The wording is about the same, but the rhetoric isn't.
Rep. Aaron Tilton, R-Springville, didn't even mention gay support clubs in high schools when he presented his bill last Friday.
But Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, talked of little else Monday during a debate over SB97.
"These are places that condition our young people to accept homosexuality," he said. "I believe the Gay-Straight Alliance is covered in this bill and the school districts can make a decision."
And the state would handle any lawsuits filed if school districts decide to reject the Gay-Straight Alliance or any other club.
Buttars said school boards could stop the Gay-Straight Alliance from meeting on school property because such clubs advocate "sexual activity outside of legally recognized marriage."
Tilton said the legislation would not ban the Gay-Straight Alliance, but simply set guidelines restricting discussions of sex or contraceptives.
Buttars and Tilton have amended their bills to weaken the bill's stance against clubs involving human sexuality. The amendments removed provisions banning students from pronouncing their sexual orientation or expressing views on the topic. Attorney General Mark Shurtleff asked for the amendment to avoid a possible constitutional challenge.
Buttars expects his version of the bill to go forward, though he still needs to talk to Tilton before making that decision. Both bills passed with Republicans voting for it and Democrats against.
Murray Democratic Senator Patrice Arent said: "I don't see the need for this bill. I think it is going to do more harm than good."
Buttars frames the debate in moral and religious terms.
He believes homosexuality violates America's "traditional morals" and Utah's 14 active Gay-Straight Alliances "indoctrinate" students to support that "immorality."
"If we continue down the road of tearing down the pillars of traditional morality, what will be left with? Only the philosophies of men," Buttars said.
After the hearing, emotional students from Hunter High's Gay-Straight Alliance gathered outside of the committee room to comfort each other. They have tracked the bill and lobbied lawmakers, saying the club is a social network that increases student's self-esteem, encourages diversity and protects students from bullies.
