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Loading ...Utah gay rights bills get off to bad start
01.29.2009 12:26pm EST
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Legislation that would allow same-sex couples to sue for wrongful death damages has been defeated in a state senate committee. It was the first of six LGBT bills filed in the legislature this session.
The committee room was packed as senators took up the death damages bill.It would have allowed any two people who live together and are mutually dependent and are named in a will or trust access to a wrongful death court action if tragedy occurs.
In addition to same-sex couples, the legislation would have applied to siblings or other family members.
But two senators who voted against the measure said they were concerned that approving it would be a move toward legalizing gay marriage. Utah has a so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and in 2004 the state constitution was amended to bar same-sex marriage.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Scott McCoy (D) disputed the concerns.
“It doesn’t single anyone out based on a cohabiting relationship or a sexual relationship. It doesn’t matter the gender, rather it’s the economic relationship,” he said.
The defeat of the measure does not bode well for the other five measures - including health care, a clarification of the marriage ban, a partner registry, and a bill to include gays in job and housing protections.
Nevertheless, McCoy said he will press ahead with the bills.
Earlier this 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.
I believe many of you are missing the point. You cannot oppose an *entire* category of human beings, as this is as hurtful and capricious as those who oppose all gay people. Since the majority of Utah Mormons are right-wing or far-right, support moderate and liberal Mormons, and for the love of everything that is good in this world, support gay Mormons themselves (and there are many). I read that they have a 1 in 3 suicide rate, which is completely unacceptable for any social group in the world. Places with some of the *worst* records on gay dignity (like Utah) need our attention the *most*. Great causes like gay marriage in California are truly noble and must be fought, but compared to places like Utah, Nigeria, Russia and Syria, California is a gay paradise. Don’t forget the LGBT brothers and sisters who need it most.
Social conditioning and religious dogma have turned this into a nation of idiots, and Utah is the imperial capital of dolts.
do we really think utah is going to do anything for the LGBT community? its the ****ing land of the mormons!
This is Utah, so no one should expect any decent treatment for a minority….the isolated, out of touch leadership of the Mormon church dictates otherwise and that leadership runs, not only the church, but the government as well, under threat and political interference. Look at what they managed to do in California thru church leadership directives and church funds. Boycott this state and ignore it.
I think gay rights groups are spending way too much time and money on polls. Their results seem to be either unrealistic, or at least irrelevant.
Well, being a very liberal gay Mormon associated with Affirmation ( support group that accepts the LGBT nature of gay Mormons – http://www.affirmation.org/ ), I have to say that while the issue of Utah anti-gay attitudes is highly tied to the Mormon culture, and even many at the highest levels of the faith can (albeit with unfailing politeness) reveal attitudes not much better in this regard, it is really more of a deeply-ingrained Utah cultural thing. They use religion to justify their hate, but so does almost everyone who is fervently religious and hates gay people or any other group. Though a small minority, there are certainly free-thinking Mormons who love and accept gay people and don’t think they’re doing anything wrong whatsoever. They would probably face cold ostracism for their views in many a Mormon community, but it goes to show that Mormons are not completely unanymous in this attitude. And, to be honest, as someone who has supported gay rights issues as fervently as just about anyone else, it seems insensitive to hear so many fellow LGBT people make sweeping statements about entire broad categories of human beings. This is exactly the kind of error gay-bashers make. If you’re angry at Mormons for being anti-gay, then don’t alienate those Mormons who believe just as truly in equal rights for straight and LGBT alike, such as http://www.mormonsformarriage.com/ .
Of course this would happen in Utah. Mormons lead against gay marriage in a state that wasn’t even their own, so of course in a state with a high Mormon population this would happen.
http://stuffqueerpeopleneedtoknow.wordpress.com/
Utah is a very hateful state, full of hateful people. It doesn’t sound nice, but its true. They just smile to your face while they stab you in the back.
I know, we live here. Stay away if you know what is good for you. The Mormons constantly use their religion as the reason to discriminate against people who are different than themselves and then wonder why everyone around them feels disenfranchised. They then go why do you not like my church? They constantly bring in their own problems and then cry victim any chance they get.
The two senators who voted against this should be ashamed of themselves. I don’t expect much from “Utah” and, sad to say, they did not disappoint.