To: Sen. Weiler, T.,
Subject: Religious Liberty - thoughts from a constituent
Date: 2014-01-04T23:20:24Z
Body:
Dear Senator Weiler and Representative Nielson,
Thanks to both of you for your family friendly work at the Legislature. As your constituent, I want to share my concern about the overturning of Amendment 3. The entire nation will now watch how Utah defends traditional (and voter approved) marriage. I encourage you to support the expenditure of funds to hire experienced attorneys to defend Amendment 3.
In light of same-sex marriage now occurring in Utah, I would like to know if you, or any of your colleagues that you know of, are planning to sponsor any religious liberty bills?
The following are concerns that we at United Families Utah are worried about:
1. Protection for marriage vendors.
2. Schools being required to let parents know before they teach about gay marriage or homosexuality. (This would not be needed if our current sex-ed law is enough of a protection. But have things changed w/ same-sex marriage now "legal" in Utah? Currently sex-ed is "abstinence only" and you can't talk about homosexuality. We are sure the majority of UT parents would not want their elementary school kids being taught about gay marriage.
3. Protection of religious buildings that rent out their facilities for weddings such as Catholic churches and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
4. Mom and pop bed and breakfast establishments. Some states have laws that allow the smaller establishments to make their own rules about who can stay in their homes.
I would appreciate your feedback on these issues.
I also ask you to NOT support upcoming non-discrimination legislation sponsored by Sen. Dabakis. At first thought, it sounds like a good idea, but it's not. This legislation would pit sexual rights against First Freedoms (religion, speech, right to make a living, conscience). In communities and states that have adopted non-discrimination laws similar to that proposed by Sen. Dabakis, lawsuits, fines, threat of jail time and ruined businesses are the "unintended" and very unfair consequences. Please see FairToAll.org for more information and links to stories of real people who have been hurt by non-discrimination laws.
Thanks so much for your time and energy to continue Utah's long and strong history of traditional family as the foundation of our thriving society.
Best Regards,
Rose Marie Murray, Bountiful
United Families Utah, Director