{{short description|American politician and entrepreneur}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Derek Kitchen | alt = Kitchen speaking on the Utah Senate floor in 2020 | state_senate = Utah State | district = 2nd | term_start = January 2019 | term_end = December 2022 | predecessor = Jim Dabakis | successor = Jen Plumb (redistricted) | office1 = Member of the Salt Lake City Council<br>from the 4th district | term_start1 = 2016 | term_end1 = January 1, 2019 | predecessor1 = Luke Garrott | successor1 = Ana Valdemoros | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|8|30}} | birth_place = Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | spouse = {{marriage|Moudi Sbeity|2015|2019|end=div}} | education = University of Utah (BA) }} '''Derek Kitchen''' (born August 30, 1988)<ref name=exmormon>{{cite web |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/0-1-percent-gay-ex-mormon-derek-kitchen-looks-shake-n911186 |title=The 0.1 Percent: Gay ex-Mormon Derek Kitchen looks to shake up Utah politics |author=Tim Fitzsimons |accessdate= November 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/utahsenate/posts/-happy-birthday-senator-derek-kitchen-and-senator-kathleen-riebe-hoping-your-bir/10156600985416925 |title=Happy Birthday Senator Derek Kitchen and Senator Kathleen Riebe! Hoping your birthday is filled with happiness, joy and cake. |author=Utah Senate |date=August 30, 2019 |accessdate=October 25, 2020}}</ref> is an American politician from Salt Lake City, Utah. He is a former member of the Utah State Senate who represented Utah's 2nd Senate District, and was formerly a Councilmember on the Salt Lake City Council representing Council District 4.<ref>{{cite web |title=Salt Lake City Council chooses Analia Valdemoros to fill vacant Council District 4 seat |url=https://fox13now.com/2019/01/22/salt-lake-city-council-chooses-analia-valdemoros-to-fill-vacant-council-district-4-seat/ |website=fox13now.com |language=en |date=January 23, 2019}}</ref>
In 2023, Kitchen was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as Senior Vice President of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Export-Import Bank.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-24 |title=Former Utah Senator Derek Kitchen heads to D.C. to serve Biden Administration |url=https://www.abc4.com/news/politics/former-utah-senator-derek-kitchen-heads-to-d-c-to-serve-biden-administration/ |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=ABC4 Utah |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Officers {{!}} EXIM.GOV |url=https://www.exim.gov/leadership-governance/officers |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=www.exim.gov}}</ref>
Kitchen and his restaurant Laziz Kitchen was featured on Food Network's ''Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives.''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Here's Every SLC Restaurant Featured On 'Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives' |url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2020-12-22-heres-every-slc-restaurant-featured-on-diners-drive-ins-dives/ |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=iHeart |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title='Round the World Roundup |url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/diners-drive-ins-and-dives/episodes/round-the-world-roundup |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=Food Network |language=en}}</ref>
==Education and career== Kitchen graduated in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Utah.
Kitchen and his partner, Moudi Sbeity, opened Laziz Foods in 2012 to provide Lebanese food to local grocery stores and the Farmers Market in Salt Lake City. It was in 2016 they opened Laziz Kitchen, a Lebanese restaurant downtown. Laziz Kitchen has a partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to hire refugees and New Americans from Iraq and Syria.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=1985818&itype=CMSID|title=Derek Kitchen and Moudi Sbeity: Two entrepreneurs who make hummus and made history|author=Jennifer Dobner |accessdate= November 2, 2018}}</ref> Laziz Kitchen appeared on ''Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives''.
In 2019, Kitchen completed [https://www.hks.harvard.edu/ Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government] program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government as a [http://www.bohnettfoundation.org/ David Bohnett] [https://victoryinstitute.org/programs/bohnett-leaders-fellowship/ LGBTQ Victory Institute] Leadership Fellow.
==Kitchen v. Herbert== In 2014, Kitchen and his partner sued the State of Utah for marriage equality with Kitchen v. Herbert. This case legalized same-sex marriage in Utah and five other states in the western U.S., establishing a groundbreaking case-law that led to nationwide marriage equality in 2015. Following the lawsuit, Kitchen was the subject of a documentary about the lawsuit that legalized gay marriage, called Church & State.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|url=https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/movies/2018/07/06/church-amp-state/ |title='Church & State' documentary tries to sort truth from myth in the story of how same-sex marriage became legal in Utah|author=Sean P. Means |accessdate= November 2, 2018}}</ref>
==Salt Lake City Council== In 2015, Kitchen was elected to represent Council District 4 in Salt Lake City<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.slc.gov/district4/ | title=Council District 4 | Central City, Downtown, East Central }}</ref> where he led the effort to create a historic $21 million fund to create affordable housing in October 2016.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|url=http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=4481916&itype=CMSID|title='The solution to homelessness is housing': Salt Lake City sets aside $30M to address homelessness, affordable housing|author=Tony Semerad|accessdate= November 2, 2018}}</ref> He also worked to expand housing options in Salt Lake City with an update to the Accessory Dwelling Unit/Mother-in-law ordinance in 2018.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/10/17/salt-lake-city-loosens/|title=Concerned about housing costs, Salt Lake City loosens rules on 'mother-in-law' apartments|author=Tony Semerad|accessdate= November 2, 2018}}</ref> He formerly served as a chair for the redevelopment agency.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://slcrda.com/about-the-rda/|title=About the RDA – SLCRDA|website=www.slcrda.com}}</ref>
== Utah State Senate == In 2018, Kitchen announced his bid for Utah State Senate District 2.<ref name=exmormon/> He was endorsed by the outgoing senator Jim Dabakis, then the only openly gay member of the legislature, and won the close Democratic primary in July, winning 53 percent to his opponent Jennifer Plumb's 47 percent.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stevens |first1=Taylor |title=Final election results show Salt Lake City Democrats Derek Kitchen and Jen Dailey-Provost won their close primary elections |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/07/10/final-results-are/ |access-date=July 1, 2022 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=July 10, 2018}}</ref> On November 6, Kitchen won in the general election and was elected to serve in the 2019-20 Utah Senate Minority Leadership as Senate Caucus Manager.<ref>{{cite news|work=Utah Senate Democrats|url=https://www.utahsenatedemocrats.org/#!Utah-Senate-Democrats-Announce-New-Leadership-Team/cnlh6/5be5c3a8a3b6ac3632e2117e|title=Utah Senate Democrats Announce New Leadership Team|author=Jon Hennington |accessdate= November 9, 2018}}</ref> In 2020, Salt Lake police searched Kitchen's Venmo account after he gave $10 to a woman who was accused by the police of buying paint. This was after protests against killings by police in which the street in front of the district attorney's office was painted red.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reavy |first1=Pat |title=Utah Sen. Derek Kitchen accused of helping pay for paint used by protesters |url=https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/8/19/21376211/senator-derek-kitchen-accused-helping-pay-red-paint-used-protesters-district-attorney-vandalism |access-date=July 1, 2022 |work=Deseret News |date=August 19, 2020}}</ref> During his term, Kitchen proposed raising the minimum age for buying a gun from 18 to 21 and repealing the statute banning marriage for same-sex couples that is still on the books.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Burningham |first1=Grant |title=The Daily Buzz: Why Utah's Sen. Kitchen wants to raise the age to buy a gun to 21 |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2022/05/25/why-utahs-sen-kitchen/ |access-date=July 1, 2022 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=May 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Schott |first1=Bryan |title=Worries about possible Supreme Court action has Utah lawmaker pushing to repeal the state's ban on same-sex marriage |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/06/07/worries-about-possible/ |access-date=July 1, 2022 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=June 7, 2022}}</ref> In July 2022, he received 49.6 percent of the vote to Plumb's 50.4 percent in the Democratic primary for the Utah Senate's new 9th district.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Apgar |first1=Blake |title=Jen Plumb ousts Derek Kitchen with paper-thin margin in Democratic primary for Senate District 9 |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/07/12/jen-plumb-ousts-derek-kitchen/ |access-date=July 13, 2022 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=July 12, 2022}}</ref>
==House of Representatives== Derek announced he is running for Congress in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/12/he-won-marriage-rights-for-same-couples-in-utah-now-hes-running-for-congress/|title=He won marriage rights for same-sex couples in Utah. Now he's running for Congress.|first=Alex|last=Bollinger}}</ref>
== Personal life == Kitchen and Moudi Sbeity met in 2009 and married in 2015. They divorced in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rodgers |first1=Bethany |title=Sen. Derek Kitchen and his husband announce they are separating but remain proud of their fight for marriage equality |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/09/30/sen-derek-kitchen-his/ |access-date=July 1, 2022 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=September 29, 2019}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitchen, Derek}} Category:1988 births Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:21st-century members of the Utah Legislature Category:American gay politicians Category:Candidates in the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections Category:Democratic Party Utah state senators Category:Former Latter Day Saints Category:LGBTQ state legislators in Utah Category:Living people Category:Politicians from Salt Lake City Category:University of Utah alumni