Social Issues Archives – The Daily Utah Chronicle

Maxfield: New Ministerial Language Isn’t Enough to Reframe a Shaming Ideology

By Lynda Maxfield

March 30, 2020

For most of my life, I was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I even served an honorable mission some years back. But, I no longer identify with many of the religion’s ideologies — including that members of the LGBTQ+ community are not permitted to live...

Emery: Time to Move Past the Whitewashed Wild West

By Nate Emery

March 28, 2020

The scene opens with a wide-angle view of the Great Plains. Mighty winds blow clear across the grass as smoke billows from the stack of a train far in the distance. Two men on horseback enter the frame. One is white, wears a white hat and sits astride a white horse. The other is his Native...

Burton: Voters Should Pay Attention to US-China Relations in 2020

By Logan Burton

March 17, 2020

Two hundred years ago, the legendary French general Napoleon Bonaparte exclaimed the prophetic words "China is a sleeping lion. Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world." Though Napoleon did not live to see his prediction tested, his words ring especially pertinent today. Since the...

Starr: Utah Should Replace Rob Bishop with Darren Parry

By Kennedie Starr, Opinion Writer

March 17, 2020

Congressman Rob Bishop has represented Utah’s 1st Congressional District (CD-1) since 2003, and there is not much to praise from his tenure — especially in the eyes of environmentalists or anyone who identifies as somewhat moderate. The district boundary covers a large area, including the city of...

Poma: What is Consent? Utah Needs a Clearer Definition of it.

By Sasha Poma

March 16, 2020

Rep. Angela Romero’s H.B. 213 Consent Language Amendments passed the Utah House and the Senate during this year’s general session and made important clarifications about consent. Unfortunately, due to major changes made to the bill, certain aspects of affirmative consent remain unclear. These revisi...

Christopherson: Utah Women Need Tax-Free Feminine Hygiene Products and a Feminist Legislature

By Nain Christopherson, Opinion Writer

March 11, 2020

This year’s legislative session, like any other, has been a mixed bag. Elected officials passed bills to encourage schools to delay start times for students’ health, form a task force to protect indigenous women and expand mental health services, among other important measures. Some negatives have been even more extreme, though. A bill requ...

Burton: Policing Civility is Excessive and Ineffective

By Logan Burton

March 11, 2020

Among the many bills deliberated during this particularly hectic legislative session was Sen. Don Ipson’s S.B.173. The bill would criminalize disorderly conduct in official meetings and intentionally disrupting government meetings, including legislative meetings, committees, task force...

Moran: Schools Need to Approach the Use of Indigenous Symbolism with Caution

By Serena Moran

March 10, 2020

Growing up in the Mexican American culture, there have always been people that try to explain my identity to me. My Mexican friends would tell me I am not “Mexican enough” because I don’t speak Spanish and my skin is light. My white friends think that my family only eats typical Mexican...

Christopherson: Utah Has a Chance to Make the Juvenile Justice System More Compassionate

By Nain Christopherson, Opinion Writer

March 9, 2020

It’s no secret that America’s criminal justice system is in need of a major overhaul. The death penalty is still legal in 29 states. Over 60% of women incarcerated in state prisons have a child younger than 18. And while racial disparities in imprisonment have declined over the last two decades, they still exist nationwide. In 2016, for example, five b...

Poma: For A Safer Utah, Police Need to Quit Investigating Themselves

By Sasha Poma

March 8, 2020

In recent years, discussions of incompetence and corruption within police departments have seemed more and more prominent, especially here in Utah. Just last year, the Utah State Auditor’s Office found that Utah tolerates police misconduct more than most other states. State Rep. Craig Ha...