Equality

The Beehive State has surprised the nation more than a few times – Salt Lake City ranks as one of the most gay-friendly cities in the country, and we elected our first female state senator in 1896 – but we still have a long way to go. Utah ranks 47th in the nation the percentage of women in elected office. Our hate crime laws are vague and ineffective; recent efforts to strengthen the language have been only weakly supported. Local government officials have openly refused to retract racist statements.

Every Utahn deserves to lead a safe and productive life, regardless of their gender, sexual identity, or the color of their skin.

Better Utah StaffBlog

Utah marriage equality will never be theoretical again

Amidst all the legal and political wrangling over marriage equality in Utah, it can be easy to forget that we’re talking about the lives of real people. This oversight was made particularly poignant for me after reading this op-ed in Sunday’s edition of the Salt Lake Tribune. Written by Tom Clark, …

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EqualityNews

All Utahns equal with Amendment 3 ruling

Salt Lake City — Following the ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby, Alliance for a Better UTAH released the following statement: “We are pleased and supportive of the ruling by Judge Shelby to overturn Utah’s discriminatory Amendment 3. For almost a decade, Utahns in loving, committed relationships have …

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Better Utah in the NewsEquality

Distortions abound as LGBT rights are debated in Utah

The Better UTAH Beat airs Tuesday afternoons on KVNU’s For the People. Podcasts of previous episodes are available here. —– Equal rights for our LGBT brothers and sisters who live in Utah has been in the news in a big way in recent weeks. Perhaps the most interesting news has revolved around …

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Better Utah StaffBlog

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Utahns will gather today in Taylorsville to honor members of the transgender community who lost their lives to violence over the last year. The international Transgender Day of Remembrance, which today enters its 15th year, began in San Francisco in 1998 after Rita Hester, a trans-woman, was stabbed to death …

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Better Utah StaffBlog

More women in politics, less ideology

I read an op-ed in the Deseret News this past weekend about women in decision making roles in Utah. It was written by Natalie Gochnour, the chief economist for the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce. The editorial highlighted the many reasons why we need more women in politics and …

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EqualityNews

Op-Ed: Urquhart deserves LGBT praise, but there’s much to be done

Troy Williams, KRCL producer and new Better UTAH board member, warned LGBT Utahns against single issue voting in an op-ed that ran over the weekend in the Salt Lake Tribune. It is true that the LGBT community needs support from thoughtful legislators like Urquhart, but just as Urquhart has weighed the …

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Better Utah in the NewsEquality

Small town pride festivals play important role

The Better UTAH Beat airs Tuesday afternoons on KVNU’s For the People. Podcasts of previous episodes are available here. —– Every summer I have heard the same thing–why do gay people celebrate Pride. As gay people have become more and more open and visibility and acceptance has increased, I hear this question …

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Better Utah StaffBlog

Gay rights are dead. Long live gay rights.

Marriage equality is inevitable. It might take a little longer to get to Utah, but there will be marriage equality here within the decade, if not sooner. As the chief goal of the gay rights movement since the early 2000s reaches completion, the question becomes: what next? Is this the …

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