SALT LAKE CITY — A measure that would prohibit employers from requiring employees to ascribe to certain beliefs related to race, color, sex or national origin has passed the Utah House. HB111 comes as conservatives across the country, including Utah, lash out at diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at public universities. The measure contains language paralleling wording in HB261, the controversial bill signed into law by Gov.

Gov. Spencer Cox signs an anti-DEI bill prohibiting diversity efforts he once championed. A transgender bathroom ban takes effect. And a judge said a Salt Lake City man could go to rehab after jail, so why did no one take him there before he died? Salt Lake Tribune reporters Courtney Tanner, Emily Anderson Stern and Paighten Harkins, along with news columnist Robert Gehrke, join Utah Public Radio’s Tom Williams to talk about the week’s top stories. Every Friday at 9 a.m., stream “Behind the Headlines” at upr.org or tune in...

St. George • Members and supporters of the LGBTQ community in southern Utah say they feel betrayed by Gov. Spencer Cox’s decision to sign into law HB257, which covers state-owned buildings and public schools and restricts transgender people from using bathrooms and locker rooms there that don’t align with their sex at birth. Cox’s signing happened just after members of the St. George-area queer community wrapped up a rally at Utah Tech University’s Gardner Plaza, in support of transgender students. Speakers had asked the governor to veto the bill, which...

Within the first two weeks of Utah’s 45-day legislative session, the Republican supermajority rapidly passed two contentious bills. The first does away with diversity, equity and inclusion programs in K-12 schools, public universities and government agencies. The other bans transgender people from using a public restroom or locker room that aligns with their gender identity. The speed at which Utah lawmakers address, debate and pass controversial bills at the start of this session mirrors a similar pace they set in 2023. In the opening weeks last year, they fast-tracked a...

Utah's contentious transgender bathroom ban is officially signed into law after Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill late Tuesday, per multiple outlets, just days after state lawmakers pushed the legislation through. HB 257 changes the state’s legal definitions of “female” and “male,” defining the terms based solely by one's reproductive organs. It defines a “women’s bathroom” and “men’s bathroom” as spaces exclusively designated for females and males, respectively.

Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Tuesday to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) departments at public universities and government-funded employers in the state. The legislation bans trainings that “promote differential treatment” of individuals on the basis of sex and race and will eliminate offices that enforce the tenets of DEI. The law also appropriates funds for “student success and support” programs, which Cox said would “help all Utah students succeed regardless of their background,” according to a press release.

Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill Tuesday to ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) departments at public universities and government-funded employers in the state, according to a press release. The legislation bans trainings that “promote differential treatment” of individuals on the basis of sex and race and will eliminate offices that enforce the tenets of DEI. The law also appropriates funds for “student success and support” programs, which Cox said would “help all Utah students succeed regardless of their background,” according to a press release.

Utah’s governor signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes the state the latest to prohibit diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government. The measure signed by Spencer Cox, a Republican who previously said he supported the idea, had cleared the state House and Senate by wide, party-line majorities. Headed into the final year of his first term, Cox has shifted to the right on “diversity, equity and inclusion.” After vetoing a ban on transgender students playing in girls sports in 2022, Cox signed a...

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a pair of this legislative session's most controversial bills Tuesday night. The move effectively ends diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state-owned schools, and bans transgender people from accessing restrooms that differ from their biological sex except in certain circumstances in state-owned buildings. "We want public facilities that are safe and accommodating for everyone and this bill increases privacy protections for all," Cox said in a statement, explaining his reason for signing HB257.

Utah’s governor signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes the state the latest to prohibit diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government. The measure signed by Spencer Cox, a Republican who previously said he supported the idea, had cleared the state House and Senate by wide, party-line majorities. Headed into the final year of his first term, Cox has shifted to the right on “diversity, equity and inclusion.” After vetoing a ban on transgender students playing in girls sports in 2022, Cox signed a...