Opposition to gay club irks alumnus

A former Bountiful High School student is furious that Sen. Chris Buttars says gay-straight alliances are inappropriate and should be banned from Utah high schools.

State law bars school organizations and clubs that "involve human sexuality," said Buttars, R-West Jordan. He believes that includes gay-straight alliances and is looking at legislation to clarify the matter.

But B.J. Olsen, who graduated earlier this year, suggested Buttars attend a meeting of what he calls a "support club" before casting judgment.

"We do not discuss sex," Olsen said. "GSAs are there to help stop harassment. . . . If he thinks we're talking about sex, he should try walking through a high school hall, hear all the stuff that goes on, and he should try to stop that."

Buttars said he has not attended a meeting but he's had several people call "and tell me it's baloney. . . . When these clubs talk about being gay, is that discussing human sexuality?"

Dani Eyer, executive director the Utah American Civil Liberties Union, said the legality of Buttars' potential legislation comes down to the language he uses, since sex could potentially be discussed in any setting, including a chess club.

"The Legislature can limit discussions about sexuality, like they do with 'abstinence only,' " Eyer said. "It's almost like prior restraint to say in advance, you can't have a gay-straight alliance because you are going to talk about sex. . . . The advisers are very aware of what the parameters are."

Buttars has the support of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum and said he's had discussions with the Legacy Law Foundation.

"The discussion is: Should public dollars, public facilities be given to promote homosexuality? The answer is no, and they are breaking the law," Buttars said.

The gay rights advocacy group Equality Utah said Friday that it would oppose Buttars' bill if it materializes. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Utah has also said it will defend the state's 14 gay-straight alliances in public schools.

"This is a very harmful bill and a bad idea," said Jane Marquardt, board chairwoman of Equality Utah.

"Anytime Sen. Buttars introduces a bill that tries to limit the right of LGBT people, it seems to spark a heated discussion," Marquardt said. "If he introduces this, I hope it will be defeated and hope it will cause a lot of people to want to speak out against it."

Olsen was harassed and threatened after coming out. He said the gay-straight alliance he formed was a safe setting and a place to discuss issues such as how to find acceptance with his parents.

"The GSA really is a support club," Olsen said. "We were trying to make Bountiful High aware that there is a gay community and we aren't as bad as you think. We were just trying to open up people's minds."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com