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Utah Alliance Coalition
Working with you to create a more equitable and sustainable Utah.
ALL HEADLINES
Keep up with the latest news on issues we all care about
Elections
Opinion: Darlene McDonald will champion Utahns ‘from the cradle to the grave’
Aug 27, 2022
Charlotte Maloney
The Deseret News
Darlene McDonald is running to represent Utah’s 4th Congressional District in D.C. What does she bring to the table that Burgess Owens does not?
“From the cradle to the grave.” This is the message of Darlene McDonald, who is running to represent Utah’s 4th Congressional District in Washington, D.C. You’ll notice these words on her website, her campaign literature and when she speaks. McDonald is running to improve the well-being of all people — at every stage of life.
LGBTQIA
Transgender girls in Utah can compete again after judge grants injunction blocking state’s sports ban
Aug 19, 2022
Courtney Tanner
The Salt Lake Tribune
Judge Keith Kelly wrote in his ruling that the ban is “plainly unfavorable treatment” and granted a preliminary injunction.
Transgender girls in Utah can return to competing in high school sports on a girls’ team this fall after a judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its controversial ban.
It’s a big — though still early — victory in the case for the three teenage transgender girls here who brought the challenge. They were barred from competing under their preferred gender after state lawmakers passed the athletic ban earlier this year.
Third District Judge Keith Kelly said in his ruling posted Friday that granted the hold, known as a preliminary injunction, that the state’s ban is currently harming the girls by taking away opportunities and creating a stigma.
“The ban singles out transgender girls and categorically bars them from competing on girls’ sports teams,” he wrote. “At the same time, other girls are free to compete. This is plainly unfavorable treatment.”
Gender Equality
Letter: Conservative wing of the Supreme Court got it wrong. And Kansas voters made that clear.
Aug 7, 2022
Darlene McDonald
The Salt Lake Tribune
Contrary to popular belief, abortions did not begin in the United States with the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision. Before 1973, illegal abortions were performed in back alleys, hotel rooms, and in the homes of unlicensed abortionists with no medical training. Pregnant women seeking the illegal procedure were often subjected to unsanitary conditions, extortion and sexual abuse. Many of them died.
Two years following the landmark decision, the number of illegal procedures fell from around 130,000 to 17,000, and the number of deaths decreased from 39 to five. The women that died were disproportionately Black or low-income.
Before Roe vs. Wade, Black women died at 12 times the rate of white women undergoing an illegal abortion. Following the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, a Duke University study found that Black maternal deaths will increase by 33%, compared to a 21% increase for the overall population. Currently, Black women experience maternal mortality two to three times higher than that of white women. As a country, we do not do enough to support women before, during, and after childbirth to ensure better health outcomes.
It’s unclear if this was on the mind of primary voters in Kansas when they voted overwhelmingly against a constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers to end abortion protections in the conservative state. What is clear is that the conservative wing of the Supreme Court got it wrong. Women do not want to give the government control over their bodies.
A society that values women and life guarantees access to prenatal and postnatal healthcare. Voters are telling politicians that these are decisions women should be making with their families and doctors. These decisions should not be made by politicians in Washington or the state legislature.
Environment
Opinion: When the last laugh is no laughing matter — our climate crisis response
Aug 6, 2022
Darlene McDonald
Deseret News
Why did we wait so long to act on the shrinking Great Salt Lake? The options left are costly for this dire emergency.
In March 2019, Sen. Mike Lee took to the Senate floor and mocked Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over the Green New Deal legislation. Lee said, “The solution to climate change is not this unserious resolution … the solution to so many of our problems at all times and in all places is to fall in love, get married, and have some kids.”
Fast-forward just three years, Sen. Markey and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez may have had the last laugh. Except, what’s happening with the Great Salt Lake is no laughing matter.
UAC in the News
Board approves policy to determine which books are appropriate for Utah school libraries
Jul 26, 2022
Logan Stefanich
KSL
SALT LAKE CITY — What kinds of books are — or aren't — allowed in Utah school libraries?
After months of deliberation surrounding a policy to determine what book titles are or aren't appropriate for school libraries, the Utah State Board of Education on Tuesday voted to approve a library materials model policy that aims to specify "the process for identifying materials to be included or disqualified from use in libraries and schools."
The policy, which provides guidance to districts and charter schools for reviewing possibly sensitive materials in schools, was created in response to HB374 and board rule R277-628.
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After over two hours of deliberation and amendments to the policy, the board voted to approve the library materials model policy nearly unanimously with board member Natalie Cline casting the lone vote in opposition.
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This contention picked up more steam as the conservative parent group Utah Parents United pushed more districts to remove titles that they said contained "pornographic or indecent material," and lobbied in support of HB374, a bill that bans "sensitive materials" and requires school districts to evaluate objectionable content in libraries or classrooms and report it to the Utah State Board of Education and, ultimately, the Utah Legislature.
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Utah Alliance Coalition President Frank Brannan, at a rally last month in opposition to the policy proposed by board member Cline, described her proposed policy as "extreme," saying it "limits the diversity of library materials for students."
"Utah's educational system belongs to all of us," Brannan said. "Banning a book because it features a gay or transgender character or touches on difficult topics that impact real teens — like drug abuse, sexual assault and racism — does a disservice to all students, but worse, it alienates students who see elements of themselves and their lives in those themes and characters."
UAC in the News
Utah State Board of Education still trying to thread the needle on book ban law guidance
Jul 1, 2022
Jon Reed
KUER
Members of the Utah State Board of Education continue to work out what they hope will be a model policy for how schools resolve concerns some parents have about ‘inappropriate books.’
Despite months of work, so far, and a nearly two-hour debate Thursday, they have yet to reach a consensus on how to move forward.
It’s been a confusing and contentious issue for public education stakeholders nationwide and in Utah, stemming from a massive spike in requests to remove books from school libraries around the country and a recent state law banning “sensitive materials” in schools.
While the Utah law defines sensitive materials as ‘pornographic’ or harmful to minors with no literary or artistic value, school librarians have been unsure about how to enforce it. Even the initial legal guidance from the Attorney General’s office conflicted with later advice from the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, though the AG has since clarified its directions.
Board members are considering several policy variations. Each lays out how parents, students or members of a school community can flag a book or other school material they find objectionable, triggering a review from a panel, public hearings and an appeal process.
The policies differ, however, in how strict they are, and whether they would simply serve as a model for districts and charter schools to adopt or as specific rules schools would have to follow.
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Before Thursday’s meeting, a small group of parents and community advocates gathered outside the state office to urge board members to ensure the process is reasonable and fair to diverse groups of students.
Juliet Reynolds, a parent of four kids who attended the Murray District and a founder of the Murray Equity Alliance, said she showed up in order to fight back against the “intolerance” she’s seen in book challenges.
UAC in the News
Community members rally against proposed Utah school library book review policy
Jun 30, 2022
Logan Stefanich
KSL
Juliet Reynolds is the mother of kids who are part of the LGBTQ community and said that she fears removing certain book titles from school libraries could lead to increased suicide rates.
Reynolds, founder of the Murray Equity Alliance, said that for some LGBTQ youth, seeing their experiences represented through literature can be the difference between "life and death."
"Some kids are closeted because they've got parents that are intolerant or that just don't understand, and they feel really alone and isolated," Reynolds said, adding that the same situation applies to stories from or about any diverse perspectives. "One story is never a good idea," she said.
This is just part of why Reynolds joined other activists on Thursday outside of the Utah State Board of Education Building to push the board not to adopt a policy that would restrict the availability of books deemed explicit from school libraries.
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It's a policy that Utah Alliance Coalition President Frank Brannon described as "extreme," saying it "limits the diversity of library materials for students."
"Utah's educational system belongs to all of us," Brannon said. "Banning a book because it features a gay or transgender character or touches on difficult topics that impact real teens — like drug abuse, sexual assault and racism — does a disservice to all students, but worse, it alienates students who see elements of themselves and their lives in those themes and characters."
Kelly Whited Jones is an educator in the Davis School District who said that last year the district saw 38 books that were challenged — and all of them remained on the shelves.
As an educator, Jones said that she believes society has to be careful about "what we label as pornography."
Censorship
Statement on Censorship of Pride Display at Orem Public Library
Jun 15, 2022
Utah Library Association
Other Print
The Utah Library Association became aware of a censorship issue at Orem Public Library through social media posts on May 29 which stated that the Orem City Council is forbidding the library from doing any displays in the children’s area related to Pride Month in Utah. The library director has indicated that in spite of the positive reception and thankful comments from parents last year, there will not be a Pride display in the Children’s wing this year, and instead there will be a single display in another location in the Library away from the children’s area.
In the interest of serving all members of the community, library staff have wide latitude to create or not create displays, and to decide where to locate them. However, it is unacceptable, and a possible infringement of citizen’s first amendment rights, when politicians intervene and direct staff to eliminate planned displays or have them moved to a less frequented area of the library because those politicians do not like the topic or viewpoint being expressed. Moving a children’s book display to the adult section where materials may not be age appropriate for children is problematic because it actually increases the likelihood of exposing children to material that is unsuitable for their age and makes the materials less accessible for families and harder to discover.
Public Education
Ashley Anderson: Salt Lake City schools need someone to investigate IEP non-compliance
Jun 10, 2022
Ashley Anderson
The Salt Lake Tribune
We should all be concerned by recent allegations of racism and ableism in the Salt Lake City School District.
Much remains to be seen, but Jeanetta Williams of the NAACP Salt Lake Branch has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate, writing that the board, as well as some administrators, are guilty of racial discrimination and creating a hostile work environment for the district’s Black employees, of which the new superintendent, Timothy Gadson, is the most visible.
She further alleges that the district itself has been negligent in legally required Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, a key part of the special education process in which families and educators must gather annually to review the needs and goals of students with disabilities. Of course, we must wait and see what comes of any investigation. As a parent, a longtime activist within the district and a candidate for the school board, the question I find myself asking is, what else don’t we hear about?
I don’t say that to malign the brilliant work of our educators. Our district has great strengths, but every American school district continues to struggle with American racism. Every school district also struggles to live up to the justice and equity for students with disabilities aspired to by Congress through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which created the IEP in its first iteration in 1975.
We live in a moment where every school system is taking a hard look at itself. That must include rethinking the process by which individual stories are brought into focus at the district level. If the inputs elected officials are receiving from their public aren’t fed to them in an equity-driven process, our values end up compromised by faulty conceptual models.
As a parent who has often volunteered to help other parents to navigate the system in the capacity of an advocate, which has included learning more about their rights under special education laws, I believe that changing the avenues through which complaints are processed might be the biggest single step we could take toward addressing inequity in our district.
Gender Equality
2 Utah families sue over ban on transgender women and girls competing in school sports
Jun 1, 2022
Paradise Afshar, Melissa Alonso
CNN
The families of two Utah teenagers have filed a lawsuit challenging a state law that bans transgender women and girls from participating in school sports.
LGBTQIA
A GUIDE TO UTAH PRIDE 2022
May 31, 2022
Salt Lake Magazine
Other Print
Utah Pride is back and promises to be bigger than ever! The 200-foot rainbow Pride flag will once again grace the streets of Salt Lake City. After scaling way back during the pandemic, the Utah Pride Center is making up for lost time by hosting several events during Pride Week, including the Pride Parade (with their longest ever route), Festival (with more food, entertainment and vendors” and Glow March. “I AM Utah Pride” is the theme of 2022 Pride week, which runs May 29 – June 5. But the festivities don’t end there—venues across the state are putting on shows throughout the entire month. Whether you’re in the mood for a high-energy drag performance, an inspiring paint night or an evening of barhopping, we’ve got you covered with this all-inclusive guide to Pride.
Gender Equality
Here’s who gets abortions in Utah — and what help is available if Roe v. Wade is overturned
May 9, 2022
Becky Jacobs
The Salt Lake Tribune
As the coronavirus disrupted lives and livelihoods in Utah, it appears that an increasing number of women sought abortions in the state, providers say.
The number of procedures in Utah has generally declined — with some fluctuations — over the past few decades, from approaching 5,000 in 1990 to just under 3,000 in 2019, according to a report from the Utah Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records and Statistics.
Income Inequality
Biden starts program to provide discounted internet service
May 9, 2022
Aamer Madhani
KSL
The Biden administration announced on Monday that 20 internet companies have agreed to provide discounted service to people with low incomes, a program that could effectively make tens of millions of households eligible for free service through an already existing federal subsidy.
LGBTQIA
Project Rainbow: Fostering inclusivity across Utah
May 9, 2022
Ryan Bittan
ABC4
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Thousands of pride flags will fly in yards across Utah in May.
The flags are a part of a mission called Project Rainbow, working to promote LGBTQ+ visibility and foster inclusivity throughout the state.
The organization plans to distribute 8,000 flags, and if you want one, a $15 donation is required to sign up.
LGBTQIA
'Queer' elementary teacher put on leave after talking with students about their sexuality
May 9, 2022
Alec Schemmel
KUTV
Lehi, UT. A fourth-grade teacher at a Utah charter school has been placed on administrative leave after she posted a video on social media describing conversations she has had with students about their sexuality.
Public Education
Headcounts are down at public schools. Now budgets are too.
May 9, 2022
Heather Hollingsworth and Annie Ma
Other Print
Emergency aid during pandemic wasn’t meant to last forever
Mission, Kan. • A school system in suburban Kansas City is eliminating over 100 jobs, including kindergarten aides and library clerks. Oakland, Calif., is closing seven schools. Other districts around the country are merging classrooms, selling buildings and leaving teaching positions unfilled in order to close budget gaps.
Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rural Utah
Utah farmer plants differently to save soil moisture during historic drought
May 9, 2022
Erin Cox
FOX13
Every drop of water makes a difference, the farmer said.
Box Elder County, Utah • A Utah farmer says he planted his corn crop differently this year as a way to preserve soil moisture during Utah’s historic drought.
“I love working with the soil, I love improving it, I love coming up with new and innovative ways to take on these challenges,” said Joel Ferry, a fifth-generation farmer.
For the past four years, Ferry has been trying out a new way to prepare the soil for planting his 200 acres of corn.
Instead of tilling and turning over his entire field, he tills in strips — leaving pieces untouched, still covered by last year’s nutrients.
“You can see there is a bunch of lead material, and what that does is it protects that from the sun in the springtime so the ground stays wetter because it’s shaded,” Ferry said. “And so when we go and plant, we already have the moisture there to get the seed started.”
UAC in the News
Utahns gather at Capitol on Mother’s Day in support of abortion rights
May 9, 2022
Saige Miller
The Salt Lake Tribune
Three sisters approached the Utah Capitol on Sunday cloaked in red hooded robes and little white bonnets meant to help shield their faces. Each sister held a sign that read ‘Of Alito’ ‘Of Thomas’ ‘Of Gorsuch,’ as chants from other pro-choice demonstrators echoed around them.
They were three of the roughly 100 people marching at the Capitol on Mother’s Day in support of women’s bodily autonomy. Many marched around the perimeter of the Capitol, holding signs and shouting chants like ‘Hey, hey, ho, ho the patriarchy has got to go.’
Gender Equality
Religious rift over legal abortion on display after Supreme Court draft opinion leak
May 8, 2022
Deepa Bharath and Luis Andres Henao
KSL
WASHINGTON — America's faithful are bracing — some with cautionary joy and others with looming dread — for the Supreme Court to potentially overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and end the nationwide right to legal abortion.
Gender Equality
Utah woman says experience at clinic after miscarriage shapes 'less judgmental' view of abortion
May 8, 2022
Morgan Wolfe
KSL
A life devoted to her family and faith has presented Heather Sundahl with some trials.
"I have four children and I've had four miscarriages," Sundahl said. "I watch the TV show called 'The Midwife,' and anytime there's a miscarriage or still birth, like, I'm there again. I'm there again. And I'm remembering the pain and the sadness, and it's just scary."
UAC in the News
Demonstrators march at Utah State Capitol in support of abortion rights
May 8, 2022
Chris Arnold
FOX13
The leak of a draft earlier this week suggesting Roe v. Wade could be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court brought dozens of demonstrators to the Utah State Capitol on Sunday.
A Mother's Day march was organized by the Utah Alliance Coalition. The coalition's co-founder, Eleanor Sundwall, said this is the first time they've put on an event like this.
UAC in the News
Mother's Day March in protest of Supreme Court draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
May 8, 2022
Arielle Harrison
KUTV
On this day when we celebrate mothers and women, both sides of the abortion argument are taking the opportunity to speak out.
At least 100 people gathered at the south steps of the State Capitol in protest of the Supreme Court’s draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and give the power back to the states.
UAC in the News
Photo gallery: Demonstrators march for women’s rights on Mother’s Day
May 8, 2022
The Salt Lake Tribune
The Salt Lake Tribune
About 100 people gathered at the Utah Capitol on Sunday for the Mother’s Day March, billed as a community event supporting women’s rights.
A group called the Utah Alliance Coalition organized the event, with flyers describing it as “a pleasant walk with friends in a beautiful location, not a protest or rally.”
Community
Residents at YWCA feeling extra sweet with surprise cupcake, painted vase gifts
May 7, 2022
Kayla Winn
KUTV
esidents at the YWCA were made to feel especially sweet Saturday by a nonprofit organization and teenage volunteers putting together cupcake decorating kits and hand painting vases.
The cupcake decorating kits came with everything they needed to frost and decorate two cupcakes from a local bakery, as well as written instructions and a video demonstration.
Income Inequality
Are landlords contributing to homelessness in Utah?
May 6, 2022
Kiah Armstrong
ABC4
CEDAR CITY, Utah (ABC4) – There is a multitude of factors and situations that can make it hard for a person to find housing.
Oftentimes, a scathing relationship may ensue between a tenant and their landlord — which in a worst-case scenario, results in eviction. But before things get to that point, there are steps both parties can take that can place them both in a win-win situation.
Environment
Utahns encouraged to hold off on new landscaping
May 3, 2022
Kade Garner
ABC4
UTAH (ABC4) – As Utah’s housing market continues to boom while the drought continues to get worse, Utahns are being asked to delay putting in new landscaping. In particular, turf in the form of sod and grass seed.
“I think it’s important to understand the situation that we’re in,” Pineview Water Systems General Manager Ben Quick told ABC4. “This is eight out of 10 years of drought conditions.”
Gerrymandering
In response to gerrymandering lawsuit, Legislature’s attorneys argue lawmakers — not the courts — decide redistricting
May 2, 2022
Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake City Weekly
Utah Lt. Gov. Deirdre Henderson, the Utah Legislature and several lawmakers are listed as defendants in the lawsuit.
Attorneys for the Utah Legislature asked a judge Monday evening to throw out a lawsuit that claimed Utah’s congressional redistricting amounted to an unconstitutional gerrymander.
The Legislature’s attorneys argued that the challenge would escalate a political disagreement to a judicial exercise based on “illusory standards of political equality in a highly unequal partisan landscape.
LGBTQIA
Justice Dept files a challenge to Alabama transgender law
Apr 30, 2022
Kim Chandler
Other Print
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday challenged an Alabama law making it a felony for doctors to treat transgender people under age 19 with puberty-blockers and hormones to help affirm their new gender identity.
Community
Man bicycling 400 miles to bring solar power to homes of students on Navajo reservation
Apr 28, 2022
Stephanie DeGraw
KSL
ST. GEORGE — Windswept roads and wild horses greet a Native American pedaling 400 miles on his route to raise money for solar power for families on the Navajo Nation Reservation.
Democracy
Derek Kitchen: Utah Democrats need to become a true opposition party
Apr 28, 2022
Derek Kitchen
The Salt Lake Tribune
This past weekend, the Utah Democratic Party decided not to nominate a Democrat for this year’s U.S. Senate election. Instead, a majority of the delegates believe that an independent candidate, Evan McMullin, has a better chance to beat Sen. Mike Lee this November. Much ink will be spilled, air time filled, and hands wrung. Earnestly, I hope McMullin wins.
But I am not here to write about this. I am here to talk about the Utah State School Board races, in which nearly half of the conservative candidates are running unopposed.
I am here to talk about the Salt Lake County clerk’s race, where the choice is quite literally between a qualified, common sense public servant or a “Stop the Steal” supporter who wants to dismantle fair election laws.
I’m here to talk about the fact that Democrats are only running in 56% of the state House seats this year, all of which are up for re-election.
Public Health
Daily COVID-19 cases rising in Utah; 1,695 reported in past 7 days
Apr 28, 2022
Ashley Imlay
KSL
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health on Thursday reported 1,694 new COVID-19 cases and seven additional deaths over the past seven days.
That marks a rise to an average of 242 new cases confirmed each day. Three weeks ago, the state saw an average of 100 cases per day.
Democracy
Time to ditch the Utah political convention circus. Robert Gehrke explains why.
Apr 27, 2022
Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah’s caucus-convention doesn’t lead to a candidate who represents you, the voter.
" …. in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Let’s go, Brandon!”
No joke. That’s how the Republican state convention got underway Saturday and it didn’t really get much better from there.
We had convicted seven-time felon, Nixon hatchet man and noted swinger Roger Stone vamping for congressional candidate Jason Preston and offering a plug to Mike Lee as a pillar of the party of family values.
Elections
Utah Democrats back independent Evan McMullin for U.S. Senate in a historic vote
Apr 23, 2022
Kim Bojórquez
The Salt Lake Tribune
The party delegates hoped that by supporting an independent, they would have a better chance of unseating Sen. Mike Lee
Murray • In an extraordinary move on Saturday, Utah Democrats voted to back independent candidate Evan McMullin over Democrat Kael Weston to challenge the winner of the Republican primary later this year.
At the Utah Democratic Convention at Cottonwood High School in Murray, McMullin received 782 of the delegates’ votes, around 57%, to Weston’s 594 votes, preliminary results show.
Democracy
To defeat Mike Lee, Democrats need to support Evan McMullin for U.S. Senate, Robert Gehrke explains
Apr 22, 2022
Robert Gehrke
The Salt Lake Tribune
Democrats need to change their strategy if they are actually trying to stop Sen. Mike Lee from having a third term in the Senate.
Democrats, this message is specifically for you, particularly the delegates to Saturday’s state convention: If you want to beat Mike Lee in November, the only option is backing Evan McMullin.
That sentiment isn’t going to win me any friends in the party — particularly with Kael Weston, who is a very smart, hard-working, accomplished guy. He’s also a former college classmate.
Without question, if I got to pick Utah’s next senator from any of the declared candidates in the field, Weston would be my first choice. Unfortunately (for me and, I suppose, for Kael) that’s not how elections work.
Racism
Here’s who will lead Davis School District in wake of racism report and student death tied to bullying
Apr 20, 2022
Connor Sanders
The Salt Lake Tribune
Director of secondary schools takes over for Reid Newey, who announced in January he was retiring at the end of the school year.
Farmington • After a painful year that included findings of racism and the tragic death by suicide of a 10-year-old student, Davis School District appointed Daniel Linford as its 19th superintendent Wednesday.
Linford oversees eight junior highs and high schools as a secondary school director for the district and previously worked as the principal at Viewmont High School. He is a product of Davis School District, having graduated from Clearfield High School.
“I’m excited to step into the role at this time,” Linford said in a news conference. “I recognize the challenges. … But I’m glad to be part of the solution.”
