LGBA + TQI rights

Ensuring freedom, safety, and dignity for all LGBTQ+ Utahns, without exclusion or fear.

The courage of "&" in promoting understanding

LGBTQ+ identity encompasses distinct but interconnected aspects, including

• sexual orientation: who someone is attracted to and the degree of attraction (LGBA);

• gender identity: how someone understands, internalizes, and expresses their gender (TQ); and

• intersex traits: physiological variations in sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary norms (I).
  

These facets are often misunderstood or conflated in public discourse, which contributes to legal gaps and social misunderstanding. Utah can defend equal rights and protections for all LGBTQ+ people by clearly acknowledging these differences and the unique needs of each group while affirming shared respect and belonging. The courage of “&” reminds us that the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and those of other groups, such as religious communities and women, are not mutually exclusive. We can support and protect everyone’s rights without diminishing anyone else’s. By standing together, we create a more nurturing society where all identities are respected, and everyone can thrive.

Financial security

Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics undermines economic stability for LGBTQ+ Utahns and weakens the broader workforce. Employment and housing discrimination reduce job opportunities, limit homeownership, and increase the risk of poverty and homelessness, particularly for transgender and gender-diverse people and intersex individuals, who often face added barriers. Nearly half of sexual minorities report employment discrimination in their lifetime, which contributes to reduced earnings and economic insecurity.

Certain harmful practices, such as sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts (SOGICE), also carry a large economic burden in addition to well-documented psychological harms. Research estimates that SOGICE in the United States results in substantial lifetime financial costs per individual and billions of dollars in total economic burden due to associated adverse health, behavioral, and social outcomes how discrimination and coercive practices can ripple into costs for families, employers, healthcare systems, and society at large.

These economic harms are compounded when legal protections are absent or unclear, leading to instability for individuals and added costs for employers and communities. Meaningful civil rights protections and nondiscrimination policies reduce disparities and strengthen Utah’s overall economic security.

Human dignity

LGBTQ+ people experience significantly higher rates of violence and hate-motivated victimization compared to non-LGBTQ+ populations. Ensuring human dignity means addressing these real harms with accurate information and responding with policies that protect people’s safety, privacy, and freedoms. All Utahns deserve freedom from discrimination and violence, equal treatment under the law, and the opportunity to live openly without fear of persecution, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or intersex traits.

Real solutions

• Protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination in public life: Ensure comprehensive protections in employment, housing, education, and public accommodations so that people are not denied opportunities because of who they are or whom they love.
  

• Support family equality and recognition: Strengthen access to legal recognition of families that include same-sex parents or partners, ensuring equal treatment in marriage, adoption, custody, parental rights, and family services.

  
  

• Safeguard healthcare for transgender and gender-diverse Utahns: Protect patients’ ability to obtain medically appropriate care, including gender-affirming care where clinically indicated, in consultation with qualified healthcare providers and families. Support small government, parental rights, and personal freedoms by removing governmental micromanagement of transgender medical treatments. Protect the community at large from harmful conversion therapy practices in all therapeutic contexts.
  

• Ensure intersex individuals’ bodily autonomy and protections: Support policies that prohibit non-consensual, medically unnecessary interventions on intersex children and ensure that intersex Utahns have access to respectful, science-guided healthcare and legal recognition that affirms their bodily integrity.
  

• Promote the safety and equal treatment of LGBTQ+ children in school settings:

  Guarantee that LGBTQ+ children are secure, respected, and free from harassment in schools and public spaces by enforcing anti-bullying policies, safeguarding privacy, and supporting inclusion. Protecting children’s safety and well-being reduces harm, improves educational outcomes, and affirms that no child will be targeted, excluded, or politicized simply for who they are.
  

• Clarify and strengthen legal protections where federal law is incomplete: Address gaps left by federal civil rights law by enacting state protections that explicitly cover sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics to reduce discrimination and legal uncertainty.