From Deseret News archives:
Gay community meeting focuses on equal rights
Instead he got more than 100, as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community filled the Tower Theater for a town-hall meeting Sunday.
"If it exists, we've got it," said Doug Jennings, of the Utah Pride Center.
Achieving equality remains the community's focus. How exactly to do that, however, was the topic of debate Sunday.
In the wake of California's ban on same-sex marriage, finding a general consensus within the LGBT community on where to focus efforts has been difficult at times, Jennings said.
A Pride Center survey conducted earlier this year showed that workplace equality — not marriage — was the top priority, he said. But as representatives from activists groups around the state and dozens of other people voiced opinions Sunday, personal priorities ranged from adoption to discrimination against LGBT people of color to whether LGBT is even the best way to describe the community.
"This movement will progress at a more rapid pace if we ... bring a laser sharp focus to what is important to each of us," said Mike Thompson, executive director of Equality Utah.
Even with sprawling ideas for what needs to be done in the fight for equal rights, most seemed to believe the battle was winnable.
"It's no secret that Utah is one of the reddest of the red states," Thompson said. "That doesn't mean anything except that we need to work harder."
Equality Utah has been lauded for heading up the Common Ground Initiative, a series of six proposed bills aimed at securing equality rights for the LGBT community.
Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake, said LGBT issues are a Top 5 concern for the state's Democrats heading into the legislative session. Johnson praised the more than 100 people in attendance for their passion.
Those in attendance were encouraged to "come out and be seen" — both on Capitol Hill and in their day-to-day dealings.
"It's very easy to discriminate against something people only see one day a year," said Bryan Glick, with the Stonewall Democrats.
Whipple, who organized the event, said he hopes to host quarterly town-hall meetings beginning in March.
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