Salt Lake City might have just elected its first openly gay mayor
Early counts suggest that Salt Lake City, home to the Mormon Church, has elected an openly lesbian Mayor.
The Utah city is known as the home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has strict anti-LGBT doctrines.
However, openly gay Democrat Jackie Biskupski appears to have been elected as the city’s first lesbian mayor.
The politician was up against incumbent Mayor Ralph Becker in yesterday’s vote, and though the final official result will not be confirmed until November 17, unofficial counts suggest that Biskupski has taken the victory.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, vote tallies put Ms Biskupski on 52.19 percent of the vote – with Becker on 47.81 percent.
Ms Biskupski said: “I am deeply humbled by the support and trust I have received from the people of Salt Lake City. Our message is clearly resonating with the voters, but we must wait until the final vote is certified on November 17th to claim victory.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign—I am confident that in the end we will prevail.”
Mayor Becker said: “I commend her, and really I’ve felt this way, she’s run a very, very strong campaign.
“And the votes that have been counted so far show her in the lead, and it’s a reflection of the campaign she’s run, and I commend her for that.
“Beyond that, I think we’re going to have to wait and see what the final votes are.”
Though the victory is not yet official, Utah Senator Jim Dabakis hailed her progress, saying: “Generations of LGBT people could’ve only dreamed of this.
“Jackie is now an iconic gay leader. This is a great moment for Salt Lake City — we’re not the stereotype people across the country think we are.”
