Tonight I attended and spoke at the Salt Lake City Council meeting during which the Church announced that it supported a proposed ordinance that would ban discrimination against gay people in employment and housing. This is the first time the Church has formerly supported such an initiative at any level of government. Prior to this announcement, the Church had made statements against discrimination in a global fashion, but nothing so specific. From this point of view, it was not a departure from current public policy statements. In no way does this announcement indicate approval of any kind of one's claim to be gay, but it does make a strong commitment to non-discrimination. The representative of the Church mentioned in his carefully scripted comments that this ordinance would 'do no violence' to marriage.
I was very proud of the Church this evening and said so in my comments to the Council.
The ordinance passed unanimously. Three of the council members who are very active members of the Church spoke at length after the vote about their support of the ordinance and about their pride in being members of the Church.
4 comments:
Thanks for the update. I am glad to see you active in the community and not at odds with the church here. Kudos to everyone involved.
This is part of an ongoing effort by the church to clearly delineate what it can accept and what it cannot. The church has made statements and hinted in the past that this was something that it could accept, though I do find the statement "does not do violence to the institution of marriage" to be a rather odd expression. I wonder if the recent behavior of the opponents to Prop 8 in California led to the use of the word "violence." I would have used the word "harm" instead.
I saw the channel 5 KSL News at 10PM and they had you on there as you were speaking. I was glad to see that you made it on the news and also that both sides could finally agree on something here and support something. With the many bills that are being proposed in the legislature this year maybe we can come to more agreements.
In response to Brian, I too am happy even relieved to have such positive feelings toward the church. We have indeed been at odds.
Alan is right. I don't think the Church is changing any position at all. But it is showing an awareness that society is changing and that it needs to recognize this for the sake of its LDS families that deal with gay and lesbian family members. Our family, it seems to me, as dealt with me and Nick extremely fairly and with love in spite of whatever sorrow my orientation and decision regarding that orientation has caused.. But unfortunately, I know of good LDS families who have struggled a lot, sometimes split from the church or each other, constantly debating the issue. I hope this statement by the church helps.
I too found the word 'violence' to be a bit too much. But I understand that they needed to send the strongest possible message to members who might be troubled by their position that they in now way where shrinking from their position on marriage.
To Deric, I hope, hope, hope that you are right. But I fear our legislature given its record regarding gay people. I hope that this position by the church will temper their inclinations. The Sutherland Institute (a conservative and dare I say principally mormon non-church affiliated think tank based here in SLC) has announced its intent to try to influence the state legislature to negate the ordinance.
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