Saintless

From the day that Sam Granato announced that he was seeking the Democratic Nomination for Bob Bennett’s Senate seat, I’ve felt a resistance against supporting him. There are plenty of reasons that could explain that resistance I felt, but what it came down to was a gut instinct.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I don’t dislike Sam Granato as a person. I love his Deli downtown, and I think his businesses are a great asset to our community.

I do admit that I held out hope that Pete Ashdown would run for Bennett’s seat. And it’s no secret that I really admire Pete Ashdown both as a person and as a political candidate. And that was definitely a reason to resist Granato. However, I couldn’t imagine even giving Granato my secondary support. He was a candidate I could ignore, but not a candidate I could admire.

I’ve never felt that he had any strong opinions on issues that were important to me. I’ve talked with him several times, and had conversations with Rob Miller about considering an endorsement. But, he just never had anything important to say. He wasn’t passionate about an issue, he didn’t have ideas on how to fix any of the issues that we face. In fact, the only thing I can remember him saying about economic recovery is that because he owns a business, he knows how to create jobs. And that’s just a little too presumptuous to me. There was no true plan telling how to create more jobs, how job creation will fit into the big picture, or even what sort of jobs need to be created.

The powers that be within the Democratic Party seem to have embraced Granato as a candidate from day 1. Granted, I haven’t had any discussions with Wayne Holland about the Senate candidacy, but when last year’s Vice Chair escorts a candidate to all the parties, it’s clear that at least the impression will be that the insiders of the party support him. And once the insiders support a candidate, the rest of us seem to follow along. Except that I don’t think that the delegate are quite the same crowd that they usually are. And the presence at the Salt Lake County Convention of so many Claudia Wright supporters seems to give evidence of that.

I believe that the delegates, are paying attention to the issues, and if you consider Sam Granato on the issues, he really has no stance on anything. And that lack of a position isn’t enough to convince Democratic Delegates who are paying attention, nor is it enough to convince the general Utah population that he’s a worthy candidate.

As delegates, there tend to be two things that we think about. The first, which is the most important to me, is whether the candidate is someone I believe in. Are they someone who represents my values? Are they true Democrats? Are my issues of importance to them? Can they provide leadership and reasoned opinions on issues of importance today?

And with Sam Granato’s history of donations to Orrin Hatch and GW Bush, I don’t feel like he has a history of believing in Democratic values. I don’t feel that my issues (environment, equality, health care) are issues that he really has any passion about. Issues of the day (economics, job recovery, future foreign policy) are not issues that I think that Granato has any particular experience in.

The second thing we think about is whether a candidate can win in the general election. I’ll leave that topic alone for now, and go back to the first.

A friend told me recently that Granato has “put the work in” and deserves the Democratic nomination. I was a bit aghast, because this person’s political opinions are ones I respect very much, and I felt that he was really just falling in line with the political game with this one. What I think it really came down to was that my friend hadn’t had the chance to really evaluate Stout’s opinions, and felt that even though he knew Granato would lose the primary, that at least Granato had shown up.

Now, my initial response was to point out that he couldn’t name one thing that Granato had actually done besides use donations to sponsor certain groups who later endorsed him, and show up to all the fun parties. And while that stuff is important, it really doesn’t mean a damn thing in the long run. When our next Senator begins voting, are we going to say “well, at least he was at the parties”? I know I’m not.

The thing that really sealed Sam Granato’s fate for me was a little more recent, though. Let me begin with this quote from Sam Granato’s campaign site, a portion of his address to Utah County Democrats:

I have friends who are judges, police officers, printers, paramedics, and every other sort of professional. I’m not dropping names here. I just want you to know that my first-name friends come from all walks of life. They are good people. I love ‘em all. But I would never judge them. We are told: “Judge not that ye be judged.” I believe that with all my heart.

And yes, I have friends who are gay. I have friends who have been in trouble with the law. ( I hired a few of those folks, hoping to give them a second chance.) And I have friends who have been through the trauma of abortion – including a close friend whose teenage daughter made that troublesome decision.

I do my best not to judge any of them. They are human beings. They deserve my love and concern – just as you do – just as all my friends do.

Now, this just really gets me angry. I’m a bisexual woman, and I don’t like politicians who compare me to criminals, and then offer human compassion. I typically call those politicians right-wingers. And when it comes from a candidate for a Democratic nomination, I typically call them traitors. I can’t believe that he turns around and sponsors LGBT events, and even gets the Stonewall Board’s endorsement, after spewing that trash.

And maybe most of my readers won’t get why that statement bothers me so badly. I won’t even get into the abortion thing. But, imagine that he’d said “I have friends who are black. I have friends who have been in trouble with the law.” Or maybe substitute “girls”, or “atheists” or “Catholics” or whatever else might be unique about you, but not mainstream in our society. Or, let me put it another way:

Because gays and criminals and people who have abortions are all bad people who he tries not to judge?

So, no – I can’t support Sam Granato. He’s not a candidate I can either understand or promote.

Tags: Sam Granato, US Senate

Before I begin my story, I want to mention a bit of backstory that I think is relevant. Recently, outside of Piper Down, a gay man and his partner got beat up. Eric Ethington, of Pride In Utah, wrote two articles about it. Part I, and Part II. I know that when Eric talked to Dave Morris, the owner of Piper Down, that Dave was very concerned about what the effects of this event might be on Piper Down. While Piper Down is known for being an Irish Pub, it also happens to have a large client base in the LGBT community, and it is a very gay-friendly pub.

After I talked to Eric about the events, I was a bit concerned, although I have to say I was also surprised. I’ve been familiar with many of the staff of Piper Down for a few years, and I know Dave well enough to know that he would never intentionally let something like this happen. Eric’s second article, along with a conversation he had with Dave Morris that he told me about, both made me feel like this was not a trend, or something likely to happen again at Piper Down.

So, back to my story. I decided that I wanted to watch the Jazz game from somewhere more social than my couch. So, I headed out to my favorite sports grill, SkyBox, at the Gateway. Because I was alone, and the atmosphere just wasn’t quite what I was looking for, I ended up heading to Piper Down at halftime.

I’m not normally a patron on Sunday evenings. I tend to go there Wednesdays for Geeks Who Drink (which is a recent occurrence), and to many Drinking Liberally events on Fridays that happen to fall on my ex’s weekend with the kids, along with the occasional Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon brunch with friends. But, the staff on Sunday evening was not anyone I was very familiar with.

I sat at the bar, which is very unusual for me. The bartender, “Not Jared”, was very nice and struck up a conversation with me while the crowd was at a lull. Things got a bit busy, and about that time, a strange guy that gave me the creep vibes came up to the bar next to me. I was on Twitter, and pretty much just ignored him. I said enough back not to be completely rude, but made it clear I had no interest.

At one point, “Not Jared” came over and the guy moved on. It didn’t seem like a big deal at that point. He gave me the creeps, but hadn’t done anything too far over the line. But, he ended up coming back again. He kept trying to talk to me about the Jazz game, and I just stared at the tv, and ignored him the best I could. He went away again for a while, and the game was over. Karaoke had started, so I got my check and was just going to finish my Guinness and leave. Mr. Creepy came back over and was talking to me yet again, and his friend came up on the other side of me. The pretense was ordering a drink. I responded by staring intently at my phone, and doing my best to ignore them. My personal space was feeling very voilated, though.

Finally, Mr. Creepy said goodbye, and I couldn’t quite tell if he was leaving or not. I got the impression he was leaving the bar, but he and his buddy went back to their table. I decided to head to the powder room, and then sneak out if I could, without getting their attention.

Well, that worked out like my mom’s second marriage. Mr. Creepy’s friend came into the ladies’ room just as I finished washing my hands. I had pulled my phone out and was looking at Twitter to see if there was anything I wanted to respond to before I left the bar, and in the guy walks. I told him he was in the wrong room. He responded that he didn’t think he was. I emphatically told him he was in the wrong room, and so he stepped back out the door, and then came back in and told me I was in the wrong room.

Under normal circumstances, I would have chalked it up to the fact that maybe drunk people aren’t used to what the difference between “Lassies” and “Laddies” is, but this guy being Mr. Creepy’s buddy was just too much.

I practically ran out of the room, and went up to the bar. “Not Jared” happened to be near, and I told him that a guy who had been bugging me was in the ladies’room. He responded immediately by going to the other end and getting a bouncer on the situation immediately.

I then asked for an escort out to my Jeep. I had to wait a moment for the other bouncer to return. I feel bad because I can’t remember his name. I’ve talked to him quite often when I’ve been out back smoking, but it’s probably been since last summer since that happened. Anyway, he was very sweet about walking me out. He said that those guys had never been to Piper before and that they were watching them carefully, because they seemed to be bothering single women. That explains why “Not Jared” came over the first time, and the guy took off.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask anyone – girl, guy, gay, straight – that if you’re in a place of business, especially a bar, and someone makes you feel uncomfortable, please just ask someone to walk you to your car. Don’t let your ego become more important than your safety. I know that advice doesn’t apply to all situations, and it’s not likely to have helped the couple mentioned at the beginning of this story, but I really think that anytime you feel red flags, that you should be safe, rather than sorry. Even if 99 times out of 100 that a bouncer escorts someone to their car there was never any danger, that 1 time that there is makes the rest of the times worth it.

I’m very grateful to the staff at Piper Down for protecting me when I didn’t feel safe. And that added to Eric’s comments about the previous events at Piper made me realize that while no place can ever be 100% safe, nor can bouncers ever prevent 100% of problems, Piper Down really is concerned about the safety of it’s patrons, and I won’t be afraid to go there again by myself. And I’d like to offer my thanks to Dave Morris, and his great choices in staff, for making Piper Down such a great place to be. There’s a reason that’s my favorite pub.

Also – nice win, Jazz! I hope we take out the Nuggets on game 5! Go, Jazz, Go!

I owe you guys a blog on how the not smoking is going (great, but there’s a story!) and on politics (especially why I’m passionate about supporting Christopher Stout). But for now, I’m 2 hours past my bedtime and exhausted – I’m going to bed!

Tags: Piper Down

Eric Ethington, of Pride in Your Community, set up a candlelight vigil tonight. I was pleased to see that the ratio of men to women attending was about 40/60. I often bemoan the fact that in Utah, all the activists seem to be male, but we almost made up 50% this time!

I met quite a few interesting people tonight. There were at least two women from Utah County. One of which had only come out to her family last week, only to find out that they weren’t surprised. There was a woman there who brought her parents, who were very pleasant to chat with. My friend Justan’s whole family seemed to be there, including his adorable 2 year old brother.

I am really glad that I got a chance to go. I seem to have missed about 90% of the social and political events lately. And I got to meet some great people that really have made me feel very good about where our movement is going. It seems that more and more family members are standing up to support their LGBT sons and daughters and fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers. Not only supporting them, but actively taking a stand, talking to their coworkers, or their friends, and making it known that they are proud of their loved ones who happen to be LGBT.

Sometimes it’s hard to see the progress we are making. This is a fight that people like myself have been having since before I was born. And the progress from having homes and gay bars raided, and gay people sent to jail, to a more honest debate about protecting people from being fired because they’re gay, or even transgender, is a lot of progress. Although there are discouraging moments, and progress really just can’t happen fast enough, this is a battle that we are winning. And we will continue to win. The next generation, my children’s children, might not even understand that there ever was an issue. And that’s what this is all about. Equality isn’t about getting special rights for a certain group. It’s about true equality, where the difference in skin color, or who you want to fall in love with, or whether you’re male or female aren’t seen as a difference when it comes to living your everyday life. And if you can be fired, or evicted, or denied a marriage license, or arrested – your life is much different, and you are forced to hide a part of yourself because of it.

ENDA needs to pass. And it needs to pass with transgender protections. I can’t advocate for protection for myself, when my brothers and sisters who have fought for me will get left behind. And Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, has said that she the Employment NonDiscrimination Act would be her next priority. We need to make sure this happens.

Please call Speaker Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Ask that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, HR 3017, move to a vote. As always, please be polite, but firm. After you call, I’d love to know how the call went in the comments. And then get your loved ones to call, too.

As a side note, tonight was also Earth Hour 2010. I somehow missed this – I typically participate and turn my lights out for the specified hour. I’m not sure how that happened, but I wouldn’t have been home anyway, since I was up at the Capitol during that time. It was nice to talk to the guy who set this up at Capitol Hill. I can’t remember his name, but he came by and talked to us for a few minutes. It was only dusk at that point, so I hadn’t yet noticed that the lights were out (outside, though since there was a prom going on inside, those lights weren’t turned out!), but as I looked around, I did notice that all of the outside lights were out. Even though I wasn’t able to participate, this is something that concerns me on a daily basis. I always try to keep the lights and unused appliances turned off, when possible. And that’s the point of Earth Hour – to bring attention to the daily things we can do on an individual basis.

Tags: Earth Hour, ENDA, Pride in Utah

Handwritten Valentine poem "To Susanna", (Cork, Ireland dated Valentine's Day, 1850).

Having grown up without holidays (because I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness), I’ve really enjoyed them as an adult. I’ve always looked forward to the traditions and excitement, and yes – even the presents. But, mostly the traditions.

As much as I like the idea of Valentine’s Day, it is the one holiday that, over the years, I’ve come to have a bit of a problem with. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be one of romance and affection – bonding with your sweetheart. And I’m sure that for some people, that’s exactly what it is. But, in my experience, that’s rare. People are so drawn into the commercialization, that the feelings that should go into a day to celebrate love are often resentment, and financially based. If you take away the flower delivery, store-bought chocolates and overpriced dining, what’s left of Valentine’s Day?

I think that Christmas can get away with being commercialized, because it has so much more history and tradition associated with it, along with religious services, and holidays that are important to other cultures, so even when businesses try to turn it into a spending spree, many people are able to maintain that holiday spirit, and remind themselves what it’s all about.

But, the traditions that are associated with Valentine’s Day prior to it becoming a Hallmark Holiday are not common to our modern culture. I’ve never had anyone write poetry for me, much less handcraft a Valentine’s card. While a present is something that should always be appreciated, Valentine’s Day is a day for an expression of love, which should come from the heart, and not just the wallet.

I don’t expect anything less from businesses than to try to cash in on any opportunity to make money, but I do wish that society wasn’t so accepting of it.

On a related note, City Weekly asked me to do an interview for their “5 Spot” column, and that came out this evening. It was rather fun, because this is the first time I’ve ever been in the paper just for myself. I’ve been on the air and in print more times than I can count, but it was always about the Obama campaign, or some other political or social cause. So, this article was rather exciting! Here’s how he introduced me:

Salt Lake City political blogger and LGBT-rights advocate Misty Fowler blogs at Saintless.com. In honor of Valentine’s Day and that crazy little thing called love, Fowler speaks out about the virtues of being bisexual.

You’ll have to visit City weekly for the rest of the column. The last question in the article could be taken as if I were saying that everyone should be bisexual. I’m not sure now of the context of what I said, but I don’t think that everyone can be bisexual – people are who they are, whether it’s straight, gay or bi. I do, however, think that everyone should be open to being who they are. And I wish everyone would be more accepting of who other people are. The world is a better place because of our differences, not in spite of them.

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone – gay, straight, bi, single, married, or still falling – I hope you’ll take a moment to consider what love means. (And if you’re single – it’s the perfect day to attend a Singles Awareness Day Party – you’ll know that no one there is taken!)

Tags: holidays, Valentine's Day

Tonight I was on KRCL’s RadioActive program with Curtis Haring and Glen Brown. I’m hoping to post about that soon, but I’ve only got one more blog in me tonight before I give out. One of the topics that came up was the compromise reached at the legislature, where it was agreed that sponsors of all pro-LGBT and all anti-LGBT legislation would back off for the year.

This was a surprising move, because I expected that we would have a fighting chance (and possibly the LDS Church endorsement again) for LGBT Housing Protections, like we had in Salt Lake City. Of course, there were plenty of other bills that would be coming up, too. But, this was one that I really thought needed to happen this year – it’s the perfect time for it, and also the most likely.

I hadn’t seen this video when I was on the air earlier, but I wish that I had. Rep. Christine Johnson explains why the truce was called for this year, including backstory that we may have only guessed at without her telling us.

Now, what I argued on the air was that I thought that this would allow for both sides to work together and possibly come to a compromise, and hopefully that the Republicans might gain more understanding for LGBT issues. I said that I thought it was a good idea.

What I didn’t say was that I was really conflicted, too. I can see the other side – I can see people wondering why we didn’t go for the housing bill while we had the best chance, and thinking we’d given in to the other side.

I didn’t say that because, although I can understand it, my gut instinct says it was the right thing to do. And that was before watching Rep. Johnson’s explanation.

One more thing I want to add – more of our Senators and Representatives need to do this. Hearing directly from her on this issue really calmed any doubts that I had. So, thank you, Rep. Johnson. I hope others follow your lead.

(h/t to Eric at PrideInUtah for the video)

This was written by Isaac Higham, who was kind enough to let me repost it here.

To the girl who sat two rows behind me in class today,

Don’t think I didn’t hear you. The professor was going along in his lecture discussing socioemotional development in early adulthood when he made an aside comment during the slide on Gay and Lesbian young adults, about how there has been much controversy over gay marriage lately. It was then that you made your snide remark “Yeah and they won’t shut up about it.”

It is clear, my fellow classmate, that you just do not understand.

While you may have your reasons- legitimate or not- for disliking the idea of gay marriage, your comment shows you have a clear disgust for LGBT persons fighting and working for their rights. Yes, gay marriage is the media darling and the hot button issue of the movement, but marriage is not the be all end all of this struggle.

Did you know that one can still be fired from their job, not because of poor job performance, but simply because they are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender? Are you aware that they can similarly be evicted from their housing for the same reason?

Not only can one legally be discriminated against in the work place based solely on their sexual orientation, our federal government actually mandates such discrimination in the military. Is it fair, in your disgusted eyes, that a man or woman who loves serving their country should face a choice of losing their job or going against their values and integrity and lying about who they are?

Do you think it right that the partners of such service members- who make such immense sacrifices sending their loved one off to a foreign land to serve the country- should be forced to be invisible and hide their relationship and love so their partner can keep their job? Is it an American value that they be denied the opportunity to end a phone call with “I love you” out of fear of repercussions?

Do you understand that Gay and Lesbian families are denied insurance coverage for their families? Do you comprehend that despite drawing up legal documents (that they have to remember to carry with them wherever they travel), they can still be denied to chance to visit their partner in the hospital in a time when families need to be together most, and in some cases when one is on their death bed?

Do you realize that heterosexual couples are able to immigrate their married partners to the United States if their spouse is not a citizen, but that gay and lesbian couples are denied this same protection?

Are you aware that we live in a state where a court has ruled that despite having signed co-parenting and co-guardianship agreements, a person can be denied visitation to a child they have helped raise because these agreements don’t offer the same protections as those offered to married heterosexual couples?

Did you know that there is an epidemic of gay homeless youth? Up to 40% of all homeless youth identify as LGBT.

Is this something you understand? I don’t think you do.

So while you continue to mock with scorn the efforts of LGBT persons to obtain the over 1,100 federal level and hundreds of state level rights denied them in marriage, maybe you could at least take a minute and open your heart to understand that there is so much more going on here.

You just don’t understand that these are real issue affecting real people. You just don’t seem to understand.

Do these things seem like fair and just policies to you? If they do, then it appears that I am the one who just doesn’t understand.

Signed,
Isaac Higham

Tags: Isaac Higham

Children across this country are being bullied at school, being called gay, and harassed for it. Not all of these children are gay. But, they are being tormented over it. So far this year, at least 2 children have killed themselves because of it. 11 year-old Carl Walker-Hoover felt so tormented by other children at school that he hung himself just a couple of weeks ago. Last week, Jaheem Herrera followed that same path.

On Thursday afternoon, after returning home from school, fifth-grader Jaheem quietly went into his room and hanged himself. His 10-year-old sister, Yerralis, also a fifth-grader, discovered Jaheem’s dead body.

“His sister was screaming, ‘Get him down, get him down,’” said Norman Keene, who helped raise Jaheem since the boy was two years old.

When Keene got to the room, he saw Yerralis holding her brother, trying to remove the pressure of the noose her brother had fashioned with a fabric belt.

Jaheem was bullied relentlessly, his family said. Keene said the family knew the boy was a target, but until his death they didn’t understand the scope.

“We’d ask him, ‘Jaheem, what’s wrong with you?’” Keene recalled. “He’d never tell us.”

He didn’t want his sister to tell, either. She witnessed much of the bullying, and many times rose to her brother’s defense, Keene said.

“They called him gay and a snitch,” his stepfather said. “All the time they’d call him this.”

This should not be happening to our children. It just shouldn’t. These people calling themselves Christians who spread the idea that it’s ok to hate and harass people for being gay must have read about a different Christ than I did. It makes me think of what Mahatma Gandhi said:

I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.

Being so mean to an 11 year old boy that he commits suicide is just something I cannot fathom. Each of these boys had endured this enough that their parents were trying to get the school to help. This wasn’t a one time thing for either of them. This was ongoing, and so hurtful that they each took their own lives. My heart is broken, I am sitting at my desk in tears.

And then I find this atrocity, by the Illinois Family Institute, a group pretending to spread the ideas of Christ:

If you cannot bring yourself to watch all of it, here is part of what I took away from it. The music in the background is a bit ominous, and it seems to be aimed at children. The purpose is for them to not participate in the Day of Silence, which was April 16, and was intended to bring attention anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.

The video is titled Dare to Stand: Rethinking the Day of Silence.

It tells children that “schools are being …coerced…to bring attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender name calling, bullying, and harassment.”

So, it’s telling children that bullying and harassing other children for being gay is ok.

It goes on to say “Hiding beneath this glossy veneer is the truth than in nearly every study it is the homosexual who is more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, to accept abusive relationships,  to acquire and spread sexually transmitted diseases, to suffer in depression and doubt, even to view suicide as a solution.”

My jaw dropped at this. It’s almost as if they’re trying to tell these kids that if they bully another kid for being gay, and that kid commits suicide, it’s just because the kid was gay, and the harassment had nothing to do with it.

The video portrays this teacher with a ruler slapping a child for reading a bible, and then throwing it away. The child goes on to “stand up” for the bible and for the idea that homosexuality is wrong.

This video made me sick. The video is seriously defending bullies. It’s a response to the Day of Silence, and a response to these 11 year old boys who took their own lives as a result of anti-gay bullying. It’s just so wrong I want to scream. This is NOT CHRISTIAN. Jesus Christ would NEVER have done this, or condoned this. You take your beliefs that being gay is wrong and believe whatever you want, but the moment it hurts someone else, even if it’s just their feelings, you become the worst kind of hypocrite imaginable.

Not another child should ever die for a reason like this. Ever.

Tags: Christianity, Day of Silence, suicide

According to ABC 4 News, the LDS Church released the following statement:

From the outset, the Church’s position has always been to engage in civil and respectful dialogue on this issue. Senator Buttars does not speak for the Church.

Given President Waddoups obvious reluctance at disagreeing with or censuring Buttars, I have to wonder if the LDS Church might have put a bug in Waddoups’ ear that this needed to happen. Not that I know anything about how all that stuff works. Even if that’s not the case, I truly appreciate the LDS Church’s statement, and I gained a bit of respect for them because of it.

Tags: LDS Church, Senator Chris Buttars, Senator Michael Waddoups

This is being reposted with permission from the lovely Dominique Storni:

2-20-2009
10:05am
(feel free to post & repost)

Dominique Storni

I’d like to say a little something about Senator Chris Buttars, the President of the Utah State Senate, Michael Waddoups, and what took place at the Utah State Capitol at this morning’s press conference.

Many are upset with how Senator Waddoups responded; that he was maudlin, didn’t go far enough, or that he was complicit by not censuring Senator Buttars. By the tone of his voice and by the words he spoke, it is apparent that Senator Waddoups agrees with Senator Buttars’ comments and was upset he was forced to do anything at all.

Senator Waddoups was evasive in answering questions, and completely ignored the question from the Gay press. Did we really expect anything different? I didn’t. 

The greatest good that has come from Senator Buttars speaking openly, honestly, and without filter, is that he has been exposed for who he is. Time and time again he proves how he feels about people who are not white and not Mormon. He has proven in words and in deed that he is a bigot. 

That is not an ad hominem attack. It is simple truth. He has stated his disdain for people of color and for gay and transgender people emphatically many times. He has said that gay and transgender people are the greatest threat to America than anything else. He has declared that he will openly block any legislation that will give these minorities any civil rights. 

When someone calls him on his behavior, he once again proves his true colors. In his own words, “I don’t care.”

This has not only created a stir in Salt Lake City. This has not only created a stir in Utah’s Gay community. This has not only created a distraction at the Utah State Capitol. This is now national and international news. Senator Buttars has single handedly brought more attention to backwards beliefs, bigoted thinking, false information, and stereotypical Utah attitudes than any gay or transgender activist could ever hope to bring.

The more he exercises his right to free speech, (which, by the way, I will defend to my death) the more he hurts himself, his constituents, and Utah. With every bigoted statement, he exposes himself. For me, the saddest reality is that Senator Buttars most likely does speak for his constituents. 

By their failure to vote him out, by their silence, by their posts on ksl.com and other blogs, there are few among his supporters who disagree with him or who want him censured. 

Hell’s bells, they re-elected him. They emboldened him. They empowered him to speak for them. And he does.

Two friends of mine stated it poignantly. The first said, “I think Waddops is an idiot – checking his watch every second – and then not addressing the GLBT community at all – grrrr!”. 

The second said, “I think the outrageous part of Waddoups behavior isn’t that he ignored us, it’s that he actually said he and his colleagues agree with most of what Buttars said, but not ALL of it. Are you kidding me with this? Waddoups should be censured.”

I happen to agree with the Senate action. The harsh truth for those of us who are a bit more enlightened and a bit more progressive is that the voters should decide if this man serves or not. I don’t believe that he should be removed by the Senate until he breaks the law or violates the terms of his oath. It is up to the voters of West Jordan to decide if a bigot represents them.

Senator Buttars doesn’t care about anyone who’s not white and not Mormon. Senator Waddoups appears not to care, either. The people of West Jordan don’t appear to care. The people of Utah don’t appear to care. The elected officials on The Hill don’t care because they “agree with most of what Senator Buttars said.”

Some may speak less offensive words. Some may speak words of support. But their actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear what they say. By their deeds, their words are erased.

By their fruits ye shall know them. In my humble opinion, their fruits are rotten. I suggest everyone read chapter 5 of the book of Jacob in The Book of Mormon and meditate on how the vineyard of Utah is represented in the parable of the vineyard.

In my Mormon youth, I was taught, “Where much is given, much is required.” 

There are so many Utahns and so many Mormons who support equal rights for gay and transgender people. Recent polls show that the Utah legislature is out of step with the majority of Utah. 

It is time for them to listen to the silent majority and stop being frightened into submission by the very vocal minority represented by America Forever, The Sutherland Institute, and the Gayle Ruzicka’s Eagle Forum.

When political leaders claim moral superiority due to their religion, or religious leaders claim high moral ground because of their politics, I see a major problem. Indeed, I see the secret combinations of the Gadianton Robbers spoken of by Helaman in the Book of Mormon. 

I expect higher morals and more ethical behavior from my Utah politicians because of their religion.

To them I repeat the words of the Savior, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” 

 

Tags: Dominique Storni, President Michael Waddoups, Senator Chris Buttars

Pres. Waddoups - Sen. Buttars Press Conference

After President Waddoups ended the press conference about Buttars, Troy Williams pressed him to speak to the gay community. My impression was that he was looking for some sort of apology or empathy from Waddoups, and the Republican caucus in general, for the hurtful statements that Senator Buttars has made. Waddoups replied that he didn’t hear a question. Troy then asked if Waddoups thought that gay people have the same rights everyone else does. Waddoups sidestepped the question, answering that the Constitution gave everyone rights.

Troy Williams

Waddoups and the rest of the Republicans there for the press conference left. Senators Pat Jones and Ross Romero then took some questions and made some statements. I wasn’t able to catch them all, because the room was buzzing with noise.

Senator Pat Jones spoke about the fact that they were pushing for something to happen in regards to Buttars, but that it was something that the Republican leadership had to deal with. She was asked if she was satisfied with the censure of Buttars, and she refused to answer.

Senators Ross Romero and Pat Jones

Senator Ross Romero then spoke. He said that he was proposing today on the floor that there be a join rule change for both House and Senate, require cultural sensitivity and diversity training. He said that he fully agreed that free speech was legal and proper, but that there needed to be a balance when representing the people. He said that it would help (people like Buttars) to understand how offensive certain things they say could be. He mentioned that he had considered it last year after Buttars’ “black baby” comment. The purpose of this would not be to limit free speech, but for representatives to better understand the effects their speech has on others.

Romero also said that he thought that there should be an apology issued because of statements such as the one where Buttars said that the LGBT community lacks morals.

Senator Jones stepped back in to say that she felt that if Buttars apologized but was not sincere, it would be disingenuous.

Troy Williams and Gayle Ruzicka

Troy Williams with Gayle Ruzicka trying to leave

Shortly after that, Troy Williams went up to Gayle Ruzicka, President of The Eagle Forum, and spoke with her. The cameras were all over that. Ruzicka was obviously trying to leave the whole time. I didn’t hear the whole conversation, but I did hear Troy suggest that Gayle ask Buttars what “pig sex” was. He also asked her how she could support him when he outright lied, and how was that moral or just. I don’t think she answered, and she did finally get her opportunity to run out of the room. That was quite an interesting exchange, and I was proud of Troy for taking the opportunity.

Tags: Eagle Forum, Gayle Ruzicka, Senator Chris Buttars, Senator Pat Jones, Senator Ross Romero, Troy Williams