This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dear Temple Square staff and patrons,
I am writing to tell you about my daughter's experience at Temple Square.
She was very excited and could hardly wait to visit the holiday light display, and when she arrived she was in awe of the beauty of the lights.
Shortly after her arrival onto the premises, she needed to use the rest room. As she entered the rest room, she was greeted with rude behavior from staff and patrons. She was verbally harassed for using the facilities because she did not look like a typical Mormon female.
Statements were made such as, "What are you doing in here?" and "You have no business in here." "You don't belong and you need to leave." She immediately left and lost all interest in ever visiting again.
Our daughter kept her composure after the exchange of words, and I am proud of her for that. I have many loved ones who practice your faith that I respect, but this behavior has saddened and sickened me. More importantly, it has made her father and I appreciate our daughter's beauty even more.
You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Sincerely, loving Christian mother and very disappointed citizen.
Sally Ruiz
Farmington