OCR Text |
Show A-8 Wed/Thurs/Fri, January 22-24, 2020 The Park Record Meetings and agendas Ridgelines TO PUBLISH YOUR PUBLIC NOTICES AND AGENDAS, PLEASE EMAIL CLASSIFIEDS@PARKRECORD.COM By Tom Kelly Life lessons through sport AGENDA SUMMIT COUNTY COUNCIL Wednesday, January 22, 2020 NOTICE is hereby given that the Summit County Council will meet in session Wednesday, January 22, 2020, at the Sheldon Richins Building, 1885 West Ute Blvd, Park City, UT 84098 (All times listed are general in nature, and are subject to change by the Council Chair) 3:00 PM Closed Session – Personnel (30 min); Property acquisition (30 min) 4:00 PM - Move to auditorium (10 min) 4:10 PM - Pledge of Allegiance 4:15 PM Convene as the Governing Board of the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District 1) Discussion and possible adoption of amendments to the District’s Policies and Procedures, Personnel Policies and Operational Policies; Brian Hanton, Megan Suhadolc and Melissa O’Brien (20 min) Dismiss as the Governing Board of the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District 4:35 PM Consideration of Approval 1) 4:35 PM - Council Comments (15 min) 2) 4:50 PM - Manager Comments (10 min) 3) 5:00 PM - Continued discussion and possible decision regarding Silver Creek to Bitner connection; Derrick Radke and Michael Kendell (60 min) 6:00 PM Public Input One or more members of the County Council may attend by electronic means, including telephonically or by Skype. Such members may fully participate in the proceedings as if physically present. The anchor location for purposes of the electronic meeting is the Sheldon Richins Building auditorium, 1885 W. Ute Blvd., Park City, Utah Individuals with questions, comments, or needing special accommodations pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding this meeting may contact Annette Singleton at (435) 336-3025, (435) 615-3025 or (435) 783-4351 ext. 3025 LGBTQ activists say new bills target trans youth Legislation could ban minors from receiving care LINDSAY WHITEHURST DAVE CRARY Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — At the urging of conservative advocacy groups, Republican legislators in more than a dozen states are promoting bills that focus on transgender young people. One batch of bills would bar doctors from providing them certain gender-related medical treatment; another batch would bar trans students from participating on school sports teams of the gender they identify with. The proposed laws, if enacted, “would bring devastating harms to the transgender community,” said Chase Strangio, a transgender-rights lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. He warned that the medical bans – now pending in Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota and likely to surface elsewhere – could trigger suicides among young people yearning to undergo gender transition. The bills’ goals have been endorsed by several national conservative groups, including Alliance Defending Freedom and Eagle Forum. “We’ve got lots of legislators working on this,” said Gayle Ruzicka, an activist with Eagle Forum’s Utah chapter. “We don’t let this happen to children.” The bill recently introduced in South Dakota would make it a felony for medical providers to perform operations or administer hormone therapy to help minors change their gender. The Missouri bill would subject doctors to revocation of their license if they administered gender-reassignment treatment, and parents who consented to such treatment would be reported to child-welfare officials for child abuse. “I cannot imagine what happens to transgender people if these criminal bans pass,” said the ACLU’s Strangio, a transgender man. “I don’t think we can possibly raise the alarm enough, because people are going to die.” The medical director of the Trevor Project, a youth suicide prevention service, also expressed dismay, saying the bills could deprive some young people of potentially life-saving treatment. “They would force doctors to make an untenable decision and could result in their imprisonment for providing best-practice medical care,” said Dr. Alexis Chavez, a transgender psychiatrist. A Utah legislator, Republican Rep. Brad Daw, said he has accepted Eagle Forum’s request to begin drafting such a bill, though his current proposal now contains some changes from the language suggested by the advocacy group. While his bill would ban surgeries and hormone therapy for minors, it would allow puberty blockers — medications that temporarily put puberty on hold. “We want to do what we think is reasonable practice, which is put off that kind of one-way ticket decision until the youth is an adult,” he said. Daw said he wants to be sensitive and respectful to transgender kids and their families but remains concerned about medical steps toward transitioning. “What we want is really good policy off the bat,” said Daw, who’s still drafting the bill for the legislative session that begins Jan. 27. For transgender kids and their families, though, the idea of putting those steps out of reach is terrifying. Robyn Rumsey of Roy, Utah said her child was withdrawn and angry before coming out as transgender at age 12. “As parents we were completely thrown, to say the least,” she said. In consultation with a counselor and doctors, Dex Rumsey gradually began wearing short hair and boy’s clothes, then began using puberty blockers and eventually testosterone. “It wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly,” Robyn Rumsey said. It’s made her son, now 15, into a happy, thriving person, she said. The family is considering surgery later this year. “We have seen this child completely turn around,” she said. Dex considered suicide before coming out, and if he didn’t have access to hormones she worries those thoughts would return. Just learning about the idea of a ban sent him into a panic and a sleepless night, she said. “I know that it would be a life or death situation for my son. We would be desperate to find help and medication for him,” she said. Dex Rumsey said the time since he’s started hormone therapy has been the happiest of his life. “I was never comfortable under my own skin. I always felt wrong, disgusting and I hated myself. These hormones have allowed me to feel comfortable with who I am. It’s allowed me to be happier. I don’t hate myself, I’m not depressed, I don’t feel suicidal anymore,” he said. That kind of sentiment should be a particular concern to state leaders looking to bring down the state’s suicide rate, said Troy Williams with the group Equality Utah. If a law were to pass, Dex Rumsey said he’d want to leave the state. “I don’t think they realize the damage these types of things are causing,” he said. The Alliance Defending Freedom is also leading a nationwide campaign to prevent transgender girls from competing with other girls in high school sports. It has filed a federal discrimination complaint on behalf of Connecticut girls who competed in track-andfield and say state’s inclusive policy on transgender athletes has cost them top finishes and possibly college scholarships. “Forcing female athletes to compete against biological males isn’t fair and destroys their athletic opportunities,” said attorney Matt Sharp, the ADF’s state government relations director. “Likewise, every child deserves a childhood that allows them to experience puberty and other natural changes that shape who they will become.” So far this year, bills to restrict transgender students’ sports participation are pending in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Washington state, according to the ACLU. Idaho State Rep. Barbara Ehardt told the Idaho Statesman she’s preparing a similar bill. In several cases, the bills would override trans-inclusive policies adopted by state high school athletic associations. The Alabama measure, titled the Gender Is Real Legislative Act, would bar any K-12 public school from participating in interscholastic sports events which allow trans athletes to compete according to their gender identity. “The GIRL Bill seeks to support female student-athletes, so that they may compete against each other and not have to compete against male students with an unfair advantage,” said the bill’s author, Rep. Chris Pringle. Several national women’s rights and sports organizations are pushing back, saying that barring transgender people from sports teams aligning with their gender identity often means they are “excluded from participating altogether.” Two snowboarders and a skier fist bumped on the King Con chairlift after a great run. It was a busy Saturday at the resort but the trio was happy to be back together on snow again. It was a day of riding, arcing turns down Liberty and flinging off the lip of Sundog in McConkeys. More than the riding, though, it was about camaraderie and friendship. I had just met Bryan, 16, and Alexis, 18, along with their mentor, Alex, a dental student at the University of Utah. As I rode up the chairlift with my three new friends, I was reminded of the opportunity we have in our community and the important playground we enjoy at our resorts. Alexis, a Park City High School senior, might not have had the opportunity to enjoy the sport had it not been for the Youth Sports Alliance’s Get Out and Play program. Bryan was just six when he had a chance to try skiing with the Niños on Skis program pioneered by then St. Mary’s Catholic Church pastor Father Bob Bussen. Both are also students in the innovative Bright Futures high school program for first-generation college candidates. Alex, a former National Ability Center volunteer, met the two when he signed on as a mentor with SOS Outreach to help a friend who ran the new program. Our day began a few hours earlier, gathered in a small room deep in the underground of Park City Mountain. Nearly a hundred kids and mentors were gathered, anxious for a day of fun and education. It was Industry Day, a partnership between SOS Outreach and Park City Mountain to teach kids about job opportunities and finding a career path. Kids of all ages had a look of excitement on their faces. The young ones were about to head out to have fun in a new sport, some for the first time. The high school kids would travel from station to station around the mountain, learning what goes on behind the scenes at the resort. Volunteer Ernest Oriente stood in front of the group like an orchestra conductor, capturing the attention of the kids and engaging them to pay attention. It was 22 years ago - 1998 - when Father Bob sought to bring Hispanic youth to the ski slopes through a new program, Niños on Skis. Oriente was his right hand man, a pied piper for the Hispanic community. And they put kids on skis! Today, Park City Mountain continues to support kids, now bridging it to the SOS Outreach program, which came to town in 2016. “I was just six years old when I got involved with Niños,” said Bryan. “Especially living here - this is Park City - everybody here should be able to ski. “I feel blessed to grow up in an area surrounded by mountains,” chimed in Alexis. “In school they talked about how awesome it was to ski. I felt left out. I was interested in getting involved and now snowboarding is my favorite hobby.” Alexis, a Park City High School senior, might not have had the opportunity to enjoy the sport had it not been for the Youth Sports Alliance’s Get Out and Play program.” The late 90s was a time when Park City needed a program like Niños on Skis to help our rapidly growing Hispanic community. About that same time, I got to know another program in Colorado called SOS Outreach, reaching out to underserved kids with sport as a life tool. What I most liked about that program is that it was not just about sport. It was about using sport as a conduit to talk about life - especially life values. In just four years here in Park City, SOS Outreach has provided ski or snowboard opportunities for over 1,100 youth. This year it will bring 400 more youth to snow, plus facilitating youth community service and leadership workshops. As the day began, the kids learned about ski school and what it takes to become an in- structor. Justin talked about his own lifelong passion for teaching others to ski. Then it was on to Legacy Lodge where Ted and Janelle spoke about careers in retail sales. Anxious to get on snow, the boys clicked into their boards and slid down to First Time for their next station where Jessie talked about pass scanning while Darren spoke on the operations of ski lifts. Jessie spoke about her motivation to leave a legal job to move into something that took her outdoors. Along the sidelines watching the group was Rebeca Gonzalez. When she was six, she got her start in Niños. Her older sister was in the first class 22 years ago. Today, she’s a college graduate and oversees Bright Futures. She reminisced about her mentors from years earlier. Not only did they get her on skis, but they helped her get through college - a lifetime of connectivity that started on snow. Reflecting back on the day, I kept coming back to SOS Outreach coordinator Abbey Eddy’s talk about values. Each month the program day is dedicated to one of SOS Outreach’s six values. “Last month’s value was courage,” she said. With a sweatshirt in hand, she told the story of Emma, who had the courage to conquer her own fears, skiing a run that had been challenging for her. Emma’s eyes got bit as Abbey presented the sweatshirt to her. Most of us measure our ski days by vertical feet, number of runs or max speed. That Saturday, I learned there’s a lot more to it for these kids. It’s about values and friendships, and just being up on the mountain with a buddy. Wisconsin native Tom Kelly landed in Park City in 1988 (still working on becoming an official local). A recently inducted member of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, he is most known for his role as lead spokesperson for Olympic skiing and snowboarding for over 30 years until his retirement in 2018. This will be his 50th season on skis, typically logging 60 days in recent years. Red CaRd RobeRts By Amy Roberts Utah lawmakers gamble on taxes I think it was Benjamin Franklin who made the quip about death and taxes being the only two things in life that are certain. The Utah Legislature seems hellbent on doing both in one swift and sweeping motion — taxing us all to death. At least they’re efficient. Last December, the group of painfully out-of-touch lawmakers approved a tax reform package, which includes a new or increased sales tax on food, gasoline, and services like home repairs and maintenance as well as pet grooming, streaming media, Uber rides, and more. Lawmakers have promised these new taxes will be returned in form of cuts to income taxes, which is usually code for “tax breaks for the rich.” But what is especially concerning with this plan is that in Utah, income taxes are used to fund education. So if there’s less income tax being collected, it’s logical to assume there will be less money for education. Given Utah ranks last in the country for per student spending as it is, this probably isn’t in the best interest of anyone currently not homeschooling their children. The most interesting part of this tax reform package is what it doesn’t include — cuts to government spending. Except of course, in that roundabout way of cutting spending on education. But here’s the most insane part: The bill increases the per-child exemption from $565 to $2,500. As if Utahans needed more of an incentive to breed. The state can’t seem to adequately fund education, has zero plans for making the air throughout the valley less toxic, our infrastructure is crum- bling, there’s a mass shortage of affordable housing, and a significant increase in homelessness. I would argue this money would be far better spent attempting to solve these issues rather than creating more humans to exacerbate the problems. There is recent evidence that legalizing adulthood is actually good for the economy.” Almost as soon as this tax reform package was approved, a referendum campaign was launched by opponents. My deadline for writing this is one day sooner than theirs for turning in the 116,000 signatures required to get the referendum on the November ballot, which would allow the public to vote on the Legislature’s tax overhaul bill. So there’s a chance the above described mess isn’t final yet. And if that’s the case, I hope lawmakers spend the next few months considering proven and viable ways to increase revenue without penalizing people who need to eat in order to survive. It’s a long shot considering the piously tone-deaf group, but there is recent evidence that legalizing adulthood is actually good for the economy. When Utah finally allowed grocery and convenience stores to sell real 5% beer last fall, beer sales in Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada border towns dropped by roughly 30%. Instead of driving across state lines and bootlegging beer, residents spent their drinking money in Utah. The same economic boost could, would, and should happen when it comes to lottery tickets. Utah is one of only a few states that hasn’t figured out the ROI from scratch-off cards and the Powerball. The instant-gratification that comes with scratching a ticket would mean lawmakers no longer have to scratch their heads over how to fund education and other critical needs. According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, last year Americans spent about $85 billion on lottery tickets, with some states adding over $6 billion to their bottom lines. State governments have control over how the revenue is spent, with most allocating funds to education, infrastructure, green space initiatives, elderly assistance, general funds, social programs for the homeless, healthcare, criminal justice, and other government programs. Considering 43 other states and the District of Columbia enjoy this income-generating side hustle, you have to wonder when Utah lawmakers will do the math. Or perhaps they’re enjoying their own side hustle and pocketing money from lobbyists in Wendover and Evanston. If we ever make being an adult legal in this state, it will destroy the economies of those border towns. Amy Roberts is a freelance writer, longtime Park City resident and the proud owner of two rescued Dalmatians, Stanley and Willis. Follow her on Twitter @amycroberts. |