(October 22, 2014) In 2009, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints supported a nondiscrimination ordinance in Salt Lake City that extended protections to individuals in matters of housing and employment. Since then, the Church has not spoken for or against other nondiscrimination ordinances in Utah or in any other states or communities.
It is important to understand that the provisions and elements of each nondiscrimination ordinance can often vary significantly. The Church supported the Salt Lake City ordinance because it granted common-sense rights that should be available to everyone, while safeguarding the crucial rights of religious organizations. The ordinance also avoided the potentially problematic elements of public accommodations and criminal penalties.