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Jackie
Witnessing hostile actions taken against Utah’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community, she ran for the Utah House of Representatives in 1998 and became Utah’s first openly gay elected official. Jackie collaborated with LGBTQ+ attorneys to fight for our equality for over a decade. In 2000 she gave her historic speech against legislation that stripped same sex couples of the right to adopt. She battled anti-gay legislation for years while educating her colleagues about LGBTQ+ people. In the mid 2000’s her work helped defeat five anti-gay bills in a single year. This was a turning point in Utah’s LGBTQ+ history.
Jackie adopted her son, Archie, in 2010 and retired from the legislature in 2011. In 2015 she ran for Salt Lake City Mayor as a single mom and won! She was sworn in as the 35th Mayor of Salt Lake City, the second female to hold this position and the first lesbian to lead a capitol city in the United States. Jackie married Betty Iverson in 2016, and now has another son named Jack.
The stories of Jackie, Laura and the brave families they helped as they lay the foundation for what’s possible – and a road map for the battle ahead.
