Mass 'Kiss-In' Protest At Mormon Temple Leads To Confrontation

SALT LAKE CITY — A mass-kissing protest near the Mormon church temple Sunday drew a shouting match between gay activists and a group of faithful Mormons.

For the second consecutive weekend, about 100 people gathered to stage a "kiss-in" to protest the treatment of two gay men cited for trespassing July 9 after they shared a kiss on the plaza owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both gay and straight couples exchanged kisses during the protest.

Demonstrators were greeted at the south entrance by a group of protesters carrying large signs that denounced homosexuality, prompting a heated verbal exchange.

Police say no one was arrested or cited, despite a large group exchanging kisses by a reflecting pool at the plaza's center.

"We didn't call the police. We didn't do anything," church spokeswoman Kim Farah said.

The church bought one block of Salt Lake City's Main Street to build a plaza in the 1990s alongside the Temple, where Mormon marriages and other religious rituals take place.

Matt Aune has said he and his partner, Derek Jones, exchanged a modest kiss at the plaza 11 days ago, but church officials contend their behavior was lewd.

"There was much more involved that a simple kiss of the cheek," Farah said in a statement Friday. "They engaged in passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and had obviously been using alcohol."

The men have said they were walking home from a nearby concert and cutting through the plaza on their way home.

A police report said they sat down for a kiss and were approached by a pair of church security guards, who asked them to leave because their behavior was "unwanted."

Both were handcuffed and Aune was pinned to the ground.

Comments

[huffii]

these homosexualists should take their kiss-in to the African-American 'hood' to convince them that their
sexual lifestyle preference issues are the same as African-American historical civil rights issues.

[mag68]

F U.

[Raster]

To get some background on The Church of Jesus Crist of Latter Day Saints see, for example:

http://packham.n4m.org/

Are gays being treated by LDS similar to the way Blacks ("Negroes") were?

[Conservador-Rebelde]

How about you go to the church's site, as that will show you what they believe...

lds.org

What you are doing is basically saying that if you wanted any information on Obama, you should go to the most extreme anti-Obama site.

[sturzl]

So the next time an LDS comes knocking at my door, should I tackle him, pin him to the ground, handcuff him and then call the police? Can I at least kiss him? After all, it is my property.

[IronValkyrie]

Depends on how cute he is, I'd guess. ;)

[Godweiser]

Case of the Mancled Mormon Redux?

300 pound missionary in England, built like linebacker, alleges kidnap/rape by former beauty queen, who didn't even weigh half of the weight of the guy at the time.

Speculation is that he was making such a ridiculous accusation to avoid getting in hot water with the Elders for his steamy fun-time.

[Conservador-Rebelde]

If you ask him to leave and he doesn't, you certainly are free to do so.

[aftershock]

No, actually you're not, hence why the rent-a-cops were out of line.

[wyldthings]

I don't understand the complete contempt for Mormons. Did not Evangelical Christians, Catholics vote the same way.Did not Blacks and Hispanics vote yes in on 8 by larger margins. My mother goes to church with the lady that owns A-1 Rentals and they were big contributor for Prop 8 and she gets hate e-mails to this day and she's Catholic. Is being a Mormon any different than being Catholic or Christian. You claim the Mormon religion like Scientology are weird or somehow strange. Yet a man walking the earth as a human rose from the dead and ascended to heaven to join his father GOD. When you break down any religion to it's core you have to make a huge leap of faith. I personally have no religion I follow but I respect all people's rights to believe in their particular religion. If the Mormons, Muslims, Catholics or even Boy scouts don't accept your right to marriage so what don't go there. Now If they violate the law or persecute you that's different. I support full rights for gays to marry adopt, be free of bigotry.

[RuffNReddy]

It's not about the denomination it's about the funding provided by the church and the fact that it was their brainchild, most of the money came from out-of-state and the use of falsified propaganda. Also, tack on the fact that the Mormon church isn't exactly known for being open to diversity.

[Lyr]

The LA times disagrees, most funding came from instate, from both sides, with No on 8 actually getting more out of state funding. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-moneymap,0,2198220.htmlstory

[madtom]

Historically, the Mormons are VERY rac ist.

My experience with them on the Navajo Reservation in the 70s when I was in law school is that they are a smug, arrogant bunch who think they're better than everyone else.

They DO resemble Christian fundamentalists -- STRONGLY -- but they are decidedly un-Christian.

[sturzl]

I think it's time for the government to declare eminent domain and take that piece of land and turn it back into public space. I think they'd have an argument for taking it back.

[madtom]

Take away the Mormons' tax exemption, and tax legalized weed.

Two constructive solutions for California's money problems.

[RuffNReddy]

Amen!
Tax the weed, use foreclosed condos as grow houses using 100% solar energy and tax the church to help fund education in hydroponic agriculture, which is practically the wave of the future anyway, seeing that our atmosphere is dramatically altered by our insistence on using toxic fuels.

Think of the jobs that would be available: growers, handlers, packers, security, installation experts, contract work... the list goes on and on.

[CigarGod]

If God didn't like Gays, there wouldn't be any.

[Conservador-Rebelde]

No, God allows us to make choices... that is the greatest part of His plan. Really the biggest reason we are here. I'm sure you've heard that this life is a test. We are here to choose whether or not to follow God.

[AcaciaJules]

No, I've never heard that. But Conrad Birdie told me that 'life is for living, and that we've got a lot of living to do.'

[RuffNReddy]

Regarding the idea of tax exempt possibilities encouraging more involvement in politics, as suggested by some:

Even if the church lost tax exempt status and became more involved in politics, the money needed to fund a campaign would be considerably less than the millions used, for instance, for the Prop 8 campaign. Thus giving the rest of society who believes in equality a fighting chance to campaign on square terms. Also, the need for more support for the actual church from it's members would rise in order to insure it's existence.

Those commercials, for instance, require so much funding for airtime, and not to mention how unbelievably ignorant, misinformed, manipulative and hateful they were but, the cost to produce, cast, wages, union, etc is through the roof. When the water doesn't flow as strongly as it once did, then you use less, yielding less crops. Less money, less options.

I think it would discourage selective political involvement or encourage the fight to be tax-exempt again, which would be a big, expensive uphill battle resulting in a reduction for the desire to fight other battles.

[Lyr]

"Thus giving the rest of society who believes in equality a fighting chance to campaign on square terms"

No on 8 had more money than Yes on 8 and still lost. How was that not fair?

[RuffNReddy]

"Square terms" meaning and not only applied in the case of Prop 8, that the money, like any tax paying individuals money, would not be tax exempt. I gotta say, more than half of the $20mil from one particular denomination is a heck of as lot of money to insure the rights of individuals be stripped.

There was funding ready to push for the campaign and the church was more organized putting the opposition on the defensive from the start. It was premeditated and granted, very crafty but, considerably questionable.

And if the church (any church) were taxed, there would be considerably less in donations to cough up for such campaigns that clearly cross the lines of religious ideology interfering with political and social interests. Especially interests that crush the rights of individuals and reduce them to second class citizens now suffering an injustice because of the bigotry generated from a church that, I assume, like most, preaches inclusivity.

Total cost is beside the point, it's the propaganda used and how it was circulated.

[IronValkyrie]

Um... no, it didn't. Facts and figures have disproven that one repeatedly.

[elkabong]

Can't the Mormons just activate their Magic Underpants to keep the gays away? How about some prayer? Do they believe their stuff or don't they? Maybe they should ask themselves why God would allow kissing in their midst.

[RobynLinder]

Unless a church gives out more money than it takes in, it should pay real estate taxes. Social clubs owned by the church, vacation chalets for the pope in the alps, and even a mormon plaza on main street, should be subject to real estate tax. This would be great for the states because they need money and great for regular taxpaying citizens, like us, who end up paying more to make up for those who pay none.

CA should revoke their tax exempt status for "politicking from the pulpit". Let them collect money to pay their taxes instead of using their tax-exempt status to allow them to gather enough funds to affect CA public policy.

[Lyr]

Gives out more money than it takes in? seriously? the only entity that can get away with economic fallacy is the federal government. Heck even California can't get away with that!

[mag68]

We're already in the process of doing it anyway, go choke on that.

[madtom]

A lot of churches are de facto tax-exempt country clubs.

The sanctuary itself is the ONLY thing that should be tax-exempt -- IF they keep their noses out of politics.

[Sandmanj]

Mormons, Schmormons.

Buncha freakazoids.

[aftershock]

Could one of the Mormon's kindly tell us all how many chicks God had to knock up before he became God? And do you think God really physically exists on the planet Kolob? Just some questions I'm interested in hearing answers to....

[madtom]

72 virgins, I believe it is.

[madtom]

Where's Kolob?

In what solar system?

[aftershock]

Not surprisingly... no responses from our resident Mormons lol.

[Conservador-Rebelde]

Has it ever occurred to you that lots of people have jobs that don't allow them to blog all day?

[Conservador-Rebelde]

First off, I have no idea where you get your false first statement, so I'm not even going to bother.

Next, we believe God lives and has a body, so He has to be somewhere, now doesn't He? Do you have proof of Him living somewhere else?

[aftershock]

"First off, I have no idea where you get your false first statement, so I'm not even going to bother."

Yes like most Mormons when confronted with their silly beliefs, they pretend they're not part of their doctrine. Here, I'll do your work for you.... God was once a man, correct? And he had multiple wives correct? I'm just wondering how many he had to knock up before becoming a deity. How close are you to being a God too btw if i might ask lol. Correct me where I'm wrong, since you know, you all don't like to let "outsiders" know about certain things, you know, by deliberately withholding information while evangelizing.

"Next, we believe God lives and has a body, so He has to be somewhere, now doesn't He?"

So you believe that a "physical" body that cannot withstand an average of 70 years on Earth, is somehow immortal on some unknown planet.

"Do you have proof of Him living somewhere else?"

Sorry, I'm agnostic, but I'm under the belief that if a God exists, he cannot exist in the physical world.

[jalowe1957]

What was the LDS response to Katy Perry singing "I Kissed a Girl, I Liked It?"

[CigarGod]

The girls next door do it all the time...and I like it.

[chicagurl]

I don't believe they're right on this particular issue, and I see the point about tax-exempt status; however, the bottom line is that this is private property. Mormons do get to enforce what they want on their property, just like everyone else.

[LintLass]

It's a public right-of-way (Main Street,) that they 'bought' in a shady deal in order to have just the legal loophole they needed to 'police' a public street. Only in SLC, (or a town center converted to a stealth-mall) would they have any rights whatsoever in this regard.

This part, *again,* is not so clear-cut as some say. Even accepting the notion they 'bought a block.'

[chicagurl]

I know what they did, and you're right about the shady deal. I lived there long enough to know they're the power center. That's a huge issue there, no separation of church and state, although I think it's gotten better since I got the heck out of Dodge. However, again, they own it, they get to pick their battles.

[HoldUp]

What part of the deal was "shady"? Or is it shady just because you don't like it?

[2626Jump]

While I was jogging today I came across a line of ants on the trail.
there was about 100 of them.
Must have been a MASS protest........................

[LintLass]

Are you still at it, whatever you're at?

Considering you seem to be the only one on the 'Internet' fixated on this 'point' of your own 'protest,' maybe you oughtn't be making a fuss about numbers to begin with.

[roblabrousse]

You must have gone to an Evangelical school. They don't teach natural science very well there. But your analytical skill shows promise. Unfortunately you have the humor of a rotting log. Bye!

[2626Jump]

you must have gone to fireant school. They do not teach science at all.