Former Utah lawmaker Jackie Biskupski has become the first openly gay mayor of Salt Lake City, the capital of the conservative state where the Mormon church and a small town judge delivered setbacks last week to the LGBT community.
Official election results on Tuesday show Biskupski won 52 per cent of the votes to defeat two-term incumbent Ralph Becker.
The victory by Biskupski marked a milestone for LGBT people in Utah who have made major strides in recent years.
“Today is not just about making history,” Biskupski said. “It is about people. It is about affecting change.”
Her supporters cheered when the results were read at an elections canvass meeting. Becker showed no reaction and later congratulated Biskupski, and vowing to work with her to ensure a smooth transition.
“Serving as mayor of Salt Lake City has been the richest working experience of my life,” Becker told reporters. “It has been an unparalleled privilege and honor to serve in this role for eight years.”
Biskupski takes over after progress on gay rights was temporarily marred in recent weeks when a judge ordered a foster child to be removed from a lesbian couple and placed with a heterosexual couple. The judge cited the child's well-being as the reason for his order.