Salt Lake City mayor Ralph Becker joined the members of the Salt Lake City Council to serve as grand marshals of the city’s Utah Pride Parade. The officials were chosen for their support of the city’s new domestic partnership registry.

Other politicians in attendance included Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon as well as representatives from Barack Obama’s campaign.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the parade has grown in size and diversity since its inception.

The parade itself has grown to 65 entries, including an impressive number of corporations not seen in many other parades, including banking giant Wells Fargo and financial services conglomerate American Express.

The festival, put on by the Utah Pride Center, attracted about 150 exhibitors.

“We’ve grown tremendously in just the last couple of years,” said Yana Walton of the Utah Pride Center, which organized both the parade and festival.

The crowds too, have grown both in terms of size and diversity compared with earlier years. In fact, many in the large crowds of people lining 200 East from South Temple to 4th South said while they aren’t gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, they decided to come to the parade and festival to show their enthusiasm for diversity and to enjoy a very atypical Utah celebration. Many brought their children.

“I’m not gay or anything but I wanted to come to support everybody here,” said Lupe Perez of Orem, who attended the parade with friends and family.

Other parade-goers, such as Alex Wells of Sandy, said he has noticed just how diverse the celebration has become in recent years.

“I like the fact that this is a celebration for everyone, not just the gay community,” he said. “It’s come a long way.

After a unanimous approval by the City council in February, Salt Lake City has started registering domestic partners.

Earlier this month, the state’s House of Representatives gave its consent of the ordinance granting the list as long as it was not called a “domestic partner registry.” It is now called a “mutual commitment registry.”

According to 365 Gay, the registry is a campaign promise from Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker.

The registry is open to adult unmarried couples who live together in an interdependent relationship.

They must provide the City Recorder’s Office with three pieces of proof of interdependence. That could be a joint mortgage or lease, joint vehicle ownership, a life insurance policy designating the partner as beneficiary, joint bank account, or power of attorney.

After registering couples will receive a certificate from the city.

Becker’s spokesperson said that the certificate could be used to affirm a relationship to be eligible for domestic partner health insurance at companies that officer such plans.

Registered couples also would have visitation rights at city hospitals when a partner is ill and it would give partners family rights at facilities operated by the city.

The Salt Lake City Council fired the first shot in a looming battle for domestic partners’ rights.

The council placed a unanimous vote yesterday to approve Mayor Ralph Becker’s domestic partnership registry, which would enable domestic partners to receive insurance benefits. However, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, the state’s legislature is preparing to introduce a bill to block the registry before it gets posted. In fact, the bill would also eliminate the city’s adult-designee ordinance, which gives health care benefits to the domestic partners of city employees.

“There’s some pretty direct, harsh stuff in there,” Becker said of the legislation, vowing to stop the bill. “I’ll work it. I’m not afraid to go up there.”

Council members say they are in negotiation with Buttars and other state lawmakers to find some compromise. And since the bill “just popped up,” Becker says he does not know how Republican leadership or the rank and file will act.
Meanwhile, council members insist the registry – it applies only to residents of Salt Lake City – does not violate Amendment 3 by establishing marriage or by creating a second class of relationships.
“It doesn’t change state law. It doesn’t amend state law,” said Councilman Eric Jergensen. The registry, he added, simply provides a mechanism for employers to provide benefits to people who work for them. “I don’t know, frankly, what could be wrong with that.”
Council members note city attorneys were careful to craft language that does not run afoul of Amendment 3, the provision of the Utah Constitution that prohibits same-sex marriage. And they say the registry is a “logical extension” of the city’s adult-designee measure.
“This is a complementary ordinance that recognizes families and support systems don’t always come in one package,” said Council Chairwoman Jill Remington Love, who made Tuesday’s motion.

Openly gay Utah Rep. Jackie Biskupski spoke at a brief public hearing to urge the city council to approve the registry.