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Loading ...Second Utah LGBT bill dies
02.09.2009 12:52pm EST
(Salt Lake City, Utah) A bill that would have repealed a section of Utah’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage has been killed by its sponsor in a bid to save four other pro-gay bills before the Legislature.
In addition to banning same-sex marriage, the amendment, known as Amendment 3 and approved by voters in 2004, bars civil unions. Rep. Jackie Biskupski (D) had sought to remove the section dealing with civil unions.Opponents claimed the move was an attempt to bring in gay marriage through the backdoor.
Biskupski pulled the bill because she feared the argument would be used to block other LGBT legislation - including a bill to include gays in job and housing protections, a domestic partner registry and partner health care rights.
A fifth bill which would have allowed same-sex couples to sue for wrongful death damages was defeated in a state Senate committee last month.
The bills are all supported by the LGBT rights group Common Ground.
“I believe that the other Common Ground bills have broader support and cannot be construed as having anything to do with marriage,” Biskupski said in a statement.
“By pulling this bill we hope to make a good-faith effort to demonstrate that the protections we’re talking about have nothing to do with marriage and in no way conflict with Amendment 3.”
Last month, a poll commissioned by Equality Utah found that 63 percent support gay legal protections including some rights for same-sex couples.
The survey found that 62 percent believe it should be illegal to fire someone for being gay and 57 percent said it should be illegal to deny housing to someone for being gay.
On the issue of partner rights, 73 percent said they would support health insurance coverage for a partner or other designated adult for state employees. Utahans, however, are not ready for same-sex marriage. Only 20 percent said they supported gay marriage.
In Utah, it’s much more complex than just being a Mormon issue. It’s a *Utah Mormon* issue, which makes all the difference. I am gay, liberal, live in the state, and am technically Mormon, but I came from outside the region and I have liberal socialist firmly-pro-gay-rights beliefs that were actually inspired by my own upbringing. But Utah is a place with very extensive cultural baggage, and one of those things is an obsession with things being pleasant, even more so than with things being good and right. And LGBT issues are a party crasher for people obsessed with keeping the cleanest of appearances. So while even I was impressed by the most recent supportive poll results, it must be remembered that Utah Mormon culture is a culture where people are obsessed with whether the neighbors approve or whether they’re being pleasant enough. I highly doubt someone in an elected state legislative office feels comfortable supporting something they feel everyone else is going to crucify them for. If you were elected by typical far-right Republican constituents, doing anything to help the advance of gay rights is thought of in the common political wisdom as being political suicide. Until LGBT people have far more dignity out in open inclusive Utah Mormon society, I don’t see many of these initiatives receiving warm support outside of progressively liberal havens like Salt Lake, Summit County and the ski resorts.
The irony is that the Mormon church came out after Prop 8 saying they would support legal rights for gays as long as they aren’t marriage – yet, we still see the Mormons hating on the gays. In CO we recently had a bill to allow employees to put Domestic Partners on their health insurance – here is the response that I got from one of the members of the Senate when I wrote to them urging them to vote Yes. You’ll find the hatred palpable (Also note that the good Senator didn’t use his State email address to respond his vile email to me, he used his personal one – I left the address in the text in case anyone wants to write to him
RE: Senate Bill 88 – Domestic Partner Benefits
From: Ted Harvey (tharvey02@qwest.net)
Sent: Fri 2/06/09 11:43 AM
To: ‘Michael Weldert’ (mdw021@XXXXXXX.com)
Michael,
Thank you for writing me about Senate Bill 88, the proposal to give health benefits to same-sex partners.
I am absolutely opposed to this bill and will never support it. Not only do homosexual partnerships violate my personal moral beliefs, they are often dangerous for the individuals involved and will lead to the degradation of society through undermining the sanctity of marriage.
The people of Colorado have voted on the issue of homosexual partnerships twice and have soundly defeated both initiatives. It is clear to me that Coloradans do not want to further the homosexual agenda any more than I do, and I will fight the Democrats in their efforts to disregard the will of the voters one more time.
I voted against this bill on Wednesday in the Business, Labor and Technology committee, but it still passed on a party line 4-3 vote. It will be considered by the Appropriations committee next.
Again, thank you for your e-mail. I appreciate your vigilance on this issue.
Sincerely,
Ted Harvey
State Senator, District 30
In a place like Utah (my neighbor state), you have to get the basics through first to protect people. Marriage will happen, even in Utah!
63% in Utah, UTAH support some kind of protection for gay couples. WOW! Either this poll was conducted on Mars or congress has NO excuse to sit on ENDA.