Activists Persuade Utah Legislator to Rectify “Don’t Say Gay” Bill

Utah State Capitol building Legislation Bill LGBTQ Don't say gay

One Utah Republican’s “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” bill was amended after activists met with the legislator and convinced him to withdraw multiple key provisions.

When HB 550 was first introduced in the Utah House by Rep. Jeffrey Stenquist, it bore alarming similarities to Florida’s notorious “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The Florida bill, which passed late last year, prohibits teachers from discussing topics of sexuality, sexual orientation, or gender identity in lower grade classrooms.

Stenquist met with representatives from Equality Utah last week. Stenquist then announced he had revised the bill and removed “sexual orientation and gender identity” from the bill’s array of restricted topics. Now the bill only prohibits “sexuality” from being discussed in classrooms, without setting parameters for the term.

“This is the Utah Way in action,” Equality Utah writes, “With the proposed amendment, HB 550 can no longer be considered a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.”

Thank you @JeffStenquist for engaging us in meaningful conversation today. With the new amendment, HB 550 is no longer a “Don’t Say Gay” bill. #EqualityUtah #utpol #utleg #lgbtq #dontsaygay pic.twitter.com/NcP6tAfRNn
— Equality Utah (@EqualityUtah) February 24, 2023

But even with the successful revisions to Stenquist’s copycat bill, there is still danger lurking in the form of various other anti-LGBTQ bill proposals in Utah’s legislature. Utah was the first state in 2023 to ban gender-affirming care for minors, a decision which is now serving as a legal pillar for bans on adult gender-affirming case in other U.S. states such as Oklahoma. There was also Utah’s commission to “investigate” trans children’s bodies to determine their eligibility for participating in gendered school sports.

But to their credit, the Utah House did also advance a ban on conversion therapy in February. So there is some hope… though that bill has also been criticized as a round-about way of passing discriminatory policies against trans people.