Over 300 Mormons March in Utah Gay Pride Parade

More than 300 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints marched in the Utah Gay Pride Parade in Salt Lake City Sunday in a show of support for LGBT people.

Members of the group Mormons Building Bridges said they wanted to send the message that love for LGBT people is compatible with their faith, reported The Salt Lake Tribune. The demonstration of support left attendees including screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who served as grand marshal of the parade, in tears, according to his Twitter feed.

"Mormons Building Bridges followed right behind Black in the parade," reported the Tribune. "The men in beige suits and ties and the little girls in white dresses were a sharp contrast to the pounding music and dancers behind them, but the crowd clapped and shouted their approval for the folks in their Sunday best. Erika Munson, a mom of five from Sandy, started the group a few weeks ago to show her support for the LGBT community and to encourage members of her religion to do the same in a public way."

Parade viewers included people who have left the Mormon Church because of its stance on gay rights. the LDS strongly supported Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage in California, in 2008. The church's position has taken the stage again because of Mitt Romney, a prominent Mormon and the first person from the faith to become the presidential nominee of a major party.