Utah cities and counties, pondering whether they should follow Salt Lake City's lead on protecting gay and transgender residents from discrimination, could get a green light from an unexpected source: Sen. Chris Buttars.

Buttars, a West Jordan Republican and fiery opponent of gay rights, said Wednesday he "very well might" sponsor legislation in 2010 that would allow local governments to adopt such anti-discrimination measures for housing and employment -- but forbid them from going any further on gay rights.

"Maybe we ought to have a statewide bill that allows those things," Buttars said, "but that's all it allows. No creep."

Buttars said he opposes any "legislative creep" toward gay marriage.

The senator, who previously talked about running a bill to overturn Salt Lake City's newly minted ordinances, said his stance changed after the LDS Church announced its support last week of the capital's plan to protect gay and transgender people from discrimination in housing and employment.

In the 2009 Legislature, Buttars was among the most vociferous foes of the Common Ground Initiative, a failed collection of gay-rights bills, which included employment and housing safeguards for all gay and transgender Utahns. He also caused an uproar when, in an interview with a documentary filmmaker, he said gay activists have no morals and pose "probably the greatest threat to America."

In 2010, Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake City,

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plans to -- for the third time -- introduce a bill that would extend fair employment protections to gay and transgender people statewide. Now it appears Buttars could support it.

"A person has a right to have a house or a job without worrying about their sexual orientation," Buttars said. "Those two issues, I don't think, are creep."

Will Carlson, Equality Utah's public-policy manager, said it's unclear what a Buttars bill -- preventing local governments from going further than Salt Lake City -- would do. In 2008, the Legislature OK'd Salt Lake City's mutual-commitment registry, which helps same-sex couples secure hospital-visitation rights along with health-insurance benefits offered by willing employers. Salt Lake City, Park City and Salt Lake County offer insurance to the partners of their gay and lesbian employees.

"There's not much more that a municipal authority can address," Carlson said. "Utah already passed Amendment 3 [banning gay marriage or its equivalent] so his big concern about creeping toward marriage equality is something that a city can't do."

Still, Carlson was pleased to hear of Buttars' softened stand. "It shows even the most hostile person can become an ally once they understand the issues a little better."

Gayle Ruzicka, leader of the conservative Eagle Forum, expressed disbelief at the notion that her longtime ally would run a bill authorizing other cities to pass ordinances that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She chalked it up to a "misunderstanding."

"That doesn't make a bit of sense," she said. Cities and counties, she added, already can pass such ordinances -- Salt Lake City did just that.

Ruzicka, along with the conservative Sutherland Institute, wants to see the Legislature overturn Salt Lake City's ordinances and forbid other local governments from passing such measures. But she said a bill that would prevent cities and counties from going further than that "would be good."

rwinters@sltrib.com

gehrke@sltrib.com