Except for the protesters at the gate.
The 600 or so guests arriving by bus, shuttle and foot passed by people with signs such as "See no evil, hear no evil, read no evil" and "STOP Same Sex Marriage."
Another poster down the block reportedly urged people to "withdraw their support from HRC like Zions Bank did," referring to Zions Bank's last-minute decision to pull its sponsorship.
Zions said it wanted to avoid any misunderstanding that it supports some controversial issues, including same-sex marriages, although Bastian has said each sponsor was sent a packet stating the group's mission and the gala's goal.
With more than 600,000 members, HRC boasts the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization. The goal is to ensure people their basic equal rights to be open, honest and safe at home, with their families, at work, and in the community.
HRC friends and supporters were nonruffled as they ambled past the sign carriers, entering the estate grounds filled with thousands of flowers, tons of food and beverages and a large white tent set up for a sit-down dinner.
"Walking by the hecklers, then seeing how wonderful everything is, I thought, 'You guys are missing out,' ” said Millie Watts. Watts and her husband Gary Watts received the HRC Equality Award for their advocacy in Family Fellowship, a service organization based in Provo that focuses on strengthening relationships and educating families with homosexual members. The volunteer staff consists mainly of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Guests were escorted to dinner by the University of Utah marching band and were greeted by dinner co-chairs Rich Ith and Kathleen Gardner, who said the "impromptu" party took 18 months to plan and is the first ever to be held in a tent.
"At national [HRC] they thought we would be lucky to get 300 people. We sold out with 600," Ith told a cheering audience, most of whom paid $150 a ticket.
Heading the honored guest list was Tipper Gore, former mental health policy adviser to President Clinton; national board director Andrew Linsky; and National HRC President Joe Solomese, who noted, "So this is what happens in Orem, Utah, on Saturday night."
Solomese praised national HRC board directors Bastian and Terry Bean, and past president Elizabeth Burch for the organization's success.
An HRC Equality Award went to Salt Lake lawyer Laura Milliken Gray for her work in protecting families and Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah was honored with an HRC Equality Award for her dedication to human rights.
Bastian offered a $1 million challenge, offering to match pledges of $100 per month, or $5,000 per year.
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff got a big hand, as did Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, state Sen. Patrice Arent, and state Reps. David Litvack, Jackie Biskupski, Carol Spackman Moss and Roz McGee.
