LDS Security Detains Affectionate Couple on Plaza
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story/LDS-Security-Detains-Affectionate-Couple-on-Plaza/dDPAkZRcvEajlCOQ4gBDNg.cspx
A gay couple says their public display of affection got them banned from LDS church property and cited for trespassing.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says the incident had nothing to do with the couple being gay, and all had to do with crossing the line of public affection.
Matt Anue and Derek Jones live in Salt Lake City and have been partners for five years. They were walking home from an event at about 10:30 on Thursday night.
They say they were walking through the LDS church plaza located on Main Street between North and South Temple, when Matt publicly displayed his affection for Derek.
"I stopped I said something I put my arm around him and I kissed him on the side of the cheek," said Anue.
That's when they say several LDS Security officers approached them and asked them to leave because of inappropriate behavior.
"I immediately put my arm around him {Derek} and said what were we doing wrong? What were we doing wrong?" said Anue.
"It came out {from the officers} what we were doing was just plain wrong, it was inappropriate, it was gross," said Jones.
When they refused to leave, that's when they say security converged upon them and handcuffed both of them.
When asked why they didn't just leave Jones said, "We didn't leave because we didn't feel we had to…we did nothing more wrong then anyone else yet we where forced on the ground handcuffed."
"I knew they were targeting us because we are gay and I was trying to get it out of them," said Anue.
Salt Lake City police where called and Jones and Anue were cited for trespassing.
The LDS Church released a statement by spokesperson Kim Farah saying, "Two individuals came on Church property and 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. They were arrested and then given a citation for criminal trespass by SLPD."
The City of Salt Lake sold the portion of Main Street to the LDS church back in 2003, under a very controversial sale.
According to law, the church has every right to decide who can be on that property and who can't.
"They are the owner of that property and they have a say as to what is allowed on that property. If someone is on that property that they don't want them and they ask them to leave and they refuse then they are trespassing," said Sgt. Robin Snyder with the Salt Lake City police department.
Jones and Anue are not allowed on LDS church property for six months. Their citations are class C misdemeanors.
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My take...?
Given that the LDS church bought the property, it's security officers were well within their legal rights to ask the couple to leave, and to have them arrested for tresspassing when the couple refused.
I also think it is pretty darn foolish to try to make the case that this gay couple was treated the same as any other "affectionate" couple would have been, given all the kissing newlyweds that smooch all over that plaza while professional photographers document the practice.
The church tries to continue to paint itself as "pro-family, not anti-gay," that nothing is expected of gays that isn't expected of striaghts, or gays aren't treated any differently than straights are. This incident just further reinforces how dumb that argument sounds and how obviously false it is, in practical application.
My view,
Darin
