For the second-straight day, members of the gay-activist group were peacefully escorted off Brigham Young University's campus after violating school policies.

This time, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender group marched from the Provo Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple down to BYU's west entrance and proceeded to stage a memorial, lying down on campus lawns and holding Easter lilies.

In the end, 24 Soulforce members, along with a couple of participating BYU students, were escorted off campus by BYU police and cited for trespassing.

The Soulforce Equality Ride team has stopped in Provo as part of a nationwide tour of schools they believe discriminate against gays.

Equality Ride co-director Jacob Reitan, who was cited Monday along with four others for trespassing after violating school policy, acknowledged their intent was to get arrested.

"We would not have left unless they placed us under arrest," Reitan said. "Our Riders do not leave until they are told, 'You are under arrest.' "

But the long-winded ordeal - it took an hour for the demonstrators to stage their memorial as LDS gay-suicide stories were read - hardly resembled a mass arrest: No handcuffs were used, and Soulforce members had told BYU officials where they'd be and what they'd be doing prior to the staging.

"Last night they let us know exactly how this was going to take place," said BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins. "It was coordinated how the citations would be issued."

Few students observed the noon procession. Some caught parts of it while walking to and from campus between classes.

"It's a joke," said BYU student and passer-by Kent Curtis. "I don't know why it's being covered [by the media]."

Gay BYU student Emil Pohlig was happy to see the protest and said he is planning to transfer from the school this year.

"I would rather go to a school where I can express myself," Pohlig said. "I'm skeptical whether [Soulforce's protest] will produce any kind of action."

Besides the 33-member Soulforce team, news media made up the majority of the small gathering at the corner of Canyon Road and Bulldog Boulevard.

One camerman for KUTV-Channel 2 had a disagreement with campus security after he insisted he was on public property.

Security personnel told him the sidewalk he was on was private and asked him to return to the spot designated for reporters.

When the camerman didn't comply, Jenkins and KUTV News Director Tanya Vea said, security pushed him back to the designated area.

The Soulforce procession marched silently to the campus in a line, holding up traffic slightly at intersections after passing by a barricaded Missionary Training Center.

Leading the march was gay BYU student Matt Kulisch, the first to be arrested.

"I'm proud to say that I'm gay," Kulisch said prior to entering campus and dropping to the ground, as if dying. "I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God loves me as I am."

thollingshead@sltrib.com

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Tribune reporter Nate Carlisle contributed to this story.