Not in Salt Lake City it isn’t!!!!!! For about ten days there has been a serious buzz here in the Beehive State about an innocent kiss on Main Street Plaza. Apparently, two men were walking home from a downtown concert and one put his arm around the other and kissed him on the cheek. An LDS Temple security guard apparently felt that this kiss was “inappropriate behavior” and he asked the men to leave the area. The men got angry and it seems weren’t very nice to the security guard. In the end they were handcuffed and cited for trespassing.
Two weekends in a row there have been “kiss ins” on the plaza in protest of church actions. Can you imagine… dozens of couples – gay and straight – just kissing right out in public? Being from San Francisco I can actually imagine it, but here in Utah the church is outraged – the community is outraged, and the Salt Lake Tribune devotes several articles every day to the incident. Really?????
Where do I begin??? I have so much to say about this event that my head feels like it may EXPLODE! In my humble opinion the LDS church does have the right take this action on their property. I, in turn, have the right to think the church is bigoted and unfair. This kiss was deemed inappropriate only because it was a gay couple doing the kissing. I have seen photos (ad nauseum) of couples just married in the temple kissing in the very same spot these men chose to display a bit of harmless affection. Honestly…. the church doesn’t get why people outside of this state think they are nuts?
Here is a situation to ponder. Two young men show up on MY property and behave in ways I think are extremely inappropriate(telling me their religion is superior to mine) and I ask them nicely to leave. They are upset and they think I am discriminating against them and who they are and they get a bit perturbed. Should I have them handcuffed and arrested for trespassing on my property? Would any of my Mormon friends ever speak to me again? Well, let’s just say I know the answers and so do you. The thing is – it would be within my rights to have them arrested and it would be within the rights of my friends to be angry with me. Missionaries are sacred to them and they don’t deserve to be discriminated against just because I don’t approve of proselytizing. If you are a rational human being, you will realize the same should go for those two men exchanging a kiss on Main Street Plaza. If you don’t approve of this gay couple– fine – but…. having them arrested is gross discrimination. So listen up – church members – if you want respect you just might want to try giving some!! I hold out hope that we can find mutual respect and understanding so that truly “A Kiss is just a Kiss, a sigh is just a sigh, the fundamental things apply….As Time Goes By.”
Two weekends in a row there have been “kiss ins” on the plaza in protest of church actions. Can you imagine… dozens of couples – gay and straight – just kissing right out in public? Being from San Francisco I can actually imagine it, but here in Utah the church is outraged – the community is outraged, and the Salt Lake Tribune devotes several articles every day to the incident. Really?????
Where do I begin??? I have so much to say about this event that my head feels like it may EXPLODE! In my humble opinion the LDS church does have the right take this action on their property. I, in turn, have the right to think the church is bigoted and unfair. This kiss was deemed inappropriate only because it was a gay couple doing the kissing. I have seen photos (ad nauseum) of couples just married in the temple kissing in the very same spot these men chose to display a bit of harmless affection. Honestly…. the church doesn’t get why people outside of this state think they are nuts?
Here is a situation to ponder. Two young men show up on MY property and behave in ways I think are extremely inappropriate(telling me their religion is superior to mine) and I ask them nicely to leave. They are upset and they think I am discriminating against them and who they are and they get a bit perturbed. Should I have them handcuffed and arrested for trespassing on my property? Would any of my Mormon friends ever speak to me again? Well, let’s just say I know the answers and so do you. The thing is – it would be within my rights to have them arrested and it would be within the rights of my friends to be angry with me. Missionaries are sacred to them and they don’t deserve to be discriminated against just because I don’t approve of proselytizing. If you are a rational human being, you will realize the same should go for those two men exchanging a kiss on Main Street Plaza. If you don’t approve of this gay couple– fine – but…. having them arrested is gross discrimination. So listen up – church members – if you want respect you just might want to try giving some!! I hold out hope that we can find mutual respect and understanding so that truly “A Kiss is just a Kiss, a sigh is just a sigh, the fundamental things apply….As Time Goes By.”
11 comments:
I hear ya. Private property laws allow property owners to decide what can or cannot be done on their land. It is interesting to realize that in many countries of the world a kiss between two people, same sex, different sex, is a crime, and the offending couple would immediately be punished.
Just trying to see the glass as half full here. And hoping that everyone will try to have good manners when crossing other people's property. If you are asked to leave, for whatever reason, please do so without a fuss. And expect others to do the same when you are one doing the asking.
You clearly missed my point! Just because something is within your rights - doesn't mean it is the right thing to do!!!
Thoughts on Life and Millinery: Those two men were arrested not for what they were doing, as clearly public displays of affection occur regularly at the Main Street Plaza, but for who they were - two men. Arbitrary enforcement of the law based on how someone looks is another word for discrimination, no different from excluding blacks from country club's, women from jobs, etc. To claim this behavior was out of the ordinary is hypocritical and duplicitious, masking the true intent: to single out and discriminate. Fundamental human rights far outweigh indiscrimante use of the law. And, we're not talking about other countries with arcane laws and customs: we reside in the United States of America, not just the state of Utah, where the laws of the land are there to protect the fundamental rights of individuals, not limit them.
Thank goodness we live in the USA where we enjoy all of these freedoms and rights. Those other countries could certainly learn from these gentlemen. Myabe everyone should try a peck on the check rather than picking up a weapon or strapping a bomb on. The world can ALWAYS use love!
I respect the rights of the church to say what they want to happen on their property, but if they are going to own a public park area then they need to be more tolerant of other poeples beleifs and actions, especially those that do not harm anyone!
It seems like a lot of time is being wasted by the Utah press and law enforcement agencies.Let's get real!!!There are many more important things to concern ourselves with...let's learn to accept all of our differences...religions, sexual preference and all of our indivdual ways of life.Let's all repeat: A KISS IS JUST A KISS!!!!!
Makes me miss California even though they somehow revolked Prop.8!!
A kiss is making a fuss because it was 2 gay men in a state that is not seperate from its church. Am I right or wrong?
I have to agree that private property owners can make the rules and enforce them. There is some lingering bitterness however on many of our parts about the fact that the LDS church was able to purchase a piece of public property in the first place - downtown Main Street no less... This was just another example of the influence this church has on our local and state politics and government. I for one don't care to expend any energy or interest on what the LDS church does within it's own congregation or on it's own property. Have at it! However, I greatly mind when they feel the self-righteous need to exert their opinions and influence into the public forum and attempt to regulate everyone else's lives according to their own beliefs. The equivalent would be for me to gather all my "like-minded" friends and pull our resources to lobby the state legislature (or even at a national level) to remove certain rights from LDS members because of certain practices or lifestyle, as some would call it. Or maybe we propose a tax bill that says because on average their families are larger than most, they should pay a headtax for each child they decide to have, so they can pay their fair share of the costs of public education for their own children, instead of getting greater tax breaks for having more children that increase the burden on our system. We could lobby to remove certain rights for their members because their ideology of bigotry and judging others is not in line with that the United States of America and what is has been founded and built on. It sounds a ludicrous that a group would go to lengths to keep equal rights from or remove rights from antoher group of Americans, but that's exactly what the LDS church does. They are certainly not the only ones but they do make their efforts very public. They cannot therefore not be surprised or offended when they get the negative press and attention they so fully earn and deserve.
I am not LDS, but have lived in Utah for 3 years. This did happen on church property and they had every right to ask the couple to leave. There isn't any religion in the world that excepts people to be gay. I am a Christian, I would hope that my church would do the same thing. What people do behind closed doors is their business. Just don't make it mine. I also believe that prop 8 was revoked for a very good reason. Our constitution is based on Christianity, as a christian and a taxpayer I will not pay for or support gay marriage.
While you certainly have a right to your opinion, you do not have a right to your own facts! I tend to be irritated by those who don't know what they are talking about. Proposition 8 in California was not "revoked" it passed. You still got the outcome you wanted- that marriage was defined as between a man and a woman but good thing you didn't vote as you would have voted to award a basic human right to people you obviously don't think deserve them. Also, it is untrue that no religion "in the world" accepts gay people. The synagogue right here in Salt Lake has an openly gay rabbi. I have also seen several christian churches here that welcome the gay community. Lastly, our Constitution is not based upon christianity, but upon religious freedom!!!! So, although I always value other people's opinions I cannot allow anyone to make up facts to fit them.
To Jill...You say just because it is within their rights doesn't mean it is the right thing to do. Well that works both ways...Just because the Homosexual group has the right to kiss does not mean it is the right thing to do. The church promotes eternal marriage between a man and a women... that is why you have seen pictures of men and women in that same spot. You act as if the whole mormon church is forcing their views into your life. It would seem that these experiences are things you view and never participate in directly. Yes they sell Mormon books at Costco. Living outside of Utah I see plenty of things that are offensive to me dealing with pornography and other material but I choose to not read them or look at them. I dont post pictures all over my blog because they sell them. I dont leave stores crying because a gay man is talking about his boyfriend as you did about a missionary... Imagine sending your child to a foreign country for two years with little contact. That to would be emotional for you. I am sorry your shopping got interrupted. Forgive the women for talking through a hard ship and not attending to your need for a bracelet. You might have tried asking for help instead of storming off like a small child. Lastly our country was founded by men who believed in God. Who based their whole lives on that faith...sounds alot like Christianity to me.
Clearly the last anonymous comment is from one of the many people here in Utah who are unsympathetic and certainly would not associate with myself and my family. Thank goodness, I have had many more comments from LDS people who enjoy my blog and have become more sensitive to others. I agree with this person that my tears were childish - I think I said that - but I also tried to point out that my feelings were real. I also agree that having a child leave for two years is horrible(I have written about that also) it was the mean behavior that was hurtful! I guess this reader does not have a sense of humor. Sorry, that is how I get through life. Maybe this reader would be comfortable reading a blog that doesn't ask people to think outside of their own little world!
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