Gay Men Cited For Trespassing After Kissing In Mormon Plaza
After my post yesterday about a gay couple ejected from a restaurant in Texas, this case involving a gay couple cited for misdemeanor trespassing after refusing to leave a Mormon plaza where they were kissing seems a bit suspect. Almost as though the point here is to act in a provocative manner in order to invite problems, at which point they can then claim to be victims.
SALT LAKE CITY – A gay couple say they were detained by security guards on a plaza owned by the Mormon church and later cited by police, claiming it stemmed from a kiss on the cheek.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said that the men became argumentative and refused to leave after being asked to stop their “inappropriate behavior.” The men say they were targeted because they are gay.
Matt Aune said he and his partner, Derek Jones, were walking home from a concert nearby on Thursday night, cutting through the plaza near the Salt Lake City Mormon temple.
Aune, 28, said he gave Jones, 25, a hug and kiss and that the two were then approached by a security guard, who asked them to leave, telling them they were being inappropriate and that public displays of affection aren’t allowed on the property. He said other guards arrived and the men were handcuffed.
“We asked what we were doing wrong,” Aune told The Associated Press.
Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said in a statement Friday that the men were “politely asked to stop engaging in inappropriate behavior — just as any other couple would have been.”
“They became argumentative and used profanity and refused to leave the property,” she said. The church did not immediately respond to a request for more comment.
Police later arrived and both men were cited with misdemeanor trespassing, Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Robin Snyder said.
I understand what these guys want. They want respect, or at least tolerance, for the fact that they’re gay. And I support that. But those things cut both ways. Just as gays want to be respected or tolerated, so do Mormons.
I’m sure that most gays wouldn’t appreciate a Mormon walking in to a gay club and preaching about homosexuality being a sin. And Mormons don’t appreciate displays of homosexual affection on their property. So why not have a little mutual respect?
We need more live and let live. If you want to be gay, then be gay. But don’t go seeking trouble with people you know disapprove of your lifestyle. And the same goes for people who disapprove of homosexuality. Your disapproval does not imply any sort of requirement for others to live as you think they should.
