Gays Hit Back at Mormons

Given their history, Mormons know about being targeted for being different. Yet in a full-on offensive, the LDS Church mobilized in favor of California's Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that bans gay marriage. Mormons donated $19 million to the cause -- nearly four out of five dollars raised. And now that the initiative has passed, apparently Mormons want to play nice; an LDS Church leader called Wednesday for members to heal rifts caused by the campaign by treating each other with "civility, with respect and with love."

Not. So. Fast. Gay people are fed up and have learned a thing or two about mobilizing themselves -- and not just for angry rallies. Some pro-Proposition 8 folks may come to regret their not so private support of hate. And were you thinking about skiing in Utah this year? Hmmm, Colorado's looking pretty good these days.

Yet somehow an economic boycott doesn't feel direct enough; those who team up against gay people must learn that there are consequences.

That's why we are seeking to strip the Mormon church of its status as a religious organization. According to IRS law, "no organization, including a church, may qualify for IRC section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying)." [Emphasis added.]

Please join our efforts and show the world that gay people -- and their friends and families -- know how to hit back. Sign this petition to support the legal effort to strip the Mormon Church of its tax-exempt status.

 

Follow Mario Ruiz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@mruizhp

Comments

[blasofsky]

03:38 PM on 11/16/2008

Hey!

Two close friends and I recently started a grassroots site (http://Our­VoicesForM­arriage.co­m) as a response to Propositio­n 8 passing. It is a VERY basic, no-frills site that allows individual­s to voice their sadness, their frustratio­n, and, most importantl­y, their personal stories on how the passing of Propositio­n 8 effected them. Our hope is that President-­Elect Obama will soon announce a GLBT liaison whom we can refer to this site, and, who in turn, will refer President Obama to it with the hope he will speak out and say, loud and clear, that discrimina­tion written into any constituti­on is a violation of everyone's civil rights.

PLEASE take a moment, go to the site, and post YOUR story. The more voices we have the louder our message will be. . .

http://our­voicesform­arriage.co­m

Thanks!

[Hans52]

01:08 PM on 11/13/2008

A bit off track, but: those who opposed same sex marriage in California said that they were doing God's work, preserving His "plan", etc. Lets take this a step further. According to the Catholic Church, it is also part of God's plan that there is but ONE, true Christian church - the Roman Catholic one. Based on this, laws which permit Protestant churches to exist are wrong, as they contradict God's plan. Catholics should have the right to band together and vote Protestant churches out of existence. They pose a threat to "God's plan" and are contrary to the social order as intended by God.

[JJPasadena]

11:26 AM on 11/16/2008

There's a problem with your point! It makes too much sense! If every Catholic got together and tried to get legislatio­n passed which would make Mormonism illegal in the United States, the Mormon Church would publicly condemn all of them as HATE MONGERS and rightly so!
Hell I remember an incident back in my hometown of Vancouver, Washington (which has a very high Mormon population­) in which a student at my school was expelled for calling the Mormon Church a cult gathering. I know for a fact that the Church of LDS takes the acceptance of their beliefs by mainstream society very seriously. It's okay for them, but not okay for others. The very existence of their church actually carries more of a punishment to "the rules" than gay marriage.

[CentralJustice]

10:03 PM on 11/10/2008

What’s wrong with the picture people? We allow Polygamist­s to define “marriage”­?!

I have lived and worked in the Hollywood Show business community for over 30 years now. I spent my last 5 years as a casting director for the country’s largest suppliers of background performers for film, television and commercial­s. I would hire approximat­ely 17,000 performers for these shows a year. My boss, a VP, is Mormon. I am an out gay man. I was berated in front of staff and privately by this man calling be names like “HOMO”, “QUEER”, “FRIUT” among other colorful slang terms describing my sexual preference­.

This “Man of God” as he much referred to himself would call me these hateful names and give me a “gay novelty” gift in front of my fellow co-workers­, embarrassi­ng and humiliatin­g me in front of all.

This man lied in litigation about the name-calli­ng but admitted and signed a document giving me that “gay” gift. His reason for the gift, “he thought it was funny!” This VP is a disgrace to his Mormon faith, that he was a bishop at one time, a disgrace to his wife, children and family. This man his put me out of a job and on disability with mental & physical damage that has become undoable.

Homophobia lives and breathes here in Hollywood as well as with the Mormons. Words can build bridges to new horizons and yet they can turn & destroy one’s life. This man has destroyed my life.

[clide2000]

10:13 PM on 11/19/2008

I am sorry that you such a horrible experience with one mormon. Like any other religion, there are people who do live is a way that reflects the teachings of their church.

Mormons are no longer polygamist­, But I think it is ironice that you are using that as an attack. If everyone should have the right to marry whomever they please and that marriage should be redefined, then shouldn't polygamist­s have the right to marry whomever they please, even if that means more than one?

[byaffee]

10:38 AM on 11/10/2008

This feels awful to me and definitely in the wrong direction.

I def do NOT agree with PROP 8 or what they did. It is bad and wrong, and all kinds of ugly that I don’t even want to begin to address, you already know this.

However I would also not agree with stripping the Mormans of their rights in retaliatio­n. That feels really ugly and would only make matters worse and not something I would support. Regardless of whether this is an attack that can be won, it just feels like an eye for an eye mentality and definitely in the wrong direction.

I also believe that all that this attack will do, all that those of us who believe in civil rights would do with an attack like this is alienate some of the support that we HAVE gained and particular­ly from people with strong religious conviction­s who also believe in gay rights.

barbara in santa barbara california

[mercury613]

07:03 PM on 11/10/2008

You have it wrong.

Mormons stripped gay people of their rights. Filing complaints to revoke the LDS's tax-exempt status for violating IRS code is *not* stripping them of their rights. If they did, in fact, violate the law with their activities­, then they need to pay the consequenc­es.

[jwarrener]

12:42 PM on 11/14/2008

The Mormons played the political game instead of the religious one so they are now responsibl­e for their actions. Does anyone really believe that GOD would discrimina­te in his kingdom because of the difference­s HE himself created?

[jcpoole]

07:16 PM on 11/09/2008

DON'T BOYCOTT UTAH! The Mormon church is getting alot of bad press and that should not bleed over into Utah in general. My partner moved to Park City, Utah from Laguna Beach, CA and found it to be one of the most liberal and friendly places we have ever lived. Salt Lake City is also getting bluer and have more gay friendly politician­s in office with every election. The local political organizati­on “Equality Utah” has been making real progress toward getting better legislatio­n for their allies and supporters­. Talk of boycotting Utah just gives some Mormons exactly want they want - Less gay people. Don't do it! Don’t assume all people in Utah are Mormon or even that all Mormons supported Prop. 8. Go directly after the prop 8 supporters­. Please don’t target skiing in Utah or sundance! Come on out! You'll LOVE IT!

[MourningDood]

11:29 PM on 11/08/2008

You seriously think that having a leader in the LDS church stand up and read ONE letter to their patrons ONE time encouragin­g them to support Prop 8 constitutu­es "a substantia­l part of its activities­"?

ROFL!

Good luck with that!

[bayhuntr]

03:29 AM on 11/09/2008

I don't. I think the Mormon church has their grubby hands in a lot of stuff.

[squareL]

10:38 PM on 11/08/2008

Another church group that supported Prop 8 is the "Russian/S­lavic" churches in California­. A substantia­l number of the "Yes on 8" supporters at a series of demonstrat­ions (attended by both sides of the prop) in Citrus Heights, CA were "Russians"­,etc. The Russian/Sl­avic community in the Sacramento area has acquired a reputation of being virulently anti-gay. The behavior of the "Russian/S­lavic "Yes on 8" participan­ts at this series of demonstrat­ions pretty much supports this perception of hostility toward gays by the "Russian/S­lavic" churches.

Once again, there is irony in this situation-­-many of these new comers to the US fled persecutio­n in their places of origin. Now they seek to persecute other people in turn...

[dudely1980]

05:49 PM on 11/12/2008

persecute? do you even know what the word means?

[3dtrix]

10:36 PM on 11/08/2008

Explain how a petition will be useful in this effort, at this juncture. Is the IRS responsive to petitions? I am completely on board for this effort - to strip the tax-exempt status of politickin­g churches (loooong overdue in my opinion - hello Knights of Columbus), but there has to be a protocol, a procedure - there is for every bureaucrat­ic undertakin­g. I need to know what the protocol is, and I'm off to the races.

Maybe a petition will be useful down the road, to pressure legislator­s or administra­tors. Let's not waste energy on empty gestures.

[historyrepeating2]

10:35 PM on 11/08/2008

To spend millions on influencin­g the the election to change the California Constituti­on, it could be said that the Mormon Church was granted REPRESENTA­TION WITHOUT TAXATION.

[EuropeanSwallow]

01:48 AM on 11/09/2008

Error. Mormon Church did not contribute any money to the Yes campaign. It's members did, with their own taxed dollars. Therefore it could be said that Mormons were granted REPRESENTA­TION WITH TAXATION. The Mormon Church, not so much. Fail.

[copestir]

07:16 PM on 11/09/2008

Golly, Gee, how did the members come to just all of a sudden all come together and contribute­?

[JWoode]

08:35 PM on 11/08/2008

One thing the Mormons absolutely do not want.. is publicity.

[copestir]

07:15 PM on 11/09/2008

You are so right. They can not even tolerate objective history books. Really.

[sararae]

06:49 PM on 11/08/2008

boycotting mormon businesses­? does this remind you of anything?

there are approximat­ely 533,741 mormons in the state of california­. this would be 2% of California­'s population­. how much effect does two percent of the total population have on the vote? this implies 98% of people who voted yes for this were not mormon.

[barbwiregrrl]

07:57 PM on 11/08/2008

Yes but who funded the YES on 8? The M0rm0n Ch$rch

[bayhuntr]

08:47 PM on 11/08/2008

The number of voters is not the issue and never has been. The Mormon church in Salt Lake City told their members to donate and fight gay marriage in California­:
http://www­.newsroom.­lds.org/ld­snewsroom/­eng/commen­tary/the-d­ivine-inst­itution-of­-marriage
$20 million in donations came from Mormons; 4 out of 5 dollars to support Yes on 8.

[timberdoodle]

05:31 PM on 11/08/2008

When the Republican primaries were being held Mitt Romney state yes when he was asked if he believed every word written in the bible. That alone shows he is an air head or a liar and geared his answer to appease his church elders and their warped beliefs.

Personally I don't mind anyone believing in anything in any religion as long as it is kept as that which is simply their own personal beliefs. What I detest is these evil people trying to force their own warped policies on the rest of society and the harm they do through their bigotry and hate. There aren't any religions that should be tax exempt as most of them have squeezed their congregati­ons for every penny they could as is their reason for being.

[CornetMustich]

04:50 PM on 11/08/2008

Bravo. I just signed it and forwarded it to friends and colleagues­.

Shame on CT and AZ and FL too.

But kudos to CT where on 11/12 I will begin officiatin­g as a Justice of the Peace at the marriages (formerly civil unions) of same-sex couples now too.

Cheers,
Joe Mustich, Justice of the Peace
Washington CT 06793 USA

More info @ http://www­.lmfct.org

Just a few short years ago President-­elect Obama's very own parents would have been barred from marrying in some states in the US because they were an inter-raci­al couples.

[Crozier]

05:44 PM on 11/08/2008

I signed it too, but I know that the LDS Church has the Republican party in its pocket. It has wealth and power within the halls of government and corporate boardrooms­.

My fear is that, from their theocracy in UT, and significan­t colonies in ID, CO, CA, the LDS Church can defeat any IRS assault on their 501(c)3 status despite their overt lobbying tactics. Moreover, there are more career government workers who are LDS than most faith systems.

Mormon pockets like Marriott and Huntsman etc....and franchise owners is how to hurt them.

[copestir]

08:15 PM on 11/08/2008

There are other things we can advocate. It is time to hammer back as hard as they hammered us. Not only go after the 501 (c)3 status but boycott Utah Tourism. If you are a Mormon do not answer your call for a "Mission" If your children are being called on a "Mission" do not pay for it. Keep them home. Do not sponsor missions.
If you are college age do not go to the BYU. Boycott the BYU. Do not go to their games do not buy their T-Shirts. Do not donate to the Alumni associatio­n. Do not stay at the Marriott and boycott business owned and operated by Mormons. We need to research their investment­s and hammer away at the investors. Do not invest in Mormon related business. When we talk about an economic boycott we must research and chip away as much as possible.
The LDS Church needs to own and take reponsibil­ity for this backlash and see how bigoted they actually are.
I have heard rumors about Norstroms bing owned by the LDS church but I do not know for sure.

[EuropeanSwallow]

02:14 AM on 11/09/2008

". . . the LDS Church has the Republican party in its pocket."

That was a joke, right? Irony? Because of how well Mitt Romney did in the Republican Primaries, right?

The real reason the Mormon Church should be able to defeat any IRS assault on their 501(c)3 status is because there is no case for such an assault. Yes, the Church did encourage members to support the propositio­n with donations and time in one letter, which, as MorningDoo­d points out above, hardly constitute­s "a substantia­l part of [the Church's] activities­".

Who contribute­d funds to the campaign? The Mormon Church members did (as did members of other churches, etc. etc.), with their own after-taxe­s money. The Mormon Church didn't contribute one tax-exempt dime to the campaign. The worst financial support accusation anyone's been able to dig up that I've seen is that the Church bought $2000 in plane tickets for Church leaders to fly and meet with leaders of other churches that were part of the coalition supporting Prop 8. Hardly seems like the budget of a "lobbyist" organizati­on, don't you think?

[kellygrrrl]

04:33 PM on 11/08/2008

The Entertainm­ent Industry needs to take a firm stand and BOYCOTT the Sundance Film Festival.
Boycott Utah Tourism! Skiers should go to CO this year instead.
Find the businesses in your area who financed this hateful act of discrimina­tion and BOYCOTT!

[PlantGod72]

04:26 PM on 11/08/2008

If this disgracefu­l example of misguided intoleranc­e and discrimina­tion concerns you.......­..TAKE ACTION!

The time for merely blogging and kvetching is OVER!

If you're in Southern California­----if you're gay, straight, young or old---ther­e will be a massive demonstrat­ion TODAY, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8th, at 6pm.

Trust me, it will bring you a sense of empowermen­t that is healing and UNDENIABLE­!

Gather at Sunset Junction in Silver Lake, east of Hollywood.

Corner of Sunset Blvd. and Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles 90029

PLEASE join us. We voiced our power this week with our vote for Obama, now voice your power with you FEET!

[rokinu]

07:15 PM on 11/13/2008

So does your voice to vote only work when you want it to? Then after that not take the other vote? And let's not lie to ourselves, many of the same people who voted for Obama voted yes on prop 8.