Salt Lake City: Laws banning employment, housing discrimination of gays begin
(Salt Lake City) Salt Lake City’s landmark ordinances to protect gays from discrimination in housing and employment have taken effect.
Mayor Ralph Becker was joined by gay-rights advocates at a ceremony last week marking enactment of Utah’s first such laws.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorsed the ordinances as protecting people’s right to work and have a roof over their heads. The laws exempt religious organizations, businesses with 15 or fewer employees and some small landlords. They also create a complaint and investigation process for violations.
Equality Utah is campaigning for 10 more Utah cities or counties to pass similar anti-discrimination ordinances this year. Salt Lake County, Utah’s most populous county, has already done so, and Utah’s second largest city, West Valley City, and Park City are moving toward passage.
Salt Lake City: Laws banning employment, housing discrimination of gays begin
(Salt Lake City) Salt Lake City’s landmark ordinances to protect gays from discrimination in housing and employment have taken effect.
Mayor Ralph Becker was joined by gay-rights advocates at a ceremony last week marking enactment of Utah’s first such laws.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorsed the ordinances as protecting people’s right to work and have a roof over their heads. The laws exempt religious organizations, businesses with 15 or fewer employees and some small landlords. They also create a complaint and investigation process for violations.
Equality Utah is campaigning for 10 more Utah cities or counties to pass similar anti-discrimination ordinances this year. Salt Lake County, Utah’s most populous county, has already done so, and Utah’s second largest city, West Valley City, and Park City are moving toward passage.
Salt Lake City: Laws banning employment, housing discrimination of gays begin
(Salt Lake City) Salt Lake City’s landmark ordinances to protect gays from discrimination in housing and employment have taken effect.
Mayor Ralph Becker was joined by gay-rights advocates at a ceremony last week marking enactment of Utah’s first such laws.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorsed the ordinances as protecting people’s right to work and have a roof over their heads. The laws exempt religious organizations, businesses with 15 or fewer employees and some small landlords. They also create a complaint and investigation process for violations.
Equality Utah is campaigning for 10 more Utah cities or counties to pass similar anti-discrimination ordinances this year. Salt Lake County, Utah’s most populous county, has already done so, and Utah’s second largest city, West Valley City, and Park City are moving toward passage.
Zions Bancorp asked to do more for gays, lesbians
(Salt Lake City) An assortment of investor groups represented by the New York City comptroller says Salt Lake City-based Zions Bancorp isn’t doing enough to protect gay, lesbian and transgender employees from discrimination.
But the banking company’s board is urging shareholders to vote against a proposal sponsored by the comptroller’s office on behalf of five city pension funds to amend the regional bank’s equal employment opportunity policy.
The amendment will put to a vote at the company’s annual stockholders meeting May 28. It would explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a preliminary proxy statement released by Zions.
If it is approved, the board wouldn’t be bound to change the bank’s discrimination policy but would consider the idea, according to the proxy.
Zions says the company’s current policies already achieve the objectives of the proposal.
“The company really has a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of discrimination that would cause an employee to perform poorly in their job, meaning if they were troubled by discrimination and it resulted in poor performance, we would have to address that,” said James Abbott, investor relations director at Zions.
The 10-member board agreed unanimously to oppose the proposal. Abbott said the company believes a culture of discrimination could drive out highly productive employees, which might hurt its revenues.
The company also believes it’s up to cities and states to extend protection to gays and lesbians. Such protection exists in liberal-leaning Salt Lake City, but not throughout the rest of conservative Utah.
In an e-mail to The Salt Lake Tribune, comptroller’s office spokesman Greg Bell said the pension funds have a long history of submitting similar shareholder resolutions with the purpose of advancing equality while protecting the investment interest of shareholders.
“All employees should feel safe and accepted in the workplace,” Bell said. “Secondly, a work environment free of fear and harassment is good for the productivity and morale of employees, and the reputation and sustainability of companies.”
The pension funds own 918,244 shares of Zions common stock, about 0.6 percent of the 150.4 million shares in circulation.
Lesbian lawmaker in Utah carries baby for gay men
(Salt Lake City) Rep. Christine Johnson will serve an additional role when the Utah Legislature convenes this month. The lesbian lawmaker announced she’s a surrogate mother, carrying a baby for two gay men.
Johnson, D-Salt Lake City, said she decided to become artificially impregnated with sperm from one of the men …
Film documents Mormon role in gay marriage debate
(Salt Lake City) Reed Cowan’s reasons for making a film about the Mormon church’s activism against gay marriage in California are personal.
Himself gay and Mormon, Cowan clashed with his family over his sexual orientation and the beliefs of their faith, but it was a conversation between him and a sibling …
Behind the news: A new Mormon stand on gays?
It looked like a stunning reversal: the same church that helped defeat gay marriage in California standing with gay-rights activists on an anti-discrimination law in its own backyard.
On Tuesday night, after a series of clandestine meetings between local gay-rights backers and Mormons in Salt Lake City, the Church of Jesus …
HRC statement on Mormon church and gay rights
From HRC:
Today the LDS church announced its support for an inclusive anti-discrimination law in Salt Lake City.
STATEMENT FROM HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN RELIGION AND FAITH PROGRAM DIRECTOR HARRY KNOX:
“This has happened in the LDS Church because people are telling their clergy leaders they believe the church should be about lifting people …
Salt Lake OKs gay rights laws with Mormon backing
(Salt Lake City) The Mormon church for the first time has announced its support of gay rights legislation, an endorsement that helped gain unanimous approval for Salt Lake city laws banning discrimination against gays in housing and employment.
The Utah-based church’s support ahead of Tuesday night’s vote came despite its steadfast …
Results of Utah gov. meeting with gay rights groups
(Salt Lake City) Utah Gov. Gary Herbert met with gay rights advocacy groups Tuesday for the first time since saying he opposes providing legal protections for gay and transgender people.
Herbert took office in mid-August after Jon Huntsman resigned to become U.S. ambassador to China.
Within weeks of his inauguration, Herbert said …
