Equality Utah Hosts First Utah GOP Governor’s Equality Forum

Salt Lake City — On Thursday, May 21, Equality Utah will host a forum featuring the four Republican gubernatorial candidates. The Equality Forum is a first for Utah, and a first for red states across the country. The simulcast of the Equality Forum will occur on Equality Utah’s social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at 7pm.

“Utah continues to be a beacon to conservative states on LGBTQ public policy. Year after year, we’ve proven that people with different ideological views can come together and discover common ground” stated Executive Director Troy Williams. “Utahns may not agree on every policy issue, but we always engage with each other to find positive solutions to complex issues.”

All candidates have helped move the state forward on LGBTQ issues. Long before marriage equality was a possibility, Governor Jon Huntsman challenged party orthodoxy to advocate for civil unions and antidiscrimination protections. As Lt. Governor, Spencer Cox has long championed suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. As Speaker of the House, Greg Hughes helped pass Utah’s landmark LGBTQ nondiscrimination law in 2015.  As Republican Party Chair, Thomas Wright challenged the party to include and involve LGBTQ Utahns.

Over the past five years, Utah has made remarkable strides toward equality. In 2015 Utah passed a law protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment and housing. In 2017, Utah repealed an anti-LGBTQ curriculum law that prohibited discusson of homosexuality in public schools. In 2019, the state passed an LGBTQ-inclusive hate crimes law. Earlier this year, Utah became the 19th state in the nation to protect minors from conversion therapy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:
‍Troy Williams
Executive Director
Equality Utah
[email protected]