Utah

PARK CITY, Utah — Diversity is king at the Sundance Film Festival – and queen, too. For the first time, half of the films featured at the festival were made by women. Festival founder Robert Redford opened the event Thursday and said “diversity is the point” of the independent film showcase, further evidenced by contributions […]

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — The parents of 14-year-old David Phan, an openly gay student who shot and killed himself in front of horrified classmates at on November 29, are speaking out and accusing school officials of “mishandling” the situation that led to their son’s death.

DRAPER, Utah — Some parents in this suburban Salt Lake City community are expressing concern over a recent decision by Draper Elementary to have a local Chick-fil-A franchise sponsor a school spirit night, and provide catering for students celebrating birthdays during the school year.

TAMPA, Fla. — Utah’s senior U.S. Senator and an influential voice in the Republican party broke ranks Tuesday with GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and the party’s platform, differing on support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

The NBC television affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah — which is owned by the Mormon Church — said it will not air a new gay-themed sitcom, calling it “inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time.”

SALT LAKE CITY — Police and fire investigators In Salt Lake City are actively seeking the identities of three or four people in their late teens or early 20s who launched flaming projectiles at Club JAM, a gay patronized nightclub located north of the Capitol Hill neighborhood in downtown.

SALT LAKE CITY — Peter Cooke, the Democratic candidate for Governor of Utah, is distancing himself from the party’s national platform by declaring his opposition to marriage equality, civil unions and abortion.

PROVO, Utah — A poll released Monday by Brigham Young University’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy found that 43 percent of respondents surveyed thought civil unions should be legal, while 28 per cent wanted full marriage equality.

SALT LAKE CITY — While kicking off his campaign in Utah, openly-gay Republican presidential candidate Fred Karger was called “pathetic” and an “idiot” by Nanette Billings, wife of Washington County Republican Party Chairman Willie Billings.

SALT LAKE CITY — More than 300 members of the Mormon Church joined the thousands of participants Sunday at Salt Lake City’s gay pride. The group, Mormons Building Bridges, said they wanted to send a message of love to the state’s LGBT community, a message they believe is compatible with their faith, reported the Salt Lake Tribune.