Tag Archives: Utah

Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate reports: A group of young LGBTQ rights activists staged a sit-in outside Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s office over a gutted bill that banned conversion therapy. The changes were so dramatic that HB399’s sponsor, Rep. Craig Hall, R-West Valley City, said he could no longer support his own legislation. On Wednesday, he told FOX 13 he …

The Associated Press reports: Supporters of a proposed gay conversion therapy ban for minors in conservative Utah said it was gutted Tuesday by changes that would allow therapists to have some discussion about changing sexual orientation with young patients. The changes approved by GOP lawmakers in committee come after opponents marshalled a strong pushback against the plan that’s similar to …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: He asked the man if he was gay and when he responded “I am,” he hit him. Now, that alleged attacker faces assault charges — but those will not be enhanced as a hate crime. Carlo Alazo, 22 from Florida, was charged Friday by the Salt Lake County district attorney with three misdemeanors for threatening …

Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate reports: A bill to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ children is set to be unveiled in the Utah State Legislature. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told FOX 13 it will not oppose the bill, which could give it a boost on Capitol Hill. The bill is being carried by two Republican lawmakers: …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: In a bid to raise money to promote hunting rights and the removal of protection for predator species, a new group co-founded by Utahn Don Peay is selling $10 tickets for a chance to spend five days with Donald Trump Jr. on a guided elk hunt in Utah. Hunter Nation recently posted the foray with …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Salt Lake City police are asking the public for help identifying a man who hit another after asking if he was gay. The assault is captured in an eight-second video posted to Twitter on Sunday by Sal Trejo and quickly spread through social media. The assault took place downtown and the video starts with the …

Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said it will not oppose a bill that would expand Utah’s hate crimes law to include protections for LGBTQ people. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been the recipients of hate crimes over the years. We understand that,” Marty Stephens, …

Provo’s Gephardt Daily reports: A 27-year-old Provo man has been arrested after he allegedly wrote on his Facebook page that he was going to kill “as many girls as I see,” because he had been rejected. Christopher Wayne Cleary is facing charges of third-degree felony threat of terrorism as well as probation violation, according to a probable cause statement from …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Final vote counts Tuesday showed that Democrat Ben McAdams did not jump the gun when he declared victory a day earlier over two-term Republican Rep. Mia Love. He won by 694 votes, or a margin of 50.129 percent to 49.871. That margin of 0.258 was just barely outside the 0.25 percent that would have allowed …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: A judge has dismissed U.S. Rep. Mia Love’s legal challenge to the ballot-counting process in vote-rich Salt Lake County, where the congresswoman’s Democratic rival holds a slight advantage. The Republican incumbent — who’s trailing Democrat Ben McAdams in the 4th Congressional District race — earlier this week filed her lawsuit calling for the Salt Lake …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Amid a flurry of national proposals to bring exorbitant U.S. drug prices in line with other countries’ charges, one Utah insurer has a different option for patients: Pay them to go to Mexico. PEHP, which covers 160,000 public employees and family members, is offering plane tickets to San Diego, transportation to Tijuana, and a $500 …

The Huffington Post reports: A gay Utah Republican official is experiencing a backlash after implying that suicide rates in the LGBTQ community are linked to having a high number of sex partners. Dave Robinson, who is the Salt Lake County Republican Party’s new communication director, said in a Monday meeting with the Salt Lake Tribune’s editorial board that he knows …

The Herald Extra reports: As Imagine Dragons neared the end of a hot, busy summer day and upbeat onstage rock set Saturday night in Salt Lake City, a full crowd proudly displaying rainbow colors and flags cheered as frontman and LoveLoud founder Dan Reynolds announced that the 2018 festival had reached its goal of raising more than $1 million in …

Salt Lake City’s CBS affiliate reports: As new tariffs on internationally imported goods go into effect today, Mitt Romney tweeted his disapproval towards the trade wars these tariffs are causing. “I’m not a fan of trade wars,” Romney tweeted. “I hope the new tariffs going into effect today can soon be removed and replaced by a mutually agreeable trade agreement.” …

Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: Among the high school marching bands, veterans, pageant queens and politicians, groups representing Utah Valley’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community took some historic steps. After years of being rejected from one of America’s largest patriotic celebrations in one of Utah’s most conservative cities, several LGBT community groups were finally allowed …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Mitt Romney hardly broke a sweat on his way to capturing the Republican nomination in Utah’s U.S. Senate race, according to unofficial results Tuesday, earning 73 percent of the vote. Romney’s opponent, state Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-Alpine, drew only about one of four votes counted by Tuesday night. Late-arriving by-mail ballots will continue to be …

Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: After hours of sometimes heated negotiation, a deal has been struck that lets a coalition of groups representing Utah County’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community into the popular Freedom Festival parade and patriotic celebration. It came after intense political and community pressure on the festival and hours of closed-door talks …

Two positive Utah stories today but now this. Ben Winslow reports at Salt Lake City’s Fox affiliate: Mayor Michelle Kaufusi has signed a new agreement with America’s Freedom Festival that includes a non-discrimination clause, but it apparently does not mean that LGBTQ groups will be allowed to march in the July 4 parade. Five LGBTQ groups that asked to be …

Utah’s Daily Herald reports: Utah Senator Orrin Hatch commemorated LGBT Pride Month Wednesday with a speech on the Senate floor. Hatch, whose National Suicide Hotline Legislation passed a House subcommittee Wednesday morning, spoke about suicide risk for LGBT youth on the Senate floor as he urged the House of Representatives to pass his proposal. “Today in honor of Pride Month, …

The Associated Press reports: He once called Donald Trump “a con man,” but Mitt Romney now predicts that Trump would “easily” win his party’s presidential nomination in 2020 and “solidly” win a second term. Romney, the GOP’s failed 2012 presidential nominee from Massachusetts, now a Republican Senate candidate in Utah, made the prediction Thursday as he welcomed dozens of high-profile …