Ogden urged to pass gay anti-bias ordinances

By Steven Oberbeck -The Salt Lake Tribune

Ogden » Love and politics — they can seem at times like such strange bedfellows.

Yet they meshed perfectly at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden on Sunday.

There, a worship service that stressed love and acceptance was followed by a town hall meeting addressing the need for anti-discrimination ordinances to protect members of the gay and transgender communities.

“Love has the power to transform not only lives, but also society,” said the Rev. Theresa Novak during her sermon. “It is the message of all religions, and one that we all need to remember if we want to call ourselves people of faith. How we treat each other matters.”

And that message of love, respect and dignity for all carried over from the mid-morning worship service to the town hall meeting that began at noon.

Nearly 100 members of the gay and transgender communities, their families and friends came together hoping Ogden will follow Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County in adopting ordinances to protect its residents from losing their jobs and homes because of their sexual orientation.

“We are at a turning point,” said Jason Whipple, a self-described activist for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Utah. “We need to make sure the momentum isn’t lost.”

Jacob Whipple spoke about hurtful discrimination he... (Scott Sommerdorf / Salt Lake Tribune)

Utah lawmakers last week may have agreed to a moratorium on all pro- and anti-gay-rights measures during the 2010 session, but

that isn’t going to stop efforts on the local level, said Brandie Balken of Equality Utah.

“We had mixed feeling about supporting the moratorium,” said Balken, who serves as executive director of the organization that advocates for LBGT Utahns and their families. “But we were concerned there was support to pass anti-gay bills at the Legislature and we wanted to protect those ordinances already in place.”

The Ogden town hall meeting was part of a nationwide effort on Valentine’s Day by Unitarian Universalists in more than 100 cities across the country. Church members and their supporters held demonstrations, rallies and other events to “stand on the side of love in support of anyone who is discriminated against for who they are,” Rev. Novak said.

“In some areas, immigration will be the theme of the day. In some areas it will be marriage equality. It could be anything, any issue, where basic respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every human being is at risk,” she said.

Ogden City Councilwoman Susie Van Hooser, who attended both the worship service and town hall meeting, urged those in attendance to make their thoughts and feelings known to other City Council members.

“Let members of the council know exactly what you want,” she said. “Something as important as this should be brought forward by those who have a passion for it. We will listen, and you will be heard.”

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