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Diversity Week show is moved away from entrance foyer March 12 Update: The art is stolen  March 10, 2004 Excerpted from The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News A visual art exhibit at Salt Lake Community College was moved Tuesday after a group of photographs offended several students who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The exhibit, part of SLCC's Diversity Week, raised the ire of students who disapproved of depictions of two men dressed as LDS missionaries in various stages of undress. The photographs show two young men in white shirts and dark slacks. One wears a missionary name tag. In one image, a young man unbuttons another's shirt; in another, one undoes the other's belt as a book of scripture lies open nearby. On Tuesday, the first day of the annual Pride Art Show, students got into a shouting match after one of them began taking down Farmer's photographs. Police were called and the photographs re-hung. Police lingered as students on both sides vented their feelings. The art show is sponsored by Coloring Outside the Lines, a club for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual students. It was originally in a foyer near the entrance of the South City Campus' main building, 1575 S. State. The artists, Don Farmer, said the photos were part of his senior project at Westminster. When they were displayed there, a similar controversy erupted, resulting in a lawsuit against the school. However, Farmer said, the student who filed the suit later dropped it after she spoke with Farmer and learned of his intentions. Farmer said the photos were not "meant to be hateful or hurtful" but were instead meant to "start dialogue." He set out to depict the struggles of people trying to juxtapose their faith with their sexuality. He said he was an active LDS Church member when he displayed the photos at Westminster, and his bishopric was understanding about his intentions. He is no longer actively LDS, he said. He said the men shown in the photos are both former LDS missionaries who were in a relationship. |
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