I'm conflicted over the treatment of the cranky religious folks by my people (my people – that would be the Gays). The Mormons have stomped all over our collective face, collecting money tax-free and then using as much as $23million to help pass Prop 8 in California by a teeny margin. 52% is what it won by, meaning 48% is the other side. That's a pretty close election.
Is it fair to take away the constitutional rights that already exist when just barely over half of the people want to take them away?
But worse than that, some people have been marching against the Mormons and all sorts of nasty things are coming up about how the Mormon church does business. Things like "embedding" mormons in the local police forces.
Then the people being attacked by words and shouting matches from my side of the conflict start saying that our opposition to their free speech makes it clear that we don't practice what we preach (tolerance).
That's particularly annoying. Side A just removed constitutionally guaranteed rights of Side B, and now Side A says Side B is the bad guy for being upset and pointing fingers at them. The fact remains that the Mormons did raise enough million dollars to feed all the homeless people in Portland for months and months, but they raised it to preach hate against loving couples. So no food for the hungry, tell them the Mormons don't care about issues of compassion, only issues that generate free press.
I am annoyed that anyone considers the Mormons "Christian". How do you get people to stop following and start thinking for themselves?
I also wonder, if once Gay marriage is finally approved everywhere, will we have decades of arguments over it like we've had with other controversial subjects. (on a side note, why are human rights even controversial?)
This is a fight that is not going to end in my lifetime. I do plan to get married tho. And that will be a happy happy day for us, whether the mormons show up or not.
2 Comments
you think mormons are bad? try dealing with the CoS. they won't go down for ANYTHING. no matter HOW much incriminating crap is brought up against them.
It's interesting to watch this drama unfold. When was the last time an issue in one state generated so much protest across the country and around the world? 2008 has turned out to be a history-making year.
It has taken people a long time to get angry. After all, California is not the first state to have such a constitutional amendment pass. It was, though, the first state to take away an existing right. Perhaps that's what it takes to get people motivated.
There is plenty of blame to go around – even on our side. For example, a big bloc of voters for Prop 8 came from the black and hispanic communities. How well did we reach out to them? Those are certainly a couple of groups where the idea of civil rights should resonate.
One area that I find most infuriating was the poor voter turnout for San Francisco county. It ranked 53 out of 59 counties! Are you freakin' kidding me? How many registered voters there didn't even vote? For all of those protesters in the Castro, I wonder how many of them that *could* vote actually *did* vote. Those that didn't vote are just as responsible for the passage of Prop 8 as those that voted for it.
I, too, feel conflicted on how the religious "other side" is being treated. Once I take away the anger, two feelings seem to remain: Pity and Betrayal. I feel pity for the church members who I honestly believe would rather Prop 8 not be on the ballot. Their church forced the issue on them and even "required" them to make donations (at least according to the articles I've read so far).
Betrayal comes from the difference between being "tolerant" and "supportive." Many church members are also business owners. Some have gone beyond being merely tolerant and have forged friendships with their gay customers. There are different ways to show support, but all of them bind us together as a community. So, by giving financially to the pro-Prop 8 effort, that shows the "support" they have given is all a lie – at least that's how it feels to me.
So, if I had a favorite restaurant, bookstore, movie theater, etc., that supported Prop 8, then would I boycott them? No. I would never patronize them again. Boycotts are temporary, I would go for the full-blown banishment. They betrayed a trust – and they are unapologetic about it. Even though the election is over, I can still vote with my feet and with my dollar. I don't see how they can restore that trust.
I have no sympathy for the the Mormon church or any other organized group that supported this amendment. The protests, boycott threats, and anger directed at them are the consequences of their own actions. They can squawk about freedom of speech all they like – as we exercise ours. It's interesting to find out how much influence organizations like the Mormons wield – and how much stock they own in various businesses. If a church is going to be a political action committee or a major stockholder, they they are no longer a church. As such, perhaps it's time to take away their tax-exempt status. That should make for an interesting Prop 9.