In Utah, it is currently legal–

• To evict a tenant for being gay
• To fire an employee for being gay

The Salt Lake Tribune reports this morning that a gay anti-bias bill that would prohibit this type of discrimination will be attempted in this session of the Utah State legislature — even though the LDS church has reportedly chosen to not get behind it, as had seemed to be the case earlier this year.

This apparent refusal to provide its blessing (something that is literally required for most LDS legislators to get on board) may be tied to attempts to remove the clause allowing exemptions for people with “sincere religious beliefs against homosexuality”.

Maybe it’s me, but isn’t this exactly the group this bill is targeting? Keeping this clause in makes it essentially non-enforceable and non-effective.

ADDENDUM: It didn’t pass. Another year in Utah with no legal protections. I also read that the church fears this because they would not be able to fire church employees who are in a gay relationship as they currently do with impunity. Nice.

I read an article in this week’s Torringon Telegram which referred to a Gay-Straight Alliance at Eastern Wyoming College — in my hometown.

Considering this is a small town in Wyoming with a 5,000-person population, I am impressed.

I wish I had had access to the same resources when I was growing up.

The Salt Lake Tribune published an article over the weekend that detailed an LGBT event for LDS-oriented people. Apparently one self-invited speaker–Bishop Kevin Kloosterman–gave an inspiring talk that the Trib has titled “Mormon bishop says church responsible for gays’ emotional wounds“.

Some commentators are saying that the Trib is making too much of this and has missed the gist of his comments. To those, I submit a transcript of his remarks.

For me, these were the most confirming:

And as I read these stories and as I learned more about these issues, I began to see the emotional wounds and the scars that many of you still have today. And I seem to ask the question, “Where did you get these wounds?” and unfortunately the answer was, “In the house of my friends.”

A rather elegant defense of “gay marriage” (when did it stop just being “marriage”?) by a “Heterosexual, Married, North Carolinian Father Of Three”, whose state is marshaling voters to define marriage as between a man and a woman can be found at this LINK.

One erudite quote:

LGBT people are citizens. I have friends (some of whom were married in other states years ago) who love each other as dearly as I love my own wife (and who have been committed to each other for just as long). It pains me to know that there are people who reject the validity of these relationships, and who wish to deny these couples the same benefits that other married couples are afforded. These committed, same-sex couples are North Carolinians. They contribute to the economy, they pay taxes, and they certainly do not deserve to be treated as second-class citizens by anyone. Just as it is hard to believe that we once denied marriage rights to interracial couples, or voting rights to women and African-Americans, we will look back upon this time with the same disbelief and shame.

Interesting story in today’s Salt Lake Tribune about a “gay BYU filmmaker”.

A lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the 41-year-old Wilcox has been the epitome of a good Mormon. He served a two-year mission to Barcelona, Spain, earned a degree from BYU, worked and taught Spanish at the church’s Missionary Training Center in Provo for five years, then joined the staff at BYUtv, where he has produced documentaries, talk shows and reality-based series.

He did it all secretly knowing he was gay.

I suspect that he will quickly find incompatibility.

LINK

We had an enjoyable 2011 Utah Pride weekend with attendance at both the (now) largest parade in Utah and the festival at Library Square.

The local NPR affiliate, KCPW, reported that there were 30,000 in attendance, which is a record-breaker by quite a bit (I think last year’s 20k was the previous high). We joked that KSL would report (as in years past) that “hundreds attended”. I guess it’s accurate, depending on how you define “hundreds”.

It was also predicted that this year’s parade with 100 registered entries and floats would now be larger than the “Days of ’47″ parade held in July. No one from the media is quite calling that race yet. I’m sure the LDS church will encourage local units to get involved this year to maintain the record. It would be a shame to lose to ‘diversity’.

2011 Utah Pride Parade (looking west down 200 South)

The Grand Marshall this year was Roseanne Barr, who seemed pleased at the size of the crowd.

Roseanne Barr - 2011 Grand Marshal, Utah Pride

A rather touching sight was the Utah high school students’ “QSA” alliance, which marched holding signs representing their respective schools. My honey admitted that he ‘teared up’ over that. I did as well.

2011 Utah Pride Parade - QSA

It’s getting tougher to justify the stance of the United States regarding basic human rights.

Brazil’s Supreme Court approves civil unions for gay couples

by Jessica Geen | Pink News

Brazil’s Supreme Court has voted overwhelmingly to give gay couples the right to civil unions.

The panel backed the measure 10-0, with one abstention.

The ruling does not grant gay couples the right to marry, but it will allow “stable” couples the right to benefits enjoyed by straight married people, relating to benefits, inheritance and tax.

They will be able to register their relationships with solicitors or public bodies. Religious and public ceremonies will not be allowed.
(more…)

We went to a house concert last night given by former Catholic seminarian and now traveling singer, Tom Goss.

After the performance, he joined in the with the twenty or so (mostly gay) attendees to mingle, eat a light dinner and converse. I overheard the following:

“What percentage, would you say, of seminarians are gay?” asked one interested man.

Tom responded, “In my seminary, probably ninety percent. Overall, probably seventy,” he continued, “which made it so weird when the Catholic church recently started an [inquisition] to determine if there was ‘homosexual influence’ in the seminaries”.

“So, here are gay cardinals, giving direction to gay bishops, giving direction to gay priests to ask gay seminarians about homosexual influence. I mean, what are they supposed to say? That’s just messed up”.

He went on to say that the overall atmosphere in the seminary was supportive and that the only real issues came from the self-proclaimed “straight” seminarians, “wanting to take you to bed”.

Anti-gay marriage bill defeated in Senate

(Laramie Daily Boomerang)

A bill that would have banned recognition of same-sex marriages performed out of state was defeated Wednesday in the Wyoming Senate.

The Senate voted 16-14 to reject concurrence on House Bill 74, thereby ending weeks of passionate debate that took place in both houses of the Wyoming Legislature.

Laramie Sens. Phil Nicholas and Chris Rothfuss voted against the bill.

The Senate vote followed action in the state House of Representatives, where HB 74 passed on a 31-28 vote. Laramie Reps. Kermit Brown, Matt Greene, Glenn Moniz and Cathy Connolly voted against the bill.

HB 74 states marriage contracts from out-of-state are valid in Wyoming so long as they involve one man and one woman.

While current state law says marriage only exists between one man and one woman in Wyoming, it does allow for the recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions performed out of state.

HB 74 was amended numerous times after it was introduced last month. The Senate removed much of the language referring to civil unions and also allowed couples in civil unions to have access to the courts to resolve disputes. The subsection was later removed in a joint committee.

Today, debate in the Senate was short, and it only centered on whether or not HB 74 violated the joint conference committee rules, which the senate president said it did not.

In the House, however, opponents of the bill took to the floor and argued passionately against HB 74.

Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, asked his colleagues to not concur on HB 74.

He cited Article 1, Section 2 of the Wyoming Constitution, which says, “In their inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, all members of the human race are equal.”

“People are equal, whether you agree with their lifestyle or not,” he said.

Illoway said gays and lesbians are parents, siblings, business owners, civic volunteers, health care and social workers, teachers, board members, clergy and Wyoming residents who support the state with their tax dollars.

“They do lots of things,” he said, “so why are we doing what we’re doing?”
(more…)

Ok, so I feel a lot better about my natal state.

Wyo. Senate defeats same-sex marriage bill

(AP) MARCH 03, 2011

A bill that would have barred recognition of same-sex marriages in Wyoming died Wednesday in the state Senate.

The Senate voted 16-14 against the bill, which had been the subject of a series of difficult conference committee meetings over the past week.

The conference committee had voted ultimately to strip off a Senate amendment that would have specified that same-sex couples who enter civil unions in other states would still have access to Wyoming courts to settle disagreements such as child custody issues that might arise in their relationships.

The Senate didn’t discuss the bill before voting it down. The vote came after the Senate Rules Committee dispensed with two technical challenges to the conference committee report in closed hearings.
(more…)