The Salt Lake City PD finally issued their report yesterday on a gay couple that was handcuffed and detained last month for refusing to leave after being harassed by LDS security guards for briefly kissing on church property. The full report, available here, appears to contradict the story told by LDS security guards at the scene.

Spokesmen for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Salt Lake City police department have thus far declined to specify the behavior that prompted guards to ask Matt Aune, 28, and his partner, Derek Jones, 25, to leave the plaza at 50 E. North Temple. Aune said that the guards “slammed him to the ground” while detaining him; a guard disputed that claim, according to the police report.

Aune and Jones said they have seen heterosexual couples holding hands and kissing without incident on the plaza. Church spokeswoman Kim Farah has said the Aune and Jones were not singled out for being gay and that they were “politely asked to stop engaging in inappropriate behavior.”

However, the police report does not indicate the men were given the option to stay if they stopped kissing or hugging. It states only that the guard told the men that “they need to leave [church] property for the behavior and that [it] is unwanted,” and that the men were detained when Jones said he would not leave.

Last weekend, nearly one hundred  protestors staged a “kiss-in” on church property in support of the couple. While LDS security was present, no arrests were made. Another kiss-in is scheduled for noon this Sunday.

Little Suzy seems to think so! In the “Story of Suzy,” an adorable little girl unknowingly helps the narrator pull back the covers on the act of prayer. Enjoy.

At a meeting with the Catholic media prior to his trip to Italy and audience with Pope Benedict XVI , Obama spoke of the difficulty he is having reconciling his faith with LGBT issues:

“For the gay and lesbian community in this country, I think it’s clear that they feel victimized in fairly powerful ways and they’re often hurt by not just certain teachings of the Catholic Church, but the Christian faith generally. And as a Christian, I’m constantly wrestling with my faith and my solicitude and regard and concern for gays and lesbians.”

For many Catholics and people of faith there is no “wrestling” or struggle. No inner turmoil. Gays are either to repent and abstain from their “lifestyle” or burn for all eternity.

Sure, many will accuse Obama of being two-faced, or criticize him for playing to both sides of the issue. But hopefully some will appreciate his honesty about the struggle. I suspect we would be a lot farther along in the gay civil rights movement if more individuals, more people of faith, also carried that struggle in their heart.

… So it’s perfectly okay to mine for uranium near the Grand Canyon as the earth has already survived most of that time without environmental laws. Ahem. Really? So without further ado, meet Republican state senator Sylvia Allen of Snowflake, Arizona — emphasis on the flake, I think.

And the remark was so offhanded, as if Allen were describing the way the sun comes up every morning… twice. Perhaps she and Sherri Shepard should form a club.