Hit F5 to receive updates – Please note that quotes are not accurate as I don’t have a playback option, however all quotes are in the spirit of what the speaker wished to say.

7:00 – Council members greet the near packed chamber building.  All the big wigs of the GLBT community are ready to speak on the issue. Hopes are high amongst supporters.

7:05 – Meeting called into order, Soren Simonson is chairing the meeting and welcomes the large crowd.

7:08 – LDS Church weighs in “the ordinance…concern important questions for this community… The Church agrees with Mayor Becker.” These ordinance are fair and reasonable and don’t do violence to the institution of marriage.  The Church still intends to continue fighting for these rights, but this ordinance is in line with Jesus’ teachings.

7:12 – Sen. McCoy “I fully support and expect the council to fully support the ordinance…you have approached this topic with respect and zeal…Salt Like has as sizable GLBT population and that, unfortunately, they face discrimination on housing based sole on their GLBT status.  This fact, unfortunately, does not make Salt Lake unique…having discovered this truth, the Mayor and Council is trying to reverse this error…Salt Lake City is a great American City.”

7:15 – First opposition to the ordinance. Main point is that this is a sexual issue and that if people don’t want to associate with someones sexual conduct, they should not have it forced upon them by the government.  “If you look at what homosexualism is, you can’t dissociated it with sex.” Homosexuals are not “like the blacks or women who can’t vote.”

7:18 – “The GLBT community wishes to overhaul America and creating a ‘Bible’ for homosexuals…Television should be used to change the minds of the people.” The GLBT community has tried to overhaul the laws by changing peoples minds and that a lot of the people in the room are victims of this.  The chamber is officially standing room only.

7:21 – “God will remove his hand from this nation (if we support this ordinace)…If you pass this law, if they have functions for Christmas and they bring their partners, what will the children in that room think?”

7:24 – Deeda Seed is “delighted to stand with the LDS Church on this issue.”

7:29 – “As a result of what you have done, the world will see us differently, and more favorably.  I urge you to pass this ordinance.”

7:30 – “It is not about discrimination, it is about respect.”

7:31 – “This ordiniance represents good policy” Gordon Storrs.

7:37 – Very somber retelling of a mans personal story of his love of another man in the Church.  “Don’t do this for me, do it for him.  May God bless you.” Very powerful. The camber has a very respectful and somber tone, however spirits continue to remain high.

7:41 – “We must move foward in fighting in justice for all.”

7:43 – “These ordinances do not create special rights or create special statuses…they give the same protections to all Utahans – you can’t be fired because you are strait or gay, you should be judged on your ability.”

7:45 – (personal note) The intolerance appears to be dripping from the Rodriguez family.  They seem to fear anything that they don’t understand… They are speaking in a way that creates the problems that this ordinance wishes to solve in the first place. They are why people are disrespected in this way.  Furthermore we have come across someone who just about whipped out the “It’s not Adam and Steve” argument.

7:54 – Gail Turpin “There have been things that have be said that hurt my heart.” We must try to come together.

7:59 – “The Bible has been used to allow all sorts of discrimination in the past.  Thankfully we don’t look at the Bible, we look to the Constitution.”

8:08 – Rep. Johnson – “I would like to publicly thank the Church Of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints…It sends a clear message that it shows that we are members of humanity.  I find it interesting that we have not heard from one single Salt Lake City employer against this bill… not one that says that they don’t want to hire people because they are gay. Only one family has objected because they are afraid that people are acting gay; let me tell you right now, before this chamber, that I am ‘acting gay’…Let me remind you that support of this bill is not supporting homosexuality, it is supporting equality.”  Also, someone in the back said “not true” to that final statement in a true Joe Wilson moment.

8:14 – “Hopefully this is the first honest step in opening a dialogue between the LDS Church and the GLBT community.”

8:16 – Public input is closed on the issue. Remington Love moves to enact the two codes, Jergensen seconds motion. Remington Love “There are rarely clear cut issues, this is not one of those issues.  We recommit tonight that Salt Lake City is committed to equality. We are a stronger, better, city because of this…I am proud to serve on a City Council where this isn’t even a contentious issue.” Jergensen – “There is specific and emperical data that shows that the GLBT community has been discriminated against in housing and employment…Someone mentioned that to pass this law was ‘morally wrong,’ someone said that the bible speaks against homosexuality.  We may disagree on what the Bible says, but nowhere in the Bible have I read that discrimination is acceptable against another person.”

8:26 – Councilman Turner – “We want to make sure everyone here is treated fairly. We all have skills and education that we can all use to make our lives and society better…We need to be fair on these things, it is the just way to be.”

8:30 – Councilman Christensen – “I am delighted to support this ordinance, and should be used to bring us together.”

8:33 – Councilman Martin – “We come from families, we have businesses, we have neighbors, and that is who we are. I think that people think that, once we are elected, something happens to us – that we become different people and forget who we are; I can tell you that that  is not the case.  What does change is that we learn, listen, and study…it is part of the job…we do come to learn that we have compassion and respect. We can not make decisions out of ignorance…Equality is the right thing.”

8:39 – Councilman Simonson – “I hope that this is an indicator that other local governments and the State may follow suit that there is a tremendous need for this sort of legislation…and that there is something we can do about to fix it.”

8:40 – Council passes the two ordinances unanimously – they receive a standing ovation.

ANALYSIS COMING SOON.