SALT LAKE CITY — After a slight uproar over a proposed bill introduced into the Utah State Legislature that mirrored Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" law, an amendment has been proposed to change its tone.
Rep. Jeff Stenquist's bill was filed Thursday and banned discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in Utah schools until it’s developmentally or age appropriate.
While House Bill 550 didn't stand much of a chance of advancing due to the limited time left in the current legislative session, it garnered a lot of interest because of its connection to the law in Florida.
However, after discussions with Equality Utah on Friday, Stenquist submitted an amendment that removes the sexual orientation and gender identity wording from the bill.
"We listened to each other and had a very encouraging conversation," Equality Utah posted to social media. "This is the Utah Way in action. We have difficult conversations and engage each other's concerns to craft better public policy."
In essence, the bill as it now is worded would prohibit talking about sex in grades K-3, which is consistent with existing state standards.
