Tag Archives: Utah

Fallout for the Mormon Church’s unprecedented support for LGBT rights in Utah is already coming. A representative from the Sutherland Institute, whose “about” page describes themselves as a “public policy group” looking to “transcend impulsive, convenient, or self-serving policies” told the audience at a debate with Equality Utah that “sexual orientation is an illusion” and that “the gloves must come …

Last night the city council of Salt Lake City unanimously passed an ordinance outlawing discrimination against gays in employment and housing, the first such law in the entire state of Utah. Very surprisingly, among those speaking in support of the bill were official representatives of the LDS Church. Hours after the LDS Church announced its support Tuesday night of proposed …

On Tuesday, Mormon “apostle” Dallin H. Oaks compared the Prop 8 backlash against the LDS Church to the persecution blacks experienced during the civil rights struggles of the 60’s. Last year, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged its followers to donate money and time to pass Prop 8, the successful ballot measure that eliminated the right …

The Mormon Church-owned Deseret News is refusing to run an ad for a memorial service for gay Mormons who’ve committed suicide. MediaOne, which handles advertising for both the News and The Salt Lake Tribune , accepted payment from the nonprofit Foundation for Reconciliation to run an ad, announcing a memorial service this Sunday, in both papers. But on Wednesday, a …

I should have blogged about it at the time, but there was a lot of concern a few weeks ago when President Obama appointed Utah’s gay-friendly Gov. Jon Huntsman to be his ambassador to China. It turns out that fears about Huntsman’s successor were well founded. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday that discriminating against gay people shouldn’t be illegal, …

The Salt Lake Tribune has obtained the surveillance video showing Mormon security guards handcuffing the two gay men whose kissing caused such a ruckus. Yesterday local police announced that they were dropping the trespassing charges against the men. The clip is murky and contains no audio, but it does look like the men were handled somewhat roughly.

The gay couple whose arrest for kissing on Mormon Church property in Salt Lake City spawned protests in several cities, have had the charges against them dropped. The LDS Church always has desired its Main Street Plaza to be an inviting, beautiful space for all to enjoy. That’s the problem. The privately owned plaza, with its wide promenade and gate-less …

Things got a little heated this weekend at the latest kiss-in in Salt Lake City. A mass-kissing protest near the Mormon church temple Sunday drew a shouting match between gay activists and a group of faithful Mormons. For the second consecutive weekend, about 100 people gathered to stage a “kiss-in” to protest the treatment of two gay men cited for …

On Thursday a Salt Lake City gay couple was briefly handcuffed and detained by police after sharing a kiss on a plaza owned by the Mormon Church. “They targeted us,” said Matt Aune, 28. “We weren’t doing anything inappropriate or illegal, or anything most people would consider inappropriate for any other couple.” Aune and his partner, Derek Jones, 25, were …

Speaking at Salt Lake City Pride this weekend, Cleve Jones thanked the Mormon Church for “galvanizing” gay rights activists and repeated his call for a March On Washington in October. Begins at the 8:00 mark.

At the Utah County Republican Convention: Don Larsen, a Springville delegate, offered the resolution, titled “Resolution opposing the Hate America anti-Christian Open Borders cabal,” warning delegates that an “invisible government” comprised of left-wing foundations was pumping money into the Democratic Party to push for looser immigration laws and anti-family legislation. Larsen said Democrats get most of the votes cast by …

It’s kind of fascinating that Utah turns out to be the highest per capita consumer of online porn, innit? A Harvard Business School study has compared two years of online porn purchases with the zip codes attached to the purchasers’ credit cards. “When it comes to adult entertainment, it seems people are more the same than different,” says Benjamin Edelman …

Via Facebook, an anti Sen. Chris Buttars party has sprung up in Utah. By recently claiming the “the gays” as the “”biggest threat to America”, the Senator ignored climate change, economic disparity, racial inequity and xenophobia, and the other big challenges faced by America, Utah, and our cities and towns. All Utahns are invited to come the Capitol on Saturday, …

Utah state Sen. Chris Buttars will be stripped of his key Senate Judiciary Committee post because of his hateful anti-gay rant in the documentary 8: The Mormon Proposition. An anti-gay diatribe by Sen. Chris Buttars will cost him his spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee, The Tribune has learned. Senate Republicans, prompted by complaints from minority Democrats, held a frank …

Two more LGBT rights bills failed to get out of committee in the Utah legislature yesterday. Dead are the bills to allow gay and unmarried couples to adopt and the bill that would have protected LGBT folks from housing and employment discrimination. The haters framed their arguments against the bills in the tired “homosexuality is a choice” bullshit. “Adoption is …

“Homosexuality will always be a sexual perversion. And you say that around here now and everybody goes nuts. But I don’t care. They’re mean. They want to talk about being nice. They’re the meanest buggers I have ever seen. It’s just like the Muslims. Muslims are good people and their religion is anti-war. But it’s been taken over by the …

The whackjobs of America Forever took out full page ads in Salt Lake City’s newspapers yesterday denouncing the LGBT rights and marriage equality movements as cover to “validate homosexuality to the children.” They take particular aim at Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (a Mormon) who last week expressed support for civil unions in Utah. Note their use of an interracial gay …

On Wednesday, Californians Against Hate launched a boycott against the Utah-based Ken Garff Automotive, which has 53 dealerships in six states, due to the $100K donation to Prop 8 by the head of the family that founded the company. That same day, CAH’s Fred Karger met with executives at the dealership chain and may be about to announce an amicable …

Wayne Besen’s Truth Wins Out has taken out a full-page ad to appear in tomorrow’s Salt Lake City Tribune to counter the anti-gay Beckett Fund ad that appeared in the NY Times last Friday. The ad uses direct quotes from the Beckett Fund ad’s cosigners in which they condemn the Mormon Church as un-Christian. Truth Wins Out (TWO) unveiled a …