History
Longtime Utah gay activist Michael Aaron approached Steven Peterson in 2004 to publish what Aaron called a much-needed professional newspaper for Utah's LGBT community. Aaron had co-published the Community Reporter newspaper and Triangle Magazine in the 1980s and 90s. Peterson had published the Little Lavender Book business and organization directory.
The first issue of Salt Lake Metro newspaper was published in 2004 by Metro Publishing Inc. with Aaron as publisher and Peterson as sales manager. The newspaper began publishing when an LGBT campaign against a proposed state constitutional amendment to prohibit same-sex marriage was developing. The focus on hard news and editorial content was intended to distinguish it from other local publications. [2] [3]
Salt Lake Metro found quick success in attracting readers and web-site visitors, but the business partnership was wrought with disputes as advertising sales failed. Aaron was forced to scale back on writers, editors and syndicated content. By the end of 2005, Aaron was acting as publisher, editor and art director.
In 2005, the newspaper created the "Metro Cares Foundation," a nonprofit organization to support LGBT groups in the state.
Aaron left Metro Publishing Inc. in 2006 after a failed attempt to purchase it. The remaining writers and office staff went with him and QSaltLake newspaper was published two weeks later by Salt Lick Publishing LLC. The newspaper featured local and national news, opinion—both serious and camp, arts and entertainment, and sports. Cover stories ranged from the use of methamphetamine in the LGBT community to an interview with entertainer RuPaul. The newspaper created its annual readers' choice Fabby Awards ceremony in 2005. [5] [6] [8]
Salt Lick Publishing LLC created Pride365, a series of annual events which celebrated LGBT pride throughout the year in Salt Lake City and which culminated in the Utah Pride Festival. Pride365 ended its activities in 2007 when its director, Chad Keller, died.
As QSaltLake owner and publisher, Aaron won the 2011 Utah Pride Festival "Dr. Kristen Ries Community Service Award." [9]
QSaltLake was redesigned as a magazine in 2012 when Salt Lick Publishing LLC. The corporation continued the management and publication of the magazine and its projects despite a financial-loan shortfall that year. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Editors
- Brandon Burt, April–November 2004
- Jere Keys, November 2004–November 2005
- Michael Aaron, November 2005–February 2006
- Tony Hobday, March 2006
- Kenni Littlefield, March 2006–June 2006
- Michael Aaron, June 2006–February 2011, June 2013–present
- Seth Bracken, February 2011–June 2013
- Assistant Editor: JoSelle Vanderhooft, January 2007–February 2011
- Arts Editor: Tony Hobday, March 2006–December 2020
The Salt Lake City, Utah, area includes many diverse media outlets, not only found within the official city boundaries, but also in the greater Wasatch Front urban area.
The Utah Pride Festival is a festival held in downtown Salt Lake City in June celebrating Utah's diversity and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community. The event is a program of the Utah Pride Center, and includes the state's second-largest parade, after the Days of '47 Parade.
The Utah Pride Center (UPC) is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization in Salt Lake City. It provides services, events and activities to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Utah. The center manages annual and ongoing projects including the Utah Pride Festival.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Utah's anti-sodomy law was invalidated in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas, and fully repealed by the state legislature in 2019. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBTQ people and the rest of the population, and the rights of transgender youth are restricted.
All homosexual sexual activity is condemned as sinful by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its law of chastity, and the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage. Adherents who participate in same-sex sexual behavior may face church discipline. Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from same-sex marriage and any homosexual sexual activity or sexual relationships outside an opposite-sex marriage. However, all people, including those in same-sex relationships and marriages, are permitted to attend the weekly Sunday meetings.
David Keith Nelson was an American LGBT and gun rights activist. He founded or helped found several LGBT-related nonprofit organizations in Utah and helped direct others. His work with the Democratic Party encouraged many LGBT Utahns to serve as party leaders. His work as a legislative and executive lobbyist accomplished the adoption of several LGBT- and weapon-friendly state and local laws, rules, ordinances and policies, and the rejection of other legislation.
Utah Stonewall Democrats is a Salt Lake City-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) political group affiliated with the Utah Democratic Party. The word "Stonewall" in the group's name refers to the Stonewall riots of 1969, a pivotal event in the history of protecting equal rights for LGBT people.
Mormons Building Bridges is a decentralized grassroots group composed primarily of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who seek to improve the attitudes between members of the LDS Church and the LGBT community.
Transgender Education Advocates (TEA) of Utah is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit located in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is involved in transgender and LGBT rights activism in the state of Utah.
Students identifying as LGBTQIA+ have a long, documented history at Brigham Young University (BYU), and have experienced a range of treatment by other students and school administrators over the decades. Large surveys of over 7,000 BYU students in 2020 and 2017 found that over 13% had marked their sexual orientation as something other than "strictly heterosexual", while the other survey showed that .2% had reported their gender identity as transgender or something other than cisgender male or female. BYU is the largest religious university in North America and is the flagship institution of the educational system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints —Mormonism's largest denomination.
Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to LGBT individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings, and estimates of the number of LGBT former and current Mormons range from 4 to 10% of the total membership of the LDS Church. However, it wasn't until the late 1950s that top LDS leaders began regularly discussing LGBT people in public addresses. Since the 1970s a greater number of LGBT individuals with Mormon connections have received media coverage.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the first half of the 20th century, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
The Sun Trapp is a gay bar and nightclub in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The Sun Trapp closed for 42 days and had to restructure staff shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of staff were laid off. The business joined a lawsuit to challenge alcohol sales rules during the pandemic.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been involved with many pieces of legislation relating to LGBT people and their rights. These include playing an important role in defeating same-sex marriage legalization in Hawaii, Alaska, Nebraska, Nevada, California, and Utah. The topic of same-sex marriage has been one of the church's foremost public concerns since 1993. Leaders have stated that it will become involved in political matters if it perceives that there is a moral issue at stake and wields considerable influence on a national level. Over a dozen members of the US congress had membership in the church in the early 2000s. About 80% of Utah state lawmakers identied as Mormon at that time as well. The church's political involvement around LGBT rights has long been a source of controversy both within and outside the church. It's also been a significant cause of disagreement and disaffection by members.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 1970s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 1980s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 1990s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.
Connell O'Donovan is an American historian, biographer, and professional genealogist. He was born in Utah, but spent much of his adult life in Santa Cruz, California. He has written on LGBT Utah history, and Black Mormon history.
