Candidates are courting gay, lesbian vote in Salt Lake City

Thompson said Equality Utah itself has hundreds of active supporters who live in Salt Lake City — and 1,200 people have tickets for a political fund-raising dinner later this month.

"They are an active voter population," Wilson said. The gay and lesbian Salt Lake community "is very well organized. I'm in alignment with that group and seek their support."

Among tangible support she received were the maximum-possible donations of $7,500 each from gay activists Bastian and Jane Marquardt.

Some other spending and actions by candidates, besides courting the gay community, also would appear nontraditional for Utah.

Wilson, for example, took her campaign staffers and a few volunteers to "Saturday's Voyeur," spending $528 on the tickets. "Voyeur" is a well-known satirical play — rewritten each year with annual themes of making light of Utah's cultural, political and religious oddities.

Wilson spent just over $600 in buying wine for her a Gallivan Center fund-raiser held about a month ago. Becker has also spent money on beer for one of his fund-raisers.

"Most of the nonprofit entities in the city provide some alcohol at their fund-raising events," said Wilson. So mayoral campaigns are not so different in that respect, she added.

Wilson also used campaign money to pay dues to two environmental groups. She paid $100 in dues to the Sierra Club and $25 to the Environmental Defense Council.

Wilson also made a $750 donation to Planned Parenthood. Candidate J.P. Hughes paid $75 to Planned Parenthood for a booth rental.

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