In a rare turnaround of its usual conservative stand on issues concerning gays and lesbians, the Mormon Church said on Wednesday that it is supporting a landmark bill that would penalize discrimination of members of the LGBT community in Utah.

With the backing of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the bill, which also protects the rights of religious groups and individuals, has high chances of becoming a law in the conservative state, which is the base of the Mormon Church.

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Members of the church, LGBT rights activists, bipartisan legislators and the Republican lieutenant governor of Utah jointly made public the bill at a news conference on Wednesday, which Equality Utah Executive Director Troy Williams described as a historic day.

"People from diverse backgrounds have come together to craft what no one thought was possible," AP quotes Williams.

The bill pushes for respecting the rights of some, but at the same time is crafted so as not to breach the rights of others.

It bans discrimination in housing and employment based on gender preference and sexual orientation.

But it exempts religious groups and organizations.

One good example is the Boy Scouts of America, which prohibits gay adults to serve as Scout leaders but allows openly gay youth to join.

The ban on the former is because of numerous complaints filed by parents of boy scouts whose sons were sexually abused or molested by the gay adult Scout leaders.

In giving its green light to the bill, the Mormon Church said it follows their recent nationwide call for more legislation that would balance the interests of both religious groups and LGBT members.

D. Todd Christofferson, member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained, "In this approach we acknowledge that neither side or no party may get all they want. It is better if both sides get most of what is desired than to have a winner-take-all where one side loses."

Encouraged by the bill, co-author and Senate Majority Whip Stuart Adams, who is also a Republican and Mormon, said, "It's monumental in the significantly LDS population of Utah that we could move this forward, and if we can do it in a very, very red state like Utah ... find a way to exist together ... it can be done anywhere in the United States," quotes Washington Post.

TagsMormon, LGBT, anti-discrimination, Utah