Salt Lake City Council Stunned by UT Legislators: Human Rights Battle Brewing

By kelli Busey/planetransgender

Salt Lake City human rights struggle pits the privileged, empowered LDS right-wing against the multi denominational and non secular underprivileged, marginalized, economically downtrodden masses.

In the red corner Utah State Senator Chris 'I never seen these facts' Buttars. In the Blue corner Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph 'Human dignity' Becker.

The prize: The center of the religious and moral high ground dominated presently by the LDS right wing, for the accountability and treatment of LGBT people in Utah.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that "For more than a year, Salt Lake City leaders have cataloged cases of discrimination against gay and transgender residents who lost their jobs or their homes -- simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

"But if the city passes an anti-discrimination ordinance to outlaw such prejudice, state lawmakers are signaling they may shred it when the Legislature convenes in five months."

"Depending on how they carve out a protected class," House Speaker Dave Clark says, "it creates a concern that is something we would want to look at."

"Sen. Chris Buttars, a vehement gay-rights critic, doubts discrimination against gay and transgender people is a significant problem." And Buttars reiterates his rational for opposing GLBT rights "I've never seen any facts. I see these wild accusations,"

According to KLS.com channel 5 "Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker says he heard Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, may try to reverse any non-discrimination ordinance, which the state does have power to do."

"We hope they will be considerate of us as we certainly want to be considerate of other communities," Becker said. "We have discrimination, and it's documented, and it's not significant."

Audio courtesy of KCPW of interview with Mayor Becker Download this story.

Source: Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission

7.6 » Percentage of Salt Lake City residents who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
3.2 » Percentage of Utah's population that does.
539 » Number of employment-discrimination claims of all types in Utah last year.
105 » Number of housing-discrimination claims of all types in Utah last year.
3 » Number of calls the state received, on average, each month about employment discrimination based on sexual orientation when it voluntarily tracked such data.
58 » Percentage of unemployed in Salt Lake City's disabled population.
31 » Percentage of residents who speak a language other than English at home.

House Speaker Dave Clarke is elected by a "Protected Class" that is fighting to maintain its financial and religious dominance in order to control the press and to issue religious edict's that superimposes it's will over all people regardless if there is proven discrimination. That is the protected class Speaker Dave Clark owes his allegiance to.

The Mayor of Salt Lake City needs to know you STAND with him. He is putting his political career on the line for your life. His "HOT TOPIC" response the week of August 24-30: Salt Lake City Mayor Asks for LGBT Protection Feed Back