Bill Addresses Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Jan 23, 2008 by Jeff Robinson

Rules Committee Moves it This Week

(KCPW News) Democratic representative Christine Johnson is sponsoring a bill that would prohibit Utah employers from discriminating against employees based on sexual orientation. On Monday, the bill was reassigned from the Judiciary Committee to the Business and Labor Committee, which has one more Republican and one less Democrat.

But Johnson doesn't see the move as political. She says she expected it to go to Business and Labor from the beginning, although she sits on the Judiciary Committee.

Johnson is sponsoring the bill for the first time. She expects it will not be passed this year, and that it could be several years before similar legislation is passed. But Johnson says even though most Utahns would not support gay marriage, they would want all employees to be treated fairly at work.

Johnson is one of three openly gay members of the legislature. She says the bill protects both homosexuals and heterosexuals from discrimination based on sexual orientation. It will be discussed later this week or early next week.

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