Hollywood Popular Artists

Jun 4th 2012, 21:55

You don't really think of Utah as a place that would have a gay pride parade, but it happened in Salt Lake City. A few weeks ago Erika Munson started a group called Mormons Building Bridges because she wanted to show some LGBT support in the heavily Mormon state. This is the first time Mormons have marched in the parade. The Mormon Church has been in the news a lot the past few years for its pronounced opposition to same-sex marriage and its strong rhetoric against gay sexuality, but at least 300 Mormons disagree and publicly let their opinions be known at the parade.

"I haven't recognized [LGBT people] as equals," said parade participant Emily Vandyke. "They have been invisible to me."

Dustin Lance Black, an Academy-Award winner  (for penning the screenplay for "Milk") was the parade's Grand Marshall and shared a heartfelt message on Twitter:

In tears. Over 300 straight, active Mormons showed up to march with me at the Utah Pride parade in support of LGBT people

— Dustin Lance Black (@DLanceBlack) June 3, 2012

Holly Nelson, a lesbian who lives in Utah, was also brought to tears by the sentiment of the parade. "I think it's amazing," she remarked. "It's been so hard to be in Utah knowing the Mormon church is against the gay community."

Carolyn Ball, another resident of Utah, knows that being gay in Mormonism isn't easy. Mormonism practices excommunication, and she was excommunicated twelve years ago because she came out and spoke up about her sexuality. "I lost everything I loved because I came out," she said.

"There have been too many LDS deaths," parade participant Adam Ford said, referencing the many suicides by gay Latter Day Saints aka Mormons, especially teens. The 300 people walking in the parade are hoping they can help lead to change.

Do you think something like this can make a difference? What do you think it's going to take?

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