Harris Sondak, business professor at the University of Utah, said the change would help to dispel Utah's image of close-mindedness and help attract economic development. He pointed to a "Bohemian index" which shows a correlation between creative and high-tech communities.

Utah, he said, is higher on the high-tech scale than that index would predict, but that Utah could move itself even higher, by "being open minded and signaling that to the rest of the world."

Rep. Ben Ferry, R-Corinne, criticized that argument, saying "the issue before is not economics. ... The bottom line is what is the cultural barometer on the issue of morality in this state."

After the meeting, Johnson said she'd continue to carry the bill.

Clark said the bill won't likely be heard again until the 2009 session.

"Changing minds takes time," Johnson said. "False notions about homosexuals were created by generations of backward thought. It takes time to correct."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com