This is your daily news rundown for Monday, Feb. 10. In this edition:
- A bill restricting campus housing for trans students passed the Utah Legislature
- Multiple rallies over the weekend sought to show support for marginalized communities
- One person was killed and another injured in a Big Cottonwood Canyon avalanche
Bill restricting trans campus housing passes Utah Legislature
A bill preventing transgender college students from residing in a dorm according to their gender identity is now headed to Gov. Spencer Cox’s desk.
The Utah Senate gave its final approval to House Bill 269 Monday morning with minor changes.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Gricius, a Republican from Eagle Mountain. It requires transgender students at college universities to room according to their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity, with an exception granted for gender-neutral housing.
Supporters claim the bill protects women in private spaces, while opponents say it unfairly targets trans women and puts trans students at risk, especially when the issue is already addressed on an individual basis at each university.
The bill now heads to Gov. Cox's desk to be signed or vetoed.
This is the fourth consecutive legislative session where bills have been passed limiting aspects of transgender Utahns’ lives, including playing high school sports, minors receiving gender-affirming healthcare, and bathroom access in public buildings.
Multiple Utah rallies sought to support marginalized communities
Utahns gathered at three separate rallies along the Wasatch Front over the weekend showing support for marginalized communities.
About 1,100 people protested at the Utah Capitol and then at Washington Square Park on Saturday, focusing on issues like immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive healthcare, and racism.
Others gathered at the Fleet Block murals, also known as the police brutality mural, on the same day for what may be one of the last vigils before the area is redeveloped.
In Herriman, the community gathered for a “love rally” as a response to a demonstration last week near Herriman City Hall by a white supremacist group.
One killed, another injured in Big Cottonwood Canyon avalanche
One person was killed and another injured after an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday afternoon.
Both were men in their 50s, though neither has been identified yet. The body of the man who died was recovered and taken to the Medical Examiner’s office as of Sunday, while the other was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Many parts of Utah were facing considerable or high avalanche danger on Saturday, according to the Utah Avalanche Center, meaning natural avalanches were possible and human-caused avalanches likely.
Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended during high avalanche danger. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, most avalanche fatalities occur at considerable danger because that’s where there’s the maximum interaction between people and avalanches.
