Earlier this month, I attended a meeting of a professional organization of which I am a regional board member. On our meeting's agenda, Salt Lake City was listed as a potential host city for conferences in 2013 and 2014. A fellow board member said that he would not attend any meeting held in Salt Lake City because of the role of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the passage of Proposition 8 in California. A lengthy discussion ensued, and it became clear that the organization, whose meetings attract 8,000 members annually, will not be holding meetings in our state in the foreseeable future.

How many organizations are making similar decisions, and what will that cost us as a state? According to the Utah State University extension office, in 2006 Utah tourism brought $5.87 billion in traveler spending, supported 125,800 jobs and generated $467 million in tax revenue.

Examples abound of ways in which our reputation as a state plays a significant role in bringing money into our economy. Unfortunately, the LDS Church's widely publicized stance is being interpreted as the state's position -- unfairly but inevitably -- and we will all suffer the consequences.

Carolyn Connell

Salt Lake City