Are Mormons Making Themselves Targets for Discrimination?

Wouldn't it be ironic if the Mormons who are so hell bent to deprive gays the right of civil marriage ultimately discovered that they have set the stage for organized anti-Mormon discrimination? A bit of divine justice perhaps? Well, a story in the San Francisco Chronicle indicates that such might well be the case. To assist in the ability of gays and others who object to a small religious sect working to impose its intolerant religious views on millions of citizens is Mormons For Proposition 8 Donors (http://mormonsfor8.com/) which is endeavoring to identify all Mormons who have contributed to "Yes on 8" and just how much money LDS donors provided to the anti-gay campaign.

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As I have previously posted, Mormons have supplied a hugely disproportionate amount of the funding for the "Yes on 8" campaign. As Mormons for Proposition 8 reports, there are about 770,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California (out of a population of 35 million+ residents)and many, if not most, Mormons have responded to the church leaders’ request for assistance in the LDS anti-gay jihad. If I were a California resident, I for one will seek to avoid giving any business to a Mormon owned business. Better yet, I'd tell them why they are losing my business and suggest that my friends do so likewise. Their rights to freedom of religion end when they begin to take away my civil rights. As for Mormons whining about an anti-Mormon witch hunt, I say: now you know what it feels like. Here are highlights from the Chronicle:

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Christine Alonso's body trembled and her lips quivered as she walked up and spoke to a few of the 50 protesters in front of the Mormon Temple in Oakland on Sunday. "Don't think they're all against you," said Alonso, 27, explaining that she was Mormon and that despite her religious leaders' support of a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage, she was actively opposed. As she walked away, she said, "I'm afraid that a gay or lesbian friend might hear that I'm Mormon and think that I want to tear their marriage apart."

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Alonso's solitary act came as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members are increasingly under fire for their support of Proposition 8, which would take away the right of gays and lesbians to marry. In addition to increased protests, online campaigns seek to identify and embarrass Mormons who support the ballot measure.

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Prop. 8 opponents are increasingly narrowing their focus on Mormons, harnessing technology and open-records laws in their efforts. One Web site run by a Prop. 8 opponent, Mormonsfor8.com, identifies the name and hometown of every Mormon donor. On the Daily Kos, the nation's most popular liberal blog, there is a campaign to use that information to look into the lives of Mormons who financially support Prop. 8.

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Nadine Hansen, who runs Mormonsfor8.com, said the church decided to enter politics and can't excuse itself for the ramifications. "Any group that gets involved in the political arena has to be treated like a political action committee," said Hansen, 61, a Mormon who lives in Cedar City, Utah, and has stopped going to church. "You can't get involved in politics and say, 'Treat me as a church.' "Hansen said she focused on Mormons because she is one. She said Mormons have contacted her to shut the site, saying it was being used by the Daily Kos campaign in a "witch hunt."

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The person who initiated the Daily Kos campaign to look into the lives of Mormon donors is Dante Atkins, an elected delegate to the state Democratic convention who said he's the vice president of the Los Angeles County Young Democrats. Atkins said his goal was to "embarrass the opposition by pointing out and publicizing any contributors they may have." He said focusing on Mormons made sense. "If one religious group is putting close to the majority of the money and the effort into passing this proposition, it is fair to single them out."