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Ben Barr
- Ben Barr grew up in the 9th and 9th neighborhood of Salt Lake City, in a Jewish immigrant family. He recounts his early childhood bullying, a result of effeminate behavior, and how he banded together with classmates who suffered the same abuses. As a teenager, he was in a relationship with a female classmate, and the two became teenage parents at the ages of 15 and 16. Barr discusses his relationship with his daughter's mother, and the experience of coming out a few years after his daughter's birth. His relationship with his ex-girlfriend remained positive, and Barr co-parented with her, and her future children. Barr also recounts gay culture in Salt Lake City, including cruising, conversion therapy, and tensions between the gay community and religious organizations. Barr discusses his activism surrounding the AIDS epidemic, and his volunteer work as a care giver to AIDS patients.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 1 |
2 |
Lois Bartholomew
- Lois Bartholomew was born in Springville, Utah. Her family moved back and forth between Utah and California throughout her life. Bartholomew describes growing up poor and living outside the LDS Church community while in Utah. She talks about her difficult upbringing. Bartholomew details her 61-year relationship with her husband and the romance and the hardships of their marriage. She and her husband were nurses in Utah Valley. Bartholomew describes what it was like to care for a patient who was dying of AIDS at her hospital. She also talks about stigma associated with homosexuality, stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, and the pressures on gay men in Utah's LDS Church culture.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 1 |
3 |
Linda Bellemore
- Sister Linda Bellemore spent six years working with the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross in Salt Lake City. She was assigned to visit recently discharged elderly patients when the AIDS epidemic struck. Because of her background in nursing and her desire to serve the population, Sister Bellemore decided to be a part of starting a service to care for people with HIV/AIDS. The service was called the Continuity of Care Program. She describes her responsibilities at the hospital and tells stories of caring for particular patients. Sister Bellemore also talks about the dynamics in the hospital and patients' relationships with their families, as well as her efforts to maintain confidentiality for patients and families. She talks about the team of care providers she worked with in the program, as well as the many other community services in Salt Lake who worked together to provide care. In addition, she details the needs and the physical and emotional issues people with AIDS experienced and describes the various demographics of those affected by the disease. Sister Bellemore developed close relationships with many of the patients. She talks about how her work at Holy Cross Hospital taught her lessons and added beauty to her life.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2015 |
| 1 |
5 |
Twinkle Chisholm
- Twinkle Chisholm was a medical reporter for KUTV in the late 1980s and 1990s. She describes her experiences as a reporter covering the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In particular, she talks about reporting on The Names Project. Chisholm was also a caregiver for a friend who had AIDS and she talks about her experiences providing support and care for him. She also worked in LA and San Francisco and compares the epidemic and media coverage of the epidemic in those cities to the epidemic and its coverage in Salt Lake City.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 1 |
6 |
Paula Gibbs
- Dr. Paula Gibbs was born in Alabama in 1956. Her father in the Air Force, and as a child she moved frequently. Gibbs discusses her upbringing and family history. Gibbs earned her medical degree at the University of Utah, and specializes in HIV psychiatry. During her residency, she worked at the Holy Cross Hospital, where she met Dr. Ries and began working with HIV patients. Gibbs discusses attitudes of the LDS Church, and her experiences working with AID patients.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 1 |
7 |
Christine Jamjian
- Christine Jamjian was born in Lebanon and grew up there during the civil war. She talks about the difficulties her family faced living in Beirut during wartime. Jamjian studied biology and architecture in Lebanon but eventually decided to study pharmacy in America. Her brother, who lived in California, helped her with her decision to attend the University of Utah. Jamjian talks about transitioning to living in the US. She excelled in school and eventually earned a Pharm D degree. Jamjian worked at the University of Utah, as well as in Iowa, Charlottesville, Virginia, and San Francisco. She compares her work in each place and talks about treating HIV/AIDS patients in each job. Jamjian loved working in Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder's clinic because it felt like a family and she was able to make a difference with her patients. Jamjian also compares the treatment and medications for HIV/AIDS now to treatment and medications when she started treating patients.
- Interviewed by Chris Dunsmore.
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2016 |
| 1 |
8 |
Suzanne Kaepfer
- Suzanne Kaempfer was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. She went to schools in Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco, mostly working in oncology settings. Kaempfer spent time as a member of the Visiting Nurse Association of San Francisco, for which she began caring for people with HIV/AIDS. She then took a job in Salt Lake City in the Infectious Disease Clinic at the University of Utah, which later became Clinic 1A. Kaempfer was involved in HIV test counseling and fundraising for the clinic. She was integral in applying for and winning a Ryan White CARE Act Grant for the clinic. Kaempfer also talks about her colleagues at the clinic and her working relationship with Kristin Ries and Maggie Snyder, who ran the clinic.
- Interviewed by Chris Dunsmore.
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2016 |
| 1 |
9 |
Jen and Julie Mason
- Jenn Mason was born in England and raised in England in Scotland. In 1978, her father received a call to be a general authority for the LDS Church and so the family moved to America. Jenn describes growing up in a LDS household. She also talks about her struggles to reconcile her homosexuality with her family's religious background. Jenn describes her experiences dealing with her siblings and her mother after coming out. After moving away from home, Jenn was involved in gay and lesbian youth groups and support groups in Salt Lake City, as well as the gay community generally. Some of the support the groups provided was for HIV/AIDS education. Later, after her father passed away and she moved in with her mother, she began to participate in the LDS Church more. Jenn talks about her experiences working at the Church Office Building, dealing with her bishop, and, finally, her decision to choose a relationship with Julie rather than a place in the LDS Church. She also explains that she perceives some differences in the way gay women are treated compared to the way gay men are treated by the LDS Church. Julie Mason was born and raised in Idaho. She moved to Utah in 1984. She talks about the ideas she had about homosexuality growing up and how those ideas evolved after meeting Jenn and her community in high school. Julie also participated in gay and lesbian youth groups and support groups with Jenn. Though Julie joined the LDS Church, she did so because of relationships she was in. She describes the evolution of her participation in LDS Church and her decision to eventually leave the religion and commit to a relationship with Jenn.
- Interviewed by Chris Dunsmore.
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2016 |
| 1 |
10 |
LaDonna Moore
- LaDonna Moore was born and raised in and around Denver. She describes her early life and her family. As an older teenager, Moore was a self-described hippie. After some struggles with school, she decided to go to college to study social psychology. At that time, Moore also became politically active. She moved to Wyoming and started attending Weber State in Utah. She and her boyfriend moved to Washington and got married. Toward the end of their time in Washington, Moore started feeling attraction for women. She and her husband moved back to Wyoming and they eventually got divorced. In Wyoming she worked at the Wyoming State Hospital, doing their addictions treatment. Moore then decided to go to graduate school for sociology and chose the University of Utah. When she moved here she got a job at the Pioneer clinic. She met her partner there. Moore then became involved in the counseling community in Utah and started to work against the dominant culture of "fixing" gay people with reparative therapies. She put together conferences and panels to develop more positive, affirmative therapies for homosexuals. Moore describes the Utah culture and the LDS Church culture she has worked with and struggled against while working in the gay community. Her work was increasingly with people living with HIV/AIDS and Moore eventually became the director of the Utah AIDS Foundation. She describes her responsibilities and talks about the culture of support organizations in Utah. Moore details her clients' needs and the support the foundation was giving them. She also talks about how the epidemic and its effects evolved over time and how the gay community has changed over time.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 2 |
1 |
Courtney Moser
- Courtney Moser grew up in Franklin County, Idaho. Moser was raised in the LDS Church. After high school, he served a mission in Japan. Moser went on a mission because he wanted to get away from the family farm and also because he knew he was gay and he thought it would make him straight. When Moser returned, he went to Utah State University. He thought he could be straight and even attempted conversion therapy, which was provided through his church. In Logan, Utah, as well as Salt Lake City, Moser eventually became involved in the gay community. He discovered cruising spots in Salt Lake City and started cruising regularly. He worked with the Cache Valley AIDS Council and provided support and care for people with AIDS. He started a weekly picnic called Weenie World at The Fruit Loop, a cruising spot in Logan canyon. He also put up homemade condom dispensers along the trails. Moser was involved with the Metropolitan Community Church, a gay-friendly church in Salt Lake and in Logan. Moser also became involved in the drag community in Utah. He is now a part of the Matrons of Mayhem, who run a drag queen bingo for charity at the First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 2 |
2 |
Rick Pace
- This is a series of three interviews with Rick Pace. Rick was born in Provo, Utah. He grew up in Morgan, Utah, where he was raised in the LDS Church. As a boy, Rick felt different but did not have the language to explain his difference. He describes realizing he was having same-sex attraction and what it was like growing up in a LDS family and LDS community with this secret. Pace talks about the messages the LDS Church was giving members about homosexuality. After high school, Pace went on a mission in Bolivia. He continued to struggle with his identity until he returned and moved to Salt Lake City. Pace worked at hotels and his coworkers introduced him to the gay community. Then, he moved to Denver for work and also became a part of the gay community there. Pace also lived in the Bay Area for two and a half years before returning to Denver. When Pace discovered he had contracted HIV, he decided to sell everything, including a business he had just started, and return to Utah. When he moved back, he lived with his uncle, who was also gay and struggling with his identity. Pace describes coping with the diagnosis and the emotions he went through after learning he had HIV. He was treated by Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder and joined a support group through the AIDS Foundation. Eventually, Pace started working for the AIDS Foundation as a bookkeeper and at one point he was even the director. Pace became too ill to continue working at the AIDS Foundation. He tells the story of how he met his partner after driving all the way to Las Vegas one night. They fell in love and started a relationship, despite Pace's then terminal illness. Pace survived until the new treatment cocktails were available and he and his partner now live in Palm Springs, California.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2015 |
| 2 |
3 |
Patricia Reagan
- Patty Reagan was born in Lima, Peru. Her parents worked for the State Department. Reagan's family eventually moved to Denver where she lived throughout most of her youth. She describes growing up in Denver and the cultural diversity she experienced there, specifically in her high school. After high school, Reagan worked for the CIA. She eventually left the CIA and attended BYU where she earned her Master's in health. Reagan also describes growing up in the LDS Church. She decided to leave the religion when she was an adult because she recognized some hypocrisy and even racism that did not align with her values. Reagan worked with Ute Indians as a teacher in a leadership program. She then attended the University of Illinois and earned her PhD in health and safety. Her teaching assistantship was as a human sexuality teacher. After Illinois, Reagan worked with migrant workers in Colorado. She then got a job in the University of Utah's school of medicine, where she taught human sexuality, among other things. Reagan spent a sabbatical year in Berkeley, where she learned about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its effects. She became active in AIDS education for Salt Lake City and began speaking to different groups and organizations about the disease and prevention. She was also involved with the beginning of the AIDS support line, where people could call and ask questions about the disease. Reagan talks about working with the Health Department and difficulties she had with conservative elements of Salt Lake City. She also describes the gay community in Salt Lake City, the support groups, organizations, and bars people were utilizing. Reagan also talks about coming out as a lesbian and how her coming out was linked with her work in the gay community. Reagan talks about the evolution of HIV/AIDS and treatments from the point of view of a health educator, as well as the evolution of stigmas related to HIV/AIDS and homosexuality. For Reagan, her work related to HIV/AIDS is the most rewarding work she has done throughout her career.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 2 |
4 |
Larry Reimer
- Larry Reimer decided to become an infectious disease specialist while attending the University of Arizona. In his early medical career, he discovered a desire to care for patients with cancer. Reimer also describes his early experiences with HIV/AIDS. He encountered the disease at an STD clinic and first realized the dangers of the epidemic at the VA in Salt Lake City, where he still does infectious disease and microbiology. During the early stages of the epidemic, Reimer worked to educate clinicians and medical staff, as well as the public, about HIV/AIDS. He treated patients at the VA but also provided support to the infectious disease clinic at the University of Utah. Reimer talks about testing for the disease, the effects of the disease, and the kinds of support he and his staff provided for patients. He compares treating the disease now to treating it at the beginning of the epidemic and describes the evolution of treatments and medications.
- Interviewed by Chris Dunsmore.
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2016 |
| 2 |
5 |
Patricia Rickers
- Patricia Rickers was born in Elko, Nevada, and grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rickers was raised Catholic. She talks about her experiences in the Salt Lake City Catholic community, as well as her interactions with the dominant LDS Church culture in Utah. After finishing school and getting married, Rickers got a job with the Utah Tax Commission. She talks about the difficulties she faced in earning raises and promotions because she was a woman. When Rickers and her husband started having children, they decided that it would be best if she stayed home to take care of the kids. Although she didn't pursue a career, Rickers always worked as a volunteer. Eventually, she started volunteering regularly at the Utah AIDS Foundation. She describes her responsibilities at the foundation, as well as her relationships with her co-workers and clients. Rickers talks about feeling tension between her Catholic beliefs and her volunteer work at the Utah AIDS Foundation. But after talking to a priest, she decided that she was doing the work she needed to be doing. Rickers had been maintaining memorials for being who have died of AIDS since she started working at the Utah AIDS Foundation.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 2 |
6 |
Kim Smith
- Kim Smith grew up in Bountiful, Utah, in a small LDS community. Smith talks about her family and describes growing up as a member of the LDS church in Bountiful. She talks about dating and tells the story of meeting and marrying her husband, Steve. Kim and Steve had two children. Smith characterizes her marriage and talks about the religious and spiritual elements that influenced her relationship with Steve. Eventually, Steve became sick and was diagnosed with HIV. Smith talks about coping with this news and deciding with Steve what they should do as a family. Smith, too, was diagnosed with HIV. Though she was also sick, Smith stayed with her husband and cared for him until he died. She talks about caring for Steve and for her two children, as well as having to reveal their status and Steve's homosexuality to her family and her community. Smith lived to see the development of HIV treatment cocktails and so survived the epidemic. She talks about the evolution of her treatment and the effects treatments have had on her. Smith also spends time talking about Steve and his life as a closeted gay man in the LDS Church. She describes the conflicted feelings of anger and love she felt and still feels for Steve. Smith also talks about her process of reconciling her faith with what happened to her family.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 2 |
7 |
Richard Starley
- Richard Starley was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father's family, LDS pioneers, had left England and settled in Fillmore, Utah. After meeting and marrying, Starley's parents decided to move from New York to Fillmore. Starley, though, was raised in downtown Salt Lake City. He describes being Catholic in majority LDS Salt Lake City. When Starley was in high school, his family moved to Magna, Utah. In Magna, Starley developed a group of friends, all of whom turned out to be gay. Though they didn't know they were gay at the time, they all thought of themselves as different and were called "sissies" by other kids. As they got older, they started to go to gay bars in Salt Lake City and started to develop a sense of community. During the early '80s, Starley was living in San Francisco and started to hear about a new disease that was killing mostly gay men. While he was living there, one of his friends died of the disease. Starley decided to move back to Salt Lake City. He found out the disease was now affecting gay men and Utah and that there was now a group called AIDS Project Utah. He reached out to them and became a volunteer with the organization. Starley describes his role and his responsibilities at AIDS Project Utah. He talks about the kinds of calls he would receive on the AIDS hotline. Starley also explains the kinds of education AIDS Project Utah provided to the community. Starley also developed and conducted trainings for workplaces who wanted to educate their employees about HIV/AIDS. He talks about the struggles and the stigma people with HIV had to face in a state that is mostly LDS and conservative. Starley tells stories about friends getting sick and he describes the funerals he went to for his friends who died of AIDS. Starley also talks about how the HIV/AIDS epidemic has evolved over the years and how it has changed the gay community and changed Utah.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 2 |
8 |
Bill Walsh
- Bill Walsh was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. After going to college at St. John's University in Minnesota, Walsh moved to Utah. He served as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and worked at the Guadalupe Center in Salt Lake City. Walsh then worked at Utah Issues where he as an advocate for needy people who were not getting their needs met. In particular, Walsh was an advocate in health policy. He describes the healthcare environment during the late 1980s and early 1990s and focuses on issues related to people with HIV/AIDS.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 2 |
9 |
Ben Williams
- Ben Williams was born in Texas and raised in southern California. In 1972, Williams joined the LDS Church and moved to Utah to go to BYU. He knew from an early age that he was attracted to boys and talks about what it was like to grow up with that difference. Before going to BYU, Williams went to Cal State Fullerton, where he also joined the gay student union. After his boyfriend joined the military, Williams began to look for meaning and purpose, which is how he found the LDS Church. When he joined the church, he didn't know enough about the church to know about its stance on homosexuality, so there was not a conflict for him. Williams describes the hidden gay lives male students were leading at BYU and the punishment and retaliation they faced from the administration if they were found out. He then attended the University of Utah, after returning to California for a while. At the university, Williams met and married a woman. He talks about the gay community in Salt Lake City during that time, bars and places he would go to meet men. Eventually he started to realize he was living an inauthentic life as a straight man and started to accept his identity. Williams was involved in Affirmation, a support group for gay LDS men. He describes the evolution of that group, as well as other gay groups in Salt Lake City, some of which he started himself. Williams was a part of the Community Council, which brought together many of the groups in order to coordinate services and events. Williams talks about the effects and influences the HIV/AIDS epidemic had on Salt Lake City and the gay community. He describes the aftermath of the epidemic and what it means to him that he survived.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 3 |
1 |
David Andreason
- David Andreason (b. 1963) was born and raised in Utah. He grew up in Farmington, in a LDS community. After high school, he went on a mission to Japan. Andreason returned from his mission and became more active in Salt Lake City's gay community. He talks about hisexperiences coming out and describes what it was like to live through the height of the AIDS epidemic. Andreason also talks about HIV/AIDS now and the challenges and issues gays face related to the disease, as well as the challenges they face generally.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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undated |
| 3 |
2 |
Don Austin
- Don Austin (b. 1953) grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. Austin talks about his early life in Utah and his experiences with the LDS Church. He eventually starts a career in the medical field, working in dialysis. Austin decided to become a social worker. He eventually worked as a social worker for the Utah AIDS Foundation. Austin describes what it was like to work with clients at the Utah AIDS Foundation, how they were affected by HIV/AIDS and the kind of care he provided for them. After leaving the AIDS Foundation, Austin started his own practice, where he specialized in gay issues. He talks about the kinds of clients he saw and the work he did with them.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement. This folder contains transcripts from two interview sessions.
TRANSCRIPT Will NOT BE AVAILABLE ONLINE. Access is available in-person in the reading room of Special Collections.
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2017 |
| 3 |
3 |
Bruce Barton
- Bruce Barton (b. 1946) was born and raised in Oroville, California. He was adopted into a Methodist family but eventually converted to the LDS Church. Barton describes his mission for the LDS Church. During his time on his mission in France, one of his companions came onto him, which was his first real experience of homosexuality as a young adult. Though Barton turned that companion down, he started to really think abouthis own homosexuality. When he returned from his mission, he immediately moved to Idaho to attend Ricks College, which is now BYU Idaho. Before graduating from Ricks, Barton decided to move to Utah and attend Utah Technical College, which is now Utah Valley University, where he trained to become a nurse. Eventually he moved on to BYU in Provo, Utah.At this point, Barton was acceptingof his homosexuality and was a part of thegay communityat BYU andin Provo. One of Barton's acquaintancesin the gay community was arrested andgave Bruce's name, along with many other gay men's names,to the police. Bartonwas subjected to conversion therapy as a result. After that, Barton left the LDS Church and began searching for a different faith tradition to fulfill his spiritual needs. He found the Metropolitan Community Church in Salt Lake City, which hasa special outreach to gay men and lesbians. Barton became a memberof the church and a part of the gay community in Salt Lake. He met his lifelong partner at the MCC. Later, he became a reverend of the MCC. Barton talks about the MCC's outreach and support for people withHIV/AIDS. He describes caring for peoplewith AIDSand providing spiritual support for those who were dying. Barton also talks about the gay community in Salt Lake City, how the mainstream culture interacted with the gay community, and how the dominant LDS culture and LDS administration interacted with the gay community. Barton also describes his involvement with the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, which often did drag shows to raise funds for gay issues such as HIV/AIDS. His partner, also Bruce, was the Emperor of the Royal Court at one point. Barton now lives in Oroville, California with his son.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2017 |
| 3 |
4 |
Nikki Boyer
- Nikki Boyer was born in Soda Springs, Idaho, and lived all over the world because her stepfather was in the military. In high school, Boyer started feeling as if she was different from other girls and realized it was because she was attracted to girls. She talks about being gay in Texas, where she spent here early adult life. In addition to participating in the gay culture of Texas, she also participated in anti-war movements. Boyer then moved to Utah. She describes the gay community in Utah. Boyer opened a few gay bars in Salt Lake City and participated in community organizing and activism activities. She became a kind of counselor to her patrons and the bars she worked in often hosted gay events. When the HIV/AIDS epidemic hit Salt Lake City, she and her friends were very active in supporting and caring for those who were dying of the disease. Boyer describes the many gay and HIV/AIDS support organizations and how they worked together and evolved from the 1980s to the 2000s.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 3 |
5 |
Lane Cheney
- Lane Cheney was born in Cody, Wyoming, and grew up in Bountiful, Utah. Cheney describes his early life growing up as a member of the LDS Church in Bountiful. He talks about feeling different as a boy and how that difference was received in a conservative LDS community. After high school, Cheney went to Westminster Choir College in New Jersey, where he continued to have feelings for other men. He tried to "cure" himself by reading conversion therapy texts and attending therapy. Cheney also talks about coming out to his parents and to his church leaders in the LDS Church. It was while Cheney was in college that he discovered he had contracted HIV. He describes receiving the news about his test results. Cheney also talks about treatments at the time and the public perception of the epidemic. He moved back to Utah, where he continued to struggle with his true identity. Cheney talks about the Utah gay community and its response to the AIDS epidemic. He describes losing friends to the disease and the evolution of treatments that he has received over the years. Eventually, Cheney left the LDS Church and became an Episcopalian.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 3 |
6 |
Jeanie Forrest
- Jeanie Forrest mostly grew up in the West. She went to high school in Laramie, Wyoming. During college, Forrest married a cattle rancher and moved to Montana. She describes her life living on a cattle ranch and talks about her first experience of HIV/AIDS there. Two men that her husband knew moved home to Montana after they were diagnosed. The community's treatment of these two men was one of the reasons Forrest decided she wanted to leave the ranch. She and her husband divorced and moved to Salt Lake City with their kids. Forrest decided to see if anyone was doing anything about HIV/AIDS in Salt Lake City. She found a number for an HIV/AIDS hotline and called it to volunteer. The number was for the Utah AIDS Foundation. Her first job was to go to gay bars with another volunteer and invite gay men to go to educational groups that would teach them about safety and prevention. Forrest continued to work for the Utah AIDS Foundation until she moved to New York City to go back to school. She worked as a buddy in the buddy program, becoming friends with and taking care of many men who were dying of AIDS. Forest also talks about the Utah AIDS Foundation and the prejudice and intolerance they faced from parts of the Utah community.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2017 |
| 3 |
7 |
Charles Lynn Frost
- Charles Lynn Frost was born and raised in Spanish Fork, Utah. Frost describes his family life and talks about knowing he was different from an early age. He talks about being gay in a small, mostly LDS city. Frost's first relationship ended because he wanted to get away from Utah and the LDS Church and move to San Francisco and his partner did not. Frost eventually married a woman and started a family. He had a successful career as a high school drama teacher. Eventually the pressure of keeping his secret became too much and he came out, divorced his wife, and started to participate in the gay community. Frost describes support groups for gay men that he attended. After working in the corporate world for a number of years, Frost began to work for gay support organizations, becoming the director of the Pride Center and then Equality Utah. He talks about the effects of HIV/AIDS on the community and what organizations did to support people with HIV/AIDS. He describes the stigma and the reactions of the LDS Church to the epidemic. Frost has also been involved in preventing suicide in Utah, particularly among gay youth. To address issues like suicide and drug addiction, Frost developed a character named Sister Dottie, a LDS woman espousing love and acceptance, who has been the main character in two plays and who appears at events around town.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 3 |
8 |
Sarah McClellan
- Sarah McClellan was born in Alabama. She grew up in Alabama and Florida during the 1950s and 1960s. McClellan describes growing up in segregated areas, her experiences of racism, and her memories of and involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. For example, in Jacksonville, Florida, she took part in a sit-in at a Woolworth's counter. After school, McClellan began a career as a teacher. Her sister and brother-in-law encouraged her to move to Utah because of the job opportunities there at the time. She moved to Ogden, Utah, and started working as a teacher at the Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City. She describes the school and its students, and talks about experiencing culture shock as an African American in a majority white community. McClellan then became the Equal Employment Opportunity director for the IRS. She talks about handling employee issues related to HIV/AIDS, as well as problems that came about after an employee had a sex change. McClellan has worked with Planned Parenthood for decades, sitting on the board several times. After retiring, McClellan started working with a minister to educate the African American community in Ogden about HIV/AIDS. Eventually she started running the Northern Utah Coalition, a group that provides education and services related to HIV/AIDS in northern Utah. She talks about the types of outreach and the kinds of services the organization provides, as well as the demographics of the organization's clients.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
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2016 |
| 3 |
9 |
Becky Moss
- Becky Moss was born and raised in Utah. Moss describes what it was like to grow up in Utah and her family life. She talks about knowing that she was different in some way. At the library she found books that explained her difference and she realized she was a lesbian. After finishing school, Moss was active in the Salt Lake City gay community. A friend eventually invited her to co-host a radio program called "Concerning Gays" on KRCL, a local radio station. The first show they did together was about what would eventually be known as the AIDS epidemic. Moss says that after that show she became an AIDS activist. Eventually she became the host of "Concerning Gays," which facilitated discussions about gay issues with community leaders, clergy, activists, and others. She describes other support she provided for people with AIDS and the many organizations in which she participated. She also talks about working with the Health Department and the Catholic Church. Moss's life was touched by AIDS in manyways because several of her family members contracted the disease, as well as her friends. Her sister, Peggy, and her sister's son, Chance, both died of AIDS. Moss talks about the care she provided for her sister and her nephew and describes what it was like to cope with losing them. She talks about how the epidemic has evolved, how treatments have changed, and the ways AIDS and homosexuality are viewed differently now.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 3 |
10 |
Connell O'Donovan
- Connell O'Donovan was born in Syracuse, Utah, but spent most of his early years in Alaska. O'Donovan describes his first understanding of homosexuality and what it was like to grow up as a homosexual in Alabama, Texas, and Alaska. He also talks about his experiences in the LDS Church. He went on a LDS Church mission to Brazil and when he returned he joined the Army. O'Donovan continued to have homosexual feelings on his mission and in the Army but decided to marry his girlfriend whilestationed in California. Eventually, O'Donovan and his wife moved back to Salt Lake City and he became an activist for gay issues, including HIV/AIDS. O'Donovan came out and his wife and hedivorced. He worked for the AIDS Project Utah, as well as supportgroups for people living with AIDS. O'Donovan describes the political atmosphere of AIDS organizations in the '80s. He also talks about the gay community and gay culture in Salt Lake City. He then explains his view of how HIV/AIDS affected the country andhow that effect changed over time.
- Interviewed by Seth Anderson.
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2016 |
| 3 |
11 |
Bill Olson
- Bill Olson (b. 1971) mostly grew up in Park City, Utah, in an LDS family with nine siblings. Olson talks about his early memories of AIDS and how people with AIDS were portrayed in the media. He knew from an early age that he was attracted to males. Olson describes his struggles coming to terms with his sexuality as he got older, especially in a religious family and community. He talks about coming out as gay to his family and about telling them about abuse he suffered as achild. After high school, he went to BYUfor two semesterson a cheerleading scholarship. Olson then worked at a gym and competed in Aerobic competitions. Around that time, Olsonstarted getting really sick. He eventually gottested for HIVand found out he was positive. He descries the testing process and the process of being informed of the results. Olson also talks about being treated by Dr. Kristen Ries. He describes the treatment he received and the medications he took. Olson was also involved in clinical trials for new drugs. Eventually, he moved back in with his parents, so they could take care of him. After he started the clinical trial, he started to notice side effects and, when his blood was tested, he was undetectable.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement. This folder contains transcripts from two interview sessions.
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2016, 2017 |
| 3 |
12 |
Kevin Packer
- Kevin Packer (b. 1959) was born and raised in Salt Lake City. Packer and his ten siblings were raised in the LDS Church. When Packer was 15 years old, he left the LDS Church and started to explore different religions. He talks about discovering his sexuality in his teenage years and eventually realizing that he was attracted to men after he graduated high school and left home. Packer describes coming out and his first relationships with other men, including an abusive relationship.He was diagnosed with HIV after getting tested.He describes the processing of getting tested and of being informed of his results. Eventually, Packer started doing political activist work in the gay community. He worked at the Utah AIDS Foundation. Packer also worked with Dr. Kristen Ries, who was one of the only doctors treating patients with HIV/AIDS.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement. This folder contains transcripts from two interview sessions.
|
2017 |
| 3 |
13 |
Stan Penfold
- Stan Penfold (b. 1957) was born in Southern California but grew up in Eureka, California, in a small LDS community. Penfold felt different from an early age and realized as he got older that he was attracted to men, an aspect of himself that he felt he had to keep secret from his family and his community. He moved to Rexburg, Idaho to go to college and earned an associate degree in landscape horticulture. Penfold then moved to Salt Lake City for a job. In Salt Lake, Penfold started to take part in the gay community of the city. He describessome of the gay bars he would go to in the city. Penfold talks about becoming aware of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Salt Lake. When he met the director of the Utah AIDS Foundation, Ben Barr, at an event, he decidedhe wanted to volunteer at the foundation. Penfold's first assignment at the Utah AIDS Foundation was answering phones for the support hotline. He describes the kinds of calls he would get and how they would help the callers. Penfold talks about the culture at the foundation and the kinds of people who would volunteer, as well as the types of support they were providing to people with AIDS. Penfold worked his way up the ranks at the Utah AIDS Foundation and is now the director of the organization. He describes the evolution of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Utah, how the Utah AIDS Foundation has had to change over time, and how the community has changed over time.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement. This folder contains transcripts from three interview sessions.
|
2016 |
| 4 |
1 |
Patrick Poulin
- Patrick Poulin (b. 1954) grew up in the Bay Area of California. After graduating from college, Poulin got a job with the Red Cross in Utah. He joined the Peace Corps and served in Mali, West Africa. Poulin's time in Mali transformed him into a humanitarian. When he returned to Utah, he began his lifelong career in the nonprofit aid community in Utah. Poulin worked for the Road Home and now works for the International Rescue Committee. He has also worked on the board of the Utah AIDS Foundation. He talks about providing services and care for people with HIV/AIDS at the Road Home and the International Rescue Committee. Poulin also details his experiences with the nonprofit community over the past few decades. He describes the benefits, the pitfalls, the financial elements, and the politics of nonprofits in Utah.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2017 |
| 4 |
2 |
Kristen Ries, interview 1
- Dr. Kristen Ries (b. 1940) set up a medical practice in Salt Lake City just as the AIDS epidemic was starting to be studied. Ries remembers the first CDC report about the disease and thinking it might be an STD. Dr. Ries then became the main physician treating patients with HIV/AIDS in all of Utah. Ries talks about the stigma surrounding the disease and describes the many different ways she and her health team served patients with HIV/AIDS. Kristen Ries created a loving, supportive environmentfor their patients.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
3 |
Maggie Snyder, interview 2
- While workingas a nurse at Holy Cross Hospital, Maggie Snyder (b. 1953) was approached by Dr.Kristen Ries to go to PA school in order to better serve their patients. Snyder and Ries were two of the only healthcare providers treating people with HIV/AIDS. Maggie even attended funerals for many of her patients and has kept their obituaries. Snyder and Ries developed a compassionate care model that provided love and support to many patients who didn't even have support from their families.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
4 |
Maggie Snyder, interview 3
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
5 |
Kristen Ries interview 4
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
6 |
Maggie Snyder interview 5
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
7 |
Kristen Ries interview 6
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
8 |
Kristen Ries interview 7
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
9 |
Maggie Snyder interview 8
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
10 |
Kristen Ries interview 9
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
11 |
Maggie Snyder interview 10
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
12 |
Maggie Snyder interview 11
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
13 |
Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder interview 12
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
14 |
Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder interview 13
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
15 |
Kristen Ries interview 14
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
16 |
Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder interview 15
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
17 |
Kristen Ries and Maggie Snyder interview 16
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2015 |
| 4 |
18 |
Brandy Romero
- Brandy Romero (b. 1979) was born and raised in Utah. She lived in Salt Lake City with her father and his partner. Romero's father was gay and she grew up around his partner and his gay and lesbian friends. In 1997, Romero's father passed away due to complications from AIDS. Though Romero and some of her family suspected her father was HIV-positive, they only found out for certain when he was taken to the hospital for pneumonia. Romero talks about her father's experience as a gay man and asa person living with AIDS. After Romero's father passed away, she decided she wanted to volunteer with the Utah AIDS Foundation in Salt Lake City. She started in outreach. Romero and other volunteers would go to gay clubs and bars to hand out condoms and talk about HIV prevention. Romero has worked at the Utah AIDS Foundation ever since. She now works as the supportive services coordinator. Romero runs the food bank and coordinates programs like the Seasons Givings program, which provides food for clients during the holiday season, and the Backpack to School program, which provides school supplies for children of people with AIDS.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2017 |
| 4 |
19 |
Norman Waitzman and Robert Huefner
- In this interview, Norman Waitzman and Robert Huefnerdiscuss healthcare in Utah before and during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They describe insurance, hospital systems, and issues of access in general, as well as how patients with HIV engaged with hospitals and insurance companies. Waitzman and Huefner also talk about the political environment in Utah and how it influenced and shaped healthcare during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
- Interviewed by Elizabeth Clement.
|
2017 |
