Listen to this articleWith news of the Utah Senate planning to table SB 100, an anti-discrimination bill that would protect gays and lesbians under the state’s existing housing civil rights laws, Shanna L. Smith, president of the National Fair Housing Alliance, issued a statement calling for the state legislative body to keep the bill alive and hold a vote on it.
“The National Fair Housing Alliance urges Utah Senate leaders to bring up Senate Bill 100 for consideration during this legislative session. S.B. 100 would extend existing housing and employment protections in Utah to LGBT people, opening up job and housing opportunities for more individuals and families across the state.
“SB 100 is the right bill at the right time. Today, Utah’s housing and employment law does not protect all people, and leaves the door open for landlords and other housing providers to deny housing choice to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity rather than on objective qualifying standards. This is not the American way of equality and fairness. All people deserve the right to equal access to housing.
“Salt Lake City recognized and legitimized the rights of LGBT people to safe workplaces and homes free from discrimination nearly five years ago. Today, nearly 60 percent of Utahans agree that LGBT people should not be discriminated against in the workplace and in the housing market. The Utah Senate should act in the interests of the majority of Utahans and immediately protect against housing and employment discrimination by giving S.B. 100 a hearing.”
