Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Utah Pride Center Honors Mormon Governor
“He did take a leadership position on Common Ground, and certainly took a very visible role with his feelings about civil unions”

From a story in the Deseret News
June 2009

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who surprised many fellow Republicans earlier this year by coming out in favor of civil unions as well as the Common Ground legislative initiative intended to extend benefits to same-sex and other non-traditional couples, is the recipient of the Utah Pride Center's 2009 Pete Suazo Political Action Award.

“Over the years, he's been very fair-minded with regard to LGBT issues,” said Valerie Larabee, executive director of the Utah Price Center. “And I think he did take a leadership position on Common Ground, and certainly took a very visible role with his feelings about civil unions.”

The award, established in 2002 to honor the work of the late state senator on hate crimes legislation, may well be the first time Huntsman has been officially honored by the state's gay and lesbian community, Larabee said. Past winners include former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and House Minority Leader David Litvak, D-Salt Lake.

Huntsman's support of civil unions has already attracted national attention. Before he was tapped as an ambassador, the governor was widely viewed as a potential GOP candidate for president in 2012 and was making speeches nationwide. A GOP group in Michigan cancelled his appearance because of his support of civil unions, fueling new interest in Huntsman's call for more moderate stands by his party on social issues.