Bp Robinson in Salt Lake City

From the SLC Trib:

There may be one thing even more difficult than coming out of the closet for many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop.

And that's coming out as religious.

Yet reclaiming faith is vital to the success of the gay-rights movement, V. Gene Robinson told Utahns this week at a Salt Lake City fundraiser for the nonprofit group Equality Utah.

"We need to lay claim to the fact that we've been able to put our sexuality together with our spirituality in a way that enlivens us and nourishes us," said Robinson, whose landmark 2003 ordination as bishop of the New Hampshire Diocese drew cheers in some quarters and scorn in others throughout the faith community.

"We have let the religious right take the Bible hostage," he said, "and it's time we took it back."
.....
Working from within faith communities is important, Robinson said, because "90 percent, at least, of the oppression that you and I face as LGBT people comes from the Abrahamic faiths -- from Judaism, Islam and Christianity."

Robinson predicted The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- as well as other churches -- will change its position.
"Pretty soon," Robinson said, "even the LDS Church is going to realize that no one under 30 is interested in joining a church that discriminates against us."

Those Mormon families enduring the conflict between what their church teaches and how many of their loved ones live will influence their leaders, he said. "They are going to wake up. They are going to see that the compassion they believe in extends to all of God's children."
....
He encouraged LGBT people to lives of joy, "fabulousness" and integrity so that no one can deny "the eternal light that is in each one of us.

"No matter the setbacks, the costs, the price we pay," Robinson said, "we are inexorably moving to a vision of the culture and of our religious institutions which is closer to God's [vision]."

The truth comes out in Salt Lake City (updated)

During the arguments about Prop 8, one of the big points made by the Mormons and others opposed to gay marriage was that they weren't BIGOTS, oh gracious me, no! And they didn't mind giving the homos some basic rights just as long as, you know, they weren't REDEFINING MARRIAGE. They stated explicitly that they were not opposed to legal protections for same sex couples.

So, Equality Utah took them at their word and launched the "Common ground" initiatives regarding health care, fair employment, and inheritance. Not gay marriage. Not even civil unions. Just statutory protections for same sex couples in Utah.

So, how are they doing? Not so well, reports the SLC Tribune:

Four down, one to go.

The Utah Legislature snuffed out two more gay-rights bills Tuesday.

After lengthy public hearings, House committees rejected two measures: HB288, which would have allowed same-sex couples and other unmarried pairs to adopt and foster children; and HB267, which would have protected gay and transgender Utahns from housing and employment discrimination. Two other gay-rights measures also are off the docket: One was pulled by its sponsor and the other died in committee. The final bill faces a test today.

Alas, it failed that test. As reported by a SLC Tribune blog,

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...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."

As Andrew Sullivan noted on his blogpost Calling the Christianist bluff, there never was any interest in fairness. This exposes the opposition's views clearly. It is simply contempt, without even the pretense of a fair hearing about how these people's lives are affected.

Meanwhile, a hateful and hate-filled advertisement published in the SLC Tribune attacking the "Homosexual movement" and declaring "homosexuality is not a race!" It states

"To add sexual orientation to the law...would enhance the rights of a few and diminish the rights of the rest...."

"By holding hands and kissing in public.....if backed by law will force the acceptance of homosexuality as a[n equal] relationship"

"Gays should be forced not to display their conduct to our children".

"people can be gay, like people can be druggies or hookers"

.Now, I want you to think if instead of "homosexual" it said black. Or Mexicans. Or Jewish. Or, Mormon. Do you think this advertisement would have been accepted and published in a major city newspaper if it singled out any other group of Americans?

They aren't interested in co-existence. They aren't interested in tolerance. They lied about that, too. Maybe it's time to bring out the pink triangles in Utah.

(Update) Adding to the theme, in a recent interview with a Utah TV station, UT State Senator Buttars revealed that gays are"probably the greatest threat to America." Think Muslim terrorists, and yes, he went there. This is a man who takes credit for destruction of any gay rights legislation in Utah. His family values are so strong he is the former director of one of the Mormon re-education camps, known for abuse of young people and also favored as a place to beat "teh gay" out of them.