Utah Passes Anti-Discrimination Bill With Support From Mormon Leaders
Utah Republicans passed a bill that would bar employers and landlords or property owners from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and protect religious institutions that object to homosexuality.
Sculpture of a heralder atop the Mormon Draper Utah Temple on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. (Michael Wiffren / CC BY 2.0))
Utah’s Republican-dominated Legislature passed a bill that would bar employers and landlords or property owners from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity while also protecting religious institutions that object to homosexuality.
The New York Times reports:
The legislation, known as “the Utah compromise,” has been hailed by Mormon leaders and gay rights advocates as a breakthrough in balancing rights and religious freedom, and as a model for other conservative states. But leaders of some other churches oppose it, saying it would not sufficiently protect the rights of individuals who have religious objections to homosexuality.
The vote was an extraordinary moment for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is opposed to same-sex marriage, but sent two of its leading apostles to a news conference on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City last week to endorse the antidiscrimination bill. Legislators and gay rights advocates said having the blessing of the church leaders turned the tide in the Legislature, where most members are Mormons.
… The bill, however, does not address what has become one of the most divisive questions on gay rights nationwide: whether individual business owners, based on their religious beliefs, can refuse service to gay people or gay couples — for example, a baker who refuses to make a cake for a gay wedding.
Read more here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Prison Reform
Poor people await trial behind bars while the rich go free.
TD Original
Reflecting on the systems that maintain racism and separatism in America.
Courts & Law
The court will examine whether a disabled advocate can sue hotels without being a guest. Advocates say independent civil rights testers are vital to ADA enforcement.
TD Interview
Bethann Hardison & Frédéric Tcheng on bringing black beauty out of the shadows and onto the runways.
Labor
To build a better future for workers, we must recognize the racist and blood-stained history of U.S. labor and the shortcomings of the labor movement’s past.
Courts & Law
The probe is designed to determine whether the police department is guilty of systemic constitutional violations.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.