Gay Poetry Not Mormon Prayer in Utah

Utah representative Christine Johnson opened the house session Wednesday morning with the words of a lesbian poet instead of the customary prayer often read by a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

According to ABC 4 in Salt Lake City, Johnson read the poem "Say Yes" by award-winning lesbian poet Andrea Gibson.

Johnson, who represents Salt Lake City, is a lesbian. She is currently carrying a baby for two gay men.

"Most of my colleagues are LDS and I respect that, but for me I wanted something different," Johnson told ABC 4.

Johnson did censure the poem slightly, cutting the line "for the radical anarchist asking a Republican to dance."

According to ABC 4, the irony is that few if any of the other legislators realized their chamber had gone gay.