"I voted against some of the more moralistic legislation on the Hill, despite (conservative activist) Don Ruzicka's video camera in the gallery."

Former City Councilman Keith Christensen pointed to his decision last week to drop his affiliation with the Republican Party and register as an independent, a decision he said he made because he is socially progressive while also fiscally conservative.

Joking about his birth and childhood in Delta, he said, "One of the things that happen when you're born in Delta is they put your name on the birth certificate and mark the box for 'Republican."'

Christensen addressed his vote while on the council against a nondiscrimination policy that specifically named sexual orientation as a protected class, calling it a mistake and saying he did it because he felt it "didn't go far enough." But, he said, if the vote came up today, he would vote differently.

"Issues of equality — come on, Rosa Parks had to sit at the back of the bus for horrific reasons," he said. "I hope we're through with those days."

He called the pride flag flying above City Hall "a non-issue for me: Rocky has done the right thing." And he said he supports the Pro-Choice Cities campaign, disputing Buhler's statement that abortion is not an issue with which city leaders should be involved.

"Hard decisions require leadership," Christensen said. "There are many in the community who say it's not a city issue. We live in the city — it's an issue to us."

Colorectal surgeon J.P. Hughes, a Republican, spoke of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that guaranteed a woman's right to an abortion, as "national law" and said that, despite being a bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he would support the right to choose.

As for the gay pride flag, he said, "Why not?" He added that he would like to see the city's flagpole as a symbol of all the city's diversity, and he envisioned the addition of a third pole that flies other flags on a rotating basis to celebrate such occasions as Cinco de Mayo.

Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson referred to her "strong commitment to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues" and pointed to her efforts at the county to extend insurance and other benefits to same-sex partners of county employees.

Wilson introduced that policy shortly after her election two years ago, but it failed on a 5-4 party-line vote. She has resurrected the proposal this year. It is in committee, and she expressed confidence it will pass this time.

She said she would "absolutely" support flying the pride flag and passing pro-choice resolutions at the city.