More Proof of Mormon/Utah Double Speak?

I have posted previously about the way in which the Mormon Church - which more or less controls much of what happens in Utah - in the wake of Proposition 8 gave lip service to not being anti-gay and even contended that its goal in Proposition 8 was solely to "protect marriage." Seeking to put these statements to the test, Equality Utah sought to have its "Common Ground" legislative package introduced into the state legislature in order to endeavor to provide some legal protections to LGBT citizens in Utah. So far, the Mormon Church has not made good on its statements that it did not oppose such pro-gay measures and one of the Common Ground bills has already been killed in committee. Now a second bill has fallen, this time by being pulled by its sponsor who fears for the other bills still pending. Here are some highlights from the Salt Lake Tribune:

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Another Common Ground gay-rights bill has died. But this one wasn't killed by opposing state lawmakers - it was done in by the sponsor herself. Rep. Jackie Biskupski, D-Salt Lake City, pulled a measure Friday that would have sought voter approval to repeal a portion of Utah's gay-marriage ban (known as Amendment 3) to avoid confusion about which protections are the legal equivalent of marriage. It's not that Biskupski has changed her mind about the amendment's language being "misconstrued" to deny legal protections to gay and transgender Utahns. It's that she believes the Common Ground Initiative stands a better chance of success without it.

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"By dumping that bill," said Mike Thompson, executive director of Equality Utah, "we are bringing attention to the most important items on our legislative agenda." Those items include a bill sponsored by Rep. Christine Johnson, D-Salt Lake City, to make it illegal to fire or evict someone for being gay or transgender and another by Rep. Jennifer Seelig, D-Salt Lake City, to expand legal protections for same-sex couples to visit a partner in the hospital, inherit property and make medical decisions.

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A recent Salt Lake Tribune poll found 56 percent of Utahns support broader legal rights for same-sex couples, specifically on matters of inheritance, hospital visitation and employment discrimination.

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The LDS Church has taken no formal position on the Common Ground Initiative. But backers of the bills continue to cite church statements that the church would not object to expanded legal protections for gay and transgender Utahns "so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches."

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NOTE: Should the employment and housing bill somehow pass in Utah (I'm not holding my breath), Utah would provide its LGBT citizens more protections than we have in Virginia on these issues.