Fight over gay rights heats up at the Capitol

Even with the Common Ground Initiative's remaining bills mired in the House Rules Committee, the battle for gay rights took center stage on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

The day started with Republican legislators firing back at Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. in a news conference, who earlier this week came out in support of civil unions, and reaffirming their commitment to the state's marriage amendment.

The news conference included Pastor Bryan Hurlbutt of the Lifeline Community Church in West Jordan, who said Huntsman had pitted himself against the majority of Utahns and is also "at odds with a much higher authority."

Gay-rights activists called the event "a distraction." Equality Utah's two remaining bills focus on issues such as hospital visitation and fair employment rights — not marriage or civil unions, said executive director Mike Thompson.

"Let's not be distracted by the controversy," he said. "That they continue to use these distractions is a sign that we are making progress."

Later in the evening, gay-rights activists rallied in the Capitol, asking legislators to change the state's adoption laws, which preclude unmarried, cohabitating partners from adopting. The adoption bill, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck, D-Salt Lake, will likely not make it out of the House Rules Committee, Equality Utah officials said.

Still, the Common Ground Initiative has been a hot-button issue for a state that, according to California records, donated $3.7 million to the fight over Proposition 8. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported in-kind donations totaling about $190,000.

Fred Karger, of Californians Against Hate, is disputing that number. Karger, who has filed a complaint against the church, said Wednesday he plans to file a second complaint with the California Fair Political Practice Commission. He was in Salt Lake to announce a boycott of Ken Garff Automotive Group because Garff's wife donated $100,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign.

The automotive group's chief executive officer, John Garff, said the money came from his mother's personal account, not from the business.

"My mom's personal conviction to the definition of marriage was why she donated," Garff said. "There's not a hateful bone in my mother's body."

The company said it has zero tolerance for workplace discrimination, a benefits package for gay partners and has even donated cars to the state's gay-pride parades.

Garff and Karger met for about two hours Wednesday afternoon and agreed to continue talks that could lead to lifting the boycott, Karger said.

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