God Loves His Children - Mormon Group Shows Its Support In Salt Lake City Gay Parade Reuters

By Jennifer Dobner

SALT LAKE CITY Sun Jun 3, 2012 9:04pm EDT

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - Nearly more than 200 Mormons marched in a homosexual delight parade on Sunday, holding signs this learn " God Loves His Children " throughout your different screen with support out of believers associated with a non secular tradition which has longer in contrast homosexuality.

"When people listen to in which Mormons are usually walking together with homosexual along with lesbian individuals with Salt Lake City. I think which is going to be your surprise," explained Dustin Lance Black, that Academy Award-winning screenwriter of the 2008 motion picture "Milk" with regards to slain San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk. Black, who is gay and had been lifted Mormon, was your parade's grand marshal.

"They tend to be fostering a a higher standard popularity of which hasn't usually been there," he said.

Erika Munson, 52, a devout Mormon as well as mummy with five, proven the group Mormons Building Bridges as well as brought them while in the yearly Utah Pride Parade in support of this homosexual community. She had grown uneasy when using the impression health of their religious organization when anti-gay.

"I really feel including this is certainly the time to chat up. I've always believed like I seemed to be support with my very own way of the actual LGBT town however I've had to keep of which and my own motivation to get the religious organization separate," your lover said, having a popular time period with regard to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people.

Munson's team is not really supported by or directly connected along with Utah-based Church associated with Jesus Christ connected with Latter-day Saints.

Mormon initiative demonstrates to that gay making love can be a sin as well as for decades cathedral management have denounced homosexuality as unnatural, supported reparative corrections aimed at altering sexual location and also excommunicated many gay members.

Since the particular 1990s, your cathedral also offers widely insured plans to prevent legalized homosexual marriage.

SHIFT IN SENTIMENT

Church leaders have softened his or her stance on homosexuality throughout recent years, saying the actual beginning with sexuality are certainly not fully understood. The cathedral also includes endorsed Utah regulations to protect LGBT individuals from position in addition to housing discrimination as well as completely denounced homosexual bullying.

The Mormon group with Sunday's parade waved symptoms indicating "LDS (loves) LGBT" along with drew many thanks from bystanders cellular lining that route, just blocks from the Mormon Church headquarters. They marched in agrees with in addition to old-fashioned clothes plus have been around stark compare into the a huge number of additional participants.

The revelers ranged coming from supporters regarding Planned Parenthood in order to people belonging to the Queer Utah Aquatic Club who danced along the street using just the pool suits, ribbon and bow ties in addition to leading hats. A gentleman who seem to went by the particular name regarding Penelope Pap Smear marched in the lilac dress.

Sharon Griffiths, 58, your lesbian and an old Mormon who a short while ago misplaced your gay nephew to be able to suicide, said she seemed to be grateful regarding this Mormon rendering in the parade.

"My cardiovascular system is perfectly 100 % around gratefulness that this Christ-like love they discuss in church, I view throughout measures today," mentioned Griffiths, exactly who turned out inside the 1970s soon after decades regarding staying energetic while in the church.

Utah has the nation's twelfth best rate of children's suicide, according to your the year just gone survey from the U.S. Centers intended for Disease Control in addition to Prevention. On average, a couple of teen years on a daily basis are treated inside Utah disaster suites after suicide attempts, state health and wellbeing department files from 2008 in order to this year showed.

While it is not clear the number of regarding Utah's junior suicides occur while in the lesbian, gay, bisexual as well as transgender community, experts state this LGBT youth will be at undoubtedly with an elevated probability pertaining to committing suicide and tried suicide, and can end up being lead to for matter inside Utah.

"I recognize we've found considerably work to do nonetheless as well as there may be even now a good deal most of us don't agree with the fact concerning yet," Black said. "But certainly, currently sensed such as an initial step inside a treatment process."

(Editing by way of Lily Kuo plus Bill Trott )