Protestors march through Utah Capitol to fight one of the nation's worst anti-trans bills
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/protestors-march-through-utah-capitol-to-fight-one-of-the-nations-worst-anti-trans-bills/ 🔗Greg Owen (22 Jan 2026)
Transgender Utahans and their supporters marched through the state Capitol building on Wednesday to protest what one lawmaker called "possibly the most egregious anti-trans bill" yet introduced by Republicans during their years-long campaign attacking the LGBTQ+ community.
"I'm anticipating a big fight" over the bill, state Rep. Sahara Hayes (D) told the Utah News Dispatch at the protest. Hayes is Utah's only out queer legislator, and she's married to a trans woman.
She called H.B. 183 the worst of a slew of new anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced this session.
The sweeping bill replaces the term gender with sex in the state; repeals previous provisions related to gender identity (including protections for housing, employment, and crime); prohibits amendments to the sex designation field of a birth certificate; requires use of the term "biological sex" when referring to gender on state documents; prohibits trans employees from interacting with children in state health care settings; and requires courts to favor parents who disavow a child's gender identity if it differs from their sex assigned at birth in state custody disputes.
Salt Lake City state Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost (D) said the "misguided" bill "could not be more mean-spirited."
