Gay advocates trek to LDS offices

Members of several Utah gay and lesbian advocacy groups asked LDS Church leaders to open a dialogue with its gay members but stay out of politics Wednesday — a day after Maine voters rejected a same-sex marriage referendum and one year after the monumental passage of California's Proposition 8.

"They're worried we'll force our lifestyle on them, when they're forcing theirs on us," LGBT activist Jacob Whipple said during a gathering Wednesday afternoon.

Whipple said he hopes LDS Church leaders can understand the plight of its gay and lesbian members, even if they haven't experienced that inner turmoil firsthand.

To illustrate their points, roughly a dozen people trekked from This Is the Place Heritage Park to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in downtown Salt Lake City on Wednesday, pulling handcarts filled with items to present to church leaders.

Those items included books of remembrance for gay LDS Church members who have committed or attempted suicide, as well as their families and loved ones; letters from local religious leaders; and a letter from a therapist group that believes recent comments from one church leader could lead to more suicides.

A representative from the LDS Church's public affairs department smiled and shook hands with the 50 or so people who accompanied the items.

"Our hope is for reconciliation," said Peter Danzig of the Foundation for Reconciliation. "We're working to open up conversations that, for a long time, have been taboo."

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said LDS leaders meet with "groups all the time on a variety of issues, but we don't do it to garner publicity."

Farah added, "But, quite frankly, it is very confusing that this group felt the need to tell us about love and compassion. Church leaders are keenly aware of the various challenges members face around the world, both collectively and individually, and countless hours are spent every week helping people."

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