What Happened To Charges Of “Passionate Kissing, Groping, Profane and Lewd Language, and Using Alcohol”?
Salt Lake City Prosecutor Sim Gill just announced he is dropping all charges against the gay couple arrested on July 9 for kissing at the Mormon Church’s Main Street pedestrian plaza. This is fascinating and leads me to ask this question: Were representatives of the Mormon Church lying to police and to the public, or at least incorrectly characterizing a gay couple’s behavior, when they claimed, more than one week after the initial incident, and not in their first released statement, that, “There was much more involved that a simple kiss of the cheek,” and, “They engaged in passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and had obviously been using alcohol”?
I’ll ask that question again:
Were representatives of the Mormon Church lying to police and to the public, or at least incorrectly characterizing a gay couple’s behavior, when, in a written statement, more than one week after the initial incident, and not in their first released statement, according to several news sources, church spokeswoman Kim Farah said, “There was much more involved that a simple kiss of the cheek,” and, “They engaged in passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and had obviously been using alcohol”?
Because, if all charges were dropped, why weren’t the men charged with whatever local ordinances Salt Lake City has against public passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and the use of alcohol in public?
The Church has claimed all along that the same-sex couple who were detained by Church officials, and subsequently arrested by police, were not arrested for a simple public kiss, contrary to statements the couple made. The Church claims the men crossed the line of what they consider public decency, and the police arrested them. Later, the “passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and had obviously been using alcohol” part was added to the Church’s statements.
So, if all charges were dropped, and SLC Prosecutor Sim Gill said, “The two individuals believed — albeit mistakenly — that they had the right to be there. […] Fairness requires that either that property be not open to the public or you condition that [openness] in a way that the person who comes on understands that it is private property,” why was there NO mention by Gill, or reported in the press of the men’s engaging in “passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and had obviously been using alcohol”?
Read the news stories in order. You’ll find an interesting pattern:
1. Gay couple arrested on Church property for kissing.
2. Gay couple arrested on Church property for kissing and using profanity, and were engaging in lewd behavior including groping, and they were drunk.
3. Gay couple arrested on Church property for kissing and using profanity, and were engaging in lewd behavior including groping, and they were drunk. What seems like the entire city of Salt Lake goes to town, hitting blogs and news sites, saying the men were drunk and groping each other and their behavior is disgusting and the Mormon Church is a victim.
4. Gay couple arrested on Church property for kissing and using profanity, and were engaging in lewd behavior including groping, and they were drunk. What seems like the entire city of Salt Lake goes to town, hitting blogs and news sites, saying the men were drunk and groping each other and their behavior is disgusting and the Mormon Church is a victim, and gays want special rights and special treatment.
5. Gay couple arrested on Church property for kissing and using profanity, and were engaging in lewd behavior including groping, and they were drunk. What seems like the entire city of Salt Lake goes to town, hitting blogs and news sites, saying the men were drunk and groping each other and their behavior is disgusting and the Mormon Church is a victim, and gays want special rights and special treatment, and Kiss-Ins are bad and don’t work and gays just want to flaunt their sexuality in public.
6. Gay couple arrested on Church property for kissing and using profanity, and were engaging in lewd behavior including groping, and they were drunk. What seems like the entire city of Salt Lake goes to town, hitting blogs and news sites, saying the men were drunk and groping each other and their behavior is disgusting and the Mormon Church is a victim, and gays want special rights and special treatment, and Kiss-Ins are bad and don’t work and gays just want to flaunt their sexuality in public. Homosexuality is a sin.
7. Gay couple arrested on Church property for kissing. Church had said it was more than a simple kiss. Prosecutor drops all charges. No mention of passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, or the use of alcohol in public.
See a pattern here?
Again, I’ll ask the question that MUST be answered:
Were representatives of the Mormon Church lying to police and to the public, or at least incorrectly characterizing a gay couple’s behavior, when, in a written statement, more than one week after the initial incident, and not in their first released statement, according to several news sources, church spokeswoman Kim Farah said, “There was much more involved that a simple kiss of the cheek,” and, “They engaged in passionate kissing, groping, profane and lewd language, and had obviously been using alcohol”?
So, why is this a huge win for gays? Because it says “No” to The Mormon Church. And, in reality, that’s a huge win for everyone.
(image: Ecnerwal)