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SALT LAKE CITY — As Utah's only openly gay legislator, Rep. Sahara Hayes was thrust into an emotional debate over LGBTQ rights early on in her first session.
While the Legislature moved to ban transgender-related surgeries and puberty blockers for children last month, Hayes spoke against the effort, saying "someone very close to me is trans." She spoke of how hard it was for them to live "knowing you're never going to have the body you want."
Hayes, D-Millcreek, knew she might need to address an issue like that, because it was a 2022 bill banning transgender girls from playing high school sports that prompted her to run in the first place.
"HB11 is actually a big reason why I ran for office because I do have a trans loved one," she said last month. "It felt like there needed to be somebody that was directly standing in that line of fire. You see this group just getting vilified a lot, and used as a scapegoat. ... It's hard because I see the people that that hurts directly."
"There are so many decisions made every year during the legislative session that impact the lives of everyday Utahns, and it can sometimes feel like politics is something that happens to you, rather than for you," Hayes said. "Utah is an amazing state, and I want it to be welcoming and inclusive for all its residents."
Hayes said she can't speak for all LGBTQ individuals, which is why she said there needs to be more queer representation in government.
"I think we need to elect more queer people. That's just a fact," she said. "I don't speak for all queer people, and I think that's important as well. ... It's hard to necessarily trust that somebody is going to be making the best decisions for your self-interest if they have never seen what your self-interest means."
"I think it's awful that people have to feel like they need to expose themselves in order to be heard," she said about people who have felt forced to out themselves to speak against the bills. "You should just be able to be taken seriously by stating it, not by showing this really tender, vulnerable part of you. You should be able to be believed and taken seriously without that and it should be on your terms."
Before running for the Legislature, Hayes spent several years working for local governments and nonprofits. She previously worked for West Valley City's Division of Arts and Culture and served on the Millcreek Community Council from 2020-2022. In the nonprofit world, Hays said she had to focus on finding "creative and collaborative" solutions to a variety of problems — honing skills she expects will come in handy as a legislator.
"My view is that the government exists to serve its citizens, and that it should be doing everything it can to uplift the people who call our state home," she said. "I am a Democrat, but my goal is to serve my constituents, not subscribe to a specific ideology."
In addition to protecting the LGBTQ community, Hayes says the Great Salt Lake is one of her top priorities, calling it an "issue that needs to be urgently addressed.
As one of only 14 Democrats in the Utah House of Representatives, Hayes will have no choice but to work across party lines to address those issues.
"I think Utah politics is presented to the public as a very 'us vs. them' mentality, and I would love it if we could shift away from that narrative," she said. "Each one of us is up there because we want what's best for Utah and our communities. We just sometimes have different ideas on the most effective ways to achieve that goal."
Hayes has proposed several bills this session, including one that would require school districts to provide age-appropriate firearm safety and suicide prevention materials as part of a suicide prevention program. HB481 was referred to the House Education Committee on Thursday, but will likely not advance this year if it doesn't receive a hearing by Monday.
Outside of her legislative duties, Hayes is an aerialist who has performed trapeze at events like Craft Lake City and the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. She is also a longtime knitter, after being taught by her mother as a child.
"I remember her sitting in meetings, turning out multiple hand-knit dishcloths that she would later gift to friends and family," Hayes said. "I've learned from her example, and if I'm in an online meeting there's a very good chance that my needles and yarn will make an appearance."
Contributing: Katie McKellar
