Martha Hughes Cannon: A Celebration of Differences
by GABBY SAUNDERS
During the 2018 General Session, the Utah Legislature found itself celebrating the women of Utah by passing H.B. 444 in recognition of the first female elected to office in United States’ history, Martha Hughes Cannon. As a Welsh immigrant and accomplished physician, Martha Hughes Cannon became a stronghold for women in Utah through her involvement in politics and women’s suffrage. When the Utah territory became the first to grant women the vote, she spearheaded a journey that many women across the nation travel today. With courage and determination, she ran against her own husband as a Democrat and won in the State Senate race of 1896. In acknowledgment of this monumental accomplishment for women’s rights, the Utah Legislature agreed early this year to send a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon to Washington D.C. to replace Filo T. Farnsworth.
As women from all different walks of life in Utah celebrated breaking another glass ceiling this past session, we must also remember to celebrate the strides that Utahns have made to uplift all citizens of our state.
In December 2013, through a court-ordered decision, Utah leapt ahead of multiple states in the legalization of same-sex marriage, which was viewed as a shocking decision to the rest of nation due to Utah’s consistent conservative political atmosphere. However, in 2015, even before the landmark Supreme Court decision of Obergefell V. Hodges that permanently legalized gay marriage in the United States, Utah took their protections of the LGBTQ community even further. On March 12, 2015, a bill protecting LGBTQ citizens from housing and employment discrimination was signed into law. Representatives from the LDS church, the legislature, and members of LGBTQ community came together in celebration as the first in the nation to offer such protections.
However, there are still necessary strides to protect racial minorities within the state. As hate crimes against minorities increased, the legislature pushed back in 2016 by introducing a bill that would increase the penalties for hate crimes. Many cities and counties supported the bill, but unfortunately it did not pass. However, the fight for this bill moves forward as State Senators continue to reintroduce the bill to bring awareness for the need to protect the most vulnerable communities in Utah.
Although citizens of Utah won many battles in the face of adversity, we must continue to strive as a state to uplift those that may not always be able to uplift themselves. We continue on with these battles because of an important quality that unites us: we are all Utahns. In our beautiful differences, we must remember to uphold each other for our unique lifestyles and opinions. When Utahns come together, we consistently prove to our country that the best policies are birthed from understanding and compassion, and that is a heritage that is worth celebrating.