Utah

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting a defeat for lesbian and gay Americans living in Utah. Legislation proposed by Rep. Rebecca Chavez-Houck (pictured) would have repealed Utah's ban on same-sex couples adopting children.

But reporter Jennifer Francis writes "the bill was closeted in the Rules Committee without a single public hearing".

Rep. Chavez-Houck said:

Sterkworks is a middle-aged non-Mormon living in Utah. As a single lesbian mother, she delights in all of the oddities that surround her.

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting on the battle gaining momentum against Utah's adoption ban, which was passed in 2000. Utah is one of three states with the adoption prohibition.

Fair-minded advocates hope to get adoption restrictions on all cohabitating couples, including same-sex couples, lifted. Representative Rebecca Chavez-Houck, a Democrat representing Salt Lake City, is sponsoring the bill.

Three weeks ago, in Utah County, a niece asked her uncle to take her 4 kids. To care for them because she can't. She's dealing with drug-related criminal matters - and the kids are aged 11, 6, 2-years, and 10 months. The father's not able to care for them either.

The uncle happens to be gay, and in a long term relationship. Michael Valdez and Michael Oberg have been together for about 5 years. They have steady jobs, a nice home, and no criminal record - but they aren't allowed by law to take-in the needy kids.

Even after 10 years with Ruth, Kim tells the Salt Lake Tribune, "There's just not an acknowledgement that we're a family".

Growing up, they heard the gay jokes. They thought gay people got diseases or would go to hell. Kim recalls hearing homphobic slurs in seventh grade. And a church leader told Ruth, if she wanted to be happy, she should get a husband.