Utah Pride Center honors governor with Suazo award

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is being honored for his commitment to equal rights for the state's gay community — but he isn't expected to attend any of this week's Utah Pride festival activities to accept it.

Huntsman, who surprised many fellow Republicans earlier this year by coming out in favor of civil unions as well as the "Common Ground" legislative initiative intended to extend benefits to same-sex and other non-traditional couples, is the recipient of the Utah Pride Center's 2009 Pete Suazo Political Action Award.

"Over the years, he's been very fair-minded with regard to LGBT issues," said Valerie Larabee, executive director of the center. "And I think he did take a leadership position on Common Ground, and certainly took a very visible role with his feelings about civil unions."

The award, established in 2002 to honor the work of the late state senator on hate crimes legislation, may well be the first time Huntsman has been officially honored by the state's gay and lesbian community, Larabee said. Past winners include former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and House Minority Leader David Litvak, D-Salt Lake.

But Huntsman likely won't accept the award during the three-day festival, which includes a popular annual parade. Recently named President Barack Obama's ambassador to China, the governor has been largely staying out of sight, preparing for his U.S. Senate confirmation hearings.

"I don't believe he's going to be able to participate," Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said, blaming a scheduling conflict. She dismissed any suggestion he was reluctant to be recognized publicly for his stand on gay rights.

"He's certainly not shy," Roskelley said. "It's just that his schedule is such that he's unable to participate in every event that he's asked to."

Huntsman's support of civil unions has already attracted national attention. Before he was tapped as an ambassador, the governor was widely viewed as a potential GOP candidate for president in 2012 and was making speeches nationwide. A GOP group in Michigan cancelled his appearance because of his support of civil unions, fueling new interest in Huntsman's call for more moderate stands by his party on social issues.

Larabee said she understands why Huntsman won't be at the festival.

"We have been working with his folks and his schedule is so crazy that there's no guarantee of anything," Larabee said. "We're OK with that. It's just pure scheduling logistics."

She is already focusing on Huntsman's replacement, Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, who has said he does not support civil unions.

"It tells us that we have our work cut out for us to educate the lieutenant governor," Larabee said. "I think that's pretty clear."

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