Kiss'll get you cuffed in Salt Lake City

Can someone.......

......please explain something to me?   I simply do not understand why gay people or people who love them continue to go to this state or choose to live there.   Every impression I have of this place is negative.  Why do buy anything that is made or comes from this state?

I know other states are bad (Texas) but for heaven's sake -- these people are horrible.

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by: suigenerousla @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:05:07 PM CDT

Some are stuck there; some like it there

Some like it there. I know a few exmos who have escaped and some who can't for one reason or another.  

Educate me.

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by: BethCA66 @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:52:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

And I don't see why the onus is on gays to move.

Pfft. The issue is equal rights. Period.  

Educate me.

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by: BethCA66 @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:54:20 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Talking about practicality, not onuses.

If a car is bearing down on you, it's probably a good idea to get out of the way. "But the car isn't supposed to be there; it ran a red light!" Fair enough. But still, get out of the way.

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by: Pender @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 15:34:17 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Um. Well, that's almost like saying, "Why don't the poor move out of blighted areas?"

People would love to live in safe areas and not worry about crime, be it bashing or rape or any type of violence. But many people don't have the luxury of picking up and moving for many reasons like economics, redlining (still happens, y'all), proximity to work, family, etc.

Thinking about it practically, a lot of GLBTQ kids run away and they often face other dangers on the streets.

So, what do you do? You stay in the closet in the Morridor (Utah, parts of Idaho, Colorado and Arizona). You marry someone of the opposite sex and have kids. Why? Because the religion tells you from the time you were very, very tiny that that's part of the process of becoming exalted.

Getting out of that area and that church aren't easy.

Educate me.

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by: BethCA66 @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 17:56:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'll tell ya why

Because I have as much right to live here as they do.

Because if we let them chase us off to "safe" states like California, then kids growing up LGBT is Utah have NOBODY looking out for them.

Because it's a beautiful state, and I like it here.

Because I enjoy tweaking the haters by defiantly refusing to leave, no matter how much they want me to.

Because I'd no sooner cross their land than I'd allow them access to my living room -- and I have only a smidgen of sympathy for young, privileged, clueless gay men who can't be bothered to consider the possible consequences of snogging on the property of a hate group like the LDS Church.

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by: DaddyTodd @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 15:47:59 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

It's still better'n Alabama!

They wouldn't have been cited... they'd have been SHOT.

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by: GraciesDaddy @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 19:03:11 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Sound like time for a kiss in to me.

Pull a 'flash mob.'  and do a kiss in.

It's the Hammer of JUSTICE,
It's the Bell of FREEDOM,
It's the Song about LOVE between,
my Brothers and my Sisters
...All over this Land.

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by: Orion45 @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:11:02 PM CDT

I like this!!

What a great idea.

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners

Click here for DADT photobook

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by: Louise @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 08:39:49 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

It's a GO!

Facebook:  "Silent Kissing Protest"
http://www.facebook.com/event....

Craig'sList:
http://saltlakecity.craigslist...

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by: GraciesDaddy @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 19:06:39 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Hit and run

Kiss in and scatter..

and if you can time it it upset an LDS wedding ceremony, so much the better...

I tell you Chica that no greater abomination exists than women denying their spirit of sisterhood and instead becoming the oppressor. -Rebeca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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by: MauraHennessey @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 22:19:38 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

My thoughts exactly! Humongo Kiss-In, with

posters and signs and LOTS of pictures!

Remember what FDR said, "I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it." Have you written/called a congress-critter today? 8.25, 6.21

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by: Jacques @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 08:48:25 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

So can they also call the police on people who

are smoking, or drinking Coca-Cola, or are dressed immodestly and who don't move on quickly enough?

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by: Pollyanna @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:21:52 PM CDT

Or who think the Osmonds suck? Or who aren't plurally married?

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 08:32:17 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

They won't arrest you

if you go for a jaunty Sunday walk with your five wives

D:

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by: flyerfier @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:27:44 PM CDT

As long

as the wives all walk the proper few paces behind you, that is.

And it helps if your name is "Partridge"...

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners

Click here for DADT photobook

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by: Louise @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 08:43:31 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

great...

now I'll have Partridge Family songs stuck in my head all afternoon.  Thanks Louise!  

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by: flyerfier @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 15:04:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

That would be a hillarious stunt

Get an ugly old man to walk down this Mall with 5 women all done up with those butt-ugly hair do's, and matching dresses made from printed drapes. I'd bust a gut laughing.
  http://politiken.dk/archive/00...
  http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/p...

extra points if half the "wives" are drag queens

buh hahahahaha

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 11:03:20 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

polygamous marriage

those photos creep me out!  Especially that second one.  

These dresses might do: http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/...

don't forget the puffy sleeves!
http://media.bonnint.net/slc/1...

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by: flyerfier @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 11:11:05 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

A mask manufactured of these FLDS polygamist wives

Worn by EVERYONE like the Guy Fawkes mask in V is for Vendetta, or the smiling Asian mask the torturers wore in Brazil....would chafe the Mormon elder's butt RAW.
It could become a tourist attraction like the singing guy in Time Square in his underwear. A Twitter or Facebook contest of people posting images/videos of themselves at every Utah monument, and tourist spot...could send this GLOBAL.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 11:13:24 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Have these prim proper wives have the Mimi stripper outfit from RENT under those ugly dresses

then have boom Boxes crank on OUT TONIGHT
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 11:22:05 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

This could be expanded to every Mormon temple, or future temple sites

It might be safer to try this out in CA, NYC, Illinois, Kansas City...where Mormon temple thugs don't have the political clout to have the street performers arrested.
Video taping and posting these performances could be very cool.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 11:51:13 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Here is a particularly CREEPY article on FLDS cult's fashions

   http://danicalo.blogspot.com/2...

The level of control, and family members who can all criticise and REPORT slight varying from the strict rules, gave me the heebee jeebees.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 14:35:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Where are the signs?

Don't private property signs need to be posted if such is the case? Otherwise it is entrapment.

Always thinking about it...

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by: kudo451 @ Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 23:42:07 PM CDT

From the mouth of a Utard

suigenerousia-

Most of the people who do live here aren't here by choice. Trust me.

kudo451-

There aren't any signs posted, but that's because the plaza is this sort of half public, half private thing no one knows what to do with. People are allowed to walk there, and have free speach, yet the church can kick them off. It's an odd set up that really should have never been.

Lurleen-

The map you show is a bit misleading. The plaza is only the first portion of the red line, between North Temple (at the top of the map) and South Temple. The little circle is a "reflection pool" they've installed.

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by: ryanchild292 @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 01:03:15 AM CDT

Reflecting on what other folks are doing, I'm sure.

They should be reflecting on their own shenanigans.

Educate me.

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by: BethCA66 @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 07:37:32 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

thank you

thanks for that clarification.  in a way it make an even stronger case of how entrapping the pulic/private mix is there.  making one block of a multi-block thoroughfare private and subject to strong-arm surveillance seems unwise and begging for trouble.

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.

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by: Lurleen @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 11:51:54 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Better watch-out Lurleen

According to your rules, you don't have a right to criticize what they're doing in Utah.

Although, you might argue an exception since you are simply reporting. If so, please be careful you don't cross over the line and make any suggestions for a protest or other response.

I'd hate to see the Utah LGBT community send a bunch of thugs to create an anti-gay backlash in your hometown -- You know, like you threatened to send to Dallas when I made a suggestion to those in Washington state of which you, in your role of FINAL ARBITER OF ALLOWED THOUGHT AND DICTATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, disagreed.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. -- John F. Kennedy (inspired by Dante's Inferno)

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by: oldbrit @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 22:15:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Thnings must have gotten worse

since I left SLC in 95. My hubby and I exchanged a kiss on temple square, and no one kicked us off. I guess the Prop 8 thing has stirred them up.

I remember the Pride March (it was - and still should be - a protest march in Utah), as we'd go by the temple the chant would change to "2, 4, 6, 8, how do you know your prophet's straight?" I always laughed.

Cause any fool knows, a dog needs a home; a shelter from pigs on the wing

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by: QueerInSoCal @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 13:42:39 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Businesses

I wonder how the businesses located on this street feel about this harassment of their customers? The LDS moral gestapo may be scaring potential customers away.

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by: Stephanie @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 01:05:35 AM CDT

First hand account: Face down on pavement

Blue in Red Zion blog has a first hand account of one of the men:

Matt paused to say something to me and hugged and kissed me.

At that moment, several LDS church security guards came up to us and asked us to leave because we were being inappropriate.

...As all this was going on, several more security guards began showing up. I didn't make an actual count but I would guess about 10 security guards were now surrounding us.

...At this point they then split us up and forced me onto the ground on my stomach. They put my face against the pavement and handcuffed my hands behind my back. They then did a search and took everything out of our pockets.

Obviously, the LDS seem to think that two men kissing is an act of gay terrorism that requires an entire squad of guards responding in force.

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by: Stephanie @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 01:33:42 AM CDT

wow

Isn't the role of a security guard to watch, remember and wait for the real police?  I didn't know they could detain.. maybe in Utah they can!

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by: flyerfier @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 15:06:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

LDS guard impersonating a police officer

From the same account in Blue in Red Zion:

The security guards tried to claim that they were the cops. One of them even pulled out a fake badge and said he used to be a cop

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by: Stephanie @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 01:39:45 AM CDT

Main Street Plaza?

I thought the LDS church owned ALL of Utah!

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by: Jon Michaels @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 01:40:30 AM CDT

Local TV report

twitter.com/ChinoBlanco | youtube.com/ChinoBlanco

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by: Chino Blanco @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 02:37:26 AM CDT

Is this the same place where Bill Maher ran afoul of MormonCops in Religulous?

>^..^<

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by: KatRose @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 08:33:58 AM CDT

Here's a question:

What will happen when (and at the rate things are going it's definitely when rather than if) the person who gets pushed around/beaten up/hospitalised/killed (amend as necessary) by one of these thugs is a foreign citizen? Because that is soooo going to be very messy in the media.

____________________________________
Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum.

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by: tavdy79 @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 12:25:59 PM CDT

nothing, is my guess

foreigners get killed periodically by american police or thugs and nothing happens.  sadly, in general, americans don't care very hard about what happens to "one of them".

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.

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by: Lurleen @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 12:52:39 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I would prefer LGBTs and straight but not narrow youths leave Utah

That is their decision, unfortunately it's a beautiful state, I summered in Utah every year until my 20's, my entire maternal side of my family are Utah Mormons, but not strict Mormons since my great grandmother.
There are steps LGBTs and allies in Utah can take. Have straight youths kiss on the Plaza, and video tape them being ignored. let every shop on the Plaza know LGBTs and our friends won't shop with them, as long as hateful Mormon thugs/security guards discriminate against us.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 13:31:50 PM CDT

One thing that might help hurt Utah ...significantly

They are desperate for tourism, especially Japanese, and Europeans...if a few queer tourists willing to kiss and be arrested, causing HUGE international BLOWBACK....might be a useful strategy.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 13:35:18 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

This is on the front page of HuffPo

A little late, but nonetheless:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

I am disturbed by the viciousness of some of the comments to the piece.  Quantitatively, the balance seems to be in favor of pro-"affection-equality".  But qualitatively, the frothing hatred/fear/disgustedness or whatever motivates some of the others, the 'phobes are frightening.

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by: Jake @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 13:45:53 PM CDT

Salt Lake City is lucky I'm not there

I would be as annoying as the operation rescue folks are towards abortion clinics, locks of businesses would somehow get super glued, grafitti and militant queer posters would be plastered their shop windows and every other object in sight.

"race, taste. and History finally overcome....and you ain't there"
by Tony Kushner

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by: peteyPornpig @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 13:48:37 PM CDT

This is what happens when a religion owns the government.

Creeping theocracy is a vicious thing. The LDS Church is a tumor on America.

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by: Pender @ Sat Jul 11, 2009 at 15:36:44 PM CDT

Not in Salt Lake City proper...

I remember my first political science professor would tell this story to every class she had.

This professor was born in Brazil and still speaks with a strong accent.  She went to university in Utah.  One night she gets a phone call from a couple of friends who were visiting a small town.  They had been arrested for kissing on a park bench--not making out, just kissing.  This couple was made up of a man and a woman.  Turns out in this particular town kissing in public is against the law--for both gay and straight couples.

Makes me want to find that town (she never mentioned the town's name) and get together a large group of friends and do a kiss-in.

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by: bluepotatoes66 @ Tue Jul 14, 2009 at 00:02:47 AM CDT