This Day In Gay Utah History March 23rd

 

This Day In Gay Utah History March 23rd

23 March 23-

Thomas Taylor 

1888 Southern Utonian Chit-Chat page 8 The case of Thomas Taylor charge sodomy, has been continued until next term In 1886, Mormon leaders used homosexual accusations to politically destroy the character of one of their own elite. Thomas Taylor, the wealthy polygamous bishop of the Salt Lake 14th Ward, was excommunicated for masturbating with several young men in Southern Utah. In Brent Corcoran's brilliant biography of Thomas Taylor (which focuses on his conflict over business dealings with church leaders and his apparently accurate claim that he was repeatedly "swindled" by church president John Taylor [no relation] and First Counselor, George Q. Cannon). As Corcoran has documented, Thomas Taylor was made bishop of the Salt Lake Fourteenth Ward in 1872 The main conflict between Thomas Taylor and the John Taylor-George Q. Cannon duo arose over iron properties that Thomas Taylor owned and wanted to develop in Iron County (at a profit to both himself and his church). President Thomas Jones of the Parowan Stake where Thomas's iron properties were located" in July 1887, concerning his "lascivious conduct with certain young men" two years earlier. Taylor, who had been arrested the year previous for cohabitation with his polygamous wives, was now facing charges from four young men that he "had taught them the crime of Masturbation". These accusations of sexual impropriety came from Richard Williams of Parowan, brothers Simeon W. Simkins and William W. Simkins of Cedar City, and a fourth, unnamed teenager (out of the area during the trial) who alleged that Thomas Taylor had on several occasions slept with them and during the night had used their hands to masturbate him. 

1928 J H Best pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and was sentenced to serve 90 days in the county jail. Best was first charged with assault with the intent to commit a ““Crime Against Nature”” with a young Ogden boy as his victim. However he agreed to plead guilty if the felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor. Ogden Standard Examiner

1929 Utah’s Sterilization law was amended to insert the word "degenerate" into the description of those eligible to be sterilized. Now, "habitual degenerate sexual criminal tendencies" were required to be possessed before one could be sterilized. The sterilization law was challenged in the interesting case of Davis v. Walton, from 1929. (The case was decided after the 1929 amendment was passed, but before its effective date, and brought under the 1925 law). The Utah Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the law, but also unanimously blocked the planned sterilization of prisoner African American homosexual  Esau Walton. Walton, who, the Court said, was unmarried and began his criminal career with the theft of "silk shirts," was scheduled to be sterilized because he had been seen with another inmate in a cell at the state prison. A blanket was hung over the window of the cell. Appellant and the inmate were both partly undressed. They had their pants down. Appellant’s associate was lying on his stomach on a cot. The appellant was on top of him. When interrupted, the appellant’s penis was erect. The guard further testified that appellant frequently acted lovingly towards other boys who were confined in the prison. Another prisoner testified that Walton had solicited

him. The prison warden E. R.  Davis eagerly recommended sterilization on the basis of Walton’s race and homosexuality. Nevertheless, the Court found this activity not to be covered by the command of the law. The Court’s ruling upheld the constitutionality of forced sterilization, but Walton was not sterilized because there was no evidence that Walton’s condition was hereditary. Due to this, there was no basis for sterilizing; the law states that “Its purposes are eugenics and therapeutic”. Despite the sterilization law’s permission to include sexual criminals, through the end of 1948, all of the 555 persons sterilized in Utah were either insane or mentally challenged. Laws of Utah 1929, page 75, ch. 59, enacted Mar. 23, 1929, effective May 14, 1929

1933-

Kurt Hiller 

 Kurt Hiller, organizer of the Berlin sex law reform coalition, was imprisoned in Oranienburg concentration camp. Hiller was  an influential writer in the early German Gay Rights movement in the first two decades of the 20th century. In 1929, Hiller took over as chairman of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee from fellow gay activist Magnus Hirschfeld From the end of 1933 to 1934, he spent time in a variety of concentration camps  before fleeing to Prague later in 1934, and then to London in 1938. 

1976- “I met Larry at the Heber J. Grant Building at BYU while he had to wait to take a test at the testing center.  I just sat on the floor by the stairs with him.  I must have been beaming because I noticed that this one guy walked by and gave us a dirty look like he knew what we were up to.  I don’t care anymore.  I love Larry so much but I am so confused.  I am waiting for it all to catch up with us because sin always does. I do love the Lord but why do I feel like this?  I feel so happy, so whole and complete with Larry but when he’s gone I feel like I’ve betrayed everything I believe in. Michael my roommate has been leaving a copy of Miracle of Forgiveness around the apartment so I guess he knows.  Larry said that BYU security is definitely following him and tapping his phone so he only calls me from phone booths now. He said that we can’t meet on campus any more. It’s too risky.  He said that he heard that security is making a list of people on campus that are going to be turned in.” Writes a BYU student in his journal.

Norman Pittenger 

1977- The Coalition on Human Sexuality and Alternative Lifestyles in cooperation with the Gay Services Coalition held a closed workshop for leaders of the Gay and lesbian Community in Salt Lake City. Purpose of the workshop was to provide dialogue between the leadership of Women Aware, the Gay Services Coalition, the Gay Student Union, the Open Door, The Gay Crisis Line, and other representatives. This was the second annual Workshop for the Gay Community.  Coalition on Human Sexuality and Alternative Lifestyles also brought Dr. W. Norman Pittenger, an Anglican Church priest, to Saint Marks to speak at a seminar for the Gay Community. (William) Norman Pittenger (1905 - 1997) was a foremost 20th century pioneer in the exploration of human sexuality within a Christian context. His 1967 “Time for Consent: A Christian's Approach to Homosexuality” was probably the first work in the English language by a prominent theologian that argued for the full acceptance of committed same-sex relationships within the Christian Church. After the publication of this book, courageous for his era, Pittenger became discreetly open about his own homosexual orientation. For several decades Dr. Pittenger included in his scholarly pursuits writings about human sexuality, and he supported gay movements for equality - including Integrity, the Episcopal Church’s official association for LGBT individuals. In 1975 he gave the keynote address to the first national convention of Integrity entitled "Making a Case for Gays in the Church and in the Ministry." Norman Pittinger believes the same criteria hold for either heterosexual love or homosexual love: “the centrality and primacy of love—love which is mutuality, sharing, giving-and-receiving, life together in the most radical sense of the phrase.

Russ Lane 

1986- RESTORATION CHURCH- AFFIRMATION The first Spring Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of  All Later Day Saints was held in Los Angeles.  John Butler led the Sacrament meeting in Salt Lake City.  The 4^th meeting of the Wasatch Chapter of Affirmation was held at Crossroads Urban Center. Russ Lane discussed forming the chapter as the official chapter of Affirmation in Salt Lake City. The national charter stated that all Affirmation meetings must start with an opening Prayer however several at the meeting opposed most noticeable this cute young kid named Scott Mills.  However Russ Lane was quite adamant the national charter be followed and after a vote it was agreed in Russ Lane’s favor.  I suggested that if people didn’t care to pray in public which is understandable they could always attend the Salt Lake Chapter which doesn’t open with a prayer. 

1995- Dennis Max Wagstaff, age 57, died at home of complications of the HIV virus. Retired driver of U.T.A. Member local #38 U.T.A. Enjoyed aviculture, gardening, and raising birds. He was an associate of Charles Van Dam who died of AIDS in 1988.

1996 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.

1998- The 7th annual Utah AIDS Foundation Oscar Night Gala was held at the Utah State Fairpark: Members of the Gay Rodeo Association, sold Jell-O shots; and members of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, sold raffle tickets. One of the silent auction's most coveted items was a walk-on part on the popular CBS-TV series,``Touched by an Angel.''  The annual Utah AIDS Foundation Oscar Night Gala was held at the Utah State Fairpark: “Where men are women and women are men and cowgirls are cowboys and .. . It is all confusing, but also a lot of fun.   There was a little bit of everything at the eventat the Utah State Fairpark this year. A manon roller skates in a billowing dress with hairpiled to the ceiling, a la Fanny Brice; Utah's own Men in Black, members of the Gay Rodeo Association, selling Jell-O shots; men made up and dressed in mouth-watering formals; members of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, selling raffle tickets.   Of course, there are the more ``coventional'' guests as well, people like Jeff and Susie Noland, suburbanite parents of four, active in their LDS ward. ``It's fun to have an excuse toget away from the kids,'' says Susie. Jeff adds,``We love the Oscars, we watch them every year. This is a great opportunity to get dressed up and have a good time while we're doing it.'' And then there is artist/framer Diane Cliff, accompanied by real estate agent John K.Patton. Her 14-year-old son, Sean, did not want to see the show. ``I don't want to encourage him to watch more TV, so I'm here tonight because I want to watch the program without my son turning it off.''  Julie Mayhew, director of development,  Utah AIDS Foundation,  admits that when the Oscar gala started  10 years ago, it was difficult to get corporate sponsorship.

• Desert News The Utah AIDS Foundation is gearing up for the state's largest Academy
  
  Awards gathering. "Reel Love," its seventh annual Oscar Night Gala, will be held Monday night at the Utah State Fairpark's Grand Building, 155 N. 1000 West. The yearly gala, the organization's second-largest fund-raising event, has drawn as many as 2,000 people, and it has all the makings of a grand Hollywood premiere, said Barbara Shaw, the foundation's executive director."(It) offers Utahns the opportunity to contribute to the fight against HIV and AIDS while enjoying the glitter of the Academy Awards at the same time," she said. This year's gala begins at 6 p.m. and will include a live telecast of the 70th Annual Academy Awards, a full catered dinner, a silent auction and the big band sound of Joe Muscolino and his orchestra. Tickets for the event are $45 per person, $360 for a table of eight or $1,000 for corporate tables. They are available from all Smith'sTix locations or by calling the Utah AIDS Foundation at 487-2323.

Wendy Weaver

1999 GAY RIGHTS WENDY WEAVER GAY TEACHERS UTAH    NEBO SCHOOL DISTRICT ORDERED TO PAY COSTS IN WEAVER LAWSUITTHE DESERET NEWS   Nebo School District's losing bid to silence teacher Wendy Weaver will cost the district $61,910.U.S. District Senior Judge Bruce S. Jenkins has ordered the district to pay that amount to cover Weaver's attorney fees and legal expenses in her year-long legal battle. Weaver, a Spanish Fork High School teacher since 1982, sued the district in 1997 after school officials ordered her not to discuss her "homosexual orientation and lifestyle." Jenkins ruled in November that the sweeping ban along with the school's decision not to renew Weaver's volleyball coaching assignment violated her constitutional rights. With the ruling, Weaver won damages totaling $1,500.As the prevailing party in the lawsuit, Weaver last week was further awarded attorney fees and legal expenses. She was represented by attorneys David Watkiss, Jennifer Middleton and Stephen Clark.

Kathy Worthington

1999 GALPAC GAY CIVIL RIGHTS RALLY UTAH - TINY RALLY AT THE STATE CAPITOL BEGINS WEEK OF ANTI-GAY COUNTER- DEMONSTRATIONS BY RIGHT WING CONSERVATIVES by Kathy Worthington, Salt Lake City A handful of right wing conservatives rallied at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday March 23 in the first of a week of rallies meant to counteract the gay rights rallies being held across the country this week.   The group also reportedly plans to be at the Capitol on Saturday, when a Utah rally is planned as part of nationwide "Equality Begins At Home" events, according to as spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Political Action Committee (GALPAC), one of the groups organizing the Saturday rally. Just how many conservatives will actually come out for the anti-gay counter-demonstration is not known, of course, as such efforts have not drawn large groups in the past, at least not in Utah.  That this writer can remember, the only time in the past that a fairly large number of people has turned out on the "anti-gay" side was at a Salt Lake City school board meeting to discuss the gay clubs issue, and, even at that 1996 meeting, those who favored outlawing gay clubs were outnumbered by those in favor of the clubs. One positive side of the conservative's decision to counter-demonstrate is that it means the mainstream media will be more likely to cover the event and discuss the issues. Coverage of such events in the mainstream media is one way to get people thinking about and discussing the issues.   Such coverage is also often a catalyst for getting closeted gay people to come out and to get involved. Some gay or gay-friendly people, however, get frightened by the presence of anti-gay demonstrators and/or the media and that makes them stay away from events like Saturday's rally.  It will be interesting to see how many folks each side is able to get to the rally.

2005 Rolly: State worker used card in fraud By Paul Rolly Tribune Columnist Salt Lake Tribune Utah officials have been quite public recently about their efforts to crack down on identity theft and porn sites. Yet callers to the State Department of Natural Resources wanting to reserve campsites and picnic grounds in state parks were in danger recently of having their credit cards used to pay for telephone time in interstate gay porn chat rooms. A 23-year-old reservationist for the Natural Resources Department has pleaded guilty to felony credit card fraud after admitting he used someone else's credit card to make three telephone calls to the interstate chat room at a total cost of about $100. 

2006 Gay advocacy group to pay a visit to BYU campus By Todd Hollingshead The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune PROVO - Preachers and proselytizing are nothing new at Brigham Young University. But the missionary force due on campus next month is spreading a doctrine rarely if ever heard at the LDS Church-owned school. Their message: BYU discriminates against gays and that's not OK. Soulforce - a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy group - is scheduled to visit the school April 10 as part of a nationwide Equality Ride tour. After previous stops at other religious schools and military academies, more than 30 advocates plan to comb the Provo campus to talk to students about how BYU allegedly oppresses homosexuals. "All these schools teach history, and history shows a wealth of information that religion has been misused time and again to discriminate against people," said Jacob Reitan, co-director of Equality Ride. "Is it really OK that I couldn't be a student at BYU simply because I'm gay?" BYU's Honor Code - which prohibits extramarital sex and drug and alcohol use - addresses homosexuality in this way: "Brigham Young University will respond to student behavior rather than to feelings or orientation. Students can be enrolled at the university and remain in good Honor Code standing if they maintain a current ecclesiastical endorsement and conduct their lives in a manner consistent with gospel principles and the Honor Code. "Advocacy of a homosexual lifestyle [whether implied or explicit] or any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature, are inappropriate and violate the Honor Code." BYU officials sent a campuswide e-mail this week advising students and faculty of the impending Soulforce visit. In her message, Vice President of Student Life Janet Scharman told students and faculty that BYU's campus is open to all visitors as long as they are courteous and engage in nondisruptive, civil dialogue. "Individuals may not, however, harass our students, faculty or staff or use our campus as a public forum in violation of BYU's public-expression policy," she wrote. "This policy applies to anyone or any organization that wishes to come onto our campus." BYU junior Matt Snow doesn't mind Soulforce advocates coming to campus. "If anything, it should solidify how we feel about the matter," said the exercise-science major. Scharman said BYU has told Soulforce the school will not change its policies or practices to accommodate the group's desire to promote its initiatives. She added if Soulforce activists follow BYU's policies, then students and faculty should show them the same civility. "They should be treated fairly," said BYU freshman Jessie Cook, a Houston native. "Just because we don't believe in what they're doing doesn't mean we think they're bad or we're discriminating against them." Soulforce Riders have run into resistance at several campuses on their 19-stop, coast-to-coast venture, many confrontations leading to arrests. Richard Lindsay, a spokesman for the Equality Riders, said the advocates are not afraid to trespass if a school refuses to allow them on campus. "If we feel like the school is cutting us off and not letting us have any kind of forum, then we're willing to take a more direct approach," Lindsay said. Members of the group have been arrested at Liberty University (Lynchburg, Va.), Regent University (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Okla.). Lindsay said the group is stopping at schools with written policies against homosexual activity.thollingshead@... Soulforce rally Besides its visit to Brigham Young University, Soulforce also plans to stage a rally April 10 at 6 p.m. at Provo's Kiwanis Park.

Paul Mero

2006 Governor Vetoes HB148 – "We'll Bring it Back Next Year" An important piece of legislation that supports the natural family and the traditional definition of parents' rights under law was vetoed by Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. just before the deadline on March 21, 2006. But as Sutherland Institute President Paul T. Mero commented in a interview with KSL News Radio's Doug Wright, HB148: Parent and Child Amendments will be back next year. From the full interview transcript: Doug: Your reaction to the Governor's veto of this bill? Paul: For us, it just means we have more work to do. When things  don't go as we hoped, typically what we do is look in the mirror and say, "what could we have done better on this?" We thought that we had taken care of all of the concerns of the critics, as regarding grandparents and step-parents, etc. But, we'll go back to the drawing board, bring it back next year, and take the Governor at his word in his letter to the Speaker and the Senate President that he looks forward to seriously reconsidering this issue.…Doug: Do you know what I have enjoyed so much in this conversation? Because I am not an attorney, I'm not an expert in family law, and there were some very intriguing things in this bill and some things that, honestly, I wondered about just as good, old, rank-and-file citizen, Doug Wright. But the thing that I've so appreciated that I have seen absent in some other things (is) the civility, in at least what I have been involved in, and what I have witnessed in the conversation of this, were people going, "This is well-intended; now what can we do to maybe take care of this concern?" And you go, "Well, okay, you know we felt strongly about that, but maybe that can be worded differently." I wish that it happened more often in this way. Now, obviously, you and others are not happy that it was vetoed, but it seems certainly not to be dead. And the good aspects of this bill will very likely – and I'll be disappointed if they're not – resurrected next year. Paul: Right, yes, and I appreciate that comment Doug, it means a lot to me personally and to what we try to project here at Sutherland.…

2007 LIFE (Love Is For Everyone) at the USU GSA  is the Gender Bender Dance for cross-dressing fun (boys to girls and girls to boys) though you don't have to dress up to come. It's being hosted on the USU campus, in the Taggart Student Center room 215 (The Walnut Room). It starts at 8 pm and will last until midnight. It's 5 and 7 dollars for singles and couples.