Slog
News & ArtsTuesday, July 21, 2009
Homo / Religion The Mormon Church Learns A Lesson About Tolerance
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Remember, kids, "tolerate" doesn't mean "adore"—or "endorse," "approve of," or even "like particularly." Tolerate means "put up with." I don't like the Mormon Church, for example, but I'm willing to tolerate the Mormon Church, i.e. you won't catch me out there burning down temples or pouring money into efforts to strip Mormons of their right to wed or their funny underpants. I actually stayed in a Mormon-owned hotel last weekend in Chicago—it was an accident—and one night when I was having trouble sleeping I flipped through the Book of Mormon. (Mark Twain was right.) When I was done I returned the book unmolested—unless you count my gay fingerprints—to the nightstand's drawer.
Because I'm tolerant like that.
Anyway, Mormon security guards detained and roughed up a couple of gay men who kissed on plaza near their temple in Salt Lake City because the church just couldn't tolerate a single gay kiss on what had been a publicly owned plaza until the city of Salt Lake sold it to the church. (Which the city only did after the church promised that it would not restrict the rights of non-Mormons to be non-Mormons on the plaza.) Now because the Mormon Church couldn't tolerate—it means put up with, not approve!—a single gay kiss, their plaza is overrun with gay kisses. Intolerance backfire! And the efforts of anti-gay-kissing counter-protesters are backfiring pretty hilariously too:
Hans Totterer said he came to the LDS Church's Main Street Plaza in Salt Lake City for Sunday's 12:15 p.m. "kiss-in" without plans for smooching. After a heated exchange across signs held by counter-protesters from the anti-gay group America Forever, however, he found a surprise partner. As the two men locked lips, those in support of the protest cheered.... "Their signs insulted me," said Totterer, an 18-year-old supply store employee and Salt Lake Community College student. "They upset me so much, I couldn't think of anything else to do."
Want fewer gay kissers on your plaza, Joseph Smith? Learn to tolerate the occasional gay kiss. Like this one:
Hot!
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This is a link to our protest page. There's a lot of photos from our rally!!
Free speech at its most poetic base form.
Photos, please! Of the protesters AND the counter-protesters. This is awesomely hilarious.
5
Though Facebook doesn't lend itself to this sort of message or promotion, being exclusive to Facebook users.
Rather, I was hoping Slog might repost said photos. While waiting for CNN to get around to it.
This is easily one of those situations that, were it aired on mainstream media, the "good guys" and the "bad guys" are so clearly identifiable.
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We've had a lot attention from the local media here but not a lot from the CNN types. I can Email Savage some of the pics for his posting discretion.
It was an amazing thing to be a part of and I'm hearing the the La Jolla CA. LDS temple will be receiving their own "kiss-in" this weekend. Let's make this thing national!!!
This thing that you're doing is a wonderful thing.
I truly admire the effort. Keep it up.
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I should add that my opinion is not a judgement upon the book, but upon myself the reader. I kept falling asleep.
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From the SLT article:
"Counter-protesters led by America Forever's Sandra Rodrigues held their ground, even if unsuccessful in preventing protesters from entering church property. 'This is a staged scenario,' Rodrigues said. 'These people just want to embarrass the church.'
Well...uh...YEAH!!
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http://extras.sltrib.com/bagley/Archive.…
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