Cop Who Objected To Riding At Head Of Gay Pride Parade Says He Loves Gays

Eric Moutsos, the former Salt Lake city policeman who objected to riding in a motorcycle at the head of Gay Pride parade, says he has many LGBT friends.

The 33-year-old devout Mormon and father of four objected to being assigned as an escort in the front of last year's parade. After being placed on leave over the incident, Moutsos quit the department.

“I love gay people,” Moutsos told the Los Angeles Times. “I love them like I love humanity. I just did not agree with some of the messages in that parade.”

He told the paper that he's contemplating a lawsuit against the department, claiming that his religious liberties were violated.

Moutsos said that his superiors refused his request not to head the parade.

“It is unquestionably my duty as a police officer to protect everyone's right to hold a parade or other event, but is it also my duty to celebrate everyone's parade?” he rhetorically asked in a six-page public statement last week.

Karen McCreary, executive director of the Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told the Times that government officials must serve the public, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

“As a government official, you need to serve everyone; you can't use your personal beliefs as a way to pick and choose,” she said.

The only violation here Eric is your sanctimonious, self imposed emulation and faux-martyrdom.

What isn't being discussed on the numerous religious blogs and conservative netrags, is that Eric was part of a police motorcycle squad, a squads whose job included performing in city sanctioned parades and special events.

As part of that squad, Eric was expected to perform with his squad like he had in many other city sanctioned events, he refused because it was a gay event and for no other reason.

His superiors rightly saw this as an unwillingness to do his job and he was suspended...he's the one who quit, he wasn't fired.

Eric chose to be part of this squad, knowing full well that he would be expected to take part in city sanctioned events and take special note, he was the only one in his squad who objected in doing so.