“It has nothing to do with religious freedom, that has to do with the hatred of those individuals and what the parade stands for, which is about unity and coming together,” Burbanks said.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank said he stood behind his decision to put Moutsos on leave and faulted Moutsos for resigning before internal affairs investigators had the chance to resolve the issue. But I will not advocate certain things in people’s lives.” just because you may disagree with somebody means that you hate them. “I think what’s happened here is that we’re just getting more divisive on this issue. There are so many good people, no matter what it is you believe,” Moutsos told Deseret News. But he recently changed his mind due to the Utah legislature’s debate over a bill to balance anti-discrimination rights with religious freedoms. Moutsos quit a short time later, believing he could no longer work in Salt Lake City.Īt first, Moutsos wanted to remain anonymous. Gay rights supporters immediately labeled the officer a bigot, and the story became worldwide news. The story became public after police issued a news release stating an unnamed officer had been put on leave for refusing the gay-pride parade assignment. Moutsos said he then conceded that he would ride in the parade, but two days later was put on leave. Moutsos, a 33-year-old Mormon, sent an internal email asking to be reassigned to traffic duty, but his request was denied. Eric Moutsos, a member of the exclusive unit, was scheduled to ride but requested to swap assignments because he felt uncomfortable in the role at the front of the parade. In June 2014, the Salt Lake City Motorcycle Squad was assigned to participate in the Utah Pride Parade, performing choreographed maneuvers as they led the parade route.
But I just don’t want to be in the parade.” “I felt that by being an actual participant in the parade, I would be perceived to be supporting certain messages that were contrary to who I am,” Eric Moutsos told the Deseret News. We’re also organizing Affirmation’s presence at the first-ever Rexburg Pride being held on June 26th.A former Salt Lake City police officer who was put on leave and later resigned after he objected to riding in the motorcycle brigade at the front of a gay-pride parade spoke out for his religious rights. Currently, Affirmation Florida is preparing to participate in Come Out with Pride Orlando on October 8th.
Special thanks are extended to Kimberly Teitter, Dan Christensen, Kyle Ashworth, and Iliana Hurtado, and Troy Mitchell for their support of these activities.Īs shared previously, Pride season is providing opportunities for Affirmation to come together in-person once again. Nathan Kitchen, president of Affirmation, noted the significance of Affirmation’s participation in Salt Lake City Pride during a virtual fireside for parents of LGBTQ kids that he spoke at later the same evening of the march and rally, sharing a photo of marchers holding the Affirmation banner as they passed the Church Office Building and Temple Square.Īffirmation’s participation in Salt Lake City Pride was organized by the Affirmation Intermountain West Region with Melissa Malcolm King, who also serves as the president of the Affirmation Midwest Region, leading the organizing efforts with assistance from Ron Chand, president of the Affirmation Pacific Region. Following the march and rally, Affirmation hosted a picnic at Winchester Park in Murray. With thousands of others, members from the Affirmation community participated in the Rainbow March and Rally on June 6th that began at the Utah State Capitol. It seems fitting that Affirmation’s first larger-scale in-person activity as the threat and restrictions from COVID-19 decline was Salt Lake City Pride.