Y. cites 2 gay-rights activists

PROVO — Brigham Young University police cited a mother and her son for trespassing Thursday during a staged demonstration by a gay activist group that drew a lot of media but no interest from BYU students.

The Soulforce Equality Riders walked a 3.2-mile loop around the edge of the campus for six hours, but about half of the 25 members of the touring group stopped for a press conference at 11 a.m.

Television cameras from all four Salt Lake television stations and reporters from several newspapers and other journalists crowded around the group in front of the landmark BYU sign "Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve."

Kanab native Kourt Osborn carried a box the group said contained 50 letters listing grievances about the treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students at BYU.

Osborn and his mother, Karel Allen, of Kanab, took the dark-stained wood box, adorned with a single lily and a red bow, and walked onto campus, where the chief of campus police and the associate dean of students warned them that if they didn't turn around, they would be cited for trespassing.

Soulforce Equality Ride co-director Haven Herrin said Osborn and Allen intended to deliver the box to the office of Jan Scharman, BYU vice president for Student Life.

"We have reached out to Jan Scharman time and time again," Herrin said. "We hope she will come and meet us halfway."

BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said Soulforce never invited Scharman or any other administrator to the press conference or to meet Osborn and his mother.

Osborn and Allen continued a few steps until a BYU police officer stopped them and escorted them to a van that took them to their hotel.

Police issued each a citation for trespassing, a Class B misdemeanor, BYU's Jenkins said.

Herrin and co-director Alexey Bulokhov said the demonstration was a protest of BYU's decision not to allow Soulforce Equality Riders on campus this year and not to allow members of the group to make presentations to students.

"Last year we were not allowed to negotiate any dialogue," Herrin said. "We have returned again this year to try and have this dialogue."

BYU allowed Soulforce onto campus last year but asked the group to follow a campus policy against demonstrations. Five members of the group violated the policy and were cited for trespassing. The next day, 24 more were cited when they staged a die-in in the same place where Osborn and Allen demonstrated Thursday.

The 29 pleaded guilty, paid $200 fines and signed statements that said, "I took part in a protest on the BYU campus knowing it violated university policy, and I failed to leave when asked to do so."