Mormons Building Bridges again shut out of Days of ’47, Freedom Festival parades

The Salt Lake Tribune/May 22, 2015

By Jennifer Dobner

For a second consecutive year, Mormons Building Bridges will not be allowed to march in Utah's Days of '47 and Freedom Festival parades.

Organizers have rejected the group's applications to participate in the two July celebrations.

Erika Munson, who co-founded Bridges in 2012 with the sole goal of fostering ties between faithful Latter-day Saints and the LGBT community, expressed disappointment with the decisions.

Munson believed her group's message of inclusion and love — consistent with the values espoused by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — would persuade parade officials to welcome Bridges.

"We were hoping that last year we really got a conversation going," Munson said, "and that this year, a lot of the unwillingness to look at the LGBT community as part of our community would fall away."

For a second consecutive year, Mormons Building Bridges will not be allowed to march in Utah's Days of '47 and Freedom Festival parades.

Organizers have rejected the group's applications to participate in the two July celebrations.

Erika Munson, who co-founded Bridges in 2012 with the sole goal of fostering ties between faithful Latter-day Saints and the LGBT community, expressed disappointment with the decisions.

Munson believed her group's message of inclusion and love — consistent with the values espoused by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — would persuade parade officials to welcome Bridges.

"We were hoping that last year we really got a conversation going," Munson said, "and that this year, a lot of the unwillingness to look at the LGBT community as part of our community would fall away."

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