This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In their debut action, members of Justice Vanguard interrupted the final gubernatorial debate on Tuesday by shouting the names of seven LGBT suicide victims. The deaths, reported on in the national news, have been tied to anti-gay harassment.
The eight activists were ejected from the televised debate at the University of Utah's Libby Gardner Concert Hall.
Eric Ethington, one of three co-chairs of the new direct-action group, said, in a news release, the protest was aimed at Gov. Gary Herbert's refusal to support statewide anti-discrimination protections for gay and transgender Utahns. Ethington also writes about the event on his blog.
Herbert's challenger, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, has adopted such housing and employment safeguards in Salt Lake County and supports extending the measures statewide.