The recent Salt Lake City ordinance that restricts alcohol consumption between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. indirectly targets marginalized communities that frequent late-night gatherings, including the LGBTQ+ community.
As a queer man, this seems like an attack. Queer spaces in a conservative, largely Republican state are already limited as they are; now, events that cater to the community are at risk of dissolution. Late-night events like FERVOR, ¡Dyked!, and others have led to the cultural expression and gathering of SLC’s marginalized communities.
When I first moved to Utah from Washington, D.C., a few years ago, it proved to be difficult to find community in a highly religious state. When FERVOR (a curated dance/techno space) began in 2023, it asserted itself as a queer domain, catering to Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). The existence of such spaces became a haven to minoritized individuals and facilitated the formation of connections with other like-minded Utahns. These events have fostered community and created safe environments for the freedom of expression of these minorities.
Alcohol, though present at these events, is neither sold nor offered; yet, the ordinance threatens to cease the events by aiming to ban large-scale private social gatherings that involve alcohol consumption. I, a rare drinker, was alarmed that the ordinance aims to ban late-night alcohol consumption in these spaces to improve safety, when, within SLC and across the state, gun violence has only persisted. The resolution to improve safety across SLC’s neighborhoods should focus on stricter gun control instead of banning alcohol consumption.
According to The Salt Lake Tribune, the ordinance was set in motion by Mayor Mendenhall’s administration and the Salt Lake City Police Department as a solution to increased public nuisance issues within Salt Lake City. Deputy Police Chief Bill Manzanares has mentioned that the ordinance aims to close a loophole allowing private parties to function as bars by selling alcohol to guests. If the issue is the illegal sale of alcohol, then the ordinance should aim for greater oversight of alcohol in the city (which is absurd in light of the state’s already outdated liquor laws).
It cannot be a mere coincidence that the ordinance came about in tandem with SLC’s Public Safety Plan, which requires extensive funding for more homeless housing and services, and for additional police officers. Part of the proposed ordinance calls for a set of fines on violators that includes both individual drinkers and event organizers, ranging from $500 to the maximum of $1000. If this is the solution to a lack of funding, Salt Lake City’s Council should instead work alongside the state Legislature to explore further alternative funding for homelessness in the state and the state’s capital.
Additionally, the ordinance isn’t novel. In fact, the ordinance comes not long after a new ordinance was approved in early August, aimed at penalizing property owners for gatherings that disturb the public peace and threaten the welfare and safety of SLC’s neighborhoods.
I can only hope that the ordinance was initiated with the safety of SLC in mind. However, this does not negate its futility. I urge the Salt Lake City Council to strike down the ordinance and reassess its purpose and goal.
As a man of color, the ordinance feels on-brand with the current political rhetoric of policing cities instead of promoting social change. As a Utahn, the ordinance feels misdirected.
Levi Dias is a laboratory scientist, a Salt Lake City runner and an avid nightclub frequenter.
Levi Dias is a laboratory scientist, a Salt Lake City runner and an avid nightclub frequenter.
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