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Sean D. Reyes
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Office of Attorney General; Utah Solicitor General Signs Women’s Bill of Rights Pledge

September 1, 2022

Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak joined 9 state Attorneys General who signed the “Women’s Bill of Rights” legislative pledge this week. The document argues that “When it comes to sex, ‘equal’ does not mean ‘same’ or ‘identical’” and that “separate is not inherently unequal.” The bill recognizes the reality of biological differences and the protections needed to preserve fairness and safety for women.

Utah Solicitor General Melissa Holyoak said, “As women who have been fighting glass ceilings, all progress is lost when what it means to be a woman is questioned. The current effort to negate who we are as women undermines our irreplaceable gifts and contributions to society and ignores the unique challenges we face.”

For purposes of state and federal law, the document defines the terms ‘sex,’ ‘women,’ ‘female,’ and ‘mother.’ It outlines biological differences “that warrant the creation of separate social, educational, athletic, or other spaces in order to… allow members of each sex to succeed and thrive.”

This pledge is now formally recognized as H. Res. 1136/S. Res. 644.

Read the full Women’s Bill of Rights here.