Utah Governor Meets With Gay Advocates

Utah governor Gary Herbert met with two separate groups of gay rights advocates on Tuesday, following his August statement that he did not believe people should receive protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation in the same way they do for race, religion, or gender.

Herbert met with the Foundation for Reconciliation, a group that promotes healing between Mormons and the LGBT community, and Equality Utah, the statewide gay advocacy group. Leaders of both groups described the governor as "welcoming," but he did not agree to the discrimination task force proposed by the Foundation for Reconciliation, reported The Salt Lake Tribune.

"Peter Danzig, a spokesman for the group, said the governor agreed that the lack of state numbers about discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity makes it difficult to gauge the scope of the problem. But Herbert did not commit to a task force, Danzig said," according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Herbert replaced Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr., a proponent of antidiscrimination legislation who stepped down to become ambassador to China in the Obama administration.