A new statewide poll finds Utahns dramatically more open to gay rights measures than they were a year ago, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, with two-thirds of respondents saying they support employment non-discrimination laws for their LGBT fellow citizens.  The findings come on the heels of the Mormon Church’s official support for a Salt Lake City non-discrimination ordinance last fall:

“This isn’t a gradual change of attitudes. This is a fairly dramatic jump,” says Matthew Burbank, chairman of the University of Utah’s political science department. “Clearly, the fact that the LDS Church was officially endorsing this position had an impact on people.”

A similar number of respondents, 66 percent, also say they support expanding Salt Lake City’s anti-discrimination policy — the first of its kind in Utah and already mimicked in Salt Lake County — throughout the state.

Two thirds of respondents also expressed support for some legal protections for same-sex couples, such as hospital visitation and inheritance rights.  Still, 65% opposed amending the state constitution to allow civil unions.

State Rep. Christine Johnson, an out lesbian, recently helped broker a cease fire in the state legislature on LGBT issues.  While she is seeking to expand the Salt Lake City non-discrimination law to cover the entire state, some of her conservative colleagues want to ban even local gay rights laws anywhere in Utah.  Both sides have agreed to study Salt Lake City’s experience for a year before moving ahead with any legislation.