Anti-Discrimination Bill Held in Committee

Jan 25, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) A bill prohibiting employers from discriminating against gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered people hit a wall today. While the bill is still officially active, it is not clear when - or if - it will be re-considered this session. The bill's sponsor, Representative Christine Johnson, says the bill is intended to protect everyone in Utah from discrimination.

"When we refer to sexual orientation and gender identity," Johnson explains. "That means that everyone in this room is covered under this bill, including the people who sit on the committee."

Similar legislation is on the books in 17 states, however 4 of these do not protect transgendered people. Meanwhile, a federal anti-discrimination bill is currently making its way through Congress, but it only mentions sexual orientation, not gender identity. But that wouldn't protect Ariana Losco, a transgendered woman who testified in favor of Utah's anti-discrimination amendment. Losco worked as a certified nursing assistant. She says she liked her job - until a supervisor started harassing her last year.

"She would call me freak and faggot and laughed with me with other co-workers," Losco says. "I started calling attorneys to see what my options were. Every lawyer I spoke with said this type of discrimination is legal in Utah, and that my only option was to try to help change the law."

Members of the committee didn't have an opportunity to vote on the bill. The committee's chairman, Representative Stephen Clark, arrived late - delayed by a blown-tire. He promptly made a motion, which passed unanimously, to hold the bill in committee and gather more information before discussing the issue further. It is up to Clark to determine when, and if, that happens this session.

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