 |
Utah
Passes Bill To Curb
Gay-Straight Student Clubs
by
365Gay.com February 21, 2007
|
| |
|
Salt Lake City, Utah --
Legislation that would allow Utah schools to ban LGBT student clubs is on its
way to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. for his signature.
The House passed a Senate version of the bill on Wednesday despite gutting a
similar measure only weeks earlier.
The bill would allow schools to ban clubs they believe would threaten the "moral
well-being" of students or faculty.
It would require parents to sign a consent form before their children can join
clubs and it would force clubs to provide school principals with information
that would be presented to the club a week in advance so parents can review it.
The legislation also requires the state to cover the costs of lawsuits involving
the restrictions of school clubs. That provision is seen as a move to use
the power of the state to prevent lawsuits if Gay-Straight Alliances were banned
at schools.
The Senate already passed the bill. It sailed through the House on
Wednesday, even though that body earlier had rejected most of the provisions.
The bill was sponsored by Republican Sen. Chris Buttars and Rep. GOP Rep. Aaron
Tilton.
Buttars and Tilton have tried for several years to get a law curbing GSAs.
During debate on last year's bid to impose limitations on clubs Buttars on the
Senate floor said Gay-Straight Alliances are "a recruiting tool for gays and are
"tearing down the moral pillars of society."
There currently are approximately 14 GSAs in the state.
If Huntsman signs the bill it is expected a law suit will be filed under the
Federal Equal Access Act. The law holds that public schools must extend
the same privileges to all student-organized, non-curricular clubs.
Both Buttars and Tilton say the bill will survive a legal challenge because it
imposes the same restrictions on all clubs equally.
|
