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coochiequeens · 4 years ago

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When Maharba Zapata was just getting started and making salsa out of her Magna home to support her seven children, her now-husband suggested that Zapata name her business Salsa Queen.

Zapata, 49, said she remembers thinking, “That’s the stupidest name ever.”

The name stuck, though, as the business grew, and Zapata continually had to find larger office and kitchen spaces to keep up with the demand from customers.

In fact, Zapata became so well known by this title that when she became a U.S. citizen a year and a half ago, she legally changed her name to SalsaQueen Zapata — a move that reflects how meaningful her salsa brand has been in her life.

Salsa Queen is one of more than 400 women-owned businesses in Utah included in a new directory from the Women’s Business Center of Utah, where people can search by county, city and industry to find female entrepreneurs in construction, finance and the arts, among other fields.

The next time Utahns need to find a unique gift or hire a professional, Ann Marie Wallace, state director of the Women’s Business Center, said she hopes they will go to UtahWomenOwned.com.

“Using the directory just once a month can have enormous impact,” she said.

Female-owned small businesses have been hit harder during the COVID-19 pandemic than their male counterparts, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. That’s partly due to women gravitating toward service-based industries, Wallace said, and because they have had trouble accessing PPP loans, while also facing child care challenges.

Even before the pandemic, “women have already been at a disadvantage because they can’t access capital like men can, and they’ve had other barriers that have been put in front of them,” according to Wallace.

This new directory can help make a difference, she said.

“Knowing which small businesses are women-owned and where to find them is critical to supporting them,” Wallace said.

Business rooted in passion

Salsa Queen

Get Zapata on the phone, and she will quickly start sharing recipes about how to make guacamole with her gourmet pico salsa and creamy jalapeno dip, or how to mix her queso chipotle dip with the red chili salsa to create a delicious sauce. Just talking about it makes her hungry, she said, laughing.

Zapata currently has about 25 employees working at a West Valley City location to make the salsa and dips, which can be found online and at stores across the valley and nationwide, including Harmons, Smith’s and Sprouts Farmers Markets. During COVID-19, Zapata also added home delivery in the Salt Lake, Ogden, Provo and Park City areas.

“People have to eat,” she said.

Zapata left Mexico to come to the United States 32 years ago, and she said she started a salsa business because it fits her love for food, her culture and her family.

The sugar skull on her products’ labels comes from the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), she said, and it also honors her baby who died of leukemia.

Zapata is proud to have come from “humble beginnings,” immigrating to the U.S. without speaking English, to now living in what she calls her “dream neighborhood,” Olympus Cove.

Early last year, Zapata spoke in front of a crowd about her success with Salsa Queen as part of Utah State University’s Entrepreneurship Leadership Series. Since then, she said she has watched a recording of her talk dozens of times.

“That’s one of the highlights of my life,” Zapata said.

Aarf Dogwalking and Petsitting

Suzie Ellison wasn’t allowed to have a dog while growing up, since her dad wasn’t an animal person.

“When I moved out, one of the first things I did was to get a dog, and then I’ve had a dog ever since,” she said.

After years of working as a paralegal, Ellison started her Aarf Dogwalking and Petsitting business in Salt Lake City 13 years ago, when her son went to college. The move allowed her to combine two of her passions: dogs and being outside.

“It is so fun. It’s so rewarding,” said the 64-year-old who lives in Cottonwood Heights.

Today, Ellison oversees a team of eight people, and they take dogs on walks and hikes around the valley. That part of the business has done well during the pandemic, Ellison said, since her clients still need to get their pets outside while working from home.

Aarf House, which Ellison describes as a doggy bed and breakfast, has struggled over the past year, though, as people weren’t traveling as much and didn’t need lodging for their pets.

While the pandemic threw some unexpected curveballs, Ellison said she still feels fortunate “to do what I love.”

HHeR Inspections

Lori Rawlings started with her HandyGal business, doing home repairs and maintenance for customers. A few years ago, the 54-year-old decided to also do home inspections through her HHeR Inspections business.

“I’ve always liked taking things apart and putting them back together and finding out how things work,” said Rawlings. That includes working on her Victorian home in Salt Lake City that was built in 1904, where she lives with her family.

As Utah has seen a booming housing market, Rawlings said calls for inspections have been a bit slow. It could just be that her business is fairly new, and she’s still building up a client base. But based on what she’s heard from real estate agents, Rawlings said it could also be that because the housing market is so tight, with some people offering $100,000 over asking prices to snag places, homebuyers are skipping inspections before purchasing.

That worries Rawlings, she said, because Utahns may later face expensive fixes if they don’t take the time to do an inspection.

Rawlings is excited about the publicity that the new directory will bring for women-owned businesses in Utah, she said. Personally, she’s had a couple of customers contact her for work, specifically because she is a woman.

“They said, ‘I want to hire you because I think you’ll do a better job, and I want to support women in business,” Rawlings said.

Growth in women-owned businesses

During the coronavirus pandemic, female entrepreneurs were more likely to say they were regularly worried about money and expected to lose income in the coming months, than women who worked for businesses, according to a report released in April by the Utah Women and Leadership Project at USU.

“I often work without pay to ensure I can pay others who help with our business and keep our program running,” one female business owner told the project in response to a survey about how COVID-19 has affected Utah women in the workforce. Another woman said the pandemic made her “wary” of starting her own business.

The Women’s Business Center of Utah can provide resources and help, Wallace said. Despite challenges before and during COVID-19, Utah actually does well compared to other states when it comes to women-owned businesses, she said.

The Beehive State ranked sixth in the country in economic clout for women-owned businesses, according to a 2019 report from American Express. And the number of businesses run and owned by Utah women has grown, from 77,800 in 2015 to 89,092 in 2019, a brief from the Utah Women and Leadership Project shows.

Still, information released by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute earlier this month reported that 59% of business owners in the Beehive State are male, while 16.9% are female. (The remaining 24.1% were shared male/female.)

Wallace’s organization estimates that if women-owned and controlled businesses reached parity with their male counterparts, in terms of revenue and employees, that it would create 25,000 new businesses, 162,000 jobs and $26.5 billion in new revenue in Utah.

“If that were to happen in the next year, it would grow our economy by 15.7%,” Wallace said. “It’s astronomical.”

#Utah #support women owned businesses #Women’s business center of Utah

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finrays · 4 years ago

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4. Unfair!

HELLO I'M WRITING A LOT TODAY, BUT I SEE YOU ALL. THANKS FOR THE KIND FEEDBACK.

A rewrite of an earlier piece I wasn't satisfied with. It's kiiiiind of a loose interpretation of the prompt but I'd be MAD AS HELL and find it unfair, too.

- By 8:30 PM, she's finally spent her rage.

Dropping a trail of equipment as she makes her way from door to couch, Elisabet flings herself down with a weary sigh, throwing an arm over her eyes and taking a moment to just breathe.

For the first time since the disaster of this morning's press conference, her head is finally, blessedly empty, the anger and hurt mostly expended through the process of thrashing herself to her physical limits.

Mostly; there's still an ember of the earlier heat, pulsing in the depths of her stomach. But that, she thinks, isn't going to go away any time soon.

The Focus buzzes again in the front pocket of her bag, and she grimaces.

I bet I know who that is. And I'm going to have to pick up eventually.

But not right now.

The wherewithal to cook escapes her, so she settles for a protein shake and an apple, eaten absently while leaning against the kitchen counter and staring out the apartment window at the city lights beyond.

It's not until she's showered and stowed all of her gear away that she finally slips the Focus back on, and begins sorting through a list of notifications so long that it makes her head ache just to think of the bottom.

There are five missed calls from Ted, all in increasing flavors of desperate. Three interview requests, all of which are summarily declined. A worried message from her mother ("I heard the news, Bits. Are you all right?") to which she dashes off a quick reply, apologizing for the late response and promising to call in the morning. A slew of angry, sympathetic messages from colleagues in firm agreement with her stance. An equally long, if not longer slew of sheepishly apologetic messages from colleagues who don't.

These, she moves directly into the Trash; she has nothing to say to them.

She's almost to the bottom of the list when the call comes in, and for a moment, she almost lets it ring. But her cooler (sort of) head prevails, in the end, and, with a sigh, she reaches out to accept it; the confrontation is inevitable, and she'd rather have it here than in the office, where so much more could go wrong.

"Ted," she intones, keeping her voice as carefully neutral as possible.

From the other end of the line comes a sigh that's half annoyance and half relief.

"Lis, where the hell have you been?"

"Climbing. In Provo."

His voice goes flat with disbelief.

"Provo."

Swallowing hard, she runs a hand through her hair, keeping her tone as steady as she can manage.

"Yep. And fencing at B Gym after that."

He goes silent for a long time. When he speaks, it's in a soft, almost cajoling voice.

"You just bolted this morning, Lis. I needed you there-"

The spark of anger flares again, and she rises to her feet, beginning to pace the length of the living room.

"Oh. You needed me. But not enough to tell me what was going on."

He's made a mistake, and they both know it.

"Lis-"

Even though it's a voice call, and he can't see the gesture, she makes a sharp, chopping motion with her hand as she cuts him off with a little snarl.

"No! Don't you 'Lis' me, Ted! You reassigned half my team! Cancelled six of our upcoming projects! And I had to hear about it in the middle of a crowded room, in front of the damn press!"

"I... mishandled the situation, yes, but you-"

To her irritation, he hasn't lost the soothing, diplomatic edge to his voice yet.

Does he think that he can salvage this, somehow? Really?

Not about to let him finish, she whirls on her heel, stabbing a finger into the empty air.

"You know how I feel about this, Ted! You know what my stance on military applications is, and you're gutting my department-"

This time, he's the one cutting her off, in a glacial voice that, admittedly, trips her up for a moment, shocking her into silence.

"Enough. It's time to grow up, Lis."

She hates the way her voice comes out as an outraged squeak, at least an octave higher than she'd like it. But the indignity of it!

"Excuse me!?"

Is he trying to patronize me? Me!?

Ted laughs derisively on the other end of the line.

"What? Did you really think that we were going to spend the rest of our damn lives building carbon scrubbers and water filters? Green robotics is a field with an expiration date. One that's fast-approaching. It's time to move on."

For the second time in as many minutes, she finds herself at a momentary loss for words, breathing in ragged little gasps of fury. She has to pinch the bridge of her nose and remind herself to slow down before she finally trusts herself to speak again.

"You really don't know anything about gardening, do you, Ted? It's not enough just to plant the seeds. You have to tend them if you want them to grow."

A scoff. She can almost see the dismissive wave of his hand.

"The forest gets by just fine."

He hasn't learned anything from this.

The thought hits her like the whip-flash blow of a sabre strike during a bout, and she almost laughs out loud.

Ten years, all of those projects, and he hasn't learned a damn thing.

It's a thought that should shock her. Should shake her to her core. But... somehow, it doesn't. Somehow, she's always known that it would end like this.

Ted's always been more interested in the showy blossoms than the roots and trunks. That's always been her purview. It's the reason they've worked so well together, shoring each other up, as business partners. As friends.

And now, it's the reason driving them apart.

"All right. Fine. If this is the direction you're going to take the company in, then..."

She hesitates only for a moment; she knows what she wants to say. Knows what she has to say. But it still takes an effort to force it out.

"Then it's not one I can follow. Consider this my official notice of resignation."

It's Ted's voice that comes out as a squeak, this time, and she allows herself a moment to feel smug.

"Your... what?"

Now that the words are loose in the world between them, her confidence grows. Crossing back to the couch, she takes a seat, crossing her legs beneath her.

"You heard me, Ted."

He's spluttering on the other end of the line, at a loss for words for the first time she can ever remember.

"You... you can't just-"

She cuts him off again, more gently, this time; the decision's been made, and with each passing second, she's more and more at peace with it. More and more convinced that it's the right thing to do.

"I can. And I just did. Effective noon tomorrow, local time. I'll send the paperwork over to HR in the morning. And I can be packed up and gone by Tuesday, at the latest."

For a long time, he's silent. She's just beginning to think that this is it, that he's going to let a partnership, a friendship of nearly a decade go by just hanging up on her. But the icy tone that had so shocked her earlier returns, and she can hear a chair being pushed out as he stands.

"Fine. I'll post a hiring notice. Find a better fit for the position. Someone with more vision."

His parting barb finds no purchase on the glassy surface of her resolve, and she nods to no one in particular.

"Goodbye, Ted."

Thumbing the call off, she curls back into the couch cushions and watches the lights wink off all across campus, and the city beyond. Watches the moon sail over the tops of the Wasatch range, up to its zenith and down the sky again.

Then, finally, she opens her email client, and begins to draft a message. By the time the sun rises over the mountains, it's ready to go.

-- Mon 4/14/2048 8:30 AM From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Subject: Happy Trails

Hello All,

I know how quickly the rumor mill in this place works, so I'm just going to come out and say it. Effective today, at 12 PM local time, I am resigning my position as Chief Scientist of Faro Automated Solutions.

While I have greatly enjoyed my time here at FAS, the company's decision to branch out into military applications is not one that I can personally support. It is my firm belief that our focus should remain on the use of technological advancements to improve the lives of our fellow human beings, and to foster stewardship of the natural world, reversing the mistakes of the past, and looking toward the future. The Board does not share this belief. Thus, our parting of the ways.

As humans, we look toward the horizon with every action that we take, seeking to pass what's important to us over its edge to the next generation. I urge you to consider your legacy, what it is that you want to pass over that horizon, and to take steps accordingly.

It has been an honor to work alongside you all these past ten years. When I say that you are some of the best and brightest engineers and scientists of our age, it is with total sincerity. Should you need it, my door will always be open to you.

All my best,

E. Sobeck

#horizon zero dawn #horizontober #horizontober2020 #PHEW I uhhh have a few queued #but I may need to take a lil break and recharge the ol' battery #this pass was a little better than the last one I think

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dionysus-complex · 4 years ago

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Some musings on the place where I’m from while I wait to see if anybody shows up to my office hours~

Salt Lake is so weird b/c like, contrary to the popular (at least from what I’ve encountered living in liberal West Coast cities/college towns) perception of the whole state of Utah as a conservative religious wasteland, it trends centrist-liberal, less than half the population is actively Mormon, and there’s a major research university here, a visible if (in my experience) kinda cliquish queer community, tons of breweries/coffee shops/vegan cafes/etc, and in normal times there’s decent nightlife and touring bands stop here regularly, and yet somehow it seems like even compared to similar mid-size centrist-to-progressive metro areas in swing-to-red states (Tucson AZ, Columbus OH, Omaha NE, etc), there’s no real self-sustaining creative community or large-scale music scene here because a lot of queer folks and people in the alternative scene tend to try to get out of Utah as soon as possible, and meanwhile the Mormon creative center of gravity is an hour south of here in Provo/Utah County and is centered around BYU and simply not open to anybody outside of that community.

And you can kinda see this in the fact that all our “major local bands” (The Used, Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons) are all not from SLC but the actual conservative religious wasteland of Utah County, and they’ve mostly relocated to Las Vegas and/or LA immediately after making it big b/c there’s just no real reason to hang around in SLC if you’re in a creative career.

All this is not to belittle the great work put out by a couple of local bands and artists here I do love!! But the fact that this place is perceived by most non-Mormons and queer folks (myself included!) more as a place to be from than an actual place to settle and make a life really keeps it from having the kind of creative vibrancy that’s certainly possible in other similar metro areas, and that makes me a little sad b/c it’ll always be home and there’s a lot of good qualities about this place that get drowned out by the vaguely stifling dominant culture of Utah.

#la has its own problems and I wouldn't want to be in a creative career there either but that's another post #also all this is obviously based on my own experience which I can't claim as universal #but so many people I know have left for seattle/pdx/denver/pretty much anywhere but here #and living here again b/c of covid after my own grad school/teaching journey around the western us has really driven some of this home

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tofuart · 5 years ago

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Starting in the fog and finishing in the tropics

During the last few months I have worked on a new piece in my Post-Folk Art Series. The finished piece is a large (48”x67) site specific work for my friends’ home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. To avoid the complexities involved with shipping large artwork to Mexico, the piece needed to be finished on site. I have just spent about three weeks in a luxurious villa, making art, gazing at the Pacific and being fed incredible food. Sometimes an artist needs to make sacrifices.

The project began in San Francisco. First, I estimated the quantity for each different size of squares and circles of painted paper that would be required. I always over-estimate to give me added flexibility. The scale of this piece required a spreadsheet to track all the quantities needed.

With a set of numbers, I was ready to begin painting paper. The palette reflects the setting. In Puerto Vallarta, hills shrouded in tropical jungle come right down to the edge of the city. That jungle was my inspiration.

After all the paper was painted, it was time to start cutting squares in sizes from an half inch to 3 inches. To cut perfect circles, I use a series of punches. I needed nearly 2,400 three-quarter inch circles, as well as quantities of circles that were 1.5, 2 and 2.5 inches, plus thousands of small dots made with hole punches. I am greatly indebted to the artist Dorothy Yuki. Dorothy came over one afternoon with her Provo Craft cutters and helped me punch out most of the circles.

When I was packing up art supplies for my trip, I realized the paper circles and squares would need to stay with me in my carry-on luggage. Those thousands of pieces represented more than 100 hours’ worth of effort. I could not allow them to be lost in transit.

Arriving in Mexico I found the large the board waiting for me. The next step was to find a paint store and then get a few coats of color on the edges and surface. I always use a basic, interior latex house paint. There is no need for expensive acrylics.

With the board now prepped, it was time to set up my workspace. A large table was protected with plastic and drop cloths and the big board was laid out. It was time to draw a grid for a guide and get to work.

Over the next ten days I spent many hours gluing and fitting the squares, and then adding the layers of the circles. Fans kept me cool with temperatures in the 90s. The humidity is intense, but it slowed the drying down just enough to give me a bit more flexibility. The climate does make a difference. In San Francisco, I typically need to wash caked glue off my hands about every 15 minutes, where in Puerto Vallarta I could go for half-an-hour. It really is that humid.

As I was working, an Important holiday was approaching. Día de los Muertos was on my mind. In the evenings I would go down in to town to see the ofrendas that were being installed as the day drew near. Even Puerto Vallarta’s Halloween celebration has most kids in Day of the Dead-themed costumes, and if not that, a costume with a scary theme. Imagine two year old little girls dressed as vampires instead of princesses. The night of November 2nd included a parade and dance performance by youth groups in folk costumes with a Día de los Muertos twist.

Back home in San Francisco, I always set up my own more elaborate ofrenda. In Mexico, I stuck to some simple candles and some rather pungent marigolds in the tropical heat. As I sat at the table with the big piece of art spread out in front of me, I began to recall memories of my great-grandmother and her sisters around a similar big piece of art. For them it was one of the many quilts they worked on. Patterns from quilts and other textiles have influenced my work for more than 20 years. Assembling a large, colorful, patterned piece felt like I was coming full circle — all the more appropriate at a time we remember our ancestors.

As I got towards the end of the project, I realized that I had underestimated the amount of glue I would need. My preferred choice, GAC 100, was not available. I found one small shop in Puerto Vallarta with art supplies. Their best option is a glue called Resistol 850. Fortunately, it worked well for my purposes. I liked it so much, I returned to buy an additional bottle to bring home to California.

There was one other complication. A harsh Mexican art critic forced me to cover up the piece each night with a drop cloth. It was one of the resident geckos who had a tendency to climb up in the rafters and aim gecko poo at my art. Tempting as it might be to make a nod to Chris Ofili and include a bit of gecko poo, none ended up in the final artwork. But the tropics being the tropics, there are a few small insects embedded for all time in the acrylic varnish that coats the artwork. The insects can only add authenticity to a piece titled La Selva (The Jungle).

#art #mixed media #painting #collage #artistic process #california #san francisco #jungle #mexico #jalisco #puerto vallarta #tofuart #artists on tumblr

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thecollegefootballguy · 4 years ago

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The Real Beehive Boot

I can’t believe I can’t find a better image of this thing. Somebody please yell at Utah’s SID about this.

Hello friends, we continue our journey through college football’s three-way rivalry trophies. So far we’ve taken a look at the Florida Cup and the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and what would have happened if they had been on the line for the entire history of those rivalries.

Check out those posts here: Florida Cup / Commander-in-Chief

Now we’re heading out West to the great state of Utah to examine one of the most unique trophies in the sport: the Beehive Boot. The Boot is given to the best team in the state, and has been contested every year from 1971 to 2016.

I’m hoping to raise a bit of awareness about the trophy as well. It hasn’t been awarded for the past few seasons with no real good reason. Utah’s cancellation of the Utah State rivalry and general fan disinterest seem to be the most likely culprits.

The rules are pretty simple. The team with the highest record among in-state opponents wins the Boot. If the three teams tie in the standings with 1-1 records against each other, it goes to a vote by Utah’s sports media. For some reason, each time it goes to a media vote, Utah State gets awarded the trophy. I’m not sure if that’s a feature or a bug in the system, but I do think it’s kind of a funny quirk that helps out the Aggies who otherwise would be well behind their in-state rivals.

Initially, Weber State was allowed to compete for and win the Boot, but the Wildcats never won and games against WSU stopped counting in the standings following the ‘82 season. To simplify things, I won’t be counting Weber State at all because, well, they really are nonfactors when you get down to it.

So, what if the Beehive Boot was on the line going right back to the beginning of the rivalries? Let’s find out.

The Battle of the Brothers Round 1 (Armstrong vs Romney): 1922-1949

Our story begins in 1922, the year BYU re-started their football program. Utah and Utah State (then Utah Agricultural College) were already well established rivals and had played for just over 20 years when the Cougars joined the stage. The Utes and Aggies were each other’s end of season rivals and the Battle of the Brothers was easily the most important game in the state.

BYU joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, joining Utah and Utah Agricultural in the league. For the next several decades, the Cougars would play the Utes in mid-October, almost always in Salt Lake City. The UAC game was usually played in late-October or early-November on a more equal home and home basis.

Leading up to 1922, Utah Agricultural had gotten the best of Utah the previous several years. The Aggies were led by legendary coach Dick Romney, who was hired in 1919 and would lead the team for the next 30 seasons. UAC was an above average team in the 20′s, winning the conference in 1921, and traded wins with the Utes for most of the decade. The Aggies wouldn’t lose to BYU until their 8th contest in 1929.

In 1922, Utah won their only RMAC conference title under Thomas Fitzpatrick, who lasted another two middling seasons before being replaced by Ike Armstrong. Armstrong was a transformative head coach for the Utes, who would go on to be the most dominant program in the Mountain States for the next two decades.

In 1926, just one year after his hiring, Armstrong led the Utes to the conference championship. It was the first of eight titles in nine years as Utah won the RMAC every season from 1928 to 1933. The Utes went undefeated three straight years from 1928-30, and wouldn’t lose a conference game for five seasons from ‘28-’32.

Utah absolutely dominated their rivals in this span. After falling to UAC in 1925, the Utes wouldn’t lose again until 1936. Following BYU’s reestablishment of their program in 1922, Utah obliterated the Cougars for two decades before finally losing to them for the first time in 1942.

BYU was a bottom feeder in their early years. The Cougars wouldn’t find a competent coach until Ott Romney came to Provo in 1928, and Romney only managed moderate success compared to Utah or UAC. The best BYU could manage in this era was a 2nd place finish in the RMAC in 1932.

The newly rebranded Utah State experienced a brief resurgence in 1935-36. The Aggies won the RMAC in back to back seasons and beat the Utes for the first time in a decade. Dick Romney’s squad remained strong for most of the 30′s, but began to fall off by the turn of the decade.

All three schools jumped ship from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference into the new Skyline Conference in 1938. It was at this time Utah bounced back to being the top dogs. The Utes had a bit of a slide in the mid-30′s, but from 1938 to 1942 they won another four league championships.

BYU remained a thoroughly unimpressive team in the 30′s and 40′s, only daring to finish 2nd place in their new home in the Skyline twice under head coach Eddie Kimball.

The Second World War threw a monkey wrench into things for a few years. The Cougars disbanded their football team following the 1942 season. It probably set their program back a few years, which wasn’t great considering they just beat Utah for the first time ever. Utah State missed 1943, but was back to the gridiron the next year only to get stomped by their rivals.

The longstanding 30 year battle between Armstrong’s Utes and Romney’s Aggies went out on a high note in the late 1940′s. Utah State beat their archrivals on the way to a Skyline championship in 1946. Utah then beat USU in 1947 and 1948 to claim two back to back league titles. Romney retired following the 1948 season and Armstrong hung up his clipboard the following year. Both of them remain the winningest coaches in their respective program’s histories.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 17 Utah State: 9 BYU: 1

So, about the Boot. Had if been given away going all of the way back to 1922, here’s how the first few decades would have shaken out.

Not surprisingly, Utah totally dominated the first 30 years of the Beehive Boot. The Utes (renamed the Redskins in 1940) completely owned BYU and got the better of Utah State way more often than not.

There were several ties, which I dutifully gave to the Aggies because I’m imagining whatever strange mechanism gave USU the Boot (media bias) from the 70′s on would still exist back in the 20′s. And also because there’s no better way to solve ties. To be clear, this does go a long way to keeping Utah State respectable in this era. The Aggies had a few outright wins but those tiebreakers helped a lot.

BYU and Utah were tied with 1-0-1 records for the 1941 and I have to imagine that the Cougars get the media nod in this situation. I mean, come on, you gotta take pity on them at some point. 20 years into the Boot and not winning it a single time. Just let ‘em have it.

The Battle of the Brothers Round 2 (1950-1974)

It must have been daunting to fill the shoes of the illustrious Ike Armstrong, but Jack Curtice did a fine job. Following a tough transition year in 1950, the Redskins reeled off three straight conference titles and added another in 1957. Cactus Jack was undefeated against BYU (with one tie) and only lost once to Utah State in eight years.

It was also daunting replacing Dick Romney in Logan, but that transition wasn’t as smooth. Utah State breezed through 4 head coaches during the 1950′s, not hanging on to any longer than 4 years.

BYU was also replacing their coach in 1949, but nobody really cared. The Cougars plodded along, continuing their legacy as the worst program in the state. BYU was led for seven years in the 50′s by Chick Atkinson, but he only managed an 18-49-3 record before being replaced. Hal Kopp managed a winning record in Provo in 1957 and 1958 but was forced to resign after recruiting violations began to surface and the Cougars fell right back into the gutter.

Jack Curtice left Utah following the ‘57 season and was replaced by Ray Nagel. Nagel kept up the winning ways but the Redskins were finally displaced atop the Skyline standings by their in-state rivals up North.

In 1959, Utah State hired John Ralston to turn the program around. The Aggies had spent a decade in the wilderness following Romney’s retirement, but Ralston quickly got things going once again. After a calibration season in 1959, USU went 26-5-1 from 1960-62, winning two Skyline Conference titles. In ‘61, Utah State went 9-0-1 in the regular season, and after beating Utah in the Battle of the Brothers, leapt all the way up to 10th in the polls before losing to Baylor in the Gotham Bowl.

Utah State may have remained the second best team in the state forever after, but two enormous events changed everything in 1962. One, a short term problem, and another would have long term consequences lasting until this very day. The former was the departure of John Ralston, who had led the revival of the Aggies fortunes, the second was the formation of the WAC.

Following the dissolution of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1958, there were talks for several years about cobbling together a newer, better football conference across the Mountain States and the Pacific Northwest. Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington State all bailed when the reconstituted AAWU (soon to be PAC-8) threw them a lifeline, but the idea held fast.

BYU AD (and former head coach) Eddie Kimball spearheaded the effort to take the top halves of the Border Conference (Arizona, ASU, New Mexico) and Skyline Conference (Utah, Wyoming, and BYU) and merge them into one entity. The Cougars, of course, weren’t actually in the top half of the Skyline Conference and never had been, but they greased the wheels and were well rewarded despite never delivering the goods in football.

Utah State applied for membership alongside New Mexico State, but both were rejected. It started a long, slow, and painful decline for both programs that neither has ever recovered from.

A few years prior, in 1968, saw another blow to the Aggies’ program. Despite finally playing Utah on a relatively equal basis in Salt Lake City and Logan, the Utes decided to downgrade the Battle of the Brothers in favor of the Holy War. From now on the Holy War was going to be the end of season game, with Utah State relegated to early/mid November.

With the Skyline Conference abolished, the Aggies were forced into football independence. USU didn’t fall off at first. In fact they did quite well for themselves initially. Tony Knap guided the Aggies through their early years going 25-14-1 and a combined 5-3 against Utah and BYU in four years, but left for the CFL following the 1966 season. USU remained a solid program under Chuck Mills in the late 60′s and early 70′s, but back to back 8-3 seasons in 1971-72 drew Mills away to Wake Forest. Phil Krueger led the team as head coach for three more successful seasons before heading to the NFL as Tampa Bay’s OC.

Utah initially had a bit of trouble adjusting to the slightly more competitive WAC, but by their third year in the new league the Redskins won the conference and the Liberty Bowl. Ray Nagel left for Iowa the following season and was replaced less successfully by Mike Giddings and then by Bill Meek. By this point, Arizona and especially Arizona State began to dominate the conference, and the Redskins were left to scramble for third place, which they still attained with regularity.

The increase in competition did nothing to help BYU’s lot. The Cougars struggled to achieve mediocrity in the weaker Skyline Conference and rarely achieved that in their first few years in the WAC. Tommy Hudspeth replaced Hal Mitchell as head coach in 1964, and achieved a surprising conference title in the following season, but BYU once again slipped down the standings.

The Cougars had been worse, but they’d also never really been any good. 50 years after restarting their program in 1922 and BYU had little to show for it. You’d forgive somebody in 1972 if they imagined the next 50 years would go the same way, but that’s not quite what happened.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 29 Utah State: 19 BYU: 4

It might not be quite as bad as you had imagined. Utah still led the pack in this era, but not by too wide of a margin. The Redskins won 12 Beehive Boots from 1950 to 1974 to Utah State’s 10, with just one tie giving the Aggies a boost in this time frame.

BYU won the Boot in 1958, giving them their first outright championship. The Cougars earned another pity tie in 1950, although Utah probably should have won the Boot that year all things considered. The whole media vote thing makes this all a guess on my part so if you want you can give it to Utah.

The Battle of the Brothers still defined the Beehive Boot in this era, despite the best efforts of both the Redskins and Cougars to sideline the Aggies. Utah definitely got the better of USU from 1950-1964, winning the Boot 10 times in 15 years. The Aggies did much better from the mid-60′s to the mid-70′s, winning 9 Boots to Utah’s 4.

The “real” Beehive Boot was first awarded following the 1971 season, going to USU, who would end up winning the first four straight. But everything would change in the 1975 season and forever altered the balance of power in the state of Utah.

The Age of Edwards (1975-2000)

LaVell Edwards was hired in 1972 to replace the departed Tommy Hudspeth as the head coach in Provo. Edwards had been an assistant at BYU under Hudspeth for several years before his promotion. I’m not sure if his talent was manifest from the beginning, but he got the ball rolling early.

In his first year, the Cougars went 7-4, which was their best record in 8 seasons. Following a down year in 1973, BYU won the WAC title for the first time in a decade. The Cougars experienced another downturn in 1975, but things were about to change.

Brigham Young was already pointing in the right direction, but in 1978 Arizona and Arizona State left the WAC for the newly rechristened PAC-10. With the Wildcats and most especially the Sun Devils out of the league, the path was now wide open for a new team to take over and BYU filled that slot perfectly.

BYU took off starting in 1976. The Cougars tied Wyoming and ASU for the conference title in ‘76 and ‘77 respectively, but then won the WAC outright for eight straight seasons. BYU attended 7 consecutive Holiday Bowls from 1978-1984 and finished in the final polls seven times in the nine years from 1977 to 1985.

The rise was easy to chart. The Cougars won nine games in three consecutive seasons from 1976 to 1978, this was already a new high water mark for the program but it was then quickly replaced. BYU went 11-0 in 1979 before losing to Indiana in the Holiday Bowl. The next year they ascended to 12-1 with a win over #14 SMU in the postseason. An 8-4 “reset” year in 1982 preceded the Cougars’ absolute apex. In 1983, BYU lost to Baylor in week 1 then went undefeated through the rest of the season to end up 11-1 and 7th in the final polls, their highest ranking ever.

In 1984, the Cougars began the year by beating #3 Pittsburgh at Pitt Stadium and absolutely shredding the rest of the teams they faced. Brigham Young climbed up to #3 in the polls leading into the Holy War. An easy win over Utah and losses by Nebraska and South Carolina pushed the Cougars to the #1 spot. A win over Utah State to end the season and then a victory over Michigan in the Holiday Bowl sealed BYU’s improbable national championship.

In 1985, the Cougars went 11-3 with a 7-10 loss to Ohio State the Citrus Bowl to round out their incredible decade of achievement. The script had completely flipped. Lowly Brigham Young now stood atop its two rivals and had won a national championship to boot.

Utah had seen a bitter reversal in the rivalry and lost 19 of 21 games in the Holy War from 1972 to 1992. The team, thankfully renamed the Utes once more, hired Tom Lovat in 1974 to replace the competent Bill Meek, but things spiraled out of control. Lovat was fired after going 5-28 in three seasons. His replacement, Wayne Howard, only took two years to right the ship, but by then the damage was done and Utah was in a clear secondary role in the rivalry. Howard’s Utes managed to upset Brigham Young in 1978, but the Cougars creamed Utah the next two years and Howard resigned despite an 8-2-1 record in 1981.

The Utes plodded through the 80′s under Chuck Stobart and Jim Fassel mired in mediocrity, which was more or less the same story as Utah State.

The Aggies joined the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (precursor to the Big West) in 1977, and head coach Bruce Snyder won them two conference championships in 1978-79. Snyder left for the NFL following the ‘82 season and was replaced by Chris Pella, who finally dropped the ball in Logan. USU had been able to compete with their now much bigger and more important rivals thanks to several coaches who could punch above their weight. But once that momentum stalled, it never came back.

From the 1980′s onwards, Utah State would clearly be the little brother to BOTH Utah and BYU. The Aggies were slowly being relegated by both rivals, and their games against both universities was creeping earlier and earlier in the season to less desirable calendar dates.

USU treaded water through most of the 80′s and 90′s, struggling to stay above .500 for the most part under Chuck Shelton. Charlie Weatherbie won a Big West title in 1993 before heading to Navy despite an overall 15-19 record over three seasons in Logan. John L. Smith won two Big West titles in 1996-97, but by then the league was dying and going 6-5 was all it took to win a championship.

The 90′s saw an even greater focus on the Holy War as Utah began to reassert themselves under Ron McBride. McBride was hired in 1990 and after a year one mulligan he got the Utes back to their winning ways. A breakthrough 10-2 campaign in 1994 was followed up by a shared WAC title in 1995, a win in the Holy War forcing a four-way tie between BYU, Air Force, and Colorado State.

After a brief lull in the late-80′s, the Cougars went right back to their utter dominance of the WAC in the 90′s. Brigham Young won five consecutive titles from 1989-1993 and seven championships in eight years culminating in the ‘96 season. In 1996, BYU finished the season an incredible 14-1 with a win over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl and a #5 ranking.

In its 35 year history, the WAC had grown from a six team league of the best regional Mountain States programs (and BYU) into a 16 team behemoth of a superconference (now led by BYU) stretching from Honolulu to Houston. Many of its oldest members though that the venerable league had to now be trimmed down to cut out some of the fat.

Once again spearheaded by BYU and Utah, a new conference was born, pulling 8 of the best WAC programs to create the Mountain West. The new Mountain West conference first played ball in 1999, and wouldn’t you know it, the Utes beat their archrivals in the Holy War to force a three-way tie in the standings with BYU and Colorado State.

LaVell Edwards retired following the 2000 season. His 257-101-3 record stands as a testament to his program-building powers. His legacy supersedes Dick Romney, Ike Armstrong, or any of the other coaches in Utah state history.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 35 BYU: 23 Utah State: 21

National Championships BYU: 1

BYU completely dominated the Beehive Boot between 1975-2000. The Cougars won the trophy 18 times in 26 years, easily the most dominant stretch by any team in a near 30 year span. The Cougars are still well behind Utah in the all-time standings due to the Utes’ huge lead, but BYU vaulted over Utah State by 2000, erasing their huge deficit in the standings and never looking back.

The Utes managed to stick their finger in the Cougars’ eye in from 1993-95, but could almost never beat BYU otherwise. Utah State was only able to manage two charity trophy victories by getting the media vote with the standings tied in 1982 and 1997.

The Holy War was now well established as the #1 rivalry in the state, and it sucked up all the oxygen in the 90′s as the Utes began to challenge the Cougars for dominance. The Battle of the Brothers was rather noncompetitive with Utah clearly dominating outside of a few upsets here and there. One worrying sign in the BYU-USU rivalry came in 1995 and 1998, when the Cougars neglected to schedule the Aggies. It was a bad omen for the future of all three rivalry games and the Beehive Boot itself.

One thing that I want to mention before I move on is about BYU’s utter domination of the Western Athletic Conference. The Cougars were a more dominant force in the WAC than Alabama was in the SEC or Michigan or Ohio State was to the Big Ten. The only major conference analog is probably USC to the PAC-12 back in the day. Brigham Young won 19 WAC titles from 1964 to 1998. The conference continued sponsoring football for another 15 years following BYU’s departure and the Cougars still doubled all other teams in the number of league championships. BYU was the WAC and LaVell Edwards was BYU, you gotta give them credit where it’s due.

The Modern Era: 2001-2019

The retirement of LaVell Edwards meant that BYU was looking for their first coach in a quarter century. They tasked Chicago Bears OC Gary Crowton with the job. The initial reports were better than anyone could imagine. The Cougars blew their way through the Mountain West in 2001, climbing all the way to #9 in the AP and a 12-0 record before falling to Hawaii in their final game of the season. A loss to Louisville in the Liberty Bowl knocked them all the way down to a final #25 ranking and a 12-2 record, but that’s still one hell of a first year.

It didn’t last. In a dramatic fall from grace, Brigham Young suffered three straight losing seasons from 2002 to 2004, two more than they had suffered in LaVell Edwards’ entire career. Crowton was summarily fired for this extreme dropping of the ball and replaced by Bronco Mendenhall, who had served as Crowton’s DC.

Mendenhall righted the ship, and BYU returned to their winning ways. The Cougars went 11-2 in three of four seasons from 2006 to 2009 and won two Mountain West championships in that span.

Utah’s fate mirrored BYU’s in the 2000′s. The Utes were starting to falter in the early 2000′s and Ron McBride, who’d brought the program back from mediocrity, was fired following the 2002 season after his second losing record in three years.

McBride was replaced by a bright up and comer named Urban Meyer. It took Meyer absolutely no time to get things back in order, as Utah went 10-2 in his first year with a Mountain West title to boot. 2004 was even more special, as the Utes obliterated every team they faced en route to a 12-0 campaign. Utah was the first ever BCS Buster, and easily brushed aside #19 Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl to complete their undefeated season. The Utes weren’t lucky enough to claim a national championship for their efforts, but they were now reestablished as a top mid-major program.

Meyer went on to bigger and better things at Florida and was replaced by his DC Kyle Whittingham. After a so-so first few seasons, Whittingham managed to keep the ball rolling again. For the second half of the 2000′s, the Utes were in a constant dogfight with TCU and BYU for Mountain West supremacy and a shot at another BCS Bowl.

Whittingham had his own undefeated season in 2008. Utah bruised their way to a 12-0 record before meeting #4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Utes shocked the football world by claiming a 31-17 victory over the Crimson Tide and ended the year 2nd in the AP poll behind Urban Meyer’s national champion Florida Gators. Some computers, not to mention some people, think that Utah should at least be crowned co-national champions for the ‘08 season. After all, Florida only beat Alabama 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game.

Utah and BYU were some of the best teams in college football in the 2000′s, their old rival, the third piece of their in-state championship, wasn’t so lucky. Utah State spent the decade in utter anonymity. You’d have thought that Dave Arslanian would have turned things around when he was hired in 1998. Arslanian had guided Weber State successfully for the previous nine seasons, making the I-AA Playoff once back when that was much harder to do. Instead, he was fired after two seasons and a 7-15 record.

Mick Dennehy was brought in to guide USU into the new century, but his 5-6 record in his first season turned out to be his best. Utah State left the crumbling Big West the following year and spent two seasons as an independent once more before landing in the Sun Belt Conference in 2003. The Aggies only managed 3 wins in consecutive seasons in the Sun Belt (ouch) before firing Dennehy.

In 2005 USU joined the WAC, the conference they’d been trying to access for over 40 years. They didn’t exactly prove themselves to be world-beaters. Under head coach Brent Guy, Utah State’s best record from 2005 to 2008 was a 3-8 campaign in ‘05.

A lot of things seemed to all happen at once in 2009 and 2010.

First off, Gary Andersen was hired at Utah State in ‘09. Andersen was Kyle Whittingham’s associate head coach at Utah and the hope was that he could share some of that magic with the Aggies.

Then, Utah accepted a bid to the expanded PAC-12 alongside Colorado. BYU, who had been partnered in the same conference with the Utes since reforming their program in 1922, was completely blindsided. The Cougars had expected to also receive the call up to the big leagues, after all, they’d been nearly as good in the last few seasons and were the ones with the real national championship pedigree. It didn’t happen. Not wanting to be left behind in a mid-major conference, Brigham Young decided to declare themselves football independents and go it alone.

BYU was able to fight upstream as an independent for the first five years. Bronco Mendenhall kept the Cougars averaging 9-4 every season from 2011-2015 but he grew increasingly dissatisfied with BYU’s football independence and left to coach Virginia. Mendenhall’s replacement, Kalani Sitake, has had mixed success. A losing season 2017 has been somewhat forgiven and the Cougars are now averaging about 7-6, but that’s still untenable an untenable record in the long term.

Utah had a rough transition into PAC-12 life. The Utes actually managed an 8-5 record in 2011, nearly winning the South division in their first year in the league, but back to back 5-7 seasons halted any momentum. However, since 2014, Utah has proven to be the most capable winner in the PAC-12 South. The Utes have won or tied for three division titles in the past five years though ultimate conference glory has remained elusive. At least they’ve owned BYU for the last decade. Utah has won the Holy War every year since moving up to the PAC-12.

Most surprisingly, Utah State has reentered the conversation as a force to be reckoned with in the Beehive State. It took Gary Andersen two whole years to clean the decades of rot in Logan, but in 2011 he took the Aggies bowling for the first time since 1997 and beat BYU for the first time since 1993. He did one better in 2012, winning the WAC and beating Utah for the first time since that same ‘97 season. With an 11-2 record and a final #16 ranking, it was the best season Utah State had in at least 40 years.

Matt Wells took over after Andersen bolted for Wisconsin and kept winning. In 2013, Wells’ first season, USU joined the Mountain West, replacing their in-state rivals. Utah State won their division in their very first year. Wells kept the train rolling in Logan, winning 10 games in both 2014 and 2018, which would have been shocking accomplishments just a decade prior. Wells left for Texas Tech following the ‘18 season and was replaced by none other than Gary Andersen, who had lived what seemed an entire football life before coming back to USU.

Beehive Boot Record Utah: 45 BYU: 27 Utah State: 26

National Championships BYU: 1

Things have gotten interesting in the last 20 years. Utah and BYU spent the 2000′s in a dogfight for the Beehive Boot. The Utes just barely got the better of the Cougars in the span, outpacing BYU 6-4.

The 2010′s have been even more interesting now that Utah State has returned as a major G5 program. The Aggies have managed to claim five Beehive Boots to Utah’s five in the past 10 years. Yes, four of them go down to ties, but if Utah wanted to win the Boot outright they’d schedule USU again. Utah State has done their bit. USU beat the Utes one of the three times they’ve played since 2011 and are now consistently beating BYU.

I think it’s fair to say that Division I football has never been better in the state of Utah. All three of its top programs are competing at a high level which has never been the case before.

Unfortunately the three rivalries binding Utah, BYU, and Utah State together appear to be fraying. The Cougars began to skip playing the Aggies much more frequently in the 2000′s, the Wagon Wheel wasn’t fought over four times in five years from 2003 to 2007. Things likely would have kept going that way if conference realignment hadn’t changed the situation.

Utah joining the PAC-12 has proven to be a huge threat for the Battle of the Brothers. Back in the Mountain West, the Utes could afford to spend one of their four nonconference games on the Aggies, but now that they only play three non-con games in the PAC-12, AND they have to spend one on BYU, they appear to have all but given up on the USU rivalry. Utah especially seems uninterested in playing USU on a home and home basis, which is definitely what the Aggies would prefer. Utah has played Utah State three times in the last ten years but there are no future games scheduled.

The Holy War has seen its own prestige take a huge hit since Utah moved to the big leagues. The Utes are now playing Colorado at the end of the year in a rather manufactured Thanksgiving rivalry game, relegating the Holy War to September. The hatred hasn’t dissipated, even though the score has become somewhat lopsided lately as Utah has won nine straight over their rivals. The Utes even seem to be threatening the long term viability of the Holy War as a yearly series. They took two years off in 2014-15 while Utah played Michigan, though they were matched up in the Las Vegas Bowl in 2015. The two rivals are scheduled to take another break in 2022-23 while the Utes square off against Florida.

Funny enough, the same conference realignment that killed the Battle of the Brothers and is threatening the Holy War has probably saved the BYU-USU rivalry. Now that the Cougars are an independent, they need to schedule as many games as possible, so Utah State is back on the schedule. What’s more, it’s being played at the end of the season now that the Holy War is getting sidelined by the PAC-12 schedule.

The poor old Beehive Boot, the real life one, seemingly hasn’t survived this transition. With the three rivals playing less and less frequently, the Boot hasn’t even been awarded since 2016 and currently resides somewhere in Salt Lake City.

My intuition tells me that BYU and especially Utah aren’t that interested in giving it away anymore. If the trophy had been awarded up to the present day, the Cougars wouldn’t have won it in a decade. The Utes don’t play Utah State anymore and probably don’t want to give their trophy away to a team that didn’t earn it by beating them. And if the Beehive Boot did go to USU via outright record or media tiebreaker, it’d give the Aggies that much more claim to playing Utah more often. That’s just my conspiracy theory, but I think there’s some truth to it. By my count USU would have won it five times this decade.

Prehistory and Extras: 1982-1921

Oh yeah here are the extras, including the early games in the Battle of the Brothers as well as the first contests between Utah and Brigham Young Academy.

For the record, the Cougars don’t claim the six games they played against Utah from 1896 to 1898, but I’m making the list so I count them.

Beehive Boot Record (from 1892) Utah: 61 Utah State: 31 BYU: 28

So in the hypothetical battle for the best team in the state of Utah going back to the beginning, Utah leads by a wide margin, but the Aggies are back to second place. I mean, it helps that BYU didn’t field a team from 1898 to 1922, but hey, you snooze you loose.

Beehive Boot Record (no ties) Utah: 45 BYU: 25 Utah State: 14

Because I think it’s well worth mentioning, here is the record if none of the ties went to Utah State or BYU. Both teams, and especially the Aggies, got a boost from the “media tiebreaker” rule which caused me problems while making this. It’s very arbitrary and its pattern of only awarding the Boot to USU, while hilarious, isn’t actually fair.

Unsurprisingly, Utah State’s numbers get absolutely kneecapped. The Aggies lose 12 whole Boots with their tied title removed. In fact, without the tied titles going to them, USU went from 1974 to 2014 without winning the Boot outright, and even then they only won the Boot in 2014 with a single win over BYU when Utah didn’t play either team.

I don’t know what the future holds for the Beehive Boot. My hope is that Utah and Utah State start playing more regularly and that the PAC-12 gets over itself and starts letting the Holy War get played at the end of the year. That’d go a long way towards restoring all three of the in-state rivalries that compose the Boot. But I don’t think it’s in the cards. The modern game of college football has ruthlessly smoothed over a lot of the rough and strange edges that have made this sport unique. I don’t see the trend reversing any time soon.

Any way, thanks for reading. I appreciate it. I have one more of these planned so keep your eyes peeled.

-cfbguy

#college football #BYU Cougars #Utah Utes #Utah State Aggies

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thetransitgirl · 5 years ago

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Part 5 of Chapter 4 of my Rail for America proposal; find all chapters here.

While the previous four parts of this chapter have broken the eastern half of the country into four regions with numerous connections between them, the western half of the country doesn’t have the population to support a network quite so interconnected. As such, while I previously divided the east into megaregions, I’m dividing the west into mini-regions, with only a few routes in each. And this is where the long-distance backbone is of utmost importance, making the vital connections in order for the network to retain its unity.

High-speed services:

Vancouver - Seattle - Tacoma - Olympia - Portland - Salem - Eugene. An upgrade of Amtrak’s Cascades service, which has been eyed as a potential high-speed corridor by numerous agencies.

Los Angeles - Bakersfield - Fresno - San Jose - San Francisco. The main line of the ongoing California high-speed rail initiative.

Los Angeles - Bakersfield - Fresno - Sacramento. Planned as part of Phase 2 of the California high-speed rail initiative.

Los Angeles - Phoenix. Despite the low population in between the two cities, both endpoints are large enough and close enough for an effective high-speed rail link.

Los Angeles - San Diego - Tijuana. An upgrade of the southern section of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, extended a few miles across the border to connect with the enormous population in Tijuana.

Fort Collins - Denver - Colorado Springs - Pueblo. High-speed service along the front range corridor has been proposed many times.

Regional services:

Seattle - Pasco - Walla Walla. A route connecting several nearby smaller cities to Seattle.

Idaho Falls - Pocatello - Ogden - Salt Lake City - Provo. A route connecting several nearby smaller cities to Salt Lake City

Los Angeles - San Jose - San Francisco. An extension of the northern section of Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner into San Francisco.

San Jose - Sacramento - Reno. An extension of Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor into Reno.

Phoenix - Flagstaff. A route connecting several nearby smaller cities to Phoenix.

Phoenix - Tucson - Nogales. A route connecting several nearby smaller cities to Phoenix, including the planned Phoenix - Tucson rail corridor.

Rail for America homepage

#Rail for America #RFA #trains #Amtrak #Seattle #Salt Lake City #Denver #Los Angeles #San Jose #Phoenix

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mercurykelly · 5 years ago

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Day Three: in which our intrepid traveler visits a prehistoric lake

The Great Salt Lake was part of prehistoric Lake Bonneville.

Day Three:

I am very stiff from driving and longing for a swim. The hotel pool is super clean but too tiny to swim laps so I compromise and do water walking exercises for half an hour. This puts me on the road (I-84) later than usual – 9:00 AM. I forget to write down mileage until I’ve been on the road about 45 minutes. It is 844.7 at that point.

It is very sunny and I am driving through flat farmland that reminds me of Iowa, land of my youth. On second thought not all that much like Iowa as the horizon is ringed with mountains. Many fields are covered in a low carpet of purple flowers. What were these flowers? Unfortunately I never figured this out.

I cross into Utah. Almost immediately I see a sign: Get the US out of the UN. Every few miles there is a billboard that screams Jesus Lives. I’m in foreign territory here and this impression is amplified by the content of the radio stations that I cycle through, searching for oldies. I find sermons, hymns, country music, and right-wing talk radio, none of which appeals. I turn off the radio and keep driving.

There’s a constant, monotonous thump from the substandard road surface, interspersed with long waits and slow going for road construction. I encountered an interesting tradition while driving in Idaho – the minute it became clear that road construction would shortly become an issue, traffic obediently moved into the appropriate lane, leaving the other lane completely open for miles. The occasional car sped along in this lane to merge farther up the road, but this was surprisingly rare. Frequently, semis rolled slowly in the open lane, effectively blocking any car from cheating in this manner. I was equal parts outraged and amused when a boxy Yugo passed the semi on the right shoulder and sped ahead in the empty lane.

Usually these lane closures were due to road construction, but one of the worst -- the line of cars stretching to the horizon, and as I mounted the rise, to the next horizon, and so on – was due to road sweeping. Seriously? Is road sweeping the interstates a thing in Idaho?

Drivers in Utah are not as polite. The closer I get to Ogden, the crazier they drive. Road conditions are poor, construction frequent (with no polite queuing here), the speed limit is treated as an impertinent suggestion, and the roads are hectic with traffic. To make matters worse, this deterioration in road conditions is accompanied by the onset of extreme lethargy. I eat the remaining beef jerky and buy my first ever energy drink and choke some down (it tastes foul). Coincidentally, Utah is the only place where I see signs warning against driving while drowsy. “Drowsy driving causes crashes.” “Sleep Smart, Drive Smart.” “Are You Too Tired to Drive?” “Drowsy Drivers Use Next Exit.”

Could my exhaustion have something to do with the power of suggestion? Surely not. But there’s no denying that I feel so tired I might be drugged, with limbs heavy and thinking cloudy. I pull off the road at a rest area and do some stretches and jumping jacks. While there I strike up a conversation with a woman who is trying to find I-15. We sort that out and then I am back on the road until exhaustion overcomes me again. I pull off and find a small patch of shade behind a Subway, recline my seat, and drop into the kind of sleep where you wake completely disoriented, not knowing where you are or what time it might be. Only a half hour’s worth but I feel rejuvenated. Thinking that I owe something to the Subway in return for the nap, I go in and get a meatball sandwich. Luckily there’s a Starbucks close and I get coffee too (the heck with this no coffee nonsense, what was I thinking?) Then I’m back on the road.

At Salt Lake City I detour West on I-80 to check out the Great Salt Lake. It is my second visit – last time was also a brief detour while driving through Utah on my way to somewhere else. My memories are of foul-smelling shallow water with flies buzzing over the sand. This visit is more positive. I follow signs for a State Park but on the way come across a vast parking area near a building that is used as a concert venue and appears to be owned privately. Several cars are parked near dunes that mark the lake shore. It is not the edge of the lake now, as sand flats the length of a football field extend between the dunes and the water. Several people are walking out onto these sand flats toward where the blue lake water has receded. I join them, walking out onto the sand in flip flops. There are several damp patches in this stretch of sand, and when I walk through the boggy bits my flip flops and feet acquire a white coating of salt. (Interesting fact: although I wash this salt off several times, it takes something like six tries to get rid of the white residue. And the salt makes my feet so dry the skin starts peeling. Good grief.)

Walking out on the sand puts me at the level of the lake. It’s a lovely spot with the bright blue of the lake rimmed with white sand, grass dried to a lovely amber, and lilac mountains. I walk out about halfway, then return to my car to continue on to the State Park where I pay $3 to enter. There I find a busy marina and an information center where I buy postcards and fridge magnets. (I have a ridiculous infatuation with fridge magnets. I love ‘em.) I read that the Great Salt Lake is a remnant of a prehistoric lake called Bonneville. I believe it – the place has a definite prehistoric vibe.

The current lake averages 15% salinity and contains no fish, only algae, brine fly-larvae and brine shrimp. I notice a salt processing plant nearby. One of these days I hope to do justice to this interesting area, but today I have other goals in mind that pull me back to the road.

I backtrack on I-80 to I-15 and continue South. Unfortunately, I don’t get far before extreme exhaustion ambushes me again. This is just not my day. I exit at Provo and use Hotel Tonight to find the closest motel to my location. This happens to be a Sleep Inn and is the cheapest night on my trip. It also turns out to be one of the coldest: 45 degrees with cold, slanting rain that cuts loose while I am unpacking the car. I rest for an hour or so, then venture out for a meal and supplies for tomorrow. I suspect that eateries will be few and far between during my drive south on US Highway 6 so I buy a baguette, a package of ham, organic mayo, several local beers (to drink after I stop driving for the day), and some radishes and apples so I can picnic on the road.

I am not happy at the Sleep Inn. The carpet in my room is so grubby I wear my flip flops at all times. The clientele makes me clutch my handbag to my chest and scurry past. I will be honest here and admit that this horrible day has put a bad taste in my mouth and given me a negative opinion of Utah. I will stay in Provo long enough to get 8 hours of sleep then I’ll be back on the road.

#travel #traveling lady #traveladdict #thetravelwoman #great salt lake #roadtrip

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nerdygaymormon · 6 years ago

Text

David Simmons

David Simmons is a professor of Film Studies and Humanities at Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) in Niceville, FL. That’s a very small town about half-way between Pensacola & Tallahassee in the Florida panhandle which is “the reddest of the red part of Florida.”

He attended BYU for both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, and taught at the Missionary Training Center during that time. While at BYU he performed in several operas and plays, and was in Concert Choir and BYU Singers. He earned his Ph.D. from Florida State University.

He makes a big impact in his north Florida community. He organized an on-campus Film Club, and a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). As faculty advisor to the GSA, he’s helped them organize the area’s first LGBTQ Masquerade ball, which was open to the public. He also organized the city of Niceville’s very first Pride Walk.

He attends his local ward where he’s the choir director. “It’s difficult being gay and being a member of the church. It shouldn’t have to be. The Gospel is for everyone. But sadly, some members don’t think that.” He describes his ward as “a very conservative, military ward” (there’s an air force base nearby).

Can you imagine being a queer kid in this conservative little town of 12,000 and all of a sudden, there’s someone openly gay who is making safe spaces and raising the profile of the queer community?

This past week he was invited by his bishop to speak on ministering to LGBTQ members during a joint 3rd-hour meeting (5th Sunday). He says “There was a lot of pushback after I finished the talk, but that’s OK. I want to help church to be more loving for those who come after me.”

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“By This Shall All Men Know Ye Are My Disciples” Dr. David C. Simmons Sep. 30, 2018

On the last night of his mortal life, Jesus invited Judas to leave so that He could give a special message to his remaining 11 apostles (John 13:27-31). In Jesus’ Final Sermon, He gave them a sign, a way to tell who are Jesus’ true followers and who are not: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).

In other words, Jesus knew there would be some who would claim to be His followers, but are not. We can recognize them, both in and out of the Church, because instead of loving those who are different than they are, they put them down in a self-righteous way.

Jesus went to the outsiders of his local community: the sinners, the poor, the lame, the blind, the lepers. He was teaching His true followers, in both word and deed, how to develop the capacity to love like He does.

In our day, some of the ones who have been treated the harshest by Christian churches are members of the LGBTQ community. A few supposed-Christians use passages of scripture, or proclamations, or words from bygone leaders as weapons to harm the very natures of these children of God.

I work with LGBTQ students at the College. I’ve listened to their stories. I’ve heard time and time again how they have been rejected by their families, their churches, and their communities, just for being who they are.(1)

Many of their “Christian” parents, thinking they were “doing God service” (John 16:2), threw them out of their homes and families. Now these teenagers are homeless. LGBTQ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their peers.(2)

LGBTQ youth are also 5 times more likely to commit suicide than their peers.(3) Nearly half of all LGBTQ youth have attempted suicide more than once.(4) And rates are even worse among LGBTQ youth who are members of the Church. Teen suicide rates in Utah have doubled since 2011, while the rest of the country did not see an increase.(5)

Why is this?

I want you to imagine that you were born as a member of the LGBTQ community. You grew up in Primary singing, “I Am a Child of God.” But then, at some point you were told by those who are closest to you, by those whom you love and trust to tell you the truth, that God doesn’t love you—that He has no place for you in the plan of salvation.

What are your options at that point? It seems that none of them are very good:

1) You can remain in the Church and live a lonely, pain-filled existence.(6) While everyone around you is boasting about the joy of marriage and being part of a family, you are constantly reminded that that is not for you.

2) You can leave the Church and find love and a family. But then you are left without the great spiritual helps the Gospel of Jesus Christ can offer.

3) You can marry someone of the opposite sex and may not be fulfilled. The Church does not encourage this anymore(7) because divorce rates in mixed-orientation marriages are far higher—80%(8)—and then often involve children.(9)

Can you feel that none of these options are fulfilling? Perhaps this is why so many LGBTQ members of the Church lose all hope and purpose and then may choose to end their lives.(10)

The Church is concerned about this. Just last month, on August 9, 2018, ward councils all over the world received a document called “Preventing Suicide and Responding after a Loss.” It begins with: “Members of the Church everywhere are invited to take an active role within their communities to minister to those who have thoughts of suicide or who are grieving a loss.”(11)

The Church is changing considerably how it ministers with love to its LGBTQ members.(12)

When Dan Reynolds, the lead singer of Imagine Dragons, organized an Aug. 2017 concert in Provo called LoveLoud, to let LGBTQ members know they are loved,(13) the Church put out an official statement endorsing that event: “We applaud the LoveLoud Festival for LGBT youth’s aim to bring people together to address teen safety and to express respect and love for all of God’s children. We join our voice with all who come together to foster a community of inclusion in which no one is mistreated because of who they are or what they believe. We share common beliefs, among them the pricelessness of our youth and the value of families. We earnestly hope this festival and other related efforts can build respectful communication, better understanding and civility as we all learn from each other.”(14)

Just two weeks ago, on Sep. 17, 2018, the Church called Elizabeth Jane Darger, a longtime LGBTQ advocate,(15) to be on the General Young Women’s Board.(16) What a powerful voice to have advocating for LGBTQ youth in the Young Women’s program!

The Church also has an official website, Mormon and Gay (mormonandgay.lds.org). It features the stories of many LGBTQ members, which are helpful for putting yourself in their shoes, so you can grow in understanding.(17)

This Church website also teaches several important principles:

1) “God loves all of us. He loves those of different faiths and those without any faith. He loves those who suffer. He loves the rich and poor alike. He loves people of every race and culture, the married or single, and those who. . . identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. And God expects us to follow his example.”(18)

2) “No true follower of Christ is justified in withholding love because you decide to identify [as a member of the LGBTQ community].”(19)

3) “God’s plan is perfect, even if our current understanding of His plan is not.”(20)

We don’t see the whole picture right now. As Paul taught: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9-13). Since we only “see through a glass, darkly” in relation to many eternal things, instead of pretending that we fully understand God’s will in all ways, shouldn’t we act on what He has called us to do: love? That was the Savior’s prime commission to His followers. Indeed, it’s how they would be identified by others as His true disciples.

The problem may lie in our understanding of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. Some members may look at them as having a physical impairment that needs fixing. Both Elder Holland, in General Conference,(21) and the Church’s official website explain that this is not true(22). LGBTQ members are not choosing a “lifestyle”; it is how they are.

If we could learn to see our LGBTQ brothers and sisters like the Savior sees them, it would change our entire worldview and behavior. We would never make jokes about the LGBTQ community in our daily interactions. We would never express disgust at someone whose gender or sexuality was different than ours. We would never teach a child to turn off the TV when an LGBTQ person talks about their life.(23) Such actions not only contain unknowing bias and privilege, but are also doing untold harm to the lived lives of our brothers and sisters.

Statistically, at least 5% of the population is a member of the LGBTQ community,(24) with some recent surveys having this percentage far higher.(25) Even if we take the lower figure, that means that in a ward of 500 people, there may be at least 25 LGBTQ members. That so many of them are now less active is telling.

You and I both know multiple members, including young men and young women, who have passed through our ward, and been told they were “others,” or “less than,” or “outsiders” because of their gender or their sexuality. They sat through well-meaning but uninformed talks and lessons where a statement or teaching was weaponized against them. They were made to feel as though there was no place for them in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, many of them have left the embracing arms of the Savior, His atonement, and His restored gospel. What a breathtaking, unbelievable loss for us, for them, and for God.

We still love them. But wouldn’t it better if they had these things to bless their lives too? Aren’t they better off inside the Church, rather than being forced away because of the unkind words and deeds of those who should be followers of Jesus Christ? Isn’t that what true ministering is all about? Reaching out with love to people no matter where they are on their spiritual journey?

Last month, speaking in a BYU Devotional, Eric D. Huntsman, a Professor of Ancient Scripture, explained our need to minister with love to our LGBTQ brothers and sisters: “We should never fear that we are compromising when we make the choice to love. . . . Accepting others. . .means simply that we allow the realities of their lives to be different than our own. Whether those realities mean that they look, act, feel, or experience life differently than we do, the unchanging fact is that they are children of loving heavenly parents, and the same Jesus suffered and died for them, as for us. Not just for LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers but for many people, the choice to love can literally make the difference between life and death.”(26)

Undoubtedly, there are those in this room who will have children, other family members, or friends who will come out to you. It will be one of the most painfully vulnerable moments of their life. Decide right now, that you will respond immediately with overwhelming love and kindness. That’s all you have to do. Just put your arms around them and say, “Thank you for telling me. I love you just like you are.”

Think to yourself, “How would the Savior reach out with love?” Then love like that. It may take having to unlearn some of the things your local culture has taught you in order to walk the higher way of the Law of the Gospel (loving like Jesus loved).

Seek out LGBTQ people in your circles of influence. Get to know them and their stories. Instead of correcting and instructing, just listen, feel, and love them for who they are. Become a powerful friend and ally.

If you don’t have the strength to do this yet, cry out to your God for strength, for courage, and for the ability to develop the capacity to love as He loves.

If you are a member of the LGBTQ community, try this experiment. Go home tonight and pray in secret: “Dear Heavenly Father, do you love me?” Feel God’s immense peace and love wash over you as He confirms this with certainty. You are His child and He loves you. The Gospel is for you too.

Conclusion The Holy Ghost bears record to our souls that God loves all of his children, not just his straight children. He loves his gay children, his lesbian children, his bi children, his trans children, and those who are still trying to understand the divine way he made them. The atonement of Jesus Christ is for everyone.

Nephi taught this sublime, eternal truth: “[The Savior] inviteth all to come unto him and partake of his goodness.” What does “all” mean? It means “all.”

“And he denieth none that come unto him.” What does “none” mean? It’s means “none.”

“Black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen [that means non-member]; and all are alike unto God” (2 Nephi 26:33, emphasis added).

It’s my testimony that the Savior’s atonement is for everyone. He wants us to establish Zion right here and right now. But that can only be done by partaking of the atonement, and allowing our natures to be changed so that we are filled with love for everyone, especially those whom our local culture deems as “outsiders.” Then we can’t wait to go forth, becoming the Savior’s hands to lift, to minister, and to love others.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

[If you need someone to talk with about the ideas presented here, please email me (David Simmons): [email protected]]

Appendix 1: Scriptures, Quotes, and Resources for Further Study

“Mormon LGBT Questions.” Bryce Cook, March 17, 2017. This is the most profound resource on how the Church’s view on LGBTQ members has changed over time. I think every member of the Church should read it. If it’s too long, read a summary here:

“LGBT Questions: An Essay.” By Common Consent, March 19, 2017. This is a summary of Bryce Cook’s landmark “Mormon LGBT Questions” document.

Mormon and Gay. This is the Church’s official website. They recently changed the name from mormonsandgays to mormonandgay to acknowledge the many members who are both.

“Hard Sayings and Safe Spaces: Making Room for Struggle as Well as Faith.” Eric D. Huntsman. Aug. 7, 2018, BYU Speeches. A masterful talk given last month at a BYU Devotional about our need to love each other wherever we are on our spiritual journey.

“A Mission President’s Beautiful Response When a Missionary Came Out to Him as Gay.” LDS Living, Aug. 27, 2018. Cal Burke’s inspiring story about coming out to his mission president and being received with love.

“Mormon and/or Gay?” By Common Consent, Aug. 20, 2018. How we often unknowingly use “othering” language in our discourse about our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

“To Mourn with Gay Friends That Mourn.” By Common Consent, Oct. 4, 2017. Why we often correct and instruct rather than listen and feel when we talk with our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

“An Open Letter to Latter-Day Saints: When a Gay Person Shows Up at Church.” By Common Consent, Nov. 8, 2015. A discussion of the unbearable choice given to LGBTQ members.

That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon’s Perspective on Faith and Family. Tom Christofferson. SLC: Deseret Book: Sep. 2017. An apostle’s gay brother tells his experience of being unconditionally loved and supported by his family and bishopric after coming out to them. You can purchase it here.

President M. Russell Ballard • “I want anyone who is a member of the Church who is gay or lesbian to know I believe you have a place in the kingdom and I recognize that sometimes it may be difficult for you to see where you fit in the Lord’s Church, but you do. We need to listen to and understand what our LGBT brothers and sisters are feeling and experiencing. Certainly, we must do better than we have done in the past so that all members feel they have a spiritual home.”(27)

Elder Quentin L. Cook • “As a church, nobody should be more loving and compassionate. Let us be at the forefront in terms of expressing love, compassion, and outreach. Let’s not have families exclude or be disrespectful of those who choose a different lifestyle as a result of their feelings about their own gender.”(28)

Matthew 9: Loving Outsiders is More Important than Church Ritual • Matthew 9:10-11 “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?” Here, church leaders and members are rebuking Jesus for being with tax collectors (a hated segment of society, that were often excommunicated from the synagogues) and sinners • Matthew 9:12-13 “But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy [Greek: eleos, “love” or “compassion”] and not sacrifice.” Jesus is here quoting Hosea 6:6, where He once told the prophet: “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices” (N.L.T. Hosea 6:6). In other words, showing love to the outcasts of society is more important than church rituals. It’s more important than partaking of the sacrament. It’s more important than going to the temple. If you don’t love others (especially the outsiders, like Jesus did) than none of the rituals • N.L.T. Matthew 9:13 “For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Jesus is very clear with these church leaders and members who think they are following all the rules, but yet are looking on the outcasts of society, that they are in a far worse position than those they look down on. They are the greater sinners.

Humble Outsiders Will Go Into the Kingdom of God before SelfRighteous Members • Matthew 21:31 During His mortal ministry, the Savior had some of his harshest words to say to members of the Church who were afflicted by self-righteous-itis. They thought they were better than females, or the poor, or those outside certain family lines. To them, He said: “The publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” • Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus also told the parable of the marriage of the king’s son, where those who were bidden to the marriage dinner “would not come,” so the king tells his servants to go out to the highways and gather as many of those the world deemed as outsiders, to come partake of the feast. He said to do this because “many are called [baptized members of the Church], but few are chosen [to live the way the Savior lives].” • The Savior Himself went to the poor, the lame, the leprous, the blind, to those whom society deemed outsiders. If we want to be like Him, we shouldn’t align ourselves with the self-righteous in our day and put down the vulnerable and the outsiders. We should instead follow His example and seek out those who may have been labeled “outsiders.”

The Outsiders Will Go Into Heaven Before Complacent Members • Luke 14:15 “And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.” Since this teaching may not be absolutely clear, Jesus gives a parable to explain it—the Parable of the Great Supper. • Luke 14:16-17 “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.” What’s the supper? Feasting on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is such a beautiful image. When we take it inside of us, it becomes part of who we are (Schaelling, C.E.S. Institute Lecture, “Great Supper”). • How do we accept the invitation to the Supper? Through baptism (Schaelling, C.E.S. Institute Lecture, “Great Supper”). • Luke 14:18-20 “And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee, have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” What excuses do people make not to come to the feast? New ground, new oxen, new wife. There are many reasons that people can give for not putting the Gospel of Jesus Christ first in their lives. Do we ever put possessions, or even family members, before the Savior? What does Jesus say about this in verse 26? “If any man come to me and [Greek “doesn’t love less”] his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also; or in other words, is afraid to lay down his life for my sake; he cannot be my disciple” (J.S.T. Luke 14:26). This is tough. What do you do if your wife wants you to stay home instead of doing your home teaching? What do you do if your parents tell you they will disown you if you get baptized into the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ? When I was on my mission in Texas, there was an 18-year-old non-member girl named Letti who went to seminary with some of her friends, felt the Spirit of God tell her it was true, and knew she needed to join. But her parents told her that if she did, she would no longer be considered one of their family. What a tough choice for anyone to have to make. Yet, she went through with her decision to be baptized anyway, for she could not put other things—even family—before the Savior. Letti was being a true disciple of Jesus Christ. She put him first above all things, even her own family • Luke 14:21-24 “So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.” What does this mean? • 1) Since the Jews, the Lord’s covenant people, were rejecting the supper, that great feast of the Gospel was just about to go to the spiritually poor, maimed, halt, and blind: in other words, the Gentiles, beginning at the time of Paul (Schaelling, C.E.S. Institute Lecture, “Great Supper”). • 2) For me, individually, it means I need to come and partake of the Savior, and his Gospel, and have this mighty value change in my life where I realize that earthly things are only here to be turned into eternal things by using them to help other people, so that my place at the eternal feast doesn’t go to someone else who is more giving, more loving, and more compassionate than I am. I need tobe like the Savior.

Matthew 19:30 The First Shall Be Last and the Last Shall Be First • Jesus said: “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” • As Dr. Fatimah Sellah recently said: “I’ve long believed of the marginalized of this church and the world, that if the first shall be last and the last shall be first: I’d be careful if I were first right now. I’d be careful if I were the ones at the pulpits and held the power. God is a God of disruption and flips things on its head.”(29)

Ephesians 2:19 There Are No Outsiders in God’s Church • “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

President Brigham Young • “The least, the most inferior person now upon the earth . . . is worth worlds” (Journal of Discourses 9:124).

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf • “Sometimes we confuse differences in personality with sin. We can even make the mistake of thinking that because someone is different from us, it must mean they are not pleasing to God. This line of thinking leads some to believe that the Church wants to create every member from a single mold—that each one should look, feel, think, and behave like every other. This would contradict the genius of God, who created every man different from his brother, every son different from his father. . . . As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God’s commandments. But we are diverse in our cultural, social, and political preferences. The Church thrives when we take advantage of this diversity and encourage each other to develop and use our talents to lift and strengthen our fellow disciples” (“Four Titles.” Ensign. May 2013).

Bishop Gerald Causse, First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric • “During His earthly ministry, Jesus was an example of one who went far beyond the simple obligation of hospitality and tolerance. Those who were excluded from society, those who were rejected and considered to be impure by the self-righteous, were given His compassion and respect. They received an equal part of His teachings and ministry. • “For example, the Savior went against the established customs of His time to address the woman of Samaria, asking her for some water. He sat down to eat with publicans and tax collectors. He didn’t hesitate to approach the leper, to touch him and heal him. Admiring the faith of the Roman centurion, He said to the crowd, “Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel” (Matthew 8:10; see also 8:2-3; Mark 1:40-42; 2:15; John 4:7-9). • “In this Church there are no strangers and no outcasts. There are only brothers and sisters. The knowledge that we have of an Eternal Father helps us be more sensitive to the brotherhood and sisterhood that should exist among all men and women upon the earth. • “A passage from the novel Les Misérables illustrates how priesthood holders can treat those individuals viewed as strangers. Jean Valjean had just been released as a prisoner. Exhausted by a long voyage and dying of hunger and thirst, he arrives in a small town seeking a place to find food and shelter for the night. When the news of his arrival spreads, one by one all the inhabitants close their doors to him. Not the hotel, not the inn, not even the prison would invite him in. He is rejected, driven away, banished. Finally, with no strength left, he collapses at the front door of the town’s bishop. The good clergyman is entirely aware of Valjean’s background, but he invites the vagabond into his home with these compassionate words: “‘This is not my house; it is the house of Jesus Christ. This door does not demand of him who enters whether he has a name, but whether he has a grief. You suffer, you are hungry and thirsty; you are welcome. … What need have I to know your name? Besides, before you told me [your name], you had one which I knew.’ “[Valjean] opened his eyes in astonishment. “‘Really? You knew what I was called?’ “‘Yes,’ replied the Bishop, ‘you are called my brother.’” (Les Miserables 1:73). • “In this Church our wards and our quorums do not belong to us. They belong to Jesus Christ. Whoever enters our meetinghouses should feel at home. • “It is very likely that the next person converted to the gospel in your ward will be someone who does not come from your usual circle of friends and acquaintances. You may note this by his or her appearance, language, manner of dress, or color of skin. This person may have grown up in another religion, with a different background or a different lifestyle. • “We all need to work together to build spiritual unity within our wards and branches. An example of perfect unity existed among the people of God after Christ visited the Americas. The record observes that there were no “Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.” (4 Nephi 1:17). • “Unity is not achieved by ignoring and isolating members who seem to be different or weaker and only associating with people who are like us. On the contrary, unity is gained by welcoming and serving those who are new and who have particular needs. These members are a blessing for the Church and provide us with opportunities to serve our neighbors and thus purify our own hearts. • “Reach out to anyone who appears at the doors of your Church buildings. Welcome them with gratitude and without prejudice. If people you do not know walk into one of your meetings, greet them warmly and invite them to sit with you. Please make the first move to help them feel welcome and loved, rather than waiting for them to come to you. • “After your initial welcome, consider ways you can continue to minister to them. I once heard of a ward where, after the baptism of two deaf sisters, two marvelous Relief Society sisters decided to learn sign language so they could better communicate with these new converts. What a wonderful example of love for fellow brothers and sisters in the gospel! • “I bear witness that no one is a stranger to our Heavenly Father. There is no one whose soul is not precious to Him. • “I pray that when the Lord gathers His sheep at the last day, He may say to each one of us, “I was a stranger, and ye took me in.” Then we will say to Him, “When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?” And He will answer us, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:35-40). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen” (“Ye Are No More Strangers,” General Conference, October 2013).

ENDNOTES ——————————

(1) McKeon, Jennie. “NWFSC Students Hosting Inaugural Gay Ball.” WUWF. Sep. 20, 2018. http://www.wuwf.org/post/nwfsc-students-hostinginaugural-gay-ball

(2) Silva, Christina. “LGBT Youth are 120% More Likely to Be Homeless Than Straight People, Study Shows.” Newsweek. Nov. 30, 2017. https://www.newsweek.com/lgbt-youth-homeless-study-727595

(3) “Facts About Suicide.” The Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/preventing-suicide/factsabout-suicide/#sm.001r5tfiv1doccqtqy6168cjea5zn

(4) http://www.speakforthem.org/facts.html

(5) Utah Department of Health, https://ibis.health.utah.gov/pdf/opha/publication/hsu/SE04_SuicideE piAid.pdf See also: Hatch, Heidi. “Is Utah’s Youth Suicide Rate Linked to Utah’s Culture Surrounding LGBT?” https://kutv.com/news/local/isutahs-youth-suicide-rate-linked-to-utahs-culture-surrounding-lgbt See also the Church’s official page on LGBTQ suicide: https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/depression-andsuicide?lang=eng

(6) “My Life at BYU-I as a Gay Mormon.” https://zelphontheshelf.com/mylife-at-byu-i-as-a-gay-mormon/

(7) “President Hinckley. . .made this statement: ‘Marriage should not be viewed as a therapeutic step to solve problems such as homosexual inclinations or practices.’” https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/interview-oaks-wickmansame-gender-attraction

(8) Kort, Joe. “Mixed-Orientation Marriages.” GLBTQ. 2015. http://www.glbtqarchive.com/ssh/mixed_orientation_marriages_S.pdf

(9) Carol Kuruvilla, “Gay Mormon Who Became Famous for Mixed Orientation Marriage Is Divorcing His Wife.” Huffington Post. Jan. 29, 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gay-mormon-josh-weeddivorce_us_5a6f331be4b06e253269d34a

(10) Lang, Nico. “‘I See My Son In Every One of Them’: With a Spike in Suicides, Parents of Utah’s Queer Youth Fear the Worst.” Vox. March 20, 2017. https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/3/20/14938950/mormonutah-lgbtq-youth

(11) This document outlines the warning signs for suicide: • Looking for a way to kill themselves • Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live • Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain • Talking about being a burden to others • Acting anxious or agitated or behaving recklessly • Withdrawing or isolating themselves • Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge • Displaying extreme mood swings When you many of these there are three things to remember: Ask, Care, Tell.

1) Ask. Ask the person directly if they are thinking about suicide. If they say yes, ask: “Do you have a plan to hurt yourself.” If the answer is yes, call a crisis helpline. (The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.) If the answer is no, move to step 2: 2) Care. Show that you care by listening to what they say. Give them time to explain how they are feeling. Respect their feelings by saying something like: “I’m sorry you are in so much pain. I didn’t realize how hard things are for you right now.” You might offer to help them make a Suicide-Prevention Safety Plan that helps people identify their personal strengths, positive relationships and healthy coping skills. 3) Tell. Encourage the person to tell someone who can offer more support. If they will not seek help, you may need to tell someone for them. You may want to say something like: “I care about you and want you to be safe. I’m going to tell someone who can offer you the help you need.” Respect them by letting them pick the resource, such as a someone on the free crisis helpline.

(12) For the best, most-thorough examination of the how the Church’s position regarding LGBTQ members has changed since the days of President Kimball, see: Cook, Bryce. “Mormon LGBT Questions.” March 17, 2017. I think every member of the Church should read this. https://mormonlgbtquestions.com/2017/03/17/what-do-we-know-ofgods-will-for-his-lgbt-children-an-examination-of-the-lds-churchsposition-on-homosexuality/

(13) A documentary called Believer (2018) tells the fascinating, dramatic story of the lead-up to this concert: https://www.hbo.com/content/hboweb/en/documentaries/believer/a bout.html Here’s how you can watch it: https://heavy.com/entertainment/2018/06/watch-believerdocumentary-online/

(14) Official Church Statement, August 16, 2017, https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-statement-loveloud-festival

(15) Cynthia L. “New YW and RS Boards Include Two Black Women, ‘Common Ground’ LGBT Inclusion Advocate.” Sep. 18, 2018. https://bycommonconsent.com/2018/09/18/new-yw-and-rs-boardsinclude-two-black-women-common-ground-lgbt-inclusionadvocate/#more-106875

(16) https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/new-latter-day-saintgeneral-board-members-named

(17) https://mormonandgay.lds.org/stories?lang=eng

(18) https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/church-teachings?lang=eng

(19) https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/who-am-i?lang=eng

(20) https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/gods-plan?lang=eng

(21) “I must say, this son’s sexual orientation did not somehow miraculously change—no one assumed it would.” Holland, Jeffrey R. “Behold Thy Mother.” Oct. 2015 General Conference. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/behold-thymother?lang=eng

(22) “A change in attraction should not be expected or demanded as an outcome by parents or leaders.” https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/frequently-askedquestions?lang=eng

(23) Nick Einbender, Post on “Mormons Building Bridges,” Sep. 18, 2018. https://www.facebook.com/groups/mormonsbuildingbridges/permali nk/1513907792043410/

(24) Steinmetz, Katy. “How Many Americans Are Gay?” Time. May 16, 2016. http://time.com/lgbt-stats/

(25) It is likely a much larger percentage. In another study, 20% of Millennials (ages 18-34) self-identified as LGBTQ; 12% of Generation X (ages 35-53); 7% of the Baby Boomers (ages 52-71). The discrepancy likely arises from an increase in acceptance and safety in the culture the Millennials are growing up in. This makes them more likely to come out as LGBTQ. There are probably equal numbers throughout history, but it wasn’t as safe for older generations to come out for fear of violence, rejection, loss of job security, and loss of standing in the community. See Gonella, Catalina. NBC News. March 31, 2017. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/survey-20-percentmillennials-identify-lgbtq-n740791

(26) Eric D. Huntsman, “Hard Sayings and Safe Spaces: Making Room for Struggle as Well as Faith,” Aug. 7, 2018, BYU Speeches, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/eric-d-huntsman_hard-sayings-andsafe-spaces-making-room-for-both-struggle-and-faith/

(27) “Questions and Answers.” BYU Speeches, Nov. 14, 2017. https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/m-russell-ballard_questions-andanswers/

(28) https://mormonandgay.lds.org/articles/love-one-another-adiscussion-on-same-sex-attraction

(29) Dr. Fatimah S. Salleh, Affirmation Conference, July 22, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyoXa9z76v0

#David Simmons #lgbt history month #lgbtq+ mormons #lgbtq+ lds #queerstake

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