Back to the Utah State Aggies Newsfeed

State legislator calls on LDS Church leaders to take a stance. Are they for or against his hate crimes bill?

With hate crime incidents on the rise, Thatcher is now urging the church to officially clarify its position before the upcoming legislative session, where he has proposed a similar bill.

“They had no position last year either, and yet there’s no shortage of people who are happy to speak on behalf of the church in the absence of an official statement from them,” said Thatcher, R-West Valley City, who declined to identify his religious views. “So while I believe going from opposition to no comment is and of itself a position, the problem is as long as they continue to say, ‘We have no position,’ there will be plenty of people who are willing to tell you what the church’s position is.