Utah County approves Freedom Festival contract with nondiscrimination clause after heated public comment

The Utah County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the commission chair to execute an agreement with the American Freedom Festival that includes a nondiscrimination clause for recipients of county tourism-tax funds.

Supporters of the clause — including representatives from Mormons Building Bridges, PFLAG, Affirmation and local suicide-prevention advocates — told commissioners during a public comment period that county-funded events should not exclude groups based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Kendall Wilcox of Mormons Building Bridges said his group had been twice denied parade participation and urged the county not to fund exclusion. "We challenged the Freedom Festival to reflect on their mission and send the message that in Provo, everyone is welcome," Wilcox said. Tisha Olsen, a trans U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said county-funded festivities like the Fourth of July parade should be accessible to those who have served: "I feel that since me and my brothers and sisters of the LGBTQ community have served our country ... people should not be discriminated against."

Steve Shallenberger, a trustee of the Freedom Festival, told the board the organization sees its mission as celebrating July 4 and promoting community unity. He said the festival supports the revised contract language and welcomed county participation: "We concur with the language that's in this agreement and hope that it will be supported," Shallenberger said.

Several public speakers linked inclusion to mental-health outcomes. Deborah Oakes Ko, who works on youth suicide-prevention efforts, cited research about belonging and asked the commission to consider the risk that exclusion poses to vulnerable youth.

The chair explained that the contract is funded through the county's tourism-tax account — revenues from restaurant, hotel and car-rental taxes — and that proposals are ranked by a review board before the commission approves funding. The updated agreement adds specific nondiscrimination language that applies to activities supported with those public funds.

Commissioner Graves moved to approve the agreement and authorize execution by the chair; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously (recorded as 3-0). The commission did not attach any additional conditions in the recorded motion. The contract as approved contains the revised language discussed during this meeting.

The commission returned to other agenda items after the vote; public-record materials and the final uploaded agreement (referenced by staff) are available through county records for details on the exact contract language and technical edits.