Gay-rights drive dies in a charade
Blogging from the Legislature . . .The final segment of the Common Ground Initative, HB160, failed in committee, bringing this season's gay civil rights drive to an anti-climatic end.
Probably the most frustrating part for the bill's supporters is that HB160 obviously was dead before the House Judiciary Committee convened. Nevertheless, citizens, gay and straight, went through the motions—testifying the state needs a simple way to protect the rights of cohabiting adults in inheritance and medical decision making. The opposition, including the Eagle Forum's Gayle Ruzicka, right, complained that the bill was unnecessary and a veilded attempt to drag the state into legalizing gay marriage.
Strikingly, few committee members bothered to ask questions, prompting chairwoman Rep. Lorie Fowlke to remark: "My, we have a quiet committee today."
Rep. Keith Grover, R-Orem, idly surfed the Web on his laptop as unmarried couples told of their fears that they would not be able to care medically, financially and emotionally for "the person who matters to me most."
The bill's sponsor Rep. Jennifer Seelig, later said she was disappointed with the committee's lethargy. She was offended that her efforts were characterized by the right-wing Sutherland Institute as "mendacious."
"That's a new word for me," she joked. "I wrote it down."
Seelig says she will reintroduce a similar bill next year:
The issue of equality is not going away.
11 Comments:
Why should Gayle and her ilk even pay attention to the living breathing people they're hurting in front of them. None of them actually associate with these "others" from inside their insular world of fairytales.
I wish someone would just drag out the bones in 'Gayle Ruzicka's' closet for all to see and wipe that self righteous smug mug off her face... As well as anyone else who think's theirs don't stink.....
Who do these I'm right your wrong almighty self appointed gate keepers think they are?? How very Christian to deny basic human rights to those who may be ''different'' from your 'very right winged main muddy stream' thinking... We are all in this together, we all care deeply about someone, be it family friends, a spouse or partner. How dare anyone think they are superior because their ''personal (religious) beliefs'' dictate it to be so in their small minds...
Shame on you all in the Utah State Government today for proving once again who really holds the key to your wallets in this state, it certainly is not the people, who by the way in Salt Lake County voted in by majority our current president!!
Yeah you may think it's ''your watch'' Ms. Ruzicka but when the smoke clears you won't be looking soo smug, nor your pals who seem to think your ''dictated agenda'' is in their best interest!
Gayle's son DIED for her sins!
Read Andrew Sullivan's commentary on this subject in the Atlantic Monthly website. I am not a Utahn, but I think that I don't need to be to make the point that Sullivan does, namely, that these bills, while they failed, did seem to have the effect of separating people's supposed defense of marriage from simple opposition to equal economic rights for same sex couples. Equality is for the state to provide, including Utah. the U.S. Constitution says so in the Fourteenth Amendment and in the "Full faith and credit" clause of Article IV. I think what most offends me about this series of defeats is the evident inability of most of Utah's legislators to draw a distinction between their obligation to provide this equality to all citizens of the state and any reasonable defense of marriage as an institution that is argued from a secular standpoint of civil equality rather than from one's PRIVATE religious convictions. It seems that most of your legislature cannot or will not make this extremely elementary distinction, which only has the effect of raising the suspicion that their motives are religious in nature generally, and driven by some doctrine other than that found in the Constitution of the United States, as Mr. Sullivan points out You stand exposed.
The theocracy of Utah has spoken.
Now bow your head and say 'yes.'
I feel sorry for the poor bastards living in a pretty hate state.
indeed, i agree with sideon. i feel sorry for those who are still willing to live in a state that only seeks to demean and patronize their relationships.
i think a more aggressive approach should be taken.
if the state refuses to give you rights, refuse to pay your taxes. no taxation without representation i say!
stand up and make a statement Utahans!
Those of us in Texas humbly thank you for making us look just a little less foolish and spiteful, even if it's only for a day.
Not to worry, we'll try to pay you back by banning interracial handshakes or something next week, mmmkay?
Well I guess it's final.
The Church lied about support Equal Rights during the Proposition 8 debate.
The LDS retains a perfect record AGAINST equal rights for Blacks, Indians, Women, Gays and Lesbians.
And you wonder why a Mormon will never be President and why Utah remains a national joke and considered a bigoted, redneck state.
Thank goodness for the compassionate, accepting Utahns that are remain in Utah and fights for Equal Rights for every Utahn.
And it's always nice to see the likes of Rep. Grover show, yet again, that Republican family values don't include common courtesy.
Gayle Ruzicka should consider how horrible it would be for someone to have no say over hospital accommodations or even the funeral plans for a loved one who dies of a heroin overdose like her son did.
Her lack of compassion makes her lack of true Christian faith horribly obvious.
It's appalling that HB 160 failed in committee. Sometimes I read these bills and wonder what people are going all crazy over. This was one of those. It allowed people the legal right to care for each other. The word "union" wasn't even in it. A declaration of "joint support". It just couldn't get any more basic. It helped people who live together. Even my roommate and I could've gotten one! I fail to understand the society in which I live...
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