Ina Mae Murri
Ina Mae Murri was born in Newdale, Idaho, on January 15th, 1935, to John Henry and Luella Panter Murri. She was the youngest of eight children in the family, the entire family were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Murri described herself as the “ideal Mormon girl” dedicated to following the rules and guidance of her religion. In 1955 Murri enlisted in the Air Force before falling in love with a fellow recruit. Murri and her girlfriend, Jan, were found out by command and dishonorably discharged in 1956. When informing her family what happened she describes them as disappointed but non-confrontational. [1]
After leaving the Air Force Murri moved to California, but with the listing of ‘dishonorably discharged’ on her record she had a great deal of trouble finding work and faced discrimination once she explained the circumstances. Eventually she was able to find work as a switchboard operator as her supervisor believed she just needed to “find the right man,” but in the meantime “don’t make any passes at anyone at work.” [1]
Salt Lake Pride, date unknown
In 1960 Murri married James Sanders in San Gabriel, California, a fellow member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, although he had not attended church in many years. Due to this the couple not only gained the blessing of Murri's family but Sanders didn't push for a temple ceremony. The next year their son Eric was born. However, it wasn’t long before Murri felt dissatisfied with her marriage. While looking through the phone book she noticed Jan, from the Air Force, lived nearby so she reached out. Although the relationship between her and Jan didn’t last Murri became certain that she was attracted to women. Her and James agreed to an open relationship for a few years but divorced in 1967. [1]
Murri began to became deeply entrenched in lesbian communities throughout the West, often taking on leadership opportunities, but always felt out of place. Many within the LGBTQ+ community had negative feelings towards religion due to the predominate attitude of religious institutions to homosexual relationships. Despite this, Murri still felt a strong connection to her LDS roots, not smoking or drinking, continually attempting to find a religious community that had similar beliefs and accepted her. While finding communities of ex-LDS women and other communities for lesbians, Murri struggled to find a group that included both. [1]
While leading a table at San Francisco Pride Festival in 1980 Murri found her life partner, Stella Lopez-Armijo, together they established new newsletters, created community connections, and founded Lavender Seniors, a group of older LGBTQ+ individuals. [2]
In 1984 Murri began the newsletter Affinity, writings by, and for, LDS lesbians nationwide. This newsletter provided a new opportunity for connections for LDS lesbians who previously felt extremely isolated. With Affinity not only could they feel not alone, but hear about the experience of others, establish pen pal relationships, and find out if anyone else was nearby. Murri was the editor of Affinity until 2004, with the newsletter eventually expanding to gay men as well. [2]
Both Murri and Lopez-Armijo were killed in a car accident in 2010 in Idaho while attending a family reunion. [3]
Ina Mae Murri Papers Finding Aid
[1] Ina Mae Murri papers, ACCN 2887, Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
[2] Ina Mae Murri papers - Archives West. (2016). Orbiscascade.org. https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv71194
[3] Legacy. (2010, July 20). Ina Murri Obituary (1935 - 2010) - Logan, UT - Logan Herald Journal. Legacy.com; Legacy. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/hjnews/name/ina-murri-obituary?id=27667169