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Posted: 6:13 PM- Activists from both sides of the gay marriage debate will cross paths in downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday.
Starting at 11:30 a.m. at the City-County Building, 451 S. State St., a grassroots effort called Join the Impact will hold a March for Equality in support of gay marriage. The event will begin with several speeches and culminate with a march around Library Square and the City-County Building, said organizer Elaine Ball. It will end around 2:30 p.m. Ball predicted 3,000 or more people may attend.
She said she hoped the rally would stay peaceful on both sides.
"We're really happy [anti-gay-marriage activists] out there promoting their opinion too," Ball said. "We're happy there are people out there talking about it."
The anti-gay-marriage Sanctity of Marriage March will start at 11 a.m. in City Creek Park. Attendees will march on State Street and end at the City-County Building, where they plan to demonstrate and preach, organizer Lonnie Pursifull said.
"Gay marriage is against God's will. No matter how many people are there I'm going to stand against it," said Pursifull, a carpet layer and preacher at Wilderness Bible Baptist Church in Duchesne. He protests at Salt Lake City's gay pride parade every year and has travelled to protest gay pride parades in other cities.
He did not know how many people outside his own congregation will attend; he would not say how large the congregation is.
Additionally, a candlelight vigil in support of gay marriage will also take place Saturday evening at the Utah State Capitol Building, said organizer Patrick York.
The vigil will start at 6 p.m. on the south lawn. Attendees will pass candles from hand to hand, then place them on the ground to spell out "equality."
"I hope to encourage people not to give up on the American Dream . . . [including] the right to marry the person you choose," York said.
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