22 | QSALTLAKE MAGAZINE | PEOPLE OF THE YEAR
Ben Morgan & Cody Scott 8-B¡tch
Bonnie O’Brien & Kate Rusk
Bonnie O’Brien is synonymous with the Utah Pride Parade. She has run the show for many, many years of growth and challenges. When it was obvious that the parade wasn’t going to happen this year because crowds of many thousands of people lining a downtown street was risky at best, she and Kate Rusk set out finding another great use of their time. After, of course, doing their own miniPride Parade on the day the larger one would have happened. O’Brien’s day job is being a teacher at East High School. Or, as she calls it, a “school mom.” She went door-to-door and met with her students to ensure they had computers and wifi set up so they could excel in their studies. But she and Rusk were nominated this year because they spent the beginning of the quarantine gathering and repairing bicycles for Rose Park area kids and adults. They purchased used bikes found in classifieds, took donated bikes, and set up everyone in the neighborhood with both bikes and safety gear. Adults were provided with bikes so they could avoid using public transportation to get to work. “Though we didn’t have a Pride Festival in June, the queer spirit was in full, brilliant color, while they spent the effort they would have on the parade, helping the community in a deeply meaningful way,” wrote their nominator.
Ben Morgan, aka Ivory LaRue, and Cody Scott, aka Rose Nylon, have created a phenomenon in 8-B¡tch — a digital drag show streamed on twitch and then uploaded to YouTube. “I literally cannot gush enough,” wrote their nominator. “They have taken something like, oh I don’t know, global trauma!? and turned it into such a wonderful opportunity for our community.” When the lockdown happened, drag performances were put on hiatus. Some who paid their bills with tips were left to struggle. Also, drag is a staple of the LGBTQ community across the globe. The pair put their heads together and created a digital space for the community to come together and enjoy drag in all its intricacies, socialize in a responsible way and provide a way for performers to be tipped electronically.
Gene Gieber
Co-owner, Club Try-Angles As an owner of Club Try-Angles, Gene’s first and foremost concerns are for the
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ISSUE 319 | JANUARY, 2021
LGBTQ community. When the bar was forced to close at the beginning of the pandemic, Gene worked to make sure his staff was taken care of. When they were able to re-open, he went overboard to ensure the safety of the community and his staff, setting rules above and beyond what was required by the Department of Health. When he was approached by the producers of 8-B¡tch, hoping to help the drag community raise some funds and entertain an audience, he agreed to show the performances on the large screen, with socially distanced tables for their audience. Some of the queens were at the bar during the presentation and were able to receive tips in person. This writer found out the hard way — don’t go out the in door!
Micheal Repp & Riley Richter Sun-Trapp
The Sun-Trapp is the largest LGBTQ bar in the state, and Micheal Repp and Riley Richter make sure to keep the community safe. After a man drew a gun in an argument with a door person this year, Repp installed a metal detector at the door to ensure the safety of patrons and staff. With the coronavirus, the bar has installed plastic barriers and uses the same electrostatic spraying solution and sprayer used by airlines for the safety of their passengers. Repp has also been at the forefront of efforts by a number of Salt Lake bars trying to survive and suing the state of Utah for forcing them to close down at 10 p.m. while allowing other businesses to remain open.
