Utah State Sen. Steve Urquhart (R-Washington County) said his anti-discrimination bill,SB100, appears to be dead this week as party leaders in the senate decided to avoid legislation that may impact the federal gay marriage court case.
Urquhart pushed for GOP leaders to allow the bill to have a hearing.
He also called for supporters to leave notes about the bill on the Utah Senate doors. Since then, supporters left about 450 notes urging legislators to hear the bill.
The bill would have amended the current anti-discrimination law which allows people of a different sexual orientation and gender identity to have equal rights for things like employment and housing.
Brandie Balker, executive director for Equality Utah, said she found out about the bill’s inactive status today.
“I am profoundly disappointed,” Balker said. “We know that a majority of Utahns, in many cases and many polls, indicate that a vast majority of Utahns support passage of these basic protections. We know it has been a priority for the Chamber of Commerce for a number of years. We know that a majority of our large employers support passage of these protections. I think it’s disappointing that there seems to be some confusion between the federal court case of marriage equality and this bill, which truly are completely separate and distinct issues.”
Balker said this is the sixth year in a row where a similar bill has been introduced to the Utah Legislature.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Morgan Pratt is a sophomore at Utah State University seeking a degree in Journalism and Communications.
