Here in Utah, we hear left and right that we have separation of church and state. However, Robert Gehrke, in his recent commentary noted the numerical realities of the recent redistricting: “in 2020 roughly 40% of Utah was non-LDS” while “86% of the Utah Legislature belonged to the state’s predominant faith.” The new maps leave the non-LDS virtually without representation. The numbers are out of whack, but Gehrke may have missed an attitudinal nuance. Only 24% of the Utah Legislature are women, so most legislators are white Mormon male priesthood holders, and I posit that much of what comes out of the Legislature is the result of Mormon patriarchy and the kind hubris that leads them to ignore the will of the voters on issues from marijuana and redistricting to abortion. The abortion issue further exacerbated by a misogyny that leads the likes of Dan McCay to author SB17, a so-called trigger bill that could lead to a prison sentence of 15 years for anyone performing an abortion. If they don’t hate women, they clearly do not trust them.
The elected patriarchy controls the number of liquor licenses allowed by the state, currently set at 1 per 10,000 residents. An elected patriarch, er, legislator, recently declared “they” had to “consider the social consequences” of lowering the ratio. At the December DABC meeting, there were 30 hopefuls for one available license. On the other hand, a potential nonpatriarch bar owner might consider the social benefits of a local gathering spot.
The clincher is Gov. Cox who signed off on the redistricting. With that acquiescence and his recent declaration on the mask mandate in the city and the county, Cox shows that he is not so much the governor as he is the executive secretary for the ruling elders and high priests.
Dawn Stevenson, Salt Lake City
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