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Loading ...Utah gov. faces wrath after supporting civil unions
02.12.2009 11:20am EST
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) is facing a backlash from fellow Republicans, the powerful Mormon Church and from evangelical Christians following this week’s statement that he would support civil unions for same-sex couples.
Dozens of protesters rallied at the Capitol Wednesday to express their anger. Many of the demonstrators wore T-shirts decrying the “gay agenda” and showing two men kissing.Huntsman did not show up at his office in the Capitol on Wednesday. He canceled a scheduled news conference and moved several meetings to the Governor’s Mansion prompting several news organizations to speculate there had been threats against the governor, something his office denied.
Inside the legislature, Sen. Chris Buttars (R) – a longtime foe of gay rights – circulated a statement claiming civil unions in Utah “would threaten marriage and religious freedom.” He wants other lawmakers to sign the statement to then forward it to Huntsman.
Other Republicans suggested Huntsman’s position is little more than lobbying the Obama administration for a federal job. The governor speaks fluent Mandarin. A spokesperson for Huntsman dismissed the speculation saying he is happy being governor of Utah.
Wednesday night gays and their allies staged a candlelight vigil outside the Governor’s Mansion to show their support for the governor and to urge passage of LGBT rights bills before the legislature.
In addition to saying Tuesday he supports civil unions, Huntsman also said he is in favor of most of a group of LGBT bills called the Common Ground Initiative.
This year LGBT rights groups unveiled a group of bills called the Common Ground Initiative that includes legislation to begin process of repealing the section of the amendment banning civil unions. Other bills include adding gays in job and housing protections, a domestic partner registry and partner health care rights.
Repealing the civil union ban was abandoned Monday by its sponsor fearing it was stalling the other measures. A fifth bill, that would have allowed same-sex couples to sue for wrongful death damages was defeated in a state Senate committee last month. The remaining bills are tied up in the Legislature and may not make it to a vote.
Equality Utah called the furor over Huntsman’s civil unions support “a distraction” from the other bills.
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.
I wonder how anti-gay str8 people would feel if their civil rites were put up to a popular vote? A “gay agenda” – didn’t Sall Kern just find that recently? I didn’t know it was missing.
I am always amazed at the phrases like “would theaten marriage and religious freedom”. HOW ? It is O.K. to trample our rights just so ignorant peoples world views are not challenged. Then these same people had the gall to interfer with California politics. While faith can be a good thing, I think that all kids need to be taught about how religion has led to so many wars and heinious acts done in the “name of
God”. And why the founding fathers insisted on separation of church and state.
Tom in Long Beach
To he!! with what others want, What about the rights of those struggling for fair and equal?
Why should the rights of the minority always be in the hands of the hate mongering majority???????
What ever happened to Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness for all Americans??????????????????????
Keep a smile on your face and love in your heart!
Tom,
“Many heinous acts and war happens” in my church every Sunday, that is why attend, for that kind of amusement and action!
Anyone who has even a scintilla of doubt about the anti-gay agenda of the “Christian Taliban” or harbors any doubt that they are opposed to anything other than discrimination against and persecution of homosexuals needs to read this piece carefully.
Anything that exposes the virulently toxic level of hate of the Mormon PAGAN FERTILITY CULT, the Roman “church,” and kraven kowardly konservative kristianist kultist krazies (KKKKKK for short) is a good day for human rights.
The ONLY way to combat homophobia is to EXPOSE it to the light of logic and reasoned discourse through PUBLICITY.
If the Kristianist Reich chooses to cling to their pernicious lies in public, so be it. They will be exposed for what they are: homophobic haters who haven’t a CLUE as to “what Jesus would do.”
I am in total agreement with Bud Burgoon-Clarke on his statement here.
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as a former resident of utah and a lesbian i think that gov. huntsman is doin what he thinks is best to help support everyone and i don’t see how it infringes on religious freedom to marry
The Mormon Church again! Isn’t this group tax exempt? Why, then, is it allowed to meddle in politics and still retain that tax exempt status? As for Utah, the Governor appears to be trying to bring that state, kicking and screaming, into the 19th century! In doing so, he has activated the crazies and one can only hope he is not physically harmed. Someone should tell these nuts hate is NOT a family value!
What happened to their compassion. When they were debating the issue of gay marriage, they claimed that they supported the idea of equality as long as it was not called marriage. Now the issue is before them referring to civil unions (not marriage) and they are still against it. Why has no one called them on this fact? They will do anything to deny us the rights we deserve. They also say that the matter should not be decided in the courts. However, most all civil rights issues are decided through the courts. If it were all about majority rule, I am sure we would still have slavery, no women’s rights, women and blacks (or anyone other than straight white men) would not be allowed to vote or own property, and interracial marriage would still be illegal.
And here the Mormons were claiming they were fine with civil unions and that Prop 8 wasn’t about hate, but protecting marriage.
As if any of us are surprised to have them prove, yet again, that they’re liars and hypocrites.
I wish these people would HONESTLY state the specific ways that gay marriage/civil unions threaten marriage or religious freedom. Everything I’ve heard so far is a lie. I fail to see how they can so blatantly ignore the religious commandments regarding “false witness” and “loving” their neighbors while still claiming a moral high road.
Time is on our side in Utah. Utah–especially the Wasatch Front–has one of the highest growth rates in the country, and Utah’s conservatism has actually been some buffer from the idiotic speculation of recent years. People are moving to Utah, again especially to the Wasatch Front, and they’re diluting the Mormon majority. Sure the LDS still has a local power that Baptists could only dream about in Nashviile, Atlanta or Dallas (and they do dream about it), but SLC has always been Utah’s population center, its commercial center, and the closest it gets to cosmopolitan (Park City is the true oasis from the LDS, but let’s not get distracted). The LDS is going to have to deal with reality, and reality is that Mormons are an increasingly diverse collection of people. Monoculture is never a healthy thing.
Is Gov Huntsman just another part of the GOP/LDS borg? He seems to have his own ideas. Maybe he does support some recognition of LGBT legal protection (inclusion would be a better word) because he wants a job in a Dem-controlled Presidency, I dunno. Maybe he thinks it’s the right thing to do.