To encourageand convince each other that their sexual acts are "normal" and "OK." An attempt to bring society in general to accept andsupport their sexual behavior patterns as "normal" and good for society as a whole.Most homosexuals are good, productive citizens. But they should keep their sexual practices private. All of us should keepour sexual practices private. Those of us repulsed by homosexual acts should not be asked to acquiesce and support theformation of such clubs. Certainly a great majority of society is repulsed by homosexuality."Silent majority," awake and arise and be heard in this matter. To remain silent is to contribute to the rapid decline of moralityin this country today. Our Founding Fathers of this nation based their new laws upon time proven ideas of morality and beliefin God to establish this government. Let us not fall into moral decay.John SaxeyWest Valley City Deseret News Publishing Co.

 

4 March 1996- GAY BASHING Two gay men Claude Schneider and Dave Hamilton whose Main Street Agave bookstore was firebombed have closed shop and left town, saying there is a climate of hatred, intolerance and police indifference that belies this retirement community's serene image. Someone broke a window of the bookstore early on Sept. 24, 1995, opened an adjoining door and set fire to a gasoline can. An alarm and sprinklers were triggered at 3 a.m., but water kept running until employees of a neighboring business noticed flooding at 7 a.m. and called police. Damage was estimated at $200,000.  Months before the fire, a man espousing white-supremacist views was proselytizing to bookstore customers and the owners asked him to leave. That night, a rock was thrown through a store window. And after The Agave reopened following the fire, the owners say they endured continual threats and insults.  ``We have been called `faggot' in our own shop,'' says Schneider. ``But I will say a large percentage of the town supported us and shopped here. We had a successful business in providing something that St. George didn't have before, but we can't take this anymore.''

 

12 March 1996 03/12/96 Page: D2 Keywords: UT Congressional Delegation, Candidates

McConkie Pulls Out, Predicts Demo Loss Byline: By Laurie Sullivan Maddox THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Lawyer Jim McConkie halted his 2nd Congressional District campaign Monday, scolding the Democratic Party for failing to rally behind him and calling fellow Democrat Ross Anderson an extreme candidate who will not get his vote.    While he left the door open for a renewed effort, McConkie said his re-emergence would require Anderson's exit from the race, clear primary sailing and the backing of a ``solidly unified'' party.  Anderson and Utah Democratic Chairman Mike Zuhl said he won't get it.    ``We're not only going to see this thing through, but we're going to win this race in November,'' said Anderson, who filed as a candidate in the lieutenant governor's office shortly after McConkie's speech.  Zuhl said McConkie's exit was disappointing, but he had no intention of urging Anderson to back off.  ``It is true that when Democrats have contested races we usually don't win. However, there is not much you can do about it when people are determined to run,'' he said. ``I just hope that people run a good, clean, fair fight and that we unite when we need to.'' McConkie, a conservative Democrat, warned that the minority  party has not learned from its history of infighting, and predicted that divisiveness will once again cost Democrats victory. ``I can see a party about to complete its biennial election suicide ritual, and, if it continues on that course, I cannot participate,'' he told reporters at a press conference that not one party official attended. A liberal nominee, who appeals to more activist Democratic convention and primary voters, will lose because the district is moderate to conservative, he said. But a moderate won't make it either because the convention and primary battle will have eroded the Democratic base.  ``The party can stand by and watch another filing free-for-all,'' McConkie said. ``It can recruit another more moderate candidate who can beat Rocky Anderson in a convention, thus avoiding a primary. Or it can convince Rocky Anderson to step aside and coalesce around my candidacy or someone else's.'' If fellow lawyer Anderson is the nominee, McConkie added, he will not support or vote for him.    ``He is too extreme and we have too many disagreements over policies,'' McConkie said, citing Anderson's pro-choice and gay-rights support and his past stint as president of the American Civil Liberties Union. Anderson replied that McConkie ``obviously doesn't know me. Anybody that thinks I can be reduced to a label like liberal is in for a huge surprise.''  ``I've already received significant support from a number of Republicans and independents,'' said Anderson, who cites U.S. fiscal policy, Utah wilderness and environmental issues as his priorities. McConkie had gotten into the race last fall after receiving assurances, he said, that party rank-and-file and the traditional Democratic interest groups would bury their differences and support him. Instead, Democratic backers began to desert him when Anderson jumped in, and McConkie's opposition to gay rights and elective abortions alienated groups such as Utahns For Choice and Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats    (GLUD).  In recent weeks, principals of the choice group sought to clarify McConkie's perception that he had their support. GLUD, which had never offered it, was glad to see McConkie go.  ``Three cheers,'' said the group's founder, David Nelson, echoing McConkie's response to recent efforts by some Democrats to get GLUD to downplay its party affiliation.  McConkie charged that those groups have taken the party hostage, replacing polite informed discussion with ``belligerence and inability to compromise.'' Anderson said it was hypocritical of McConkie to blast Utahns For Choice, however, since he had coveted their endorsement before and attended a group fund-raiser just last week. ``Now that they make it clear they're not endorsing him, he lashes out and calls them extremists,'' Anderson said. The latest development leaves Anderson as the party's standard-bearer for the time being, although Utah House Minority Leader Frank Pignanelli and Jennifer Wilson, Rep. Bill Orton's chief of staff, are both considering a bid. The filing deadline for candidates is Monday.

 

17 Mar 1995-Utah Legislature passes law refusing to recognize same sex marriages from other states. (2)Utah’s LDS governor Michael Leavitt signs the country’s first Defense of Marriage Act legislation which indicated that the state of Utah recognizes only marriages between persons of different sex, including those that might be performed in other states. (159)

 

23 March 1996 03/23/96 Page: A1 Keywords: Politics-Politicians, UT, Candidates Cultivating Grass-Roots Politics  Delegates Will Sprout From Utah Caucuses Caucuses: Race Mounts For Delegates Byline: By Dan Harrie THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The first important elections of the 1996 campaign season in Utah are scheduled Monday at 7 p.m. in living rooms throughout the state. Called precinct caucuses, the informal meetings are as grassroots as politics gets. Neighbors open their homes for an hour or so of political gossip, often over snacks, and then elect delegates to county and state party conventions. Those delegates play an important role in determining which candidates end up on the ballots for the Nov. 5 election. Whether Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or independent, any resident can attend the caucus of choice in his or her neighborhood, vote and even run as a delegate.  ``It's fashionable to complain about government. But if you're not willing to get off your duff and attend caucus meetings, you really don't have much room to complain about the candidates,'' said Utah Republican Director Russ Behrmann. One fear of political organizers: competition with ``Oscar night'' -- the Academy Awards presentation Monday night.  ``People may have to miss those first awards -- makeup and special effects and best costumes,'' said state Democratic Director Todd Taylor. ``But like somebody I know said, `I know how to set my VCR.' ''   Behrmann said because most caucuses are completed in an hour or so, he sees little reason why the Academy Awards should interfere with caucuses. ``And if you're a real Oscar freak, have your Oscar party with your neighbors at the caucuses.'' Both party executives stressed the magnified impact voters can have at this early stage in the election process, because relatively few people participate.  ``The ones who attend their caucus meetings are the ones who have their voices heard,'' Behrmann said. ``Special interests have certainly learned to manipulate them.'' One traditionally powerful caucus-stacking organization is the Utah Education Association teachers union, which aims at boosting ``education-friendly'' candidates.  Special interests from gun rights to gay rights are actively lining up people to attend caucuses and win election as delegates.  The Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats have long targeted caucuses to secure their influence in the

Democratic Party.  But another gay political action group -- the Utah Log Cabin Republicans -- has promised a spirited caucus foray this year.   ``Like it or not,'' the group said in a news release earlier this week, ``the Republican Party is the only political game in town.'  Organization President D.J. Thompson said: ``Whether they are Republican or not, ULCR encourages gay, lesbian and bisexual people to attend the Republican Party Caucuses.''  Christian right and anti-gun control advocates also are organizing. The Utah Shooting Sports Council (USSC), a National Rifle Association affiliate, has mailed out more than 1,000 packets to firearms enthusiasts telling them how to become involved and win election as delegates. They also have sponsored as many as eight training sessions during the past several months. ``Government is run by those who show up and speak up,'' said USSC spokesman Scott Engen. ``Silence does imply consent.'' Candidates, too, do their best to ``stack'' the caucuses with their friends and supporters. The most heated delegate wars are in Salt Lake County's 2nd Congressional District and the 3rd Congressional District, centered in Utah County. Six Republicans are elbowing one another in the 3rd District for the opportunity to face off with Democratic Rep. Bill Orton. ``We're working our tails off,'' said GOP hopeful Tom Draschil, of Provo. ``In this district, there has never been a race where these neighborhood meetings were worked so vigorously.'' Another Utah County Republican candidate -- venture capitalist Chris Cannon -- has been running television commercials for weeks. Most candidates this early in the campign rely on more traditional methods of communication -- open houses, direct mail and telephone banks. Merrill Cook appears to be the king of direct mail so far.  The Salt Lake City Republican, former Independent Party leader, said he has sent out 23,000 pieces of mail in preparation for delegate selection. His campaign phone contacts have topped 12,000.   ``It's the most sophisticated delegate operation in the state,'' Cook said.    Cook's strategy is twofold: to woo past delegates and to recruit fresh blood into the party through the delegate elections.  There is plenty of competition, though. Eight candidates have filed for the Republican nomination in the 2nd District seat being vacated by scandal-tainted GOP Rep. Enid Greene Waldholtz.  The 2nd District also is the center of action for the Democratic Party caucuses. It is the only major contest in which   Democrats have more than one candidate battling for the nomination. Candidate and civil-rights attorney Ross Anderson has been working for months to shore up delegate support. State Rep. Kelly Atkinson jumped into the race just this week and is scrambling to play catchup in the delegate sweepstakes Each Democrat has an eye on the goal of capturing enough support to knock out the other at the state Democratic Convention on May 11. More than 500 delegate votes are needed to lock up the nomination and avoid a divisive primary.

  

24 March 1996: Utah AIDS Foundation Honors Six for Their Time and Devotion Les Stewart never missed an opportunity to urge people to exercise caution and practice safe sex. ``We have got to turn off the faucet instead of stepping on the hose,'' he would say of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Early this year, the disease claimed  Stewart. But it was the way he lived his life that prompted the Utah AIDS Foundation to name him Advocate of the Year. That award and five others will be given at the foundation's annual Oscar Night Gala Monday. ``His commitment to AIDS education and prevention was vigilant,'' said Jane Edwards, executive director of the Salt Lake YWCA, who nominated Stewart for the award. Whatever the forum, whether a radio broadcast or fund-raising event, Stewart told his story in a forthright fashion that commanded attention. He went from being a member of the foundation's speaker's bureau to a member of the organization's board of directors. Stewart is one of two people this year honored posthumously with the Utah AIDS Foundation's ``Academy of Friends'' award. Liza Gonzalez will be recognized as Volunteer of the Year for her efforts to educate Utahns about AIDS, the disease that killed her in November. Even in her passing, she continues to educate through her two daughters, Valerie and Victoria, who now speak on behalf of the Utah AIDS Foundation. They will accept the award Monday at the gala in the Salt Palace Ballroom. The fifth annual fund-raising gala is one of 11 official Oscar night events nationwide. Others to be honored are: Delores and Maxine Sanchez will receive the award for Most Committed Support. Granted to individuals who contribute `inordinate time and effort'' to the foundation, the award honors two women who have stocked the food bank without fail since 1994. IHC will be recognized as Corporation of the Year, for providing hot meals to Utah AIDS Foundation clients. - Utah Food Bank is named Best Supporting Cast, as an organization whose support creates community awareness. The Rev. Barbara Hamilton-Holway, for Best Divine Intervention, an award given to a leader in the religious community who has provided interfaith support and compassionate service. 03/24/96 Page: J2 Joan O'Brien

 

Sunday, March 24, 1996 GAY POLITICS S.L. COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PRECINCT CAUCUSES Legislative District 23 2001 - Pete Suazo, 1307 Garnette St. 2002 - Stuart Reid, 1373 N. Miami Circle 2014 - Elaine Peterson, 1186 Capistrano 2038, 2044 - Ted Lewis, 1155 W. 400 North Legislative District 24 2018 - Michael Aaron, 244 Reed Ave. 2064 - David Nelson, 112 W. 200 North 2122 - Marlin Criddle, 386 Eleventh Ave. 2154 - Elbert Peck, 141 First Ave. No. 203 2220 - Calvin Noyce, 160 S. 600 East No. 405 Legislative District 25 2136 - Ted Wilson, 587 Perry's Hollow Road 2364 - Deeda Seed, 545 S. 1100 East 2502 - Janet Rose, 943 S. 1000 East 2506 - Gregg Hamilton, 1009 S. 1100 East 2514 - Scott Daniels, 1171 E. Laird Ave. 2902 - Jim Bradley, 135 Young Oak Rd. District 27 2350 - David Thometz, 851 E. 600 South No. 303 2378 - Sharon Alderman, 753 S. 500 East 2379 - Bruce Harmon, 667 E. 900 South 2442 - Doug Wortham, 157 E. Coatsville Ave. 2466 - Lucy Malin, 326 E. Wilson 2706 - Becky Moss, 165 E. Commonwealth Ave. Legislative District 28 . 2604 - Randy Horiuchi, 1878 Harvard Ave. Legislative District 32 1218, 1220, 1226 - Barbara Toomer, 4264 W. 3785 South 4184 - J.D. Williams, 1587 E. Ventor Ave

 

30 March 1996 03/30/96 Page: D3 Keywords: Public Schools, Extra Curricular Activities, UT S.L. School Officials to Pick Which Clubs to Allow Byline: By Samuel A. Autman THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE By the end of this school year, Salt Lake City School District will have read through dozens of school-club charters and finalized a list of curricular clubs returning next fall. Harold Trussel, assistant superintendent, has ordered all of the district's secondary principals to recommend which clubs should remain. The School Board will soon start discussing the nuances of its February decision to ban all nonacademic clubs in order to block gay-straight student alliances. The conflict over school clubs erupted when a group of East High School students in Salt Lake City requested permission to form a gay-straight alliance. The Utah State Office of Education and the Attorney General's Office determined that either all clubs had to be allowed or none be permitted based on the 1984 Equal Access Act, sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, which was intended to permit Bible and religious clubs access to campuses nationwide. The board voted to ban all clubs. But School Board President Mary Jo Rasmussen said board members will now have to explore what kinds of noncurricular activities will be allowed.  Given the national media attention the board's 4-3 vote received, Rasmussen knows many people are wondering if the district will relax some of its rules to accommodate the clubs it wants to keep. ``We have to be really careful to not circumvent the intent of the law,'' Rasmussen said. ``If we say, `Put the chess club in math class and Young Democrats and Republicans in social studies to keep those clubs,' then we are opening ourselves up to lawsuits.'' Trussel and the district's attorney, John Robson, will read each club's constitution to determine whether each is linked to curriculum.  Principals are making their recommendations, but remain unclear on groups such as the National Honor Society. No one class is tied to curriculum, but rather a body of classes and a student's grade-point average determine membership. ``I don't see it as being difficult, but some of the gray areas will require greater research and maybe input from the state School Board,'' he said. Kate Kendell, now with the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco and formerly with the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, has been studying the question of release time. Hundreds of Utah public school students leave their campuses every day to take religious studies classes through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic and various Protestant churches Kendell believes even if a church group came forward to sponsor nonacademic clubs, districts would be reluctant to permit them because release time requires parental consent.  ``Any option other than allowing the gay-lesbian clubs to meet creates severe hardships on administrators and presents a huge loss of opportunities for students,'' she said. ``The fact that the district feels compelled to ignore the most obvious option is disheartening.''