Mormons Building Bridges lobbies for protecting gays from bias

LGBT » Proposal would help Utah’s gay community from facing discrimination in employment and housing.

By ray parker

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Feb 19 2013 08:17 pm • Last Updated Feb 28 2013 09:25 pm

Mormons Building Bridges on Tuesday announced its support for a statewide nondiscrimination policy for gay Utahns.

The loosely formed group, which garnered media attention when members marched in last year’s Utah Pride Festival, has more than 2,364 members on the group’s Facebook page —one place where the organization posted its support for a nondiscrimination policy.

"Mormons Building Bridges is an organization devoted to reaching out to the LGBT community and making our congregations safe and welcoming for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered [LGBT] people," the group’s statement on Facebook reads.

Currently, 17 Utah municipalities have a nondiscrimination LGBT policy in regards to employment and/or housing, according to Equality Utah, a non-profit devoted to civil rights issues.

And for the past five years, LGBT advocates have tried to lobby for a similar policy to be passed in the state legislature. Despite strong support in public polls and endorsements from prominent business leaders, the effort died last year in a state Senate committee.

Certain groups have endorsed the effort, such as the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, and business executives from Ancestry.com, 1-800-Contacts and eBay. Other conservative groups, including the Utah Eagle Forum, oppose the measure.

Recently, attorneys for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been in quiet discussions with LGBT leaders, trying to hammer out language for a statewide ban on housing and employment discrimination that the church could support.

The Church’s communication office did not comment Tuesday on the issue.

In the past two years, Equality Utah has been working with cities and counties across the state to pass nondiscrimination ordinances that protect LGBT Utahns from employment and housing discrimination.

" We see the statement of support for statewide workplace and housing nondiscrimination amendments as a clear demonstration that these protections reflect the common values of most Utahns," Brandie Balken, executive director of Equality Utah, said in a statement.

Balken said the employment and housing nondiscrimination bill is expected to come up Friday or Monday, where it could be moved into a standing Senate committee the following week, and then to the full floor of the Senate. Afterward, it would move to the House, where the process would begin again.

rparker@sltrib.com

Twitter: @rayutah

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