David Keith Nelson (April 7, 1962 – June 11, 2024) was an American LGBT and gun rights activist. He founded or helped found several LGBTQ-related nonprofit organizations in Utah and helped direct others. His work with the Democratic Party encouraged many LGBTQ Utahns to serve as party leaders. His work as a legislative and executive lobbyist accomplished the adoption of several LGBTQ- and weapon-friendly state and local laws, rules, ordinances and policies, and the rejection of other legislation.
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Personal
Nelson was born in Salt Lake City as a member of the political Cannon family. He studied political science at the University of Utah from 1982 to 1984. He retired in 2001 from his professional career in marketing and public relations, to reside in Brigham City, Utah. He lived with disabilities, and was diagnosed in 2015 with Autism Spectrum Disorder. After his diagnosis was established, he dedicated his abilities to LGBTQ autism advocacy, and helped create the LGBTQ-Autism Utah organization in 2018 with the Utah Pride Center, its Utah Pride Festival and the University of Utah Health Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic.
Although not a Muslim, Nelson identified as a Sayyid based on self-conducted genealogical research as of 2021, worked to build ties between LGBTQ and MENA organizations.
Nelson died June 11, 2024, from Lewy body dementia.
Activism career
Nelson became active in politics 1982. Though he was most active during the 1990s in Utah, he helped to direct political groups in California and the District of Columbia.
His work reflected the ideals of Jeffersonian democracy including American republicanism, civic duty and equality of political opportunity. His LGBTQ and Second Amendment politics pursued limited government which upholds the natural rights of the people and the rights of the states.
He earned the attention of governmental and political leaders, and news reporters.
Twenty years ago, David Nelson was one of the few Utah voices demanding basic rights for gay and lesbian citizens. Aggressive in promoting antidiscrimination measures, he assisted in passage of the first hate-crimes legislation. Although Nelson frequently generated disagreement among supporters (including me), no one can dispute the courage he exhibited in the early years of this movement.
—Frank R. Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb, "Political pioneers, then and now, deserve thanks," Deseret Morning News, July 30, 2006
While the fight for gay marriage has hatched a whole new generation of gay rights activists, some Utahns have had their shoulder to the wheel of equality for decades. One of the most notable, Dave Nelson, is a pioneer of queer politics in the state who has carved a niche for himself in Utah politics for being a fierce advocate of his community since the early '80s while also fighting for the rights of gun owners.
—Eric S. Peterson, "Dave Nelson on the queer New Year," Salt Lake City Weekly, December 30, 2009
Nonpartisan work
As a political leader, Nelson founded or helped found several LGBTQ-related nonpartisan political groups in Utah and helped direct others. His work as a public-policy lobbyist accomplished the adoption of several LGBTQ- and weapon-friendly state and local laws, rules, ordinances and policies, and the rejection of other legislation.
Nelson founded the Military Law Task Force of Salt Lake City in 1982, and served as an administrative-law attorney from 1982 to 1983 for active-duty and veteran servicemembers.
He served from 1983 to 1984 as a vice president of the Lesbian and Gay Student Union at the University of Utah. He served in 2002 as a member of the board of advisers of the University of Utah Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center and as the co-chairman of its public-relations committee.
He helped found Gay Community Inc. in 1985, and served as a co-publisher of its Community Reporter newspaper. He served from 1986 to 1987 as a co-publisher of the Triangle Magazine news magazine, in 2004 as the sports editor of the Salt Lake Metro newspaper and in 2006 as a columnist of the QSaltLake newspaper.
He interviewed The Times of Harvey Milk gay filmmaker Rob Epstein and Before Stonewall lesbian filmmaker Greta Schiller in 1985 at the Sundance Film Festival. The interview was broadcast by KRCL Radio, and excerpts were published by the Community Reporter newspaper. He was a technical staffer for the Sundance Institute from 1983 to 1985 and for the festival from 1984 to 1986.
He helped found the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah in 1986.
He served from 1986 to 1988 as the Utah field associate of the Washington-based Fairness Fund. The group was acquired in 1988 by the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign Fund Inc. (HRCF) as its field division. He served from 1987 to 1988 and from 1989 to 1991 as the HRCF Utah field director.
He organized LGBTQ Utahns from 1986 to 1987 and from 1990 to 1997 to attend the annual Utah Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust commemoration at the Utah Capitol rotunda. He produced and helped distribute fliers and replica pink triangle and black triangle concentration-camp badges to commemoration patrons.
Partisan work
As a libertarian Democrat and party leader, Nelson founded or helped found several LGBTQ-related Democratic Party groups in Utah and helped direct others. His work as a party-policy lobbyist accomplished the adoption of several LGBTQ-friendly national-, state- and local-party policies, and the rejection of other policies.
Nelson founded Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats in 1990 to affiliate with the Utah Democratic Party—the first such group in the state. The group combined the work of a party caucus, a fund-raising political-action committee and a lobbying group. At its first state-party convention in 1990, the group was called "a new political powerhouse" by KUTV Television news reporters, and became one of the largest caucuses in the party. The group stopped its fund-raising and lobbying work in 1997, but remained a caucus. He retired in 2001 from the group leadership, and the group was renamed as Utah Stonewall Democrats.
He created an online national network of LGBTQ groups and individuals in 1995 to re-establish the communication between them that existed with the former Washington-based National Association of Gay and Lesbian Democratic Clubs from 1982 to 1987. He helped found the Washington-based National Stonewall Democratic Federation in 1996 to affiliate with the Democratic National Committee. U.S. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts developed the federation further when he encouraged it in 1998 to incorporate as the Washington-based National Stonewall Democrats. The group was incorporated in 1999.
He organized gay Utahns in 1996 to attend a meeting of LGBTQ Democrats with U.S. Vice President Al Gore at the Indian Treaty Room of the Old Executive Office Building in Washington.
He helped staff a National Rifle Association of America exhibit in 2005 at the Utah Democratic Convention.
Nelson served in 1991 as a member of the Democratic National Committee security staff for presidential candidates including Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas at a committee meeting in Los Angeles.
He served from 1992 to 1995 as a member of the Salt Lake County Democratic Party Constitutional Committee.
Recognition
For his work in politics, Nelson:
Received in 1990 a Gay and Lesbian Utah Democrats Founder's Award.
Received in 1993 a Utah Stonewall Center Diversity Is Great! Award.
Received in 1998 a Democratic National Committee Lawrence O'Brien Award—the first such award presented to a Utahn.
Received in 1999 a U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Attorney for the District of Utah certificate of appreciation.
Received in 2006 a Deseret Morning News "Pignanelli & Webb" encomium.
Received in 2008 a Salt Lake City Weekly "Best of Utah 2008: Best 'Cold dead hands'" award and encomium.
Received in 2012 a Salt Lake County Mayor and Council joint commemorative resolution—the first such resolution presented to a gay Utahn.