Senator says LDS Church ‘snuffed out’ hate crimes bill

The state lawmaker sponsoring hate crimes legislation accused the LDS Church of effectively killing his bill. "All of those efforts, all future legislative dialogue, all future legislative process -- they were effectively snuffed out by a press release," Sen. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday. Urquhart and supporters of Senate Bill 107 were responding to a statement Wednesday from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church's statement was made in response to reporters' inquiries about its stance on the bill. The church said it was not weighing in specifically on the bill, but expressed concern about tilting a balance struck last year between gay rights and religious liberties. "Any claim that my bill needs to go away because of a lack of balance? That's a false flag," Urquhart said. Supporters, including the LGBT rights group Equality Utah, say the bill faces pushback because it includes sexual orientation and gender identity among the protections.

[@vinceguarrieri6984]

LDS needs their tax exemption status removed.

[@ernestmac13]

Of course the church spent lots of money and influence to snuff this bill, when prop 8 was in the works to be placed up for legislation here in California, the LDS illegally poor millions of dollars into California dwarfing to funds raised by those who apposed prop 8. That hateful bill was eventually dropped from legislation, but not after a hard fight. Watch, after some strait folks walking together get attacked and get beaten nearly to death for simply being suspected as being Gay, and they happen to be who are well connected to folks in politics, the church will change their mind. Yes, the LDS has folks who can have multiple wives in these so called fringe groups, who even marry sisters and underage girls, yet Gays are the bad folks. I watched a documentary about one of these groups where, a guy who was in his late teens was kicked out and abandoned by his family because, he didn't want to marry his cousin. I know most LDS folks are not this way, and most are not hateful folks, but if your not going to stand up against bigoted church doctrine, what will you stand up against?

[@robpaulson7992]

The mormon Ayatollahs in Salt Lake did not approve . . . so it didn't happen.

[@marthamarvelette4565]

Leave it to the Mormons to find new inventive ways to show Hatred towards others.

[@cassidyspost]

I wonder what's going to happen when sharia law comes to America?

[@Mcfreddo]

Why do you think that's going to occur?
(Yea-h, 6 years ago, but this is utube.)