The old flag isn't going away. Under the bill and an executive order from Gov. Spencer Cox, it will still fly at certain times and places.

The label falls under the broader spectrum of aromanticism, which also includes demiromantic, gray-aromantic, quoiromantic, and cupioromantic individuals. However, they all share the same quality of a lack of romantic attraction to others.

“The Legislature didn’t put a whole lot of time and effort into this,” Schultz said. “No, we really should be focused on getting waters to the Great Salt Lake, make sure we’re running the state properly, and that’s really where the focus of the Legislature is.”

Simply put, lithromantic people are those who experience romantic attraction to other people but have no desire for that attraction to be returned, according to WebMD. Not only that, but romantic feelings experienced by a lithromantic may dissipate if the object of their affection begins to feel the same.

But the process wasn't free. KUTV 2News obtained public records showing the state spent $483,305.85 on the task force, which was managed by local PR consulting firms.

But there's a new flag just adopted by lawmakers. Sen. Dan McCay (R-Riverton) sponsored it. The new design features a beehive, five-point star, mountain peaks, and patriotic colors.

We’re talking about the new Utah state flag. Lawmakers finally agreed on one during the last legislative session, and it will take effect next year.

“It’s always difficult when you look at a branding exercise or anything else and you’re trying to figure out, is it worth it,” McCay said. “In the long term, you have to know that it is. In the short term, there’s going to be some pain to change.”

Getting a new state flag took several years. In 2020, the Legislature set up a task force to involve the public, solicit thousands of ideas, and narrow them down to a few finalists.

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Lithromantic

While the term lithromantic may be new, chances are you or someone you know has traits that are ascribed to this orientation. Also known as aromantic or apromantic, the label is a catch-all for those to whom romantic relationships have no real draw. Of course, it’s more complex than that. Read on to find out more.

“We were in the trenches,” said Jill Love, the department’s executive director. “I think we ended up with the symbolisms that overwhelmingly we heard throughout the process were important to Utahns.”

Aegoromantic

While it’s easy to assume that lithromantic people may avoid romantic relationships because they’ve experienced relationship trauma in their past, that’s not always the case. It’s certainly possible, of course. A person may be lithromantic for a period but change after therapy or counseling. That being said, some lithromantics have had no relationship trauma at all. In these instances, there’s no clear explanation for their preferences.

KUTV 2News asked McCay, with so many pressing issues facing the state of Utah, was this one that merited the attention it received?

Whatever the reason for lithromantics’ preferences, it does not imply that anything is “wrong” or “broken.” Sexuality exists on a spectrum, and there is no true “normal.” Lithromantics are still capable of having fulfilling and happy relationships despite their lack of interest in romance.

KUTV 2News added up the time spent on the new state flag bill during the 45-day session. It came out to just under three hours of debate.

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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — It was supposed to be a simple issue, but it turned into one of the more contentious battles both inside and outside the Capitol.

“I think it is money well spent,” Love told KUTV 2News. “That number isn’t much different than you would see in other state agencies who are doing public awareness campaigns or engaging the public, whether it’s UDOT or the Health Department or DWS. When you want to engage the entire state, you’re going to have to spend some money.”

KUTV 2News took the same question to the bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Mike Schultz (R-Hooper), the Utah House majority leader.

“It’s just expensive to engage the public, but I think if there was ever a process that it was really important to engage the public on, this was it,” he said, “and I’m really glad we did.”