Raising the Tide: Reflections on Advocacy, Adventure, and the Work Ahead

In Harriet Porber and the Bad Boy Parasaurolophus, by Chuck Tingle, Harriet nuzzles into the muscular parasaurolophus. Snabe opens the door for her and waves her inside. The waitress who had previously served her is there.

Later, two bolts erupt from Dellatrix’s wand. Dellatrix thrashes about, screaming. The motorcycle goes with Harriet as she finds herself suddenly stumbling backwards.

Saturday was the Utah State Democratic Party Convention. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that former House Minority Leader Brian King hoped to break the losing streak for the governorship of Utah in 2024 when he filed for that race. The Republicans have held a stranglehold on that seat for decades now, with the Democrats typically only pulling about 25% statewide. The fact that Brian King pulled 31% in the election show a slight shift in his favor, albeit it was not enough. He still lost by 25%.

I think King knew that the odds were not in his favor, and the best you can do is get out there and sway a few more minds, to be in the race so it’s not a complete cakewalk for the other side. People keep hoping for a blue wave, but large waves only come with earthquakes and tsunamis. When the water is low, don’t expect large tides. We have to raise the tides before we can see the waves. And that means it’s up to all of us to stand up for what’s right, build resilience, build our tide as a movement, and maybe then we can see our blue wave. Until then, no single candidate will create a blue wave.

That race, however, gave King new insight into how the party leadership structure needs to change to be more results-oriented.

The main challenger in the race, was Ben Peck, who ran two winning competitive campaigns in Salt Lake County. Both races were ultimately holds, as the prior office holders were both Democrats.

Ben brings a vitality that would undoubtedly help secure Salt Lake County seats, while Brian brings a maturity and an insight that might help us make ground statewide, while securing a results-oriented focus.

In The Night Watchman, by Lousie Eldritch, pukkons are a favorite food for Biboon. Pukkons are American hazelnuts that grow in aspen birch forests. He suggests he and Thomas smash off the shells. Thomas reminds himself to hold onto the peculiar aliveness of things struck by the late afternoon sunlight.

Jack tells Patrice that she’ll melt a hole in the costume if she gets too close to a small electric coil of heat. He tells her that the city could shut them down if they are vulgar. Patrice would like to continue using the flowers for her performance.

When Nancy serves him coffee in bed, Thomas claims he feels like a king. When he was asked whether Rose ever gave him coffee in bed, he responds, “No!”

Witnessing the miracle of women’s bodies, Zhaanat tells her Patrice with assurance that even a man has been known to give milk in starving times. She says she’s just suckling the baby until Vera gets back. Patrice is irritated that Barnes is buying her brother Pokey things that she could buy for him, like a brown wool hat with a bill and fold-down earflaps.

On Thursday. Wood Mountain surmises that Zhaanat and Patrice had to be scraping bottom that week when she makes him oatmeal without raisins or sugar or anything else. Zhaanat sees him staring at the camp bowl and tells him not to worry because Patrice gets paid on the next day.

Utah lawmakers finally received the study that they ordered when they put the moratorium on gender-affirming care for minors two and a half years ago. The report, which detailed the harms of deferring treatment, and the benefits of providing treatment, was actually completed nine months ago. Meanwhile 61% of transgender youth have considered ending their own lives as a result.

For some people, hormonal treatment is the only cure to address the chronic anxiety and depression that trans people face due to the wrong hormones flooding brain receptors that are expecting cross-sex hormones. Reparative therapy only makes the problem worse, because the recipient learns to shut themselves down and not trust their feelings. The report was delayed because the commission spent the time trying to come up with treatment guidelines from experts in the field.

Some Utah legislators are still leaning into the biased Cass report. Meanwhile, the recommendations of the report are to create a commission to gatekeep the treatment, instead of leaning into the medical experts in the field. The last thing we need is our right to proven, as well as leading-edge, medical services that help better our life being legislated out of existence.

On Saturday, I attended the Utah Democratic Party Convention at Ogden High School in Ogden. At the Veteran’s Caucus, we discussed a resolution condemning the firing of employees of the veterans administration, and voted for it unanimously. The rest of the meeting was spent discussing the priorities of the caucus, which included standing in opposition to an authoritarian state.

At the Utah Stonewall Dems, we quickly got through our order of business. The new officers were ratified, the Vice Chair endorsement from the prior meeting was restored by a point of order strategically placed, and we quickly endorsed candidates for Secretary and Treasurer.

We then moved on to two minute speeches from candidates seeking endorsement to the Salt Lake County Council to replace Arlyn Bradshaw—the only gay member of the council—who accepted an appointment to Deputy Mayor for Salt Lake County. There was a lot of talk about the need to keep an LGTBQ+ voice in that seat, and candidates were asked how they would be pro-LGBTQ+ champions. The meeting went so smoothly that we were only 20 minutes in, and I had to buy time before I asked for endorsements.

To fill the gap, I had elected officials speak, including two representatives from the legislature and two city council members. One of the prior chairs, Nikki Boyer, issued a challenge to grow the caucus with delegates from every county. That will indeed be a challenge in Utah, as we not only want it to grow, we need to build resiliency so it it sticks.

Finally, I asked for the endorsement motion for the Salt Lake County Council, and our Stonewall Dems Treasurer Tenille Taggart got it hands down. There was a little disappointment in the other candidates who didn’t receive it, but when I revealed the public vetting process we were hoping to build into the bylaws, they felt a little better.

Our other endorsements were Ben Peck for Chair, Susan Merill for Vice Chair, Catherine Voutaz for Treasurer, and Brad Dickter for Secretary.

The caucus meetings were followed by speeches and voting for the Utah Democratic Party Executive Committee. The final tally was Brian King, Chair; Susan Merrill, Vice Chair; Brad Dickter, Secretary; and Catherine Voutaz as Treasurer. Seeing them together, and what I know of their personalities, this is a team I believe will work great together.

After convention, on the drive back, I stopped for a bonfire in Mueller Park in Bountiful. The direction said that you could either drive in and pay for parking, or park in the free zone and hike in. The park had no internet or WiFi access, and said something about going over a bridge. So I parked and went over the first bridge I found.

The bridge led to a trail that did a challenging switchback up the side of large hill through the woods, with the rushing brook down below. I could hear the excited chatter of campers down below as I progressed steadily upward until I was about 2/3 into the trek. There I sat on a table, which was the first rest point I had encountered, and munched on some tortilla chips and jalapeno cheese dip. I checked my pulse, and found that I had reached 120 bpm—good enough. Also thinking to myself that the instructions said something about an RV and a pavilion—and there was no way there was either of these up here, let alone a site 13—I headed back down the trail, fully intent on coming back up this trail for the next bonfire.

Once back at my car, I walked about a third of a mile in until I finally found a larger bridge that led to the group I was looking for (I did ask for the help of a stranger along the way). There, I joined the group and played Cards Against Humanity, and had comforting conversations with a couple of people there. The gentleman who introduced himself to me was really sweet and seemed keen on paying attention to me. I have missed that feeling. Once things got dark, and hiked back to my car, for a total of two miles and made the drive home. Yesterday, looking for a shady spot to go kayaking, we decided on making a run up to Little Dell. Brooke brought her new inflatable, and I brought my rigid single seater. Getting that thing on the top of my car was a challenge, since the temperature felt like 101 degrees fahrenheit at the time, and my roof was at scalding temperatures. I took my kayak out and back across the lake, relaxing at various points along the way, and came ashore to help Brooke get her kayak in the water. The narrowness of the kayak made it a challenge for her, and once she was out and paddling, I crossed the reservoir to another point, taking more pictures.

Ready to come back, I turned the kayak around and saw only one kayak a ways off. No matter how far I paddled, I didn’t seem to be able to catch up with the kayak. Suddenly, near the shore, I saw the distinctive coloring of Brooke’s kayak.

Finally, I turned, and paddled til I had caught up with her. I made sure she was okay, and helped her get the photos she wanted in her new kayak. Then I turned and headed for the launch, paddling as consistently as I could at a slightly elevated rate. Just as passed the edge of the launch, I executed a flawless starboard turn and kept the paddle going to pick up the momentum so that I ground myself up out of the water.

Of course, by this time, I was exhausted, so it was a challenge getting out of the water. Finally, I got my feet out in the water while holding onto the kayak and got sturdy enough to sort-of walk.

The cool down was enjoyable. I helped Brooke bring her kayak ashore, and empty out the water. I drug my kayak up and then helped her carry hers up. Together, we got the air out of her kayak and folded it up. Three other kayakers helped her put it in her bag.

Once I got back home, I checked on my water heater that was complaining about a potential leak. The water had mostly dried up from earlier, and the safety valve was still open. I reset the alarm, and it hasn’t gone off since.

Amid the fantastical escapes of parasaurolophus romances and literary moments of quiet resilience, this week has been a vivid blend of reflection, resistance, and renewal. At the Utah Democratic Party Convention, leaders old and new stepped into roles that may yet steer our movement toward the rising tide we seek—not with sudden waves, but with persistent, courageous ripples. We witnessed the power of presence, from passionate LGBTQ+ advocacy in the Stonewall Dems to candid conversations about veterans, healthcare, and hope. And beyond the walls of Ogden High and the noise of politics, there were trails hiked, bonfires shared, and the peace of a lake crossed with steady paddles and companionship. In all of it, a message rings clear: progress isn’t a single moment—it’s every step forward, every voice lifted, every hand extended. The tide is ours to build. Let’s raise it together.