A group of neighbors and concerned citizens gathered in a home in east Provo Nov. 22 to discuss concerns about proposed anti-discrimination legislation, the so-called “Bathroom bill.” The citizens oppose the bill, which they believe infringes on their “First Amendment rights” to free exercise of religion by imposing a “sexual rights” mentality on the state of Utah. Many were parents and grandparents who said the bill, if passed, would infringe on children’s safety at school and right to privacy. Utah Sen. Steve Urquhart, a Republican, is sponsoring the bill, which adds onto existing non-discrimination legislation. A law passed in 2009 already forbids discrimination in housing and employment based on sexual orientation in the state of Utah. The bill itself reads, “It is a discriminatory and prohibited employment practice to deny an employee access to restrooms, shower facilities, or dressing facilities that are consistent with the employee’s gender identity.” Attendees at the cottage meeting were concerned that the proposed bill would add bathrooms, locker rooms and other areas traditionally divided by gender to the list of places where persons of LGBT orientations could act freely according to their lifestyle choices. They also objected to the principle of making gender a choice rather than a biological distinction.
(1) Extended kudos to BYU students for holding this "cottage political" discussion -- to encourage acting upon pro-family policies.
(2) Yet, the question needs to be asked: What is Mormon state senator Steve Urquhart -- a Republican -- doing sponsoring a bill that would give men open access to girls' bathrooms, locker rooms, etc???
The article, which mentions Urquhart as a sponsor, doesn't mention Urquhart's Mormonism:
But this 2005 link does:
We are pleased to announce that Steve Urquhart, the majority whip for the Utah House of Representatives, will blog with us for the next two weeks, including the final days of the 2005 legislative session. Steve grew up in Houston and graduated from Williams College and BYU Law School. After working at Morrison & Foerster for two years, he moved to St. George, Utah, where he practices law with two other attorneys. He served a mission in Curitiba, Brazil, and now serves as stake auditor and Sunday School teacher. Steve and his wife Sara Stanley have four children.
Source: Announcing Steve Urquhart, Guest Blogger: February 28, 2005
Urquhart has since moved from the Statehouse to the State Senate, where he serves as a member of the standing Education Committee & member of the Public Education Sub-Committee and co-chairs the Higher Education Sub-Committee.
So as of 2005, Urquhart -- a BYU law school grad & former Lds missionary -- held authorized Mormon church roles of "stake auditor" & "Sunday School teacher."
Hmmm...I wonder if Urquhart has lobbied the Mormon General Authorities to...
...(a) have homosexuals teach Mormon Sunday Schools?
...and (b) encouraged Mormon men to use women's bathrooms @ Lds church facilities -- and vise versa?
What? No? (Oh, this Mormon leader only wants to put children/teens out there at risk in his campaign to redefine the family & to redefine gender)
Note this article -- Op-Ed: Urquhart deserves LGBT praise, but there’s much to be done -- mentions how Mormon Urquhart has "become a hero to gay Utah".
Since Harry Reid is a visiting teacher for the Mormon church, I guess we can label Urquhart the bush-league Republican Harry Reid!
One attendee added, “I have ‘compassion’ on my daughter who would have to use the bathroom with a 45-year-old man (if the bill passed).”
Good response...A 'keeper'
The solution is simple. Bathrooms, showers, and similar facilities should be segregated by plumbing (internal genitalia in one set and external genitalia in the other set of rooms), rather than by “gender identity” or some other fictional construct. The correct answer is to stop pretending that kids can meaningfully identify with whatever sex they choose on a particular day, but sorting by anatomy produces the same result without having yet another fight against with the liberal victim class.
Do you want men sharing the showers with your minor daughter?
That should be the question parents are asked
watch the Salt Lake City TV news for a week and you will see how well the state’s “compassionate” approach to illegal immigration has worked out.
The moral and compassionate way to treat those who can’t seem to shake their gender fantasy is to provide them with psychological treatment so that they may enter the real world again, and not to have the rest of the world play along with their fantasy.