SB107 Hate Crime Amendment

This bill was being pushed before the senate that would spell out categories for protection. That
would include race, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. This bill
would have provided greater penalties if a crime was committed due to the victim being a part of
any of those groups. It was unfortunately voted out in the senate on March 2, 2016.

Why is it so important that a bill like SB107 needed to be passed here in Utah?
Currently in the system there is nothing that can help bring any justice to a victim that has been
hurt due to someone singling them out for belonging to another group. One of those groups
included the LGBT group, and in that group are teens. Being a teen is already a confusing and
tough time for many and to feel like they are not protected is disheartening. Not everyone in a
community will be as welcoming or opened minded when facing a LGBT youth. This causes a
negative experience and can lead to a higher risk of suicide. Not only that, LGBT youth face a
higher risk of experiencing violence and bullying than other teens. Youth Risk Behavior Surveys
did a study in 2001-2009 that included seven states and six urban school districts that focused on
violence that LGBT youth experienced while in school. From this data they found that the
percentage of LGB students (across the sites) who were threatened or injured with a weapon on
school property in the prior year ranged from 12% to 28%.
Can you imagine not feeling safe in the one place that states that it is a safe place for all
students? To be picked on and to have violence afflicted upon you because you are different
from the rest of the student body is enough to make any teen feel like suicide is their only option.
This why it is so important that bills like SB107 needed to be
passed to help provide some justice to those that are singled out
because of their differences
School systems can only do so much to try to protect these youth,
and possibly with a tougher law on hate crimes could provide so
more meat to the punishment. Gaining an education is an
extremely important step in a young adults life. When they have to
deal with violence in their own school, they are at a greater risk for
depression and suicide. According to
Author:Katy
Website:Flikr
another study done by the CDC, they
found that youth that belong to the LGBT group were twice as
likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. Among that
study they also found that many LGBT youth were more than likely
to skip school because they did not feel safe.

The opposing sides point of view

On the other side, they felt like SB107 would cause more harm than good. In one Op-Ed piece
from the Salt Lake Tribune, author Derek Monson states that, SB107 would promote inequality
before the law. Their belief was that the Utah Compromise that was passed a year before that
promoted protection already for the LGBT group by allowing marriage and protection in the
workplace. By demanding more protection, they were breaking the balance that Utah was
wanting for fairness between both groups (the church and LGBT groups).
Monson feels like the bill is written primarily as a protection for LGBT, and does not protect a
white Mormon male. Even though it does state that it protects religion, but he felt like it is only
geared towards the LGBT group. Pretty much he feels like the Utah Compromise is good enough
and it provides enough protection for LGBT.

Why the church needs to butt out

Our nation was founded with keeping church and state separate, so why is it that LDS church has
so much power here in Utah? There is no need for them to be involved in government decisions
that affect the people of Utah. Yes, there is a strong presence of the LDS faith in this state
because it was founded by the Mormon pioneers. But once it became a state of the United States
of America, the church should have never had a say when it came to passing laws.
The church demands to be able to practice on how they choose and ask the government to help
protect them. But when a group like LGBT asks to receive these same rights, they are
immediately shot down because of the church. James C. Nelson provides the perfect statement
on why the church cannot have it both ways, The long and short of it is that these
fundamentalist religious and conservative organizations cannot have it both ways. If they do not
want the state telling them what to believe, then they cannot expect the government to adopt their
beliefs as part of the generally applicable body of state law.

Conclusion
It is important that support comes all the way up from the government for these LGBT youth. No
one likes feeling ostracized and to make them feel like they are less of human because they do
not fit into the mold of a normal person is unfair. We are all born different, and that is what
makes us human.

Works Cited:
1.

http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm (Links to an external site.) "Lesbian, Gay,

Bisexual, and Transgender Health: LGBT Youth." Centers for Disease Control. CDC, 24
Nov. 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2016.

2. http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/3495816-155/op-ed-new-hate-crimes-bill-does-not (Links to
an external site.) Monson, Derek. "Op-ed: New Hate-crimes Bill Does Not Reflect Spirit of 'Utah
Compromise'" The Salt Lake Tribune. The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Feb. 2016. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.
3. http://sks.sirs.com.libprox1.slcc.edu/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SUT0342-07437&artno=0000363331&type=ART&shfilter=U&key=the%20opposite%20side%20to%20lgbt
%20&title=Liberty%20or%20License%3F&res=Y&ren=N&gov=N&lnk=N&ic=N (Links to an
external site.) Nelson, James C. "Liberty or License?." Church & State. May 2014: 20. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 05 Mar. 2016.