Utah governor signs bill allowing officials to refuse to officiate marriages

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Republican governor has signed a bill allowing government officials to refuse to marry couples, including same-sex couples, for religious reasons.

The measure signed by Gov. Gary Herbert on Friday requires a county clerk’s office to designate someone to marry all couples if the clerk opts out.

LGBT rights groups have had mixed reactions to the proposal.

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Equality Utah Director Troy Williams says his organization is neutral on the proposal.

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He says the opt-out is objectionable but the law guarantees LGBT couples can find someone to marry them in every Utah county. Clerks were not required to perform marriages before.

The Utah-based Mormon church supports the proposal. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also backed another bill Herbert signed that protects LGBT people from discrimination in housing and employment.