This Day In Gay Utah History SEPTEMBER 6th

 

This Day In Gay Utah History SEPTEMBER 6th

September 6th

Ogden Court House

1910 Land Set Free- This morning Judge Howell granted the motion to quash the information against L. Land which charged him with an infamous “Crime Against Nature”. The grounds upon which the motion to quash was granted were that the act complained of does not constitute a statutory offense.  Lang will be released from the county jail where he has been confined for a number of weeks. The Evening Standard Ogden. Name spelled Lang in the SL Herald "Crime against nature" n. an old fashioned term for sodomy (anal sexual intercourse), which has been a crime in most states. The term is also applied to sexual intercourse between a human and an animal (bestiality) which is a crime in most states.

Dr. Max's Shock Machine diagrams

1935- Dr Louis W Max of New York University addressed a meeting of the American Psychological Association. He reported that he had successfully treated a case of homosexuality by using electro-shock therapy delivered at "intensities considerably higher than those usually employed on human subjects." That notorious apparatus was designed to administer a powerful electric shock to the client whenever the client was experiencing what was considered an inappropriate erotic stimulus (i.e. viewing a picture of someone of the same gender whom the subject found sexually attractive). In later experiments, that shock could be anywhere from 80 to 100 volts for a short period of time (although in some experiments it could be as long as five seconds). Max cautioned in his original paper that the jolt of electricity could be very powerful. “Where possible,” he wrote, “electrodes should be firmly fastened to the subject, especially when intense shocks are contemplated, as the subject’s ‘startle’ responses may dislodge an electrode.” Later work by others determined the optimal shape for the electrode to deliver the maximum level of shock to the patient while minimizing burns to the skin. Dr. Max's talk at the American Psychological Association  meeting described the “cure” of a homosexual man — even though he also admitted the man was “backsliding.” The November edition of The Psychological Bulletin briefly describes Dr. Max’s talk, which was cited as one of many success stories: "A homosexual neurosis in a young man was found upon analysis to be partially fetishistic, the homosexual behavior usually following upon the fetishistic stimulus. An attempt was made to disconnect the emotional aura from this stimulus by means of electric shock, applied in conjunction with the presentation of the stimulus under laboratory conditions. Low shock intensities had little effect but intensities considerably higher than those usually employed on human subjects in other studies, definitely diminished the emotional value of the stimulus for days after each experimental period. Though the subject reported some backsliding, the “desensitizing” effect over a three month period was cumulative." Despite that mixed result, a new therapeutic approach was born one that was used for decades at Brigham Young University in Utah

1950 Wednesday- Carl Shugreen 52, of 858 South 5th East was sentenced 30 days in jail and fined $75 with 15 days suspended upon payment of fine. Truman E. Little, 33, of 537 West South Temple was ordered to pay a fine of $75 or serve 15 days in jail. Both arrested on disorderly conduct (homosexual conduct) and sentenced by City Judge Marcellus K. Snow (1914—1978) in Police Court. (SLTribune 09/06/50 pg.B 24 col.5)

Original Cast of Boys In the Band 1968

1970-The break through play "The Boys in the Band" closed after 1,002 performances. The Boys in the Band is a play by Mart Crowley about a group of Manhattan Gay friends gathered to celebrate a friends birthday when a “straight” interloper shows up. The play began as an off-Broadway production  on April 14, 1968 at Theater Four, where it ran for more than 1,000 performances. Actress Natalie Wood, who sympathized with Hollywood's Gay scene, financially supported Crowley, who is himself Gay, so he would be free to write his play. Mart Crowley, the creator of this play, said he reminded himself of the character Michael as "a complex person who is aware of what is politically correct but has a sort of contempt for it.” Crowley explained, "The self-deprecating humor was born out of a low self-esteem, from a sense of what the times told you about yourself."

 

1971- The annual convention of the National Organization for Women passes a resolution acknowledging "oppression of lesbians as a legitimate concern of feminism."

1973 The Herald Provo Utah Power Struggle May Be Factor
Troubles at State Prison Aired  Point of the Mountain UPI  Officials disagree on what exactly what caused the outbreak of violence at the Utah State Prison in recent past weeks during which inmates have stabbed one beaten, one critically, burned and another strangled to death. Some say drugs, some say homosexuality, and some believe at least part of the problem is the result of a power struggle among prisoners to determine who will be the next "con boss' the man with the extra privileges who tell other convicts what to do and stand to reap some financial reward. What investigators do agree on is that as long as the convict code of silence prevails most of the incidents will remain unexplained.  Salt Lake County Sheriff Capt. N.D. Hayward says the power struggle among inmates vying for the vacant position of con boss is probably involved in the month of violence. "I don't think that there's any doubt that there 's a power struggle going on down there. I don't know the exact extent but I am sure there is one."  Hayward whose office is charged with investigating any felony committed at the prison says his investigations into the eight attacks since late July have not succeeded in definitely linking them to the power struggle for top con.  But he says the July 30 strangulation of 27 year old inmate Michael Lamphear, could be connected to the struggle for control of the convict population.  Former Warden John W. Turner, who retired week ago attributed the violence to a new "drop of drugs."  "that the power struggle may be a part of it. But if so, I still think there would be a little drugs involved." And prison officials themselves have said they can trace at least two of the incidents to homosexual conflicts. Capt. hayward says there is a vacuum at the prison - a vacuum crested by the parole of one con boss last December, and his successor in early August about the time the violence began. He says that there has been a battle among inmates to fill that position and one convict who he declined to identify has emerging as  victor. Ken Shulson, administrative assistant to Warden Samuel smith says there is a power struggle among the inmates but he claims that has nothing to do with the current violence. He prefers to see the eight incidences as relatively isolated occurrences caused by drugs and homosexuality. "there are one or two explosions and a lot of the other situations that are brewing tend to come to the surface all at once."  "I don't see any active campaign for con boss taking place," Shulman says.  He says e has seen "no power struggle and no gang situations."   On the other hand however Shulman says of the attacks "Obviously they could have been  related to a power struggle but there isn't a significant amount of evidence to point that out. "When the top man cates  there's a struggle within the ranks of his followers to get to the top." "It's obviously taking place  but it hasn't surfaced."  Shulman says a con boss, " realizes some financial rewards, has a lot of people working for him, and his political position gives him special privileges. The financial rewards usually come form control of illegal traffic in drugs and commissary, he says  and the con boss is an officer to an inmate council. "these positions give the inmate certain privileges such as access to the commissary and food preparation areas. Although he describes the eight attacks as separate and due to different  causes he adds "some of them obviously  had some connection with each other. Shulman blames the wave of violence primarily on homosexuality. He says the prison administration has began isolating known homosexuals  setting up psychiatric counseling programs for them, and threatening to prosecute those practicing homosexual acts.  Both Shulson and Warden Smith claim drugs will continue to be a problem as long as there is a prison. "Short of complete isolation there's no way to eliminate it ( drug traffic), says Shulson. "We close the door and another opens up, Smith said recently. Whatever  the cause, only two of the attacks are moving towards prosecution. The five stabbing cases says Capt. Hayward have been "closed by exclusion- that is the victims refuse flatly to testify.  Earl Andersen 27 has been charged with attempted homicide for allegedly dosing fellow inmate Pierre Nelson with lighter fluid and setting him on fire. Nelson remained in serious condition at University Medical Center. And Hayward said investigation into the strangulation of Michael Lamphear July 30 has narrowed to several suspects. Lamphear was strangled in his cell and an autopsy showed his blood alcohol to be 362. Hayward says 400 is lethal.  The investigations continue. The causes remain vague. The only thing on which officials appear unanimous is that the exact causes will probably never surface. "We are having trouble with them talking to us, " Hayward says of the witnesses and victims of the eight cases. Shulsen says the "convict code" of silence will obscure many of the facts.: "The people who really know what's going on are the inmates," he says. "The people who know what's really happening just refuse to cooperate." 

1975 The Sun Tavern held its annual Labor Day Gay picnic in City Creek  Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah

Orson Spencer Hall 

1976 Monday The Gay Service Coalition is formed in Salt Lake City, Utah as an outgrowth of the Gay Consciousness Raising Group which Monday meetings were held at Orson Spencer Hall at the University of Utah. The GSC was formed to replace the defunct Gay Community Service Center and maintain the Gay Help Line which Ray Henke kept in operation after the center folded. The Gay Hot line number 533-0927 was the only number listed in the white pages directory with the word Gay attached to it..

Bare Bum Beach

1982- Lee Creek also known as Bare Bum Beach historically was a nudist beach. It was also a cruising area for homosexuals.  "Police Uncover Homosexual Beach Near Salt Air It was the naked motorcycle rider buzzing tourist at the new Saltair Resort on the Great Salt Lake that led Salt Lake County Sheriff’s deputies to the discovery of “Bare Bum Beach”. “You could see him from the beaches and the road at the resort,” recalled Deputy David Bishop who was on assignment in the area with the Sheriff’s Juvenile Tactical Squad. “We followed him and lo and behold, Sodom and Gomorra unfolded before my very eyes,” quipped the deputy. There about a mile north of the resort where the old Saltair Pavilion had once stood, was an accumulation of naked middle aged men. Some were busy with field glasses, watching others who lounged in the sun by their cars. Others were engaged in sex acts on the open beach, he said. And it is there that members of the Juvenile Tactical Squad spent part of the summer handing out citations for public nudity and making occasional arrest on felony sodomy charges. Sheriff Lt. Joe Gee who heads the Sheriff Assisting Youth Division which routinely patrols the resort area said the strip of white sand has become a gathering spot for “voyeurs and closeted homosexuals.” How long the activity has been going on, he can’t say. But the beach’s popularity has gained considerably this summer. Plains clothes deputies patrolling the beaches have issued more than 60 citations for lewdness and public nudity at the beach so far this summer, Lt. Gee said. Fewer than 5 of those tickets were given to women, he said. Deputy Bishop said that on one day in July he witnessed more than fifty naked men on the beach at one time. All of the sex related arrests stemming from surveillance of the area involved homosexual activity-often in plain sight of the road, he said. “I’d known about it but I always thought it was sun worshippers” , he said. “I had know idea this was going on.” Ages of those cited have ranged from mid-20’s to 72 with the average being in the late 30’s or early 40’s.  He said several “prominent business men” from Salt Lake City have been ticketed.  Although both officers are first to admit that the activity on the beach is more of a “nuisance” than it is a serious criminal problem they are concerned over what they perceive is a growing potential for a clash between the “Straights and the Gays.” Both men believe the increase in the popularity of the beach brings with it inherent increase in the potential for violence, most likely between the people who frequent the beach and people  who have “little or no tolerance for homosexuals”, Lt. Gee said. And drug usage involving marijuana and amylnitrate (a drug believed to have aphrodisiac qualities) is on the upswing Deputy Bishop said. “Our biggest concern is the drug and violence potential,” said Lt. Gee, “but a few tourist have had an eyeful taking the wrong cut off while trying to get to the new resort. The people who go out there think it’s a private area, but it is easily accessible.”  “They’ve taken over the beach and said in effect This is Ours, but its becoming more and more public knowledge that its out there.” Deputy Bishop said. “what’s happening is that the kids who hang out at Saltair are starting to talk about “going to Bare Bum Beach and rolling fags,” and what’s going to happen sooner or later is that someone’s going to get killed.”  The resort located just south of the beach has become a social area with teens from the Grantsville, Tooele, and Salt Lake City gathering “to cruise, show their bodies, drink, and get high.” It’s for this reason the Sheriff’s Youth squad began patrolling the area in the first place, Lt. Gee said. The sheriff office fears potential confrontation between the teens (many who feel they need to prove they’re macho) and Gays who frequent the nearby beach. But aside from this, points out Lt. Gee “There are laws against lewdness and public nudity and the sheriff’s office intends to enforce those laws.  It is not ours to  decide whether or not they should or shouldn’t be out there.” He said. “I think its everyone’s right not be offended.”, the lieutenant said adding that open displays of sex and nudity “are an affront to our community in the eyes of the tourist” who visit the Great Salt Lake. “If they’re got to solicit each other, they can do it somewhere else,” said Deputy Bishop who compares the phenomenon at the beach with similar occurrences a few years ago at Liberty Park. “There’s a lot of cruising going on down there,” he said. “the difference (between the beach and park situations) is that these guys get naked first and then drive around in the cars looking at each other.”  Another difference the deputy believes is that the majority of the people cited or arrested at the beach are not members of Salt Lake City’s established Gay community. “A lot of them are exhibitionists who have gravitated to the beach from the rest rooms in the parks.” because of the increasing pressures by area vice officers, he said. The exhibitionists attract the voyeurs, and the two groups attract what Lt. Gee referred to as “closet homosexuals” who do not openly admit they are Gay. Other he said are “sex deviates.”  “So they’re the same people you find looking over your shoulder in the public restroom in the parks.” Many who are cited have wives and children. “Usually the 1st thing they ask when we arrest them is this going to be in the newspaper? Noted Deputy Bishop. “We had one guy threaten to kill himself if his arrest was published.” He said the 2nd most frequent asked question is “How come you’re not out arresting real crooks?” Making arrests at the beach poses some interesting problems. Deputy Bishop said. Besides the fact that deputies must keep their clothes on, those who frequent the beach are “a fairly close knit community.” And are distrustful of new faces. “they’re  cagey” the deputy said. “When they go cruising by you’ve got to kind of smile at them so they’ll jump up.” Once he recalled he was looking through binoculars at a naked man looking at him through his own field trip. In another instance, a sheriff deputy with a camera was taking surveillance photographs to be used as evidence in court. When the subject saw the camera, he began masturbating and making obscene gestures, not knowing the photographer was a deputy. “Our guys go down there with field glasses and they think we’re just part of the action,“ Lt. Gee said. Both Deputy Bishop and Lt. Gee acknowledge that it is nearly impossible to entirely alleviate the problem using misdemeanor lewdness statutes but they can hope to force them to keep their clothes on. ”Its more of a deterrent than anything else”, the deputy said.  “It let’s them know we are out there.”(09/06/82 SLTribune page B1) Weekly Wire article 1997 Salt Lake Tribune Article 2006 To reach the Lee Creek area, one took Interstate 80 west toward Reno to Exit No. 111, 7200 West. Turned north at the stop sign, then turn west onto the frontage road that parallels the interstate. Drive west five miles to a small parking area north of the road.

Scott Stites

Robb Bullock

1986- Emperor X Scott Stites and Emperor XI Robb Bullock presented the "Royal Court’s AIDS Awareness Week". The court raised nearly $4,600 for AIDS education and services for people with AIDS.  Money to be used to assist people with AIDS and support various AIDS service organizations.  Emperor Bullock stated, “ I think it’s a hell of a reason to bring people together, but it has. People care because they might be affected and their friends are affected. And they recognize the need to do something.” 10 mile marathon kicked off the event.

1987 Empress Tina Sinclair presented Dangerous at Backstreet as a Royal Court Benefit

1988- At Unconditional Support for Gays and Lesbians, Eric Vaughn did a lesson on Communication Skills especially Listening Skills.

Marlin Criddle

1997- Utah Lawyers for Human Rights presented a workshop entitled “Same Sex Relationships: Marriage and Beyond” Lawyers included Jane Marquardt, Suzanne Marelius, Martin Criddle, and Laura Gray. They led discussion groups.

 2003 Dear Mike, At this last pride day, Frank Pignanelli stood before our community and told them that the reason he didn't vote on the Gay Club's bill in the house was because he had another bill that he had sponsored which took all his attention. Seeing as how I was a personal guest of Rep. Holladay and was sitting on the house floor for the entire day, I know Frank is lied. Pignanelli is telling the truth that he did infact have a bill that was voted on that day, however, the vote for the bill was MUCH earlier in the day. What Pignanelli isn't telling you is, that several times throughout the day the house was called to order since it looked like the State Sentate would vote on the bill soon allowing the house to vote on the bill as well. Several times when the house was called to order Pignanelli was in the house chambers but quickly exited the chamber each time. Shortly after Pignanelli ditched one of the calls to order, I ran into him in the hall. I asked him why he was doing what he was doing and ducking out every time. He said, "Oh, I had to use the bathroom." ... and quickly walked away from me avoiding any more questions. I asked Rep. Holladay if he knew why Pignanelli would do this and he told me that it was all part of a deal that he made with the republicans so that they would support his wife, who was running in an upcoming election. Pignanelli sold us out and now he's trying to cover it up. Later that day I again cross paths with Frank and asked again asked him why he wasn't voting on what could be the most important vote of his career. He never answered me but turned around and walked away. Not much later, Rep. Holladay said his wife was present and that since he could only have one guest on the floor at a time, that he wanted to spend some time with his wife and asked me to leave to she could come down from the gallery. I agreed. Just minutes after I left the floor, late that evening, hours after Pignanelli's other work was done, the house voted on the gay clubs bill. Frank was in the building, his other bill had been voted upon hours earlier, yet Frank kept his commitment to the Republicans and sold out our community for his wife's career. Now, Pignanelli is playing our community for fools and asking for our support after he left to fend for ourselves. He lied at Pride Day, he lied to us then. Don't be fooled by Pignanelli's charm. He's a career politician who is eager to deceive our community and is just looking out for himself. Steven Peterson

2003 Royal Court’s People With AIDS Kick-off 2003 - "A Night Under the Big Top" Presented by HMRH Shawn & HMRH Krystyna Trapp Patio Includes food, show, and game booths Door prizes, raffles, chinese auction, drag sale and other surprises Proceeds benefit the PWA Christmas Fund

2005 Tuesday Subject: [slmetro_staff] Changes at Metro Greetings one and all, With

Jere Keys

 some sadness and some excitement, I must announce that this will be my final issue as the Editor of Salt Lake Metro. I have been offered a position with the Sundance Film Festival and will begin working with them on September 19. Effective immediately, I'm asking you to begin submitting all stories and columns to editor@slmetro.com. Also, for story ideas and concerns after the September 15 issue, you should speak with Michael Aaron. I have enjoyed working with Salt Lake Metro and hope to continue contributing to the pages of this fine publication, but I feel that after nearly 6 years working in the queer media, it's time to allow myself to explore other areas of my career. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach me during my regular office hours this week or next and you can continue to email me individually at jere@slmetro.com.  My sincere thanks to everyone who has made my job such a pleasure to work at for the last year. Jere Keys

Michael Aaron

Subject: RE: [slmetro_staff] Changes at Metro First off, I want to congratulate Jere on his new position. Jere made me aware that he was talking to the folks at Sundance week before last and it is a great opportunity for him.  For those wondering about a replacement for Jere, I have decided that I will change title from publisher to executive editor. We will see if I can handle that workload to allow us to save some cash, further bolstering our financial position, and get me a paycheck of some size so the bill collectors will stop riding my ass (as fun as that may sound). If it begins to overwhelm me, we will likely bring a part-time staff writer and/or managing editor. I'd further like to thank those who are still writing for us and contributing to the growth of the paper. There is rarely a day that I go out of the office that I am not approached with a note of gratitude from someone and a reminder of the importance of our role in the community. I am very proud of what this paper has become and I hope you all share that pride. -Michael Aaron

2020  Obituary Joe Redburn [Joseph Willis Redburn]  November 17, 1938 - September 06, 2020 Joe Redburn, 'father' of Utah's LGBT Community, has died. Joe Redburn, 81 of Salt Lake City, Utah, died Sunday, September 6th at the Intermountain Medical Center. Joe was born November 17, 1938, in

Joe Redburn age 18 

Laramie Wyoming to Elmer W. Redburn and Gerda Christensen Redburn. He was raised and educated in Laramie.  [Note  In High School as a Freshman he was class Treasurer. He was on the annual staff for the Junior Prom, and was a member of National Thesbians .] He went to the University of Wyoming, and then Armed Forces Information School in Ft. Slocum, New York. "In those days you either gave yourself up to the draft -- which I did -- or wait 'til they drafted you," he said. "I just wanted to get it over with. In those days, if you checked the box that you were gay they rejected you, so I didn't. I went in actually lying to them. I was in the U.S. Army at Fort Riley in Kansas for two years. What we did was the news on local stations. Then when I got out, I went back to Laramie, and then I came over to Salt Lake to get a job here." With his ultra-deep bass voice, he began a long career in radio on KTKK -- one of the first all-talk stations in the country during the Vietnam era. Joe played a major role in the building of a true Gay community in the Salt Lake area. He has also been credited with establishing the first Gay Pride in Salt Lake. Joe was the owner of several Salt lake City LGBT clubs over the years, starting with the Sun Tavern in the 70s, He was honored with the RCGSE Community Service Award, and in 2004, was given the Utah Gay Rodeo Association Grand Marshal Award. Joe is survived by a niece, several nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his Father, Elmer W. Redburn, Mother, Gerda (Christensen) Redburn, his Brother Richard Redburn, and his Sister Nancy (Redburn) Valencia. Memorial services are pending and will be announced by the Franklin County Funeral Home, 56 S. State Street, Preston, Idaho. 

 Joe Redburn, ‘father’ of Utah’s LGBT Community, has died Joe Q Salt Lake  by Michael Aaron

Joe Redburn

Redburn, the owner of several Salt lake City LGBT clubs over the years starting with the Sun Tavern in the 70s, died of natural causes Sunday, Sept. 6. He died at the Intermountain Medical Center after being found unresponsive at the South Salt Lake Men’s Resource Center homeless shelter. He was 81 years old. Redburn bought the Railroad Exchange Saloon on the corner of 400 West and South Temple and opened the Sun Tavern as a gay bar on Feb. 20, 1973. We opened at noon on that day in 1973. I’d never done it before. We were all scared,” Redburn said in an interview with QSaltLake Magazine‘s JoSelle Vanderhooft in 2008. “The Sun Tavern had been the Railroad Exchange, and I found it because that’s where the anti-war people hung out. It was owned by a former Pittsburgh Steeler, and they had a sign outside – it was a Pepsi sign that said Railroad Exchange. And I changed it to say The Sun Tavern. I can remember a guy who had a bar just south who said, ‘You can’t do that! The gay bars can’t have signs!’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m gonna do it, anyway.’ That’s what got me, how oppressed this community was. We were oppressing ourselves. We didn’t think we could put a sign in front of a gay bar.” “I named it after the Midnight Sun in San Francisco,” he said. “When we got the old Sun, I think we put the first sound system in for a DJ in Salt Lake,” Redburn said. “I’ve never just catered to the gay community, everyone was welcome. So we had a lot of straight people that liked it, especially when we put in the sound system.” In the next few years, he leased an adjoining space and called it the East Room, which was arguably the first LGBT community center in the state. In 1974, Redburn hosted what many call Utah’s first Gay Pride — a kegger on the shores of the Great Salt Lake known as Bare Ass Beach. The next year it was held up City Creek Canyon. “We started having keggers up the canyon, and that kinda started everybody thinking – since Gay Pride was getting started around the country – that we should do more,” Redburn said in the interview. “And then other people kind of got involved so we started having another at Fairmont Park with a couple of hundred people. And that probably launched Pride out of the old Sun. Then it evolved into what it is today.” When the then-Delta Center was built at that location, the original Sun Tavern was relocated to 727 W. 200 South. He later started Bricks Club at the old In-Between bar when one of the owners died, and then The Trapp (now The Sun Trapp), which he owned for 20 years. Redburn was born and raised in Laramie Wyoming. He went to the University of Wyoming there and

University of Wyoming

then Armed Forces Information School in Ft. Slocum, New York. “In those days you either gave yourself up to the draft — which I did — or wait ‘til they drafted you,” he said. “I just wanted to get it over with. In those days, if you checked the box that you were gay they rejected you, so I didn’t. I went in actually lying to them. I was in the U.S. Army at Fort Riley in Kansas for two years. What we did was the news on local stations. Then when I got out, I went back to Laramie, and then I came over to Salt Lake to get a job here.” With his ultra-deep bass voice, he began a long career in radio on KTKK — one of the first all-talk stations in the country during the Vietnam era. “We started out with a program called Controversy. This was one of the first times in Salt Lake talk radio where the talk show host actually gave his own opinions,” Redburn said. “So we were different and we were probably that successful because I could give my opinions. I was a Goldwater conservative at the time.” Ultimately, Redburn gave up his conservative beliefs and, at the same time as Hillary Clinton, he began to support Democrat Eugene McCarthy and protested the Vietnam War. In time, Redburn would consider himself a Libertarian, while supporting Democratic candidates. He was on the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union and ran for the Utah Legislature in 1976 in the Avenues. “I lost two-to-one to Genevieve Atwood. And then the Republican right wing got rid of her because she was too liberal,” Redburn said. “But now the Avenues are like Democrats. Salt Lake has become so Democrat, it’s amazing. I only ran for the legislature once, but it was quite an experience. Everybody ought to do it once.” Redburn was honored with the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire Community Service Award in 1983. In 2004 he was given the Utah Gay Rodeo Association Grand Marshal Award. Joe Redburn, received the Utah Pride Center's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Over the many years he owned his bars, on Prides he always held a free steak fry, and hired the Saliva Sisters to perform. In recent years, Redburn spent much of his time posting barbs on Facebook. In the past two years, however, he seemed to drop off the face of the planet. It was then, it turns out, that Redburn found himself homeless. Former Sun Trapp bar owner Frank Chugg, who worked with Redburn for many years, saw him at the bar in August. He could tell he was homeless and Chugg appealed to the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, whom Redburn hosted for dozens of years beginning with their first reign, for help. Friend Marty Pendry-Struthers did a GoFundMe fundraiser which raised about $2,000. “I can’t even begin to tell you the hundreds of memories we have with our friend, Joe,” said Pendry-Struthers. “What do you say about a sarcastically funny man who also cared so deeply about our community and the lives it surrounded? How do you put into words that his ‘bigger than life’ presence could either scare you or educate you or both? I truly think that, not only have we just lost a powerful and unforgettable human being, but we also lost part of our community’s heart. An icon, a leader, a presence, and a deep, intelligent voice. But most of all, we lost a beautiful friend.” “I first met Joe in 1981 when I repaired his sound system in the original Sun,” said Club Try-Angles co-owner Gene Gieber. “We had a sarcastic and fun relationship throughout the years. On Sunday afternoons, we would get into beer buying wars on the patio at Backstreet. After opening Try-angles, we would trade (friendly) jabs at each other in our weekly ads. At Off Trax, we named our grilled ham and cheese the Rita Redburn. He ordered one every time he came in. To say that Joe was an icon of the gay community is not enough. He WAS the gay community.” “Joe Redburn was my friend, boss, roommate, and business partner,” said Nikki Boyer, who worked with Redburn for many years since the 70s. “He was the father of the LGBT community. He gave us a wonderful, safe place to meet, exchange ideas, and dance our asses off. We owe him a lot. Rest, my friend.” “Joe was a man who would willing help anyone who needed it,” said Bob Childers. “He gave jobs to many in the community when they were down and needed help. Though he could be gruff on the outside he was a man with a true heart and spirit for the LGBTQ community. Born in Wyoming Joe always head that true western spirit and loved to play country music at Trapp in the DJ booth named for him. Rita’s Roost. He was one of Cher’s biggest fans and would often proclaim loudly, ‘Cher is God!’ Steak Fries, Fish Fries, and his annual Labor Day luau were famous, where he have someone barbecue a whole pig overnight at the bar. Pounds of cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day and, of course, the place to be for those without family on Thanksgiving. Joe donated to the community both financially and with a place for groups to hold gatherings. We have lost a true icon of the community of not only Salt Lake City, but all of Utah. He will be missed.” “Joe, I am so grateful for your life,” Jim Dabakis wrote on his Facebook wall. “The doors you opened. You made life so much more open and acceptable for so many of us in the community and the state. I am upset at the way life ended for you. If I could have found you, I would have helped. Special thanks to those that tried to help Joe. Salt Lake City flags should be at half-mast. This man was a great, albeit very human, Utah pioneer.” “I can only think of a few people who did as much for the Pride community of Utah as Joe Redburn,” Salt Lake City Weekly Publisher John Saltas wrote in his column. “He did the heavy lifting for decades, including hosting his outspoken radio program, opening the Sun Tavern (now known in its latest iteration as Sun Trapp), promoting and helping to fund the original gay community tabloids, and even hosting the seminal event that grew into Utah’s renowned Pride Parade. That he died alone and homeless is a real kick in the pants and a warning to all would-be pioneers: Very few will understand or care what you’re going through today, including some whose lives you’ve made better.” “Joe was a hero in this town. If you don’t know that, especially if you don’t know that and consider yourself part of the LGBTQ+ community, then shame on you,” Saltas continued. “He opened the door for you and held it open. He had the foresight to shape the minds of people like me, to push citizens to do the right thing, to hug, to share, to engage, to grow, to awaken, to be proud of one another.” Funeral services were handled by Franklin County Funeral Home. This story will be updated as funeral arrangements are made.

Ben Williams: there seems to be a discrepency in reports ofthe death of Joe Redburn. A Salt Lake Tribune article mistakely stated that he died Spetember when actually that was probably the date he was cremated.  He died  September 6 in a hospital in Murray after living in a homeless shelter.

 Joe Redburn, founder of two famous Salt Lake City gay bars, dies in homeless shelter at 82 Salt Lake Tribune By Sean P. Means Joe Redburn, the founder of two iconic Salt Lake City gay bars who brought the beer for what became the first Utah Pride celebration, has died. Redburn died Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Men’s Resource Center in South Salt Lake City, according to the LGBTQ magazine Q Salt Lake, which first reported his death. He was 82. The magazine said officials had not released a cause of death. “He wasn’t just a bar owner. He built our community and kept us safe,” said Roy Li Zhang, chairperson of the Utah Queer Historical Society. “Joe really brought our community together with these bars. They really were our social clubs.” “Joe had great ideas. He was very progressive,” Nikki Boyer, a longtime activist and friend of Redburn, said. In 1973, Redburn opened The Sun at the corner 400 West and South Temple, facing the Union Pacific station. (The spot is now the northwest steps of Vivint Smart Home Arena.) Redburn was inspired by the Midnight Sun, a gay bar in San Francisco, Boyer said. The Sun, she said, “was like the first disco in Utah. It had the first disco ball, the first live DJs. … It was about all the freedom we had there. It was a good time. It was a great time.” Former Utah state Sen. Jim Dabakis had just left Brigham Young University, and was just coming out of the closet, when he first visited The Sun in the mid-'70s. “I remember being overwhelmed that this was possible,” Dabakis said. At the time, he thought, “Are there this many gay people in the whole world?” Dabakis also knew Redburn from listening to him as a host on talk-radio station KTKK, aka K-TALK. Redburn was a fixture there from the late-'60s until the station let him go in 1993. Station brass said they let him go because of a format change; Redburn said it was because he was openly gay and a liberal on an increasingly conservative medium. (In his final years on the station, Redburn was paired with arch-conservative Mills Crenshaw.) Dabakis said he gravitated toward K-TALK, and ended up working as an unpaid intern there. Listening to Redburn, he said, “is really where I learned politics.” Dabakis also rang doorbells in the Avenues for Redburn, when he made an unsuccessful run for the Utah Legislature in 1976. In 1975, Redburn, Boyer and others organized a party in City Creek Canyon for about 300 gay men and lesbians. Redburn brought some kegs from the bar. “Queers like to drink beer, let’s face it,” Boyer said. “We were loose. It was the ’70s, for God’s sake.” That kegger started a tradition that grew into the first Utah Pride celebration. At the time, though, Boyer said, “we didn’t dare call it ‘Pride,’ or nobody would have come.” The Sun moved in 1983 to its second location, at 200 South and 700 West. Redburn sold The Sun in 1990. In 1991, he opened a small, homey gay country-western bar, The Trapp, at 600 West and 100 South. “It was the place to be,” said Johnny Harris, known locally as Johnny Disco, a longtime bartender at The Trapp. “If you weren’t there by 6:30 or 7 o’clock, there wasn’t a bar stool to be had.”  In The Trapp, Harris said, “there was this amazing energy. It was classy, and clean. It was a beautiful place to be.” A focal point of The Trapp, recalled Debbie Hall, director of adult programs at the Utah Pride Center, was the tiny dance floor. Above the floor, instead of a mirrored disco ball, was a mirrored pair of cowboy boots. Redburn sold The Trapp in the late ’90s. When The Sun blew over in a tornado in 1999, the new owners of The Trapp paid homage by renaming their bar The Sun Trapp. In the last few years, friends knew Redburn had financial and health problems, and was experiencing homelessness at the time of his death. “He just kind of dropped off the face of the earth,” Boyer said. Redburn’s death, Hall said, points to a troubling issue in the LGBTQ community: the loneliness experienced by elderly queer people. LGBTQ people are twice as likely to be aging alone as non-LGBTQ people, Hall said — and four times as likely to never have gotten married or had children. “We are dealing with the generation where it was not OK to be gay,” said Hall, who oversees the Utah chapter of SAGE, a group for elderly queer people. They are a generation, she said, that has dealt with discrimination and ostracism, having their homosexuality treated as a mental disorder, and the deaths of friends during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. Harris said a memorial service is being planned for Redburn in November at The Sun Trapp.

A Find A Grave posting for Joseph “Joe” Redburn by Krista Al Qirim stated "birth unknown death 22 Sep 2020 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA burial Cremated  Joe was a pioneer in Salt Lake City’s gay community. He was one of the founders of the original Pride celebration, which had its roots in the annual Kegger up City Creek Canyon, the beer for which was provided by Joe. He was the founder of the famous Sun Tavern, and later the Trapp. Joe died at the age of 82 while a resident of a homeless shelter. Don’t let this humble exit fool you—he was a giant of a man who made the world a better place for so many. Those who loved and admired him are planning a memorial and celebration of his life in November of 2020."

.