August 15 

ATLANTA (AP) - About 50 people, mostly gay and lesbian couples,

gathered at Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta to protest the recent
arrests of gays kissing in Utah and Texas.

The couples kissed Saturday for about five minutes.

The event comes after gay couples in Salt Lake City, San Antonio and El Paso were arrested, cited for trespassing or harrassed by police for
publicly kissing.

National organizers say Saturday's broadly-held gay rights demonstrations were not aimed specifically at the Mormon church.

But observers say the church's heavy-handed intervention into California politics will linger and has tarnished the faith's image.

Seventeen-year-old Alex Oxford of Marietta organized the Atlanta event.

Oxford says displaying affection with a partner should never be put down by the government.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press All Rights Reserved)