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James Rawlings Lemmon (April 23, 1949 - October 24, 1992)
Jim was born of goodly parents in the land of California. Wherefore he was taught in the ways of all San Mateo Mormon righteousness. According to the abridged, smaller plates, his life ended in his teens. The larger plates however, containing a history of his people, reveal that, in truth, his life was just beginning. According to his own account, he was “queer as a $3 bill.” A brief sojourn at BYU, in the land of Happy Valley, proved intellectually unstimulating and detrimental to his spirit. His education in Political Science was subsequently completed at UC Berkeley. Elder Lemmon served an honorable mission in the kingdom of Queen Elizabeth II. Returning to San Francisco, the kingdom of yet other Queens, Jim began to nurture the quirkiness we all came to know and love so well. An aspiring control queen himself, Jim had a ravenous appetite for books, music and “big-ass Cokes.” The crowning moment of Jim's life was John, whose death from AIDS was also Jim's greatest sorrow. It was only natural that Jim's faith in God and love for John inspired him to perform John's ordinances in the Los Angeles Temple. After John's death, Jim became involved in the San Francisco Singles' Ward and was a charter member of the infamous “Gang of Four” who founded a discussion group to help alleviate the suffering of future generations of gay Mormons. Jim served as Ward Clerk under two bishops and was also the founder of the LDS AIDS Project. Jim's 1987 trip to the Soviet Union preceded its imminent collapse. But perhaps Jim's most significant legacy is the Homosexuals Against Brunch movement. Prior to his death from AIDS, Jim spent the last year of his life in Salt Lake City in the care of his parents, Blaine and Gladys Lemmon. Their sacrifice on behalf of their son help see Jim through a difficult year of declining health. In accordance with his wish, Jim was buried in San Mateo, California alongside his companion, John. Jim is now serving donuts on another planet. Bye Babe! Tribute by Former Boyfriend I was Jim’s boyfriend before he was with John. I realized a couple weeks ago that April 23, 2007 would have been Jim’s 60th birthday. I have been searching for somebody to share the date with. I need to tell somebody this: My favorite picture of the two of us together is just a picture of our two hands clasped together. That’s how we spent our time together, hand-in-hand. It’s the kind of man he was: Gentle, loyal, comforting, and, of course, funny. I should have stayed with him, but I was young and thought I needed to get a career. Silly, silly boy. I think about him every day and miss him terribly. Happy Birthday, Jim! Love, Carl If you are interested in making a quilt panel in Jim's memory, please send an email to . Please add your own tribute by sending an email to James Kent.
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www.affirmation.org