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

Adam Lambert comes out, signs record deal

"I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay."

There. Adam Lambert finally said it in his highly anticipated Rolling Stone cover, which is great because that means no more "keep speculating" stories.

The American Idol runner-up reveals that he put off the topic of his sexuality for so long because he just wanted to make sure he came out in the coolest way possible...

"Right after the finale, I almost started talking about it to the reporters, but I thought, 'I'm going to wait for Rolling Stone, that will be cooler,' " he says in the issue out this Friday. "I didn’t want the Clay Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in context."

Wise move. Celebrity magazines don't let you get as creative with the crotch snakes and butterflies on their covers.

He also explains why he didn't come out while the show was airing, especially after photos of him in drag making out with dudes started to surface:

"I was worried that [coming out] would be so sensationalized that it would overshadow what I was there to do, which was sing. I'm an entertainer, and who I am and what I do in my personal life is a separate thing. It shouldn’t matter. Except it does. It's so confusing."

And after all the explanations are through, he declares: "I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another part of me."

Lambert was raised in San Diego and currently lives in Los Angeles and confesses that the recent controversy over Proposition 8 is something that hit close to home. "This civil rights movement is near to my heart... I'm not asking to get married in your church, but you don't have any right to tell me I can't do it."

Lambert--who has been dubbed "Glambert" for his show-stopping outfits, heavy guyliner and black nail polish--quickly earned the favor of the judges on "Idol" and amassed a huge following because of his stellar voice and enigmatic stage presence.

As for the rest of his American Idol experience, something a psychedelic trip on "certain funguses" at Burning Man inspired him to pursue, two kinda awesome things have come from it.

First, he figured out he likes himself: "I'm finally checked in to my self-worth for the first time in my life, and the fact that it has coincided with Idol is so sweet."

And second, he signed a record deal, which is almost as shocking as his Rolling Stone announcement. 19 Entertainment and RCA Recordings announced today that they signed Lambert, whose debut record is expected this Fall.

"I'm thrilled that we've come to a creative and collaborative partnership and look forward to developing a really exciting album," Lambert says in a press release. "We are 100 percent on the same page and are all anxiously awaiting the start of the recordings. It's going to be ridiculous! Get Ready!!!"

A record deal and Rolling Stone cover on the same day? It's like he told the music mag, "Now I'm in a waking dream."

Sources: E! Online, ExtraTV
Copyright © 2009

Bigotry triumphs in California

Photo: Los Angeles Times

I’m not gay, but I’m for equal rights–for EVERYONE.

Shame on California.

Shame on the close-minded, self-righteous, self-centered, pseudo-spiritual, arrogant, hypocritical so-called “Americans” who cite Freedom for their sins (and atrocities) while crushing the freedom of “The Others.”

Here's the thing: I don't care who anyone wants to marry. It's none of my business. And whom I choose to marry is none of anybody's business as far as I'm concerned. It's that simple. Those who claim it is their business...that the future of this country depends on gays not being allowed to get married...are, in my opinion, extremely insecure individuals who, evidently, need to force their views and opinions and lifestyles on others in order to justify theirs.

So what if I'm in love with a cactus and want to marry it? Mind your own business.

Copyright © 2009