Utah Legislature: Lawmakers reach compromise on gay rights bills

Lawmakers called a truce Friday on any legislation dealing with gay rights, both for and against.

Instead, an interim committee will study employment and housing discrimination, a compromise that will be sponsored by Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake, and Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.

Johnson, one of two openly gay Utah lawmakers, called it a "thoughtful and respectful compromise, bringing together Democrats and Republicans, Mormons and non-Mormons, gay and straight."

Stephenson said the agreement to "stand down" on any bills related to gay issues "is not a backing down on principle or our beliefs," but an opportunity to gather information that hopefully will lead to a more civil debate in the 2011 Legislature.

Johnson had planned to push for a state law similar to new Salt Lake city and county ordinances protecting gays and lesbians from employment and housing discrimination. Those ordinances had the support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

But that proposal, along with other gay-rights legislation dealing with adoption and wrongful death, appeared headed for defeat — especially given that this is an election year for most lawmakers.

At the same time, efforts were under way on Capitol Hill to undo the new ordinances and prevent other local governments from passing similar protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered residents.

"I hope the LGBT community can understand that this compromise protected the integrity of the Salt Lake City ordinance for a year," Johnson said. "Otherwise it would have been dismantled by the end of the session."

Johnson said she expected mixed reactions from the LGBT community.

"It's going to be really interesting," she said. "I fall on my sword for the LGBT community. If they want me to continue running bills that die each year, I will. I want to know why my bills aren't passing."

She said she and other lawmakers, including Sen. Ben McAdams, D-Salt Lake, had met with church officials about their efforts. "They were concerned with protecting the Salt Lake ordinances," Johnson said.

"The church has asked legislators to not overturn the Salt Lake ordinances," LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter told the Deseret News.

There were "no fewer than five bills" in the works aimed at weakening or overriding the ordinances, Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah, said.

Balken called the compromise a "strategic choice" and pointed to the success Salt Lake City had in bringing people from all sides of the issue to a consensus. "We will have the opportunity to do that on a statewide level."