Ugh. More and more, I think cities are a problem unto themselves. The people in them are too-much disconnected from the sources of—and threats to—their survival. As the population of a representative democracy grows more urban, it votes according to the whims of those who are out of touch with reality.
Salt Lake City made history this month by electing Utah’s first openly gay mayor, whose victory was finally certified last week. Outside the liberal capital city, however, the conservative state has become a leading exporter of anti-gay legislation, policies—and misdirection.
To be sure, the election of Jackie Biskupski as mayor was indeed a milestone. Biskupski served for 13 years in the Utah House of Representatives, first elected in 1998 despite an avalanche of hateful personal and anti-gay attacks. As with many gay politicians, part of her achievement was that her sexual orientation was not a central issue in the mayoral campaign: The Biskupski campaign website devotes more words to “dog issues” than LGBT ones.
Moreover, Biskupski’s opponent, incumbent Ralph Becker, has also been a staunch LGBT ally—notably, the advocacy group Equality Utah endorsed both candidates in the race. Despite its status as, essentially, the holy city of Mormonism, Salt Lake City is also a major American city with a diverse population that is only about 40 percent Mormon. Coastal elites may joke about Salt Lake City, but their stereotypes are more backward than the city is.
However, Salt Lake City remains a blue oasis in a red state. In this regard, it is not unique: Atlanta, Denver, Indianapolis, and many other cities are similarly cosmopolitan outposts in otherwise red or purple states. And that has become part of the problem, as the Religious Right increasingly finds ways to work around liberal enclaves and erode protections for women and sexual and gender minorities.
FINES ET INITIA Headlines 
wolfy
/ 24 November 2015Good post
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Clare Flourish
/ 26 November 2015Thank you for sharing this good news.
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