Gay Couple Detained For Kissing In Public

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- About 100 people gathered near the Mormon church's downtown temple to stage a "kiss-in" protesting the treatment of two gay men who were detained by security guards on a plaza owned by the church and later cited by police for trespassing.

Matt Aune said he and his partner, Derek Jones, were confronted by guards after they hugged and kissed on the plaza.

Former Salt Lake City Councilwoman Deeda Seed helped organize Sunday's kiss-in, which occurred on public property.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported on its Web site that heterosexual and gay couples exchanged small kisses and pecks at the plaza's south entrance, which faces downtown. Church security was present, but the Deseret News of Salt Lake City reported that no altercations occurred.

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Comments

[worldman49]

When I saw the headline, I assumed the incident had taken place in Malaysia or some other Islamic majority country. But no, it was in Utah. You know what they say: When you assume, you make...

[helonias]

Would they church have hassled Joe Smith kissing one of his 14 year old brides?

[Opti]

PlaceboStudman: LOL!
Our thread got so compressed, I couldn't reply to you!!!! Tooo funny...
I was going to point out that I am actually a daughter of a (well, you know) ;-)

[PlaceboStudman]

Oh, you're female? Well, shoot, I guess I can turn off my flirt mode then! Cause, sorry, but, you're just not my type in that case LOL ;-)

[Opti]

HA HA HA HA! Can we still be friends? ;-)

[Khirad]

I love this story of a kiss-in. Reminds me of some of my antics growing up in a Mormon area.

[Opti]

Really? Do tell! (Or would that be kiss and tell?)

[helonias]

But J Smith had how many 14 year old brides

[Poorsarah]

One of the four basic human freedoms in our nation...heavily advocated by FDR. Freedom of religion.

[PlaceboStudman]

t's funny how people who extol the virtues of freedom OF religion never defend freedom FROM religion

[Opti]

Yes. But they still demand protection and tax breaks....must be nice to be above democracy.

[helonias]

It all depends if you are children of a lesser god

or not

[helonias]

Would they be allowed to kiss on planet Kolob?

[truthandvalues]

They were arrested for trespassing after being asked to leave and they refused. They were on private property which does not allow public displays of affection from anyone.

They were not detained or arrested for kissing, you are purposefully trying to misrepresent both the facts and the law to propagate your agenda.

[PlaceboStudman]

Show me one media report of a heterosexual couple being asked to vacate the premises after a simple innocent display of affection

[Cacaoatl]

People who agree with what happened should replace "gay couple" with interracial heterosexual couple and see if this still makes sense.

[Opti]

Exactly. But the Mormons don't have a stellar record on race, either.

[Opti]

Good night all! I have to go walk that beast in my profile pic...I've enjoyed the company, thank you!

[thundermummy]

Just think of how much revenue would be generated if we taxed churches, mosques, temples and other for prophet (heh heh) institutions.

[PlaceboStudman]

Just think of how much revenue would be generated if Rick Warren, Pat Robertson, Joel Osteen and the like actually PAID the taxes on their salaries like every other citizen of this country is supposed to

[truthandvalues]

Wrong again my friend. You are dead set on spreading misinformation aren't you.

Rick Warren and every other preacher still has to pay individual income tax on their salary. Only a legally organized non-profit organization can have tax except status. but the salaries the non-profits pay their employees are still taxable.

You have nothing but hallow lies to try to support you agenda.

[eternalkerri]

hey, joel osteen isnt as bad as those other too. sure, he's saccharine sweet and a televangelist, but at least he acts like he has some integrity

[JohnBisceglia]

Maybe those who do not want to fund this Federal Theocracy should stop paying taxes until we actually separate church and state.

Noel Ambery II seems to agree about a Gay Tax Revolt -
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=21805

Right now the Constitution is absolutely useless for gays, except as a toliet-paper substitute.

[LemonMeringue]

That "church property" is the city's main downtown shopping and restaurant area.

The Mormon church has some odd ideas about church property and separation of church and state. Often the church will own the property across the street from a high school, where they establish a seminary for high school kids, who leaves the school for an hour, walk across the street and take Mormon religion classes. Of course there is no free land for any other church to do the same, and most churches do not have the deep coffers of the Mormon church to afford such a thing anyway. In the high school it is painfully clear who is Mormon and who is not.

[PlaceboStudman]

"The Mormon church has some odd ideas about church property and separation of church and state."

Not really. At least Iran wouldn't think the LDS ideas about separation of church and state are odd

[truthandvalues]

So because the LDS church purchases land for private use and then uses it as such you have a problem with that? So if some other investment group or individual owned it would be OK?

So what does private property mean to you? Or are you an Obama socialist?

[PlaceboStudman]

It goes to the definition of private property and eminent domain legal issues. We simply do not believe that a church or any organization has the right to purchase an entire street and call it a Plaza inside of which only their rules apply. Especially when those laws are blatantly discriminatory

[Conservador-Rebelde]

So you are saying the church somehow has extra privileges when they buy the land for the seminary building, and the students take classes when the school allows it? Some schools don't even allow students to leave for seminary, they have to take it zero hour, early early. Any other church is welcome to do the same thing, they just choose not to.

[Tom Joad]

Fun Facts about SLC: The streets are very wide so as a wagon and team of horses can turn around OR so you can walk along arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm-in-arm with your wives...

[thundermummy]

LOFL!

[Opti]

Weird...one of my comments (total peace, love, and understanding was scrubbed. That's only happened to me once before when I dissed a HuPo headline...

[IDIOTA]

I hate when that happens, especially when there's a positive message.

[Opti]

Seriously...it was a heartwarming story about a local Mormon church that suffered a devastating fire during Sunday service and was offered haven by the Quakers across the green. (I did mention something about the CLDS' practice of posthumously baptizing non-Christian victims of the Holocaust....perhaps I should write J.e.w.s from now on?

[Strywever]

It appears several posts downscreen.

Folks, the censorship conspiracy theories are just paranoia. It's a software or process glitch or something. Why do I think so? For every complaint about censorship, I see another post that includes the same language. For example, someone will complain that HuffPo was censoring use of the word "Jews," and they'll type "J*ws," thinking they're getting around the censors. Then a bit farther down the page, I'll see any number of posts that include the word "Jews." Happens constantly.

In addition, several of my own comments that contained absolutely nothing that was remotely objectionable didn't appear -- at least while I was still hanging around waiting. Many others have made the same complaint.

Taken together, these facts strongly indicate that censorship is not the issue. That makes it a technical issue of some sort, most likely.

Observation and logic, people. i recommend them.

[Opti]

Gee, Strywever...thanks for the schooling. Did you bother to read my correction? Glad you're a fan of observation and logic, but before you sarcasm away on me, you might want to find out if I lack a commitment to these attributes. Read my posts. Read my ready apologies. Then take me to task.

[tbone99]

Sad to think how many people will never write a letter to the editor or protest torture or bombing of a country that did nothing wrong, but will scream and yell & turn out in droves to protest affection and love..

[PlaceboStudman]

war and war crimes aren't a sin. (ask The Crusaders about that one)

Love is

[PlaceboStudman]

if this story is truly about property owners rights to remove anyone they want from the property, as so many of you claim, and nothing whatsoever to do with the sexual orientation of those who are being removed, then why has there not been one single report of a heterosexual couple EVER being arrested or confronted by police or other LEOs on private LDS property?

[T84PlusSilverEdition]

Because there has never been a heterosexual couple swearing and cursing at the Temple Square Security for the sole purpose of proving bigotry, according to the blog post of one of these cited misdemeanants. If you poke, prod and manipulate, you're sure to eventually get your engineered outcome.

On that note, let me reiterate that they were detained and arrested after swearing, cursing and making a scene. If someone did that on my property, you better bet I'd have them arrested. When people visit my property, they are expected to follow the rules -- no matter how dumb they think them to be -- or they can leave.

[citizensrus]

Anyone have a script for how all this went down?

[aftershock]

"Because there has never been a heterosexual couple swearing and cursing at the Temple Square Security for the sole purpose of proving bigotry

I suggest you learn what actually happened. The cursing didn't start until the security guards asked the couple to leave, as they were already leaving. And knowing rent-a-cops, they probably acted ignorant and made comments. Mind you, this incident occurred at 10PM, after a concert, as the two men were walking home. The square is a public access walkway used by all. If your idea of the couple wanting to "provoke bigotry"aka, cause a scene, why wouldn't they do this in the middle of the day when the square was full of people?

[Opti]

You may be as bigoted as you wish on your property, but institutions that claim tax breaks to which you are not entitled as well as public venues such as lunch counters at the local pharmacy may not. The persons in question found themselves subject to selective prosecution. Not acceptable. Period. I'm sorry if their behavior makes you uncomfortable, but it took place in a "public" space. (Ownership is irrelevant under current law in these cases.)

[truthandvalues]

It happens all the time. I have been asked to take the PDA, with my then girlfriend now wife, off the BYU campus many times. The difference I was not trying to make a headline likes these guys were.

You're concocting a fictitious argument in an attempt to poison the well against the LDS church to promote a homosexual agenda.

[Strywever]

It is not a "homosexual agenda." It is a human rights agenda.

If you're going to criticize us, get your facts straight.

[PlaceboStudman]

Like I said above, show me one media report of a heterosexual couple making the news for being arrested for a public display of affection. If your contention is true, then certainly there have been visitors to utah who did not know Mormon rules and were therefore treated equally for their public displays of affection as this homosexual couple was. And if a heterosexual couple was arrested and detained for a public display of affection, then it certainly would have made SOME media outlet in the country

[pruittj]

Another caring Christian.... clearly self-righteous, hypocritical and promoting the only acceptable agenda - a religious one.