Salt Lake City
mayor faces uphill battle in pushing for gay rights

In his state of the city address, Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson spoke of the status of gays and lesbians and said they are consistently marginalized and treated as second-class citizens. "Society's treatment of gays and lesbians has made life tragically difficult and painful for them and has too often deprived our community of the valuable perspectives and resources they offer," Anderson said Tuesday. The mayor said the city has made strides in becoming more inclusive of gays. He cited his executive order offering health insurance to city employees' domestic partners, the city's inclusion in a book on gay-friendly cities, and his being named a top straight advocate for gay people. But he said obstacles remain. City councilwoman Jill Remington Love, who also is considered one of Salt Lake City's gay rights advocates, said she agreed with the mayor's sentiment about the status of gays. "Gay rights is the civil rights issue of our day," she said. She said she was glad Anderson did not renew his criticism of the council's plan to supersede his health benefits executive order and offer health insurance to employees' adult designees, including domestic partners. "I don't think our benefits package in any way takes away from the gay community," she said. (AP)