Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski told fellow city leaders on a panel at the US Conference of Mayors last week that it’s been more difficult to tell her story as a survivor of rape than it was to break barriers as Salt Lake City’s first openly gay mayor.
What changed Jackie Biskupski’s mind about doing so was the #MeToo movement. “I was empowered to speak on the steps of our Capitol and make it known I am a survivor,” she said. “The people in my community — especially the young women — received [my story] in such a tremendous fashion and really enabled me to become a better leader.”
Other mayors on the panel spoke of the responsibility of women mayors leading reform at the policy level. We may be seeing the beginnings of that here in Seattle, where Mayor Jenny Durkan—the first woman mayor in almost a century—is ordering a review of how the city handles sexual harassment complaints.
But even more interesting were Biskupski’s comments on gender disparities in policing. After reviewing police department hiring practices, the Salt Lake City mayor found that police hiring preferences worked against people of color and women.
Seattle’s landmark police accountability legislation—legislation that is still being negotiated with Seattle’s police unions—mandated that the Seattle Police Department add preference points for prospective officers who have backgrounds in social work, mental health, or domestic violence counseling.
We’ll see whether that piece of the accountability package survives negotiations.
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