Gay Couple Detained After Kissing Near Mormon Church

Update:7/12/09

From Desert News

A “kiss-in” drew about 60 people sporting pink paper hearts to the sidewalk just off of LDS Church property near Main Street and South Temple Sunday to protest actions taken by church security late last week.

Former Salt Lake City Councilwoman Deeda Seed launched the idea from her Facebook page after two gay men, Derek Jones and Matthew Aune, were forced to leave the church-owned pedestrian walkway between North Temple and South Temple Thursday night for “inappropriate” behavior. That behavior, reportedly, was holding hands and a kiss on the cheek and led to the men being handcuffed, led off the plaza and cited by Salt Lake police.

Seed called the actions “heavy-handed,” and invited people to meet downtown Sunday morning to “engage in gentle, tasteful displays of public affection.” Dozens of gay and straight couples did just that at the feet of a statue of Brigham Young near the entrance to the plaza just after 9 a.m.

Seed said the idea behind the gathering was to illustrate the innocence of a simple display of affection, no matter where it occurs.

“We’re giving a visual demonstration of the power of love,” Seed said. “And, saying that it should be OK for people to show affections regardless of their sexual orientation or age.”

Salt Lake City Councilman Luke Garrott attended the event but was less pragmatic than Seed in his evaluation of the incident that sparked the demonstration.

“It’s another instance of indignity being visited on gays and lesbians,” Garrott said. “I knew this couple personally, they’re friends of mine, so it hits close to home.”

Garrott said the way security officers for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints handled the situation with Jones and Aune was reflective of a pattern of intolerance.

“The big picture seems still to be lost on the church leadership,” Garrott said. “The church is coming across not as defending traditional marriage but as being cruel to gay and lesbian couples. … I represent downtown Salt Lake City and it’s unacceptable to me.Original story

From Huffington Post

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.

“It doesn’t matter what they were asked to leave for,” Snyder said. “If they are asked to leave and don’t they are … trespassing.”

The church has been the target of protests over its support of a ban on gay marriage in California.