Summer Highlights

As the summer wraps up, I've been going through some of work I've shot for the Standard-Examiner over the last few months. Below are a few of my favorite shots that haven't made it onto the blog yet in other posts.

Michaelangelo Romero, left, Steve Wardle, center, and Karl Rice wait backstage before Romero and Wardle's performance (as Lady Delish and Steve Hi-Weigh) during the drag show at the Ogden Pride Festival at the Ogden Amphitheater on Saturday, August 1, 2015. The celebration was Ogden's first LGBT pride festival.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

The sun sets over Lindquist Field as the Raptors take on the Helena Brewers on Monday, August 17, 2015.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Rev. Brandee Mimitzraiem cries during a prayer vigil on Friday, June 19, 2015 for the men and women killed at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. Rev. Mimiztraiem hosted the service with fellow ministers and members of the community at the Embry Chapel AME Church in Ogden.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Gary Smetana tears out a bathtub while working on renovating a home along Grant St. in Ogden with the Genesis Project on Friday, June 19, 2015. Members of the Genesis Project, a church based in Central Ogden, volunteered on projects around the city during a five-day service project.
©Benjamin Zack/Standard-Examiner

Utah Gay Marriage

It has been a busy few days in Utah. After a federal judge ruled Utah's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional last Friday, couples from around the area spent the weekend unsuccessfully chasing rumors about open city clerk's offices. By Monday morning, the county office in Ogden was scheduled to open at 8AM and the state attorney generals office was presenting they case for a stay on gay marriages at 9AM. I shot a fair amount of photos and video throughout the day, but here are a few of the highlights.

Gage Church, left, and Tim Sharp kiss at the Hampton Inn in Ogden after becoming the first gay couple to be legal married in Weber County on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013. Over 60 couples were married in hallways and side rooms of the hotel as they tried to beat a possible stay on the ruling to allow gay same-sex marriage in Utah. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Cody Carter, right, and his husband, Darren Hayes, center, get married in the hallway of the Hampton Inn in Ogden while another couple is married at the top of the stairs on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013. Over 60 couples were married in hallways and side rooms of the hotel in a two hour window as they tried to beat a possible stay on the ruling to allow same-sex marriage in Utah. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Hundreds of people line up outside of the county clerk's office in the Weber Center on Monday morning, Dec. 23, 2013, the first day that Weber County began accepting applications for same-sex marriage licenses. Couples began lining up outside the building at 10pm on Sunday night due to concern that the state might only issue licenses for one hour before a possible stay could be placed on the ruling that allowed same-sex marriage. (BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner)

Joe's Walk for Change

This story was published a week ago, but it seemed right to re-post for Father's Day. I recently met with a man, Joe Bell, who is walking across the country. The trip is Joe's way to honor his teenage son Jadin, who committed suicide earlier in the year. Jadin died after dealing with extensive bullying and homophobia and Joe is using his walk as a way to start discussions about suicide prevention, bullying, and homophobia. You can read the whole article and find more photos here and follow Joe's progress on his facebook page here.

 © STANDARD EXAMINER/Benjamin Zack

Anti-Discrimination Rally

Last week in Utah, SB 262 - a bill that would outlaw housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity - died in the final days of the latest Senate session. Supporters of the bill held a rally on the state capitol steps two days later where they celebrated how far the bill had come and to motivate people for future measures. I shot a few photos at the capitol. Enjoy.

 

Demonstrators in support of SB 262, a bill banning employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, gather on the steps of the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2013, two days after the bill died before coming to a vote in the Utah State Senate. The rally was planned and organized before the fate of the bill was known.

Over 100 supporters of an LGBT anti-discrimination bill held signs and flags at a rally on the steps of the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2013. Despite the failure of the bill to reach the senate floor, the mood of the rally was positive.

 

Senator Steve Urquhart (R-St. George) addressed a crowd at the Utah State Capitol during a rally in support of LGBT anti-discrimination measures on Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2013. Sen. Urquhart had sponsored the recent anti-discrimination bill which died in the Senate just after being passed out of committee.

 

Demonstrators in support of SB 262 listen to speakers from the steps of the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2013. The bill never made it to a vote on the Senate floor, but it did make it out of committee; something that demonstrators saw as a sign of progress after failed attempts over the last six years.

 

Jeanetta Williams, President of the Salt Lake Branch of the NAACP, and Archie Archuleta, President of the Utah Coalition of La Raza, right, spoke at a rally in support of SB 262 at the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2013, two days after the bill died before coming to a vote in the Utah State Senate. Williams and Archuleta compared the struggle for LGBT equality to past struggles for racial equality.