The Tribune has well documented LGBTQ+ equality has come a long way. The politics of the state have meant Salt Lake City’s mayors always played an important role in the equality movement here. We have been fortunate to have a strong history of mayors leading on LGBTQ+ issues, including and especially Erin Mendenhall.

Before Mendenhall, Salt lake City received a 66% on the Human Rights Campaign index. She has committed herself and her government to doing better by the city’s LGBTQ+ workers and residents. That has earned the city’s first and second 100% point score from the HRC.

The city earned a higher score after she and the City Council extended the city’s health insurance policy in 2021 to cover gender-affirming surgeries to workers and their families. She formalized Salt Lake’s commitment to inclusion by hiring the city’s first chief equality officer and created the Mayor’s Office of Equality and Inclusion to prioritize equitable solutions. She also established a LGBTQ+ liaison position to ensure direct contact with our community.

What makes Mendenhall the right mayor for this city on LGBTQ issues is her temperament. I’ve known her a long time and I have been an activist in this community even longer. With the fight our community is waging in this state and in our country, we need leaders who will build bridges, forge partnerships and prioritize results over politics. Mendenhall is one of those leaders.

This Pride Month, I’m proud of how far our community has come. I’m proud that Erin Mendenhall is our mayor. I look forward to voting for her this fall.

Nikki Boyer

Salt Lake City