The staffer stood as Sen. Nate Blouin read a letter penned by a transgender intern about the effects of SB16, which bans most minors in Utah from receiving gender-affirming health care. Two and a half weeks later, the staffer was fired.
The staffer said he stood with interns to support one of their transgender colleagues during floor debate on a GOP-backed bill that banned gender-affirming health care for transgender minors.
Just days after the start of the 2023 Legislature, senators approved Senate Bill 16, which bans most minors in Utah from receiving gender-affirming health care. During the final Senate vote on the bill, Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake City,“Even before SB16 has passed the Senate, this bill has negatively impacted my health and well-being and is causing adverse effects on Utah’s trans community,” Blouin read.
To the side of the Senate floor, away from the public and out of view of the cameras that record and live stream the proceedings, a small group of interns stood silently to show their support for Webb. Democratic staffer Bennett Johnson joined them.Johnson confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that he was dismissed by Senate Chief of Staff Mark Thomas and a human resources representative on Tuesday, adding the reasons he was let go were not made clear to him.
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