Jackie Biskupski made history last night, becoming Salt Lake City's first lesbian mayor beating out two-term incumbent Ralph Becker with a vote of 51.5 percent to 48.5 percent. Biskupski's election makes her the first LGBT person to be elected mayor in any major city in the state, as well as puts her in charge of the same city that's home to the headquarters of the Mormon Church, according to NewsOxy.
The victory marked a milestone for the LGBT community in Utah, which has made several major strides in recent years.
"Today is not just about making history," Biskupski said. "It is about people. It is about affecting change."
Supporters cheered when the results were read, and Becker, who generally agreed with Biskupski on their goals for the city, but disagreed over how to accomplish them, congratulated Biskupski, vowing to work with her to ensure a smooth transition to office, according to The Guardian.
"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 in the midst of several LGBT-themed controversies, such as a judge who recused himself after reversing a decision to take away a foster child from a lesbian couple and the Mormon Church starting a new policy that bans baptisms for the children of gay couples until they're 18 and disavows same-sex relationships, according to the Associated Press.
She declined to discuss the church's policy on Tuesday, saying she wants to meet with Mormon officials first.
Bikupski's rise to mayoral office isn't the only victory the LGBT community had Tuesday. Salt Lake voters elected Derek Kitchen to give him a seat on the City Council, making him the second openly gay member of the council, joining Stan Penfold.
