Utah Legislature: Lawmakers do away with gay rights bills

SALT LAKE CITY — No means no.

Not only will no gay rights-related bills be considered this session, but Senate Republicans on Friday scrapped an interim study on the need for anti-discrimination protections.

After a closed-door caucus, the majority party also backed down from imposing a threatened moratorium on any new local government anti-discrimination ordinance, a proposal GOP Gov. Gary Herbert did not support.

Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said lawmakers will wait and see what happens with ordinances recently passed by Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County.

"Our citizens shouldn't be doing things that are discriminatory. If they are, that's information we'll gather next year that will push legislation," Waddoups said.

But he also had a warning for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"If the LGBT community are doing offensive activities in a public setting, that will push legislation in the other direction," he said. "We need to be respectful of one another; we all need to all figure out how to live together."

Waddoups said he wanted to avoid any legislation dealing with gay rights next session, either for or against. "I'm a firm believer congeniality is the best avenue."

Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake, one of two openly gay members of the Legislature, accepted the decision to do away with the interim study she was co-sponsoring with Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper.

"I am very hopeful this sets a precedent for us being able to have a dialogue on these issues rather than a heated battle," Johnson said. She said Friday's decision shouldn't stop the public from letting lawmakers know what they want.

"I would say there's a sense of impatience. But a moratorium on bills in no way denotes a moratorium on public opinion or lobbying," Johnson said. "I want to be clear, this is not intended to discourage the public process over the next year."

The interim study was a key piece of a compromise announced a week ago by Johnson and Stephenson that was intended to stop bills going forward on both sides of the issue, including Johnson's own effort to pass a state law similar to the city and county ordinances.

But the GOP Senate caucus balked at taking a closer look at whether the state should offer the same housing and employment protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County do. House Republicans have let the Senate GOP take the lead on the issue.

The city and county recently passed anti-discrimination ordinances that were supported by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lawmakers were asked by the LDS Church to not overturn the ordinances.