As we take on new challenges, go in new directions and become more national in scope, we are officially changing our name. We are very excited to announce, that from this day forward, Californians Against Hate will be known as Rights Equal Rights.
Our new web site is launching today, check it out: www.RightsEqualRights.com
It's been just two years since a small group of friends and I started Californians Against Hate to draw attention to the mega-donors to California's Proposition 8 campaign. It's been a busy 24 months.
We began on July 18, 2008 by helping to assemble a coalition of LGBT and labor organizations in San Diego to boycott Doug Manchester's three hotels. Doug Manchester had contributed $125,000 in very early money to qualify and pass Proposition 8, which took away marriage rights from millions of Californians. Why should we support his three hotels, only to have that money used against us?
The Manchester Hotels boycott exceeded our wildest expectations. According to their own admission, the boycott is costing the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel alone approximately $1 million per month. This is due to dozens of canceled large meetings and conventions at Manchester's flagship property, and thousands of individuals and businesses who refuse to cross our picket line.
Manchester sold his Idaho hotel in 2009, and now rumors abound that his brand new $400 million Grand del Mar Resort in San Diego is in receivership. It has recently been reported that Global Hyatt Corporation will be buying a majority interest in his Manchester Grand Hyatt. The sale was just approved by the San Diego Port Commission on Tuesday.
We have led three other boycotts against the biggest donors to Proposition 8. We have settled two; one against Bolthouse Farms and another against Garff Automotive Group. Both had family members who contributed $100,000 to pass Prop 8. Now both companies are generous supporters of a variety of LGBT organizations.
Our one remaining boycott is against Terry Caster's A-1 Self Storage Company. Terry Caster and his family gave a whopping $693,000 to Prop 8. Caster was even quoted in the San Diego Union-Tribune saying that gay marriage "would create a sick society." We will continue to let the world know to boycott all 40 locations of A-1 Self Storage in California.
During the summer of 2008, we discovered the active involvement of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) in Prop 8. The Mormon Church took over virtually every aspect of the Yes on Prop 8 campaign.
Mormon families contributed approximately $30 million of the $40 million raised, the Church produced 27 slick commercials, put up an expensive web site, bussed in thousands of volunteers from Utah, had massive phone banks, yet only reported a mere $2078 in non-monetary contributions just three days before the election. Two weeks later I filed a sworn complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) against the Mormon Church for not reporting its vast financial involvement.
The Commission prosecuted the case, and conducted an unprecedented 19 month investigation of the Salt Lake City based Church's finances. Three weeks ago the FPPC found the Mormon Church guilty of 13 counts of late reporting and they were fined $5539. That was the first time a religious organization was found guilty of election irregularities in the 36 year history of the FPPC.
I also have done battle with the Mormon Church's front group, the infamous National Organization for Marriage (NOM). I have challenged all of their false and misleading actions for the last two years. Their arrogant and illegal campaign activities last fall in Maine that was the final straw.
NOM contributed over $1.9 million to take away that state's recently passed right to marry for all, and completely disregarded Maine's long-standing election law in the process. NOM was required to report all its contributor names of $100 and over to election officials. NOM refused, and continues to refuse to turn over their records, even after being ordered to do so by three federal judges and the State Attorney General of Maine.
I filed the original sworn complaint against NOM that led to the investigation, and have attended three separate Ethics Commission meetings in Maine to make sure that NOM complies with the Maine election law.
As a result of all my actions, I was subpoenaed by the National Organization for Marriage last September as part of their federal law suit, ProtectMarriage.com v. Bowen. That law suit was filed in California by the official Yes on Prop 8 committee and NOM to invalidate all campaign reporting laws in California. I believe they subpoenaed me strictly to harass me and make me spend a lot of money. Thanks to the generous support of so many of you who contributed to my legal defense fund, Five for Fred, most all of the legal costs have been covered.
We recently passed a Board Resolution officially changing our name.
Rest assured, I have never been more determined and motivated to help lead the LGBTQ community in our fight for full equal rights in this country.
Younger people who begin to realize that they are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual transgender or queer will be afforded all the same rights as their brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors.
That is what our founding fathers had in mind when they wrote in the Declaration of Independence 234 years ago, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
We will settle for nothing less.
Follow Fred Karger on Twitter: www.twitter.com/twitter.com/fre
Individual contributions made up the majority of the funds for the Prop 8 campaign. It's erroneous to attribute those resources to the church--which is the basis for attacking the church to begin with. Furthermore, other churches were happy to allow 'mormons' to take the fall and financial obligations for the task because we are an easy target, the aftermath of the measure has proven this to be the case. Truth is, many in the church leadership have asked members to stop discussing prop 8 because it is hurting many people...the message, and many of the inflammatory/offensive ads came from the mainstream Christian community--not LDS leadership. Unfortunately, our coalition with them has made us responsible for their less than tactful approach to a sensitive issue.
It's time we realize the wisdom in less government. If government didn't have it's controlling hand in every aspect of our cultural institutions, we wouldn't have had Prop 8 to begin with, and churches would feel less threatened by discrimination lawsuits by the gay community. Churches and institutions should be defining marriage/unions--that way we all affiliate with the churches/institutions that mirror our values without threatening the values of others.
And if church families, of their own will and spontaneously with no encouragement whatsoever, decided to give their money to a political cause, that's one thing. But if they are encouraged by church leaders to give, particularly as a means of avoiding proscriptions on the religious institution giving money directly, that's an entirely different matter. Many Mormons have commented that they were specifically "asked" (and that's a polite way of putting it) by their church to donate all they could to ensure Pro8's passage. Perhaps that didn't happen in your branch of church, but it appears to have happened in some. I find that disturbing.
Why do gays have to have their cake and eat it, too...they want to have same-sex relationships, AND marry, AND have children. It's the worst kind of biological and social denial. Why isn't being gay good enough? Why does the title of marriage even matter? Marriage was only intended to provide a foundation in which to raise children...so gays don't 'need' marriage as an institution unless they are deliberately attempting to force adoption--because we all know gays depend on heterosexual relationships to procreate. No one wants to talk about the common sense issues---we are forced to have this discussion under some abstract disguise labeled 'equality'. It's all so tedious.
You would only find such a request 'disturbing' if you didn't understand a thing about our faith. Our faith is entirely based on the family, and its' eternal nature. This has been a foundation of our faith LONG before gay marriage was an issue. So naturally, having a voice on our cultural evolution, an environment we all have to raise our children in, is not disturbing---it's democratic!
We have NEVER been asked to vote a certain way, only on two issues---and BOTH of them revolved around the family--the ratification of the ERA--which sought to blur gender lines---and now, the issue of gay marriage--which effectually does the same thing. Compared to other churches and private institutions (gay community included), that's a pretty indifferent track record. But it's ignorant to suggest that churches have no place in shaping our culture..and being offended by that is the disturbing trend...a complete rejection of constitutional substance.
And the LDS galvanized its congregations to usurp court-ordered rights from other citizens, regardless of how you want to spin it. The LDS was indeed instrumental in what was a campaign of spiritual violence. It should take ownership for the pain and humuliation it has caused.
The real problem is not Mormons--or Catholics, or gays wanting to co-opt a Christian institution--it's really big government. No one would have a leg to stand on if marriage wasn't regulated and licensed by the government. If it was an institution regulated by private institutions, none of us would have an issue with each other because we would associate ourselves with whatever institution granted those privileges etc.
Prop 8 was only necessary because the gay community was using government to control how OTHERS define marriage--and it backfired--BIG TIME!
The crux of the matter though, needs to be demographics. The Mormons were polygamists because their men kept getting killed leading to more women to each man. This is similar to the Middle Eastern tribes who were in constant states of warfare in Biblical times. (Granted, David sending the one guy out on the front lines to get slaughtered so he could marry his wife is a touch morally questionable.) If the demographics of the Mormon faith are showing that there are many more women for each man, then polygamy would make sense. Last I heard, though, people weren't killing Mormon men off wholesale any more.
I would have been a fence sitter on this issue, if it weren't for the juvenile-like tantrums that have been thrown by the GLBT lobby. Now this.
So, now, you've thrown down the gauntlet. I am TOTALLY against gay marriage.
Go ahead and sue me. I have nothing. I have nothing you can boycott. If I had $5 left to my name and I was asked to contribute it to defeating gay marriage, I would.
You people need to grow up.
Just remember, revenge is a dish best served cold. (when that hotel group goes under, how many of your supporters will be out of a job?)
On the other hand, I want a list of donors to Krager's immoral campaign so I can boycott THEIR businesses. And it's not because I disagree with their opinions; it's because I disagree with their fascist tactics.
I can't imagine why anyone could have a problem with people saying they won't economically support their oppressors. Boycotts have been used for quite a long time as a non-violent means of protest. Why should any gay person (or their straight allies) have to walk around in ignorance of who their political enemies are? I'm glad I know about these two companies. I will never spend money with people who successfully rendered me and my friends & family 2nd class citizens.
Hopefully they pay Mr. Manchester pennies on dollar.
As for "you people need to grow up" I think you are refering to the gay rights movement. We are growing up. And stronger. And look how far we've come.
You, and the people like you, need to keep growing old, and dying off.
How's that for "the Dark Side"
I'm thinking that, if there's a next time for this, don't be the least bit surprised if Mormons everywhere donate two or three times more money in defense of marriage. And we won't need anyone in any leadership position to tell us. Mormons have been pushed around enough. They said enough when the Army came in 1857, and we say enough now. We are not going to change on this issue, and the more people try to force us to believe what we don't, the more we are going to fight back for what we believe.
There is nothing in the Constitution that says "homosexuals" have a civil right to marry each other, or anyone for that matter. However, the Constitution DOES say that I have the God-given right to follow the religion of my choice. And that I have the God-given right to vote as I please, and to donate money to political causes. You have the right to throw temper tantrums, too, but ask yourself, what GOOD did any of this do? All you are doing is pissing people off. Intimidating people and groups into doing what you think is right is never going to work.