The Salt Lake Tribune obtained this video of Mormon security guards—four of ’em—confronting, pulling apart, roughing up, and handcuffing the gay couple who shared a kiss on a plaza—a formerly public plaza—in front of the main Mormon temple in downtown Salt Lake:
Trespassing charges against the men have been dropped because, according to the local prosecutor, the men believed they were in a public place and not on private church property.
Salt Lake City Prosecutor Sim Gill said Wednesday he will not prosecute a gay couple cited for trespassing after they shared a kiss on the plaza. “The two individuals believed—albeit mistakenly—that they had the right to be there,” Gill said. “Fairness requires that either that property be not open to the public or you condition that [openness] in a way that the person who comes on understands that it is private property.”
A nationwide kiss-in protest is being planned for August 15. Kiss-Ins have been announced in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Iowa City, Little Rock, Salt Lake—and according to the group’s Facebook page, Portland.
Does this mean we get to rough up, manhandle, and restrain any mormons who step onto our own private property, should we disagree with their activities?
Wait, do these suited jackboots have the authority to make arrests? They handcuffed these guys. What gives them the authority to do that?
Lawsuit a comin’. Fortunately, the Mormon church has deep pockets.
I’ll make out with somebody in Portland on August 15. Sounds nice!
I sincerely hope these two file a massive civil rights lawsuit against the church for this complete and utter bullshit.
That would be a better use of their members’ 10% tithing than any other I could imagine. We will not tolerate theocracy in America in 2009!!
Sure, sure, lawsuit. But real justice will take the form of these filthy thugs getting exposed to a lot more gay people doing a lot more than kissing within sight of their idiotic “temple.” It would be a real shame, in other words, if a few thousand gay people and their vocal supporters made that area a regular hangout from now on.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but when I see two dudes kissing my first impulse is not to go over and wrestle with them. It seems like this whole situation could have been avoided if those security guards had just invested in some consenting sub-dom action.
The land in question is private property (although it does just look like a park) and Utah has different laws that allow private security guards to do handcuffing and rough people up. It’s important to realize that Utah is a theocracy despite what the signs say. Not mormon=don’t even think about running for political office. There won’t be a lawsuit and if there is it will be thrown out. When the city of Salt Lake did the land swap for this property people sued because it was giving public space to a private entity who would do things exactly like what happened in the video. I believe that lawsuit was dismissed in Federal court.
Unfortunate situation but the Mormon church doesn’t care. Behind the scenes I guarantee you the church elders are high fiving these security guards.
“atomic” brings up a good point, who exactly goes over to wrestle with 2 people kissing? hmm
In this modern world, churches should have absolutely no say whatsover in public policy. The notion that an organization that is convinced there is a magical man in the sky should have any influence over the decisions we make in government is totally absurd.
If only people had a truly *personal* relationship with their god.