Sean Reyes' calendar, finally public, shows the Utah AG padding his resume.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
Miss: AG Gagging
It should surprise no one that our elected officials are interested in enhancing their personal brands. Attorney General Sean Reyes fought long and hard to keep his calendar from the public—you know, the public that elected him and pays his salary. Then a district court judge ruled the calendars should be released, and a settlement with The Salt Lake Tribune and KSL-TV set them free for all to view. What was obvious was that Reyes, who may have been pursuing legitimate issues, was also wildly interested in beefing up his persona as a Marvel-like fighter against child sex trafficking and opioid abuse. True to the spirit of our supermajority Legislature, lawmakers responded to the court's ruling by immediately passing a law making calendars of all Utah leaders secret. Still, what was clear was that Reyes enjoyed the limelight, the world travel and, perhaps, whatever grift he might have gotten from promoting businesses and their products.
Miss: Cold as Ice
They're not hard-hearted. They wish they could help. They're trying to find a solution. But alas, the unsheltered may be spending a cold, potentially deadly night on the streets anyway. The good people of Davis County just couldn't find a place to put these frightening homeless people far enough from God-fearing residents. One reason, some said, was that housing them—even for one night—would not allow easy access to resources. Say, what? Mountain Road Church in Fruit Heights had offered "Code Blue" services to shelter the homeless, but residents were stunned. "My number one concern is the safety of my community," one resident told Fox-13. "You bring in 16 or 18, you cannot force someone to stay in a building, you cannot force them back on a bus, they have constitutional rights, they are able to walk the streets, and they would break into buildings, break into homes." Scared, much? As we enter the holiday season, residents should experience 18 degrees on the streets, and perhaps think about, yes, WWJD?
Hit: The Rights Stuff
The City of St. George is going to have none of that drag-show business. Ever since an HBO series highlighted the fabulous costumes of drag queens, city officials have had their panties in a bunch. While there was nothing sexual in the drag shows, well, there could be. Southern Utah Drag Stars sued the city when it denied them a permit for a 2023 show. But even after a federal judge cleared the way for a performance, the City Council came up with a new law, which the ACLU claims creates new problems. Now the city is about to fight another lawsuit over First Amendment rights. True to the puritanical mindset in Utah, the Legislature passed a law to criminalize "lewdness involving a child." Anything that might likely "cause affront or alarm or with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of the actor or the child." If that means drag shows, lawmakers surely haven't been to one. Still, the ACLU is on the case—as it should be.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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