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SALT LAKE CITY — Jackie Biskupski, who will likely become Salt Lake City's first openly gay mayor, says one of her first goals is to meet with officials from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to discuss new church policies regarding same-sex couples and their children.
Biskupski declined to speak with the Deseret News Wednesday but made the announcement during an online interview Tuesday.
"I think it's very important, no matter what, to maintain strong working relationships, and I just want to have a chance to have a personal conversation about this particular policy and the impacts it's having," Biskupski told the Salt Lake Tribune.
"It's a high priority, and I'm trying to get in for a meeting now," she said, adding that she wants to meet soon after Nov. 17, when election tallies will be finalized.
Last week, the church released an updated handbook for lay leaders of Mormon congregations mandating church discipline for same-sex couples who marry and prohibiting their children from receiving baby blessings or being baptized until they reach age 18.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the new policies are designed to protect children from conflict, not to limit the opportunities for children in the church.
As the likely future mayor of the city where the LDS Church is headquartered, Biskupski is wise to want to meet with church leaders, said University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank.
It's a good sign that her first instinct is wanting to meet with church leaders and talk about the issue rather than, for example, having a press conference and denouncing them.
–Matthew Burbank, political science professor
"It's a substantively and symbolically important relationship," he said, since the church is one of the largest employers and property holders in the city. "It's a good sign that her first instinct is wanting to meet with church leaders and talk about the issue rather than, for example, having a press conference and denouncing them."
"I don't expect any changes to come out of the meetings," he added, "but I think it's important that both parties walk away saying, 'This is an important relationship, and we're going to continue having these discussions.'"
