Updated: Utah's 'Common Ground Initiative'

Submitted by mtbowers on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 3:42pm

I've gotten a lot of negative comments about my post due to the information that I included about my experiences living in the state of Utah. The point of the post was primarily to discuss the "Common Ground Initiative," not to be a "bigot" or "burn bridges." Thus, I have removed any content that is not directly related to the initiative. Thank you for your comments and feedback.

No Same-Sex Legal Protection in Utah

I recently saw an article posted by the Salt Lake Tribune, questioning rebuttals to Equality Utah's Common Ground Initiative. I had a mini-aneurysm when I saw that "Fair Housing & Employment" was one of the topics of contention. This item stands to be introduced as a bill in the 2009 General Session of the Utah Legislature. "Fair Housing & Employment" or HB 267 "modifies provisions related to discrimination in housing and employment, including amending the Utah Anti discrimination Act and the Utah Fair Housing Act."

Among other things, it

prohibits discrimination in housing and employment related to sexual orientation and gender identity

Call me naive, but I had no idea you could still fire someone or evict them because they were gay or transgender! The Constitutional Defense of Marriage Alliance and Sutherland Institute "think tank" are issuing rebuttals to this bill and others on the Common Ground Initiative. In fact, both of these groups are claiming that the Common Ground Initiative would pave the way to legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah. On their Website, the Sutherland Institute goes so far to state:

Utahns are now the target of a clever marketing campaign that is presented as a non-threatening effort to find "common ground." Like our friends and families in California, it's now our turn to Stand Up to Protect Marriage here in Utah.

So...let me get this straight. These groups think that because someone can currently get fired for having a picture of their same-sex partner on their desk at work or evicted because they have "a roommate" that they happen to love...they think that these outrageous, discriminatory actions are going to PREVENT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE FROM BEING LEGALIZED IN UTAH (*queue second aneurysm*)???!!!!.

These are basic, legal protections. Why should being gay in a place of employment be taken into greater consideration than a person's performance or accomplishments? What business is it of theirs that someone has their gay friends over for a cocktail or that they share their bed with a person of the same sex? I don't live in Utah any more, but feel that all people in that state should be treated equally and fairly under the law.

What you can do: Donate to or volunteer at Equality Utah.

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Comments

Thank you for sharing

Submitted by anonymous on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 4:49pm.

Thank you for sharing this.

I found that this little bit...

"Utah was where I learned the playful, childrens' game of 'Fag Tag.'"

...demonstrates, perhaps more than anything, a true failure of society, much more so than anything a gay or lesbian supposedly could have done.

utah

Submitted by anonymous on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 10:26pm.

Maybe you should move if its that bad? Duuuuuuuuuuhhhhhh

I did move out of Utah

Submitted by mtbowers on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 11:06am.

As I stated in the article, I am now a citizen of California. Thank you for reading my blog post.

I'm embarrassed to be from Utah

Submitted by anonymous on Sat, 02/07/2009 - 11:13pm.

Move...

Yes, thank you, I did.

Submitted by mtbowers on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 11:08am.

I did move, but wanted to comment on the experiences that I had while living there, as well as the recent dumping of millions of dollars from Utah into California that ultimately affected my life and my marriage in a very serious way.

And, it's not that easy for some people to move. They have jobs, houses, families, etc. For the people that can't leave Utah, they should be treated fairly and equally under the law.

This is not the way to build bridges

Submitted by anonymous on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 1:05am.

"You ignorant, homophobic, sociopathic, fear mongers!!!"

It's very unfortunate that you have experienced homophobia in your home state, but (1) your gross incivility is going to do nothing to enlighten your neighbors and cause them to reconsider their prejudices, and (2) the indignities you have been made to suffer could have happened (in fact, have happened) in every state in the country.

There is a way forward for the LGBT community to gain greater acceptance everywhere -- this indecent outburst by you is most emphatially not it. Please consider whether your actions might be counterproductive.

Gross incivility?

Submitted by mtbowers on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 11:31am.

Thank you for reading my blog post, but let me tell you, I do not feel that the words I expressed were those of "gross incivility." I was remarking that the people who oppose this bill on the basis that it will break down the foundations of marriage are:

a) homophobic - prejudiced against gay people
b) ignorant - uneducated on the gay community
c) sociopathic - disregard the rights of others
d) fear monger - using fear to influence others

My "indecent outburst" is a personal expression. I'm not trying to change people. However, I do understand how it could be interpreted the way you read it, so I have removed that piece from the post.

Good to know the feelings mutual....

Submitted by anonymous on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 4:04am.

Glad to know you hate Utah.. Glad to know the perfect peace loving homosexuals hate others. It seems positively perfect to hear tolerance espoused but none give in return. Maybe homosexuals aren't different from anyone else.. they hate as much as the haters.

I don't hate Utah

Submitted by mtbowers on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 11:24am.

There was nothing in my post that said anything about hate, which you inferred yourself. How is firing someone or evicting them for being gay in any way okay? You're right, I don't tolerate the behavior; but you're wrong in that I don't tolerate other people.

Childishness not limited to Utah

Submitted by anonymous on Sun, 02/08/2009 - 12:13pm.

I am an LDS convert who worked in support of proposition 8, a constitutional amendment that was about protecting the definition of marriage and not about equal rights (there are absolutely zero rights lost or gained by the passage of Prop 8).

What you refer to as "games" you learned in Utah I learned in Washington State. My was brother gay, and I foolishly told him such a joke. His look of disaproval was enough for me to learn sensitivity, but such comments and jokes are hardly unique or specially common in your native state. What your post misleadingly does is brend Utahn's as uniquely bigoted by subtly revealing your own bigoted views against the LDS church. Let the process play out in Utah. You may yet find less reasons to be embarassed. In the meantime, show the very tolerence you preach by resisting the temptation to paint a false picture of the state you hail from.

John