Gays and Mormons face off in SLC Kiss-In protests

Kiss-In protest by the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City

Have you heard about the Kiss-In protests in Salt Lake City? That's what I call a passionate protest...

By Kevin Lynch
Examiner.com

The Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has an image problem, and it's causing internal friction among church leadership and congregations.

Insiders say the church's support of Prop. 8 has bred dissent among members and left families divided. According to the AP, some members have quit or stopped attending services, while others have appealed to leadership to stay out of the same-sex marriage fight.

Today is the National Kiss-In, a protest of the church's handling of a gay couple on July 9th who kissed on a public-like plaza that happened to be the private property of the church. The couple was detained and arrested for trespassing, but the charges were later dropped.

However, that hasn't stopped the Kiss-In movement from spreading. First there were Kiss-Ins in Salt Lake City on the plaza where the couple was arrested. Now there are Kiss-Ins all over the country. The point of the Kiss-Ins is to show the Mormon church that it does not have the right or the power to prevent a loving same-sex couple from showing affection in public.

Observers say the church's heavy-handed intervention into California politics will linger and has left the faith's image tarnished.

Kate Kendall, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said, "What I hear from my community and from straight progressive individuals is that they now see the church as a force for evil and as an enemy of fairness and equality." Kendell grew up Mormon in Utah, and added, "To have the church's very deep and noble history telescoped down into this very nasty little image is as painful for me as for any faithful Mormon."

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah told reporters, "It's too easy for those whose agenda is to change societal standards to claim there are great difficulties inside the Church because of its decision to support traditional marriage. In reality the Church has received enormous support for its defense of marriage."

But many disagree with Farah. Lifetime Mormon Linda Stay, whose ancestors were early Mormon converts, said she was doubly transformed by Prop. 8. She and her husband, Steve, finally quit the church — along with 18 other family members and a few close friends — and became gay right activists.

With the gay rights fight far from over, some believe Prop. 8 could continue to frustrate the church's image for years to come, much like polygamy and keeping black men out of the priesthood did in the past.

Source: Examiner.com