Mormons March Against Bigotry in Annual Utah Pride Parade
Among the thousands of people who participated in this year's annual Utah Pride Festival in Salt Lake City were some 350 unexpected attendees: Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Marching down the parade route under the banner "Mormons Building Bridges," the LDS Church members held up signs espousing love and support for the LGBT community.
Their participation surprising many attendees who are all too aware of the Mormon church's proactive promotion of California's proposition to ban same-sex marriage. "We thought there might be some animosity toward us, but it was the opposite," said Kim Turner. "It was so touching. It was very emotional. We saw many people crying along the (parade) route."
Perhaps most moved by the sight of Mormons marching in the parade were other Mormons who were watching from the sidelines. "They didn't know about the group (before the parade)," Turner said. "They saw us and joined us."
