Florida Agenda

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – The NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City is taking a pass on one of the network’s new series. An official with KSL-TV, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church, told the likewise church owned Deseret News that “The New Normal”—a comedy series about a gay couple that contracts with a live-in surrogate mother—will not be on the station’s schedule.

“For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time,” said Jeff Simpson, CEO of Bonneville International, which owns the station (and is itself a subsidiary of the church). It is the second time in as many years that station officials have opted-out of a network offering: Last year, KSL dropped NBC’s “The Playboy Club,” a show that was soon cancelled by the network.

Responding to the perceived censorship, “Normal” star Ellen Barkin chastised KSL on Twitter. “Anyone in Utah interested in @ NBCTheNewNormal please clog up @ksl5tv feed 4 their blatantly homophic decision 2 not air the show #KSLBigots,” she wrote. In July, the conservative group One Million Moms called for a boycott of “The New Normal,” which premieres on September 11, and was co-created by “Glee” executive producer Ryan Murphy.

By Paul Rubio

Near the Utah-Arizona state border, Monument Valley (navajonationparks.org) has long served as Hollywood’s quintessential Western back lot, beginning with John Ford’s Stagecoach in 1939 and continuing to more modern blockbuster films such as Mission Impossible II and Back to the Future III. This vast expanse of unique sandstone formations and historic home to the Navajo Indian Nation rises dramatically from the ground, far and away from any major town or airport in a place void of most links to modernity. Connecting this time warp to a lucrative tourist industry, the Gouldings Lodge (gouldings.com) offers dining, overnight accommodations, day tours and activities

to dutifully experience Monument Valley.

Goulding’s safari-style tour trucks navigate the bumpy, roller coaster trails through the Valley with the help of an experienced Navajo driver and guide. The open-aired truck makes stops at superlative locations to photograph the most famous rock formations like the Three Sisters, the Eye of the Sun, Submarine Rock, and the Mittens. Inside the Valley, descendants of domestic sheep and horses from the conquistadors’ days roam freely. Those hoping to explore the valley on their own should think twice. Most rental vehicles struggle to handle the terrain, and the majority of the Valley is restricted to use by official tour and park vehicles. Through Gouldings, it’s possible to arrange Monument Valley activities in advance, like the tour described above, horseback group rides, and also ATV or hiking excursions to other near sites outside of the Monument Valley Preserve.

While Monument Valley consummates a childhood fantasy of playing “Cowboys and Indians,” getting to this clandestine destination is half the adventure. When planning a Utah tour de force, the most logical and spectacular way to reach here is via Bicentennial Scenic Byway 95, coming from Hanksville, 45 minutes east of Capitol Reef National Park. Pictures, pit stops, deep thoughts and all, this drive could easily take all day. Indeed, it’s likely that you will hope this road trip will never end.

Carved through the pinnacle of southeastern Utah’s Canyon country, the Bicentennial Scenic Byway showcases the diversity of the state’s landscapes. The byway passes through Bridges National Monument, the world’s largest display of natural bridges clocking in at 225 million years old, as well as the aquamarine oasis of Lake Powell. Veering south at Highway 261, the valleys of Southern Utah paint a jaw-dropping panorama as you descend the Moki Dugway, an 11 percent grade, gravel zigzagged road lowering 1000 feet to the valley floor. It is here on Moki Dugway that the greatness of the Monument Valley first comes into view.

But the sights don’t end yet unless your early end game is the town of Bluff at the Desert Rose Inn (desertroseinn.com) for a comfortable respite from the day’s driving and sightseeing. Whether overnighting in Bluff or heading all the way to Gouldings in the same day, take a short detour west before reaching the town of Mexican Hat (appropriately named for the rock formation that forms a figure resembling the profile of a Mexican sombrero on the head of a serape-covered person) and you’ll soon arrive at Goosenecks State Park (utah.com/stateparks). Over 300+ million years old, the San Juan River has carved out a stunning display of a rare labyrinthine geologic formation known as “entrenched meander.” As you exit your vehicle and grow mesmerized by these natural “goose necks,” not having seen more than a dozen vehicles in the entire day, enjoying nothing but the sounds of wind and rock in a land void of radio and cell phone coverage, the epiphany hits. Utah’s sandstone-strewn canyon lands have become the pages of your personal Choose Your Own Adventure Book, each detour or turn another page number, leading you to our bespoke conclusion. The Earth seems limitless and inviting and somehow all yours.

To learn more about travel in Utah visit  www.utah.travel.

Part 1 of this Travel Story is here:  Utah Unleashed Part I: Capitol Reef & Torrey

BY PAUL RUBIO

A ruddy, rugged land imaginatively painted by the geological time clock, Utah boasts some of the world’s most unsurpassed natural beauty.

Though the homophobic rhetoric of the LDS church and HBO’s Big Love have made Utah a household name for the GLBT community, there’s far more to the Mormon-centric state than meets the cautious queer eye. The all-welcoming, towering collections of weather-torn sandstone that have formed nature’s Wild West playground of canyons, arches, and promontories are indeed some of Earth’s most breathtaking landscapes. A land of “cowboys and Indians” comes to life traversing the great distances between hamlets dotting the sparsely populated state, with historic trading posts and random watering holes revealing glimpses of a time bygone. Rustic lodges dole out world-class luxury amidst the craggy, mountainous terrain. And trepidation of Salt Lake City fades after experiencing the silent GLBT revolution of the state capital, where a blossoming gay population is successfully making its way with a mini-gayborhood, awesome gay bars, trendy hotels, and plenty of fair-skinned hotties eager to unbutton their “magic underwear” (Google for added explanation).

Over the next few issues, we’ll be looking at some of Utah’s greatest natural wonders and points of interest for the intrepid GLBT traveler, from the stunning rock formations of Capitol Reef National Park to the Wild West’s Monument Valley to the impressive arches near Moab to pockets of big city sophistication in Salt Lake City! Get ready for Utah unleashed!

Capitol Reef National Park
In the heart of southern Utah’s canyon lands, Capitol Reef National Park (nps.gov/care) comprises 378 square miles of multihued canyons, ridges, buttes (pun intended), and monoliths, doling out spectrums of reds and oranges in coral-reef like formations you never dreamed possible.  These jagged edges of glowing sandstone, defined by a 100-mile long warp in the Earth’s crust known as Waterpocket Fold, begin to take center stage heading towards the town of Torrey, reaching scenic Highway 24 roughly 3.5 hours south of Salt Lake City.

One of Utah’s lesser-known national parks, Capitol Reef is a prime opportunity for personal bonding with Mother Nature. In what feels like your own private land of canyons, ridges, and domes, Earth’s essence proves boundless – whether hiking the steep 3.5 mile trail to Chimney Rock, a weathered layered sandstone obelisk, capturing the sun’s late PM radiance at Sunset Point or traipsing through the beginner’s 1 mile path to Hickman Bridge, an impressive natural arch in a scenic side canyon far above the Fremont River. Blink quickly and you might miss the chipmunks, squirrels, birds, hawks, eagles, and lizards, eager to greet you or soaring above you. Or you might overlook the stunning petro glyphs, linking the park to its rich Native-American history.

More experienced hikers will be handsomely rewarded with Capitol Reef’s near-dozen moderate and strenuous hiking trails.  But even keeping to the Capitol Reef basics–the winding roads, hairpin turns and short trails of the park’s ten-mile paved “scenic drive”–you’ll experience exquisite rock formations producing an array of vibrant and contrasting earthly colors. Some of these rock formations have been weathered to resemble their given names of “The Castle” and “The Egyptian Temple.” These natural formations play out like works of natural art, easily venerated for hours and photographed ad nauseam.

Torrey
Post mind-boggling days exploring Capitol Reef, the superlative way to relax in comfort and share your Utah experience with other fellow travelers is an overnight stay or two at the nearby Lodge at Red River Ranch (redriverranch.com) ($150-$245 per night) along Highway 24’s Pony Express Route. Here, an old farmhouse has been transformed into a bed and breakfast with an irresistible “how the West was won” ambience and the full gamut of ultra cozy, period furniture circa late 19th century. Come evening, the foyer and living room come alive with guests returning from the day’s outing, eager to indulge others in their stories. The Lodge at Red River Ranch offers breakfast, lunch and dinner for their guests at the dining room, the breakfasts particularly satisfying before hiking the beautiful trails of Capitol Reef or a day of ATV off-roading.

Hands down the best place to spend your evening in Torrey is at Café Diablo (cafediablo.net), with its fanfare of eclectic southwestern appetizers and dishes. Not sure how this innovative farm to table restaurant has fallen off the Anthony Bourdain radar, but the Rattlesnake Cakes ($9), the Coconut Calamari & Marmalade Salad ($10), and the Marinated Loin of Utah Lamb ($28) are the stuff of Travel Channel-meets-Food Network dreams. Meals are capped with homemade ice creams and gastronomic ingenuity from the in-house pastry team. Of note, Diablo remains open only during peak season from mid-April to late October, so plan accordingly.

To learn more about Capitol Reef and travel in Utah visit www.CapitolReef.travel and www.utah.travel.

Click for  Part II Here: Utah Unleashed Part II: Monument Valley and the Byways Beyond

BY Cliff Dunn

LGBT activists are condemning the decision of a Utah middle school to out a gay student to his parents. The incident at Willowcreek Middle School in Lehi, Utah – a town in the heart of the most politically-conservative county in one of America’s “reddest” states – has drawn angry phone calls, emails, and social media postings directed towards officials of the Alpine School District.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the situation started last week when the 14-year-old student’s class was given an assignment to create an advertisement about themselves to hang on their classroom wall. The boy’s ad included the fact that he is gay.

The assigning teacher asked him if he felt comfortable about publicly sharing that information, and was told that he did.

In the aftermath, several students reportedly criticized the eighth-grader for his orientation and these were in turn reprimanded by the school’s assistant principal.

The assistant principal then reportedly talked with the gay student, who confirmed his sexual orientation but that he hadn’t told his parents. The assistant principal spoke with the student about talking with his parents.

“[The student] was nervous about [it],” Alpine School District spokeswoman Rhonda Bromley said. He initially said, ‘No, that can’t happen.’ [The assistant principal] talked to him. He finally agreed reluctantly.” Bromley says the student consented to his parents being told about his sexual orientation, but at the boy’s request, he was not present when his parents were informed.

Bromley defended the actions of the school and the administrator, citing safety and bullying concerns.

“We do include parents any time there’s a potential safety issue with a student,” Bromley said.

Activists say the administrator’s actions, no matter how well-meaning, are troubling. The director of the Utah Pride Center, Valerie Larabee, said she found the reports “disturb[ing].”

Bromley told The Tribune that a lot of the criticism of the school and officials was unwarranted coming as it did in response to false statements made on Facebook. These included rumors that the boy was suspended from school for being gay.

Bromley says that the parents were notified that their son is gay in an effort to be “proactive” and preempt any bullying. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the eighth-grader was not disciplined by the school, but that his parents, who are being “very supportive” of their son, have decided to keep him home until after the school’s winter break.

The Utah Pride Center’s Larabee says the school’s actions compounded one bad situation by piling another on top of it. “It’s important to me that school officials deal with bullying issues and don’t cause another problem for the child by outing him to his parents,” she said. “That conversation can be really devastating to young people when their family rejects them. Once you’ve uttered the words, ‘I’m gay,’ your home life can change forever.”

The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) last week issued a statement decrying the practice of schools outing students without their consent.

“Outing a student not only violates their right to privacy, but also could compromise their safety. Parents can be notified of their child being bullied at school, but without disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity,” wrote GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard.

“Taking away the choice for an LGBT student to come out on their own terms opens the door to significant risks including harassment at school and family rejection. Schools should be able to provide LGBT students with support and resources in order to make an informed decision if and when they decide to come out to their school community and family,” her statement added.

As noted in The Salt Lake Tribune, a recent study published in the medical journal Pediatrics notes that LGBT youths experiencing high levels of family rejection are eight times more likely to attempt suicide. In addition, they are six times as likely to experience depression, and three times more likely to use illegal drugs than those who don’t experience similar rejection.

Reiterating safety issues, Bromley remained cautiously unapologetic. “The administrator did exactly the right thing,” she said. “We are not going to back down. We take bullying very, very seriously.”

UTAH – Utah State Representative LeVar Christensen filed a bill last week in the Utah State House that would reiterate  that the state’s policy that marriage is between a man and a woman and would require that publically-funded programs, laws and regulations that are designed to support families be “carefully scrutinized to ensure that they promote the family.”

Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah, said in a written statement that the group is “deeply concerned” about the proposed law.

“It could be used to create a filter for public agencies and a way to target laws, services and funding that currently help single Utahns or Utahns with families that differ from Representative Christensen’s,” she said.

The bill states that a married father and mother and their children are the “fundamental unit of society,” echoing language found in the LDS Church’s “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”

The bill adds, “Marriage and family predate all governments and are supported by and consistent with the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God, the Creator and Supreme Judge of the World, affirmed in the nation’s founding Declaration of Independence.”