Lawmakers Declare Truce on LGBT Rights Bills

02.01.2010 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) A bevy of bills on both sides of the gay rights issue have been put on hold for a year under a pact state lawmakers struck last week. Salt Lake City Democratic Representative Christine Johnson, one of two openly gay members of the Legislature, says the budget crisis has made it such a stressful session already that it makes sense to wait a year to rekindle the debate.

“The decisions that we’re making this session weigh quite heavily upon all of us. And in an effort to continue the peace, to continue a dialogue, which seems so constructive, Howard and I have just sort of put our heads together and came up with this opportunity to maybe just say, ‘OK, let’s call a truce this session,’” she said.

Johnson has partnered with Republican Senator Howard Stephenson on a bill calling for an interim session study regarding an ordinance passed last year by the Salt Lake City Council, protecting gay and transgender residents from workplace and housing discrimination, and other similar ordinances nationwide. Salt Lake City’s actions spurred some lawmakers to call for legislation banning Utah cities and counties from passing such ordinances. However, the interim study has the support of leadership in the House and Senate.

Stephenson says he’s spoken about the issue with gay rights groups and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they all have one thing in common:

“There is a common desire to ensure that Utah is not the battleground for the nation on these kinds of issues,” said Stephenson.  “We simply refuse to be that battleground. We hope to set a standard of civility and cooperation and respect that hopefully will be copied in other states.”

The announcement came five days after the Sundance Film Festival premiere of a documentary on the LDS Church’s involvement in California’s gay-marriage debate.  The film included inflammatory comments by Senator Chris Buttars.