No Gays for a Day

In addition to the protests being staged around the country, another form of protest is being called for - a "no gays for a day" day on which all gays stay home from work and cease to spend any money, the idea being to make a point of how large a roll LGBT citizens play in the economy and every day life. The date of the planned boycott is now December 10th (previously there was talk of it being on December 5th). Here are more details from a column in the Los Angeles Times:

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No Gays For A Day has been officially changed to Dec 10. It turns out another guy was working on the same idea, and he's gay, and produced the Lifetime movie "Wedding Wars," and there's no way I'm going to get in a fight with a guy who's both gay and willing to work for Lifetime. He's willing to do anything. For further details see JoinTheImpact.com.

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You wouldn't think gay people would need tips on staging a splashy event from Mexican immigrants. Yet since they lost the right to marry in California, gays appear to have no game plan. . . . That's why I'm declaring Dec. 10 No Gays for a Day day. Patterned after the 2006 Great American Boycott organized by Latino immigrants, on that day, gays should stay home from work, school and do no shopping, to prove how crucial they are to American society.

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No Gays for a Day will demonstrate what it would be like if -- as so much of the non-coastal U.S. seems to desire -- gays just disappeared. You may not even know who all your daily gays are, so there's no predicting the impact.

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I called Amy Balliett for help. Balliett is a lesbian in Seattle who, just last Friday, created JoinTheImpact.com, which has organized an expected 250,000 people nationwide to march Saturday in protest of Proposition 8. Balliett immediately embraced No Gays for a Day as JoinTheImpact's second event. We worked out some kinks, like "pretending you are sick" for people who aren't out of the closet at work.

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We also decided that because this is a general strike, not a directed boycott, even gay-owned, gay-patronized businesses should shut down. "I hate to say this, but we should even say, 'Don't even go out to the bars,' " she said.

More Saturday Male Beauty

Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage

More and more information continues to leak out and reveal just how deeply the Mormon Church was involved in the passage of Proposition 8. Hopefully, in time it will be come clear that the Mormon Church crossed the line and should lose its tax-exempt status. The New York Times is reporting on the crucial part the official Mormon Church played in stripping gay and lesbian Californians of the right to vote. Despite what the pansy ass nay sayers are whining, I believe it is very important that the Mormon Church and its mindless followers suffer severe adverse consequences. We need to make sure the drivel being put out by the Mormon leadership about democracy ends up in the toilet where it belongs. These folks want a theocracy, not a democracy. In time, I hope that it will be Mormons, not gays, who are looked at as out of the mainstream. Here are highlights from the NYT story (note the portion about the intentionally deceptive ads):

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Less than two weeks before Election Day, the chief strategist behind a ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California called an emergency meeting here. . . . The campaign issued an urgent appeal, and in a matter of days, it raised more than $5 million, including a $1 million donation from Alan C. Ashton, the grandson of a former president of the Mormon Church. The money allowed the drive to intensify a sharp-elbowed advertising campaign, and support for the measure was catapulted ahead; it ultimately won with 52 percent of the vote.

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As proponents of same-sex marriage across the country planned protests on Saturday against the ban, interviews with the main forces behind the ballot measure showed how close its backers believe it came to defeat — and the extraordinary role Mormons played in helping to pass it with money, institutional support and dedicated volunteers.

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First approached by the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco a few weeks after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in May, the Mormons were the last major religious group to join the campaign . . . . Shortly after receiving the invitation from the San Francisco Archdiocese, the Mormon leadership in Salt Lake City issued a four-paragraph decree to be read to congregations, saying “the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan,” and urging members to become involved with the cause.

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Jeff Flint, another strategist with Protect Marriage, estimated that Mormons made up 80 percent to 90 percent of the early volunteers who walked door-to-door in election precincts. . . . . In the end, Protect Marriage estimates, as much as half of the nearly $40 million raised on behalf of the measure was contributed by Mormons.

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The overall sense of the voters in the beginning of the campaign, Mr. Schubert said, was “Who cares? I’m not gay.” To counter that, advertisements for the “Yes” campaign also used hypothetical consequences of same-sex marriage, painting the specter of churches’ losing tax exempt status or people “sued for personal beliefs” or objections to same-sex marriage, claims that were made with little explanation.

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[T]he extent of the protests has taken many Mormons by surprise. On Friday, the church’s leadership took the unusual step of issuing a statement calling for “respect” and “civility” in the aftermath of the vote.

Another GOP Post Mortem

I've written often about the demise of the GOP from what it once was - i.e., the days when did not have to be a wingnut evangelical, racist, or miser worried only about what YOU will pay in taxes. I like many question where the party goes from here. Sadly, I suspect the party will trend even further to the irrational far right before the reactionary forces now controlling the party tire of politics after more future election debacles or some leader appears who can lead the party back from Christianist lunacy. Anyone who sees Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee or Louisiana Governor Jindal as the future of the party has not received the message that moderates and independents do NOT want a quasi-theocratic party in the White House. The Chimperator - currently the least popular president EVER - has shown the perils of a small minded fundamentalist Christian holding that office. Charlie Cook in National Journal has a column that looks at what the Christianist lock on the GOP is doing. Here are some highlights:

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One key to Barack Obama's victory, however, was his overwhelming support among voters ages 18 to 29, whom he won by 34 points, 66 percent to 32 percent; and his support among those ages 30 to 44, whom he carried by 6 points, 52 percent to 46 percent. Those numbers are ominous for Republicans looking to 2010 and beyond.

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Republicans have lost an enormous amount of support among upscale voters, basically just breaking even among those with household incomes above $50,000 a year, a traditional GOP stronghold. Similarly, McCain's losing to Obama among college graduates and voters who have attended some college underscores how much the GOP franchise is in trouble. My hunch is that the Republican Party's focus on social, cultural, and religious issues -- most notably, fights over embryonic-stem-cell research and Terri Schiavo -- cost its candidates dearly among upscale voters.

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Those who write off the 2008 election by saying that Republican candidates weren't conservative enough are in denial. They are political ostriches, refusing to acknowledge that the country and the electorate are changing and that old recipes don't work any more.

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[T]he Republican Party's message and agenda haven't changed much other than becoming even more fixated on cultural issues and tax cuts. . . . The question is whether the party's leaders and members will be listening. Will they be open to new approaches to dealing with a dramatically changed country? Or will they simply say, "Back to the Future"?

Saturday Male Beauty

Join the Impact - Nationwide Protests Today

The "Join the Impact" movement has taken off like a California wild fire and today hundreds of protests are taking place all across the USA. Hopefully, many usually complacent members of the LGBT community will come out and stand with others who want to show that we gays are everywhere and that we do not all look like outlandish images in gay pride parades that our enemies love to disseminate. Information on the effort and an event in your area can be found at the Join the Impact website here. In the Norfolk area, the protest will be at 1:30 PM at Norfolk City Hall, 810 Union Street, Norfolk, Virgina. Events are taking place at six (6) other cities, including Richmond, Charlottesville and Williamsburg. If your schedule permits and an event is nearby, PLEASE consider attending. If we do not fight for our rights, do not expect others to do the right thing and just hand them to us.

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And believe me, the media is picking up on the movement. Here are highlights from the New York Times:

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The Internet played an unprecedented role in rallying voters during this year’s election. In the aftermath of the election, Web 2.0 tools are continuing to play a role in other causes, astonishing long-time activists with the power and speed with which it gets their message out.

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The latest example is a series of international protests scheduled for Saturday in opposition to California’s Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban that passed on Nov. 4. Join the Impact, a Web site built the morning of Friday, Nov. 7, has rallied hundreds of thousands of people who are gathering this weekend in eight countries, 50 states and 300 cities.

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This is the pinnacle of giving people a voice online. And people are taking that voice and making it meaningful with a megaphone.” Amy Balliett, one of the two original organizers of the movement, has organized local demonstrations and fundraisers in the past the old-fashioned way, with fliers around town and word of mouth. She said she is astonished at the momentum and speed that Join the Impact has picked up from the Web.

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Join the Impact is also on Twitter and Facebook, which are also helping to “drive the masses,” Ms. Balliett said. After the Saturday protests, the week-old organization will keep harnessing the power of the Web to fight for equality, she said. Next up: they are planning a “day without gays,” when they will encourage gay people to stay home and not contribute to the economy.

List of Businesses That Supported Proposition 8

No doubt the Christianists and anti-gay Mormons will cry foul - only they have the right to discriminate after all in their view - but HRC has assembled a list of companies and businesses that supported proposition 8. As I have said many times before, the members of the LGBT community need to be much more militant about not spending any of our money with anti-gay businesses or business controlled by anti-gay individuals. The list is alphabetical and includes dentists, nurseries, landscaping companies and other service providers. The list (which can be found here) was compiled from data provided by the California Secretary of State’s Office and contains donations to major “Yes on Proposition 8” groups that derive from corporate bank accounts. This list does not include CEO’s or senior executives of organizations that may have contributed, but did not do so from an identifiable corporate account.

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Additional information on Yes on 8 donors can be found at the Californians Against Hate site here and from the California Secretary of State's office here and here and here. If you find someone on the list whose services you or your business has been been using and you decide to change providers, make sure to tell the prior provider w

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hy you are taking your business elsewhere. Only by making it clear that their bigotry is costing them financially will many of these folks refrain from future anti-gay contributions.

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Our activities are being noticed as one Time magazine story reports. Here are some highlights:

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In addition to protests, gay activists have begun publishing lists online exposing individuals and organizations who have donated money in support of Proposition 8. On AntiGayBlacklist.com, individuals who gave money toward Proposition 8 are publicized, with readers urged not to patronize their businesses or services. The list of donors was culled from data on ElectionTrack.com, which follows all contributions of over $1,000 and all contributions of over $100 given before October 17.

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Dentists, accountants, veterinarians and the like who gave a few thousand dollars to the cause are listed alongside major donors like the Container Supply Co., Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif., which gave $250,000. "Anyone who steps into a political fight aimed at taking away fundamental rights from fellow citizens opens themselves up to criticism," said Wolfson. "The First Amendment gives them the right of freedom of speech and to support political views, but people also have the right to criticize them."

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The negative publicity is having effects on both companies and individuals. Scott Eckern, artistic director of the California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, whose $1,000 donation was listed on ElectionTrack, chose to resign from his post this week to protect the theater from public criticism. Karger says a "soft boycott" they started against Bolthouse Farms, which gave $100,000 to Proposition 8, was dropped after he reached a settlement with the company. Bolthouse Farms was to give an equal amount of money to gay political causes. The amount ultimately equaled $110,000.

More Friday Male Beauty

Prop. 8 Boycott Spreads to Movie Theaters

UPDATED: PROBLEMS AT SUNDANCE - America Blog is reporting that the Cinemark complex is the MAIN location for the Sundance File Festival. I'm not sure how this will play out, but it doesn't look good in my view. Here are some highlights:

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I reported earlier today that Sundance was going to be screening films at a theater owned by a top donor to Prop 8. According to my source, the Holiday theaters are THE central location for anything and everything Sundance. Yes, there are several sites for screenings - the Egyptian, the Library, etc. - but the Holiday, with multiple screens, is the main location for non-premiere screenings (especially competition films), and is one of the two primary locations for press screenings (the Yarrow is the other).

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If you attend Sundance in Utah, your money is quite literally being funneled to people who took away our civil rights. Sundance has a real problem here. As do any films being shown at the hate theater.

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I continue to be amazed at the stupidity of supporters of Proposition 8 who gave money apparently believing that their contributions would somehow remain secret as opposed to becoming public record - I guess the directive from the Mormon Church headquarters left out this tidbit of information. Now, more and more businesses (and not just those that are Mormon owned) are finding out that bigotry does have a cost and that customers will take note. In terms of movies, the ability to boycott can be shared nationwide by avoiding Cinemark movie theaters (Adam Stock, the CEO gave $10,000 to support Proposition 8). Here locally, the LGBT community can avoid the Cinemark 18 at Military Circle in Norfolk. A complete list of Cinemark theaters nationwide can be found here. Here are some highlights from the Los Angeles Times as to how this might impact the Sundance Film Festival in January, 2009:

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The boycott effort against businesses whose owners backed Proposition 8 appears to be picking up steam. Dozens of groups have sprouted up on Facebook.com urging its members to boycott businesses -- restaurants, jewelry stores, car-repair shops and more. Other activists have gone onto Yelp.com and other business rating sites, posting messages telling users which restaurants donated to the "Yes on 8" campaign.

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There has also been talk of a boycott of the Cinemark movie chain, whose CEO gave money to "Yes on 8." This could have a major effect on the Sundance Film Festival, which uses the chain's theaters to show movies.

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The actions have alarmed supporters of Prop. 8, which banned gay marriage in California. "Since Proposition 8’s victory, a series of protests against churches, small businesses and individual supporters of traditional marriage have taken place in cities across the state."

Fairfield Priest Ousts Obama Supporter

It looks more and more as if James Dobson, et al, are supplying insanity inducing Kool-Aid to the Roman Catholic Church for consumption by members of the priesthood. While the priest I mentioned yesterday in South Carolina was telling Obama supporters to avoid receiving communion because of their vote for Obama, now in Fairfield, Connecticut, they are physically chasing them from the churches. As I have said before, the Christianists and their allied religious fanatics are a clear and present danger to democracy in the USA. One can only hope that under Obama and the Democrat Congress steps are taken to remove religion from government policy and reverse the insanity that occurred under the Chimperator. Here are some highlights fro CBS5.com:

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FAIRFIELD (CBS) ― A Fairfield woman is accusing a priest of chasing her out of Sunday services because of her political beliefs. The woman said she was singled out for supporting President-elect Barack Obama.Elizabeth Caster was exited over Obama's election and painted messages in support of Obama on her SUV, which she drove to Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on Sunday. Caster and her little boy were in the front pew Sunday, when she said the priest got on the microphone demanding the driver of the SUV to move it.

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"He said you cannot park any place here, you have to go. He said you have to go and he said you cannot have a car with an Obama sign parked in there," she said. "I waited to confront the priest," says Joe Caster, Elizabeth's husband. Her husband never caught up with Rev. Sebastian Meyer to ask why, but he's convinced he already knows the answer."It's a combination of race and politics," Caster said.

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CBS could not find Meyer to get his side of the story on Thursday, but a reporter for the Vacaville Reporter tried on Wednesday, and claimed the priest physically and verbally attacked the reporter. He claims the priest even clawed at his arm to get his notepad. The reporter has since filed a police report and the story ended up on the front page of the newspaper.

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Meanwhile, rational and sane gays are not welcome in the Catholic priesthood. I expect that until the Church lifts the ban on women and gay clergy, we will see more and more fruitcakes at the pulpit in Catholic churches. (H/T to Bob Felton at Civil Commotion)

Friday Male Beauty

Christianists Holding Back GOP

Former GOP Governor of New Jersey and EPA head Christie Todd Whitman has an op-ed piece in today's Washington Post which echos thoughts that I have had for some time now: if the GOP wants to become a majority party again, it must jettison the control of the Christianist extremists who now control the party and who are increasingly radioactive in terms of driving away moderates and independents. The fixation of the Christianists with abortion, gay bashing, and trying to write religion into the laws is NOT something normal voters want. How the GOP will do this - since the Kool-Aid crowd, living in an alternate universe as they do, is oblivious to the fact that they are NOT mainstream. The fact that this faction of the party believes that McCain lost because he wasn't reactionary enough is indicative of the difficulty that will be encountered in prying control of the party away from the James Dobson and Tony Perkins crowd. Here are highlights from Whitman's column:

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Four years ago, in the week after the 2004 presidential election, we were working furiously to put the finishing touches on the book we co-authored, "It's My Party Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America."

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Our central thesis was simple: The Republican Party had been taken hostage by "social fundamentalists," the people who base their votes on such social issues as abortion, gay rights and stem cell research. Unless the GOP freed itself from their grip, we argued, it would so alienate itself from the broad center of the American electorate that it would become increasingly marginalized and find itself out of power.

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At the time, this idea was roundly attacked by many who were convinced that holding on to the "base" at all costs was the way to go. . . . What a difference four years makes -- and the data show it. While a host of issues were at play in this election, the primary reason John McCain lost was the substantial erosion of support from self-identified moderates compared with four years ago.

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Nor did the Republican ticket lose because "values voters" stayed home. On the contrary, according to exit polls, such voters made up a larger proportion of the electorate this year than in 2004 -- 26 percent, up from 23 percent. Extrapolating from those data, McCain actually won more votes from self-identified white evangelical/born-again voters than Bush did four years ago -- 1.8 million more. But that was not enough to offset the loss of so many moderates.

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Unless the Republican Party ends its self-imposed captivity to social fundamentalists, it will spend a long time in the political wilderness. On Nov. 4, the American people very clearly rejected the politics of demonization and division. It's long past time for the GOP to do the same.

Final Thursday Male Beauty

Why We Need to Speak Out and Be Open

I've had more e-mail discourse with the wingnut who e-mailed me last night and between that and reading various statements by Christianists and other contributors to the "Yes on 8" campaign - some of whom seem dumbfounded that gays are upset with them and may actually boycott their businesses - I've been giving additional thought to why it is important to stand up to these forces of intolerance and fight back. We cannot let them win and we must drown out the hateful and untrue things they say about LGBT individuals. Why? So that we ourselves and future generations of gays will have a better life. Pam Spaulding had a quote from Harvey Milk in 1978 on her blog that says it well:

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"Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio there is a young gay person who all the sudden realizes that he or she is gay; knows that if their parents find out they will be tossed out of the house, their classmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryant's and John Briggs' are doing their part on TV. And that child has several options: staying in the closet, and suicide.

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And then one day that child might open the paper that says "Homosexual elected in San Francisco" and there are two new options: the option is to go to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. And the person said "Thanks".

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I get accused of displaying anger and "hostility" towards our Christianist and Mormon enemies. Perhaps I do. But in large part it is because I see the damage their religious based bigotry does to members of the LGBT community be it in the form of the suicide of a gay who can no longer take the abuse and denigration, gay teens thrown out of their homes by their "loving Christian" parents, or the hard working LGBT person who calls me after being fired from their job because of who they are. Lives are damaged or destroyed every day by our enemies who truly do not care one iota about the pain and damage they cause.

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As for why our enemies hate and attack us, in my view, ultimately it is because of their own spiritual insecurity (which they would deny is the case) and their fragile religious belief structure that cannot stand if maybe, just maybe the Bible is wrong and God made gays as we are deliberately for some divine purpose. We represent a threat to their shallow and superficial lives that require a crutch which will allow them to mindlessly check off neat little boxes and tell themselves that they are superior and otherwise allow them to feel good about themselves and feel self-satisfied. Their motivation stems from fear and selfishness. We must work incessantly to convince the larger public it is our enemies who are the ones who want "special rights" at the expense of others. Then, and only then will we successfully rise above the lies and untruths disseminated by our enemies.

More Catholic Extremism

It seems that the clergy and hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church are getting increasingly loony. First, there are bishops basically endorsing John McCain from the pulpit - something the IRS truly needs to investigate and perhaps consider revoking some dioceses' tax exempt status - and now there are priest in effect trying to semi-excommunicate Catholics who voted for Barack Obama. Would that such a view become official Church policy: 54% of Catholics voted for Obama. Hence, the expulsion of 54% of the USA laity would not only cripple the Church but also clearly reveal just how out of the mainstream Catholicism is becoming under the Nazi Pope, Benedict XVI. One has to wonder when Benedict XVI will start advocating to bring back the practice of the auto da fe. Here are some highlights from the Greenville News about one priest's actions:

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The priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Greenville has told parishioners that those who voted for Barack Obama placed themselves under divine judgment because of his stance on abortion and shouldn't receive Holy Communion until they've done penance.

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At issue for the church locally and nationwide are exit polls showing 54 percent of self-described Catholics voted for Obama, as well as a growing rift in the lifestyle and voting patterns between practicing and non-practicing Catholics. In a letter posted on St. Mary's Web site, Newman wrote that "voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

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Catholics who did so should be reconciled to God through penance before receiving communion, "lest they eat and drink their own condemnation," Newman wrote, echoing a I Corinthians admonition for anyone who partakes "without recognizing the body of the Lord."

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Asked if he would actively deny the sacraments to Obama voters, Newman said he won't because the church teaches that no one is denied communion unless it would cause "grave scandal," such as in the case of a notorious public sinner. However, he said he'll continue to teach the necessity of being in "full, visible communion" with the church before receiving the sacraments.

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Funny, using Newman's standard, it would seem that the bishops and cardinals who covered up the sexual abuse of children might need to be told they are not fit to receive communion. I keep telling the Lutherans I know that they should start actively recruiting intelligent, rational Catholics who increasingly have no home in today's Catholic Church.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Campaign Law Violation Complaint Filed Against LDS

John Aravosis is reporting at America Blog that a complaint has been filed against the Mormon Church for campaign finance law violations. At first blush, it looks like there could well be merit. I wonder if the Knights of Columbus should be scrutinized too. These folks wear religion around on their sleeves but all too often feel that (1) they are utterly above the law in terms of in-kind contribution reporting and (2) are exempt from telling the truth in their political ads. Here's the text of the letter:

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November 13, 2008

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Chairman Ross Johnson

Fair Political Practices Commission

428 J Street, Suite 800

Sacramento, CA 95814

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Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr.

California Department of Justice

P.O. Box 944255

Sacramento, CA 94244-2550

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Attorney General Mark Shurtleff

Office of the Attorney General

Utah State Capitol Complex

350 North State Street Suite 230

SLC UT 84114-2320

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Dear Chairman Johnson, Generals Brown & Shurtleff:

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Today we filed a formal complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) aka the Mormon Church of Salt Lake City, Utah for not reporting various non monetary contributions to ProtectMarriage.com – Yes on 8, A Project of California Renewal I.D. # 1302592. The Mormon Church has been highly secretive about its massive involvement in the campaign, but we managed to piece together evidence of some of their more visible activities done directly to communicate with California voters, including:

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Church organized phone banks from Utah and Idaho

Sending direct mail to voters

Transported people to California over several weekends

Used the LDS Press Office to send out multiple News Releases to promote their activities to nonmembers

Walked precincts

Ran a speakers bureau

Distributed thousands of lawn signs and other campaign material

Organized a "surge to election day"Church leaders travel to California

Set up of very elaborate web sites

Produced at least 9 commercials and 4 other video broadcasts all in support of Prop 8

Conducted at least 2 satellite simulcasts over 5 Western states.

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All of these unreported contributions by the Mormon Church were on top of its massive fund-raising effort; the largest ever undertaken on a social issue ballot initiative.

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Under California Election Law organizations such as the Mormon Church are not required to report activities if they strictly constitute "member communication." We will explain why we feel that the activities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints went far beyond "member communication," and were instead specifically targeted at California’s 17 million voters. By not reporting any of these non monetary contributions, the Mormon Church violated the Political Reform Act.

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The only mention of compliance was a news story stating that the Mormon Church reported a single non monetary contribution of $2078.00 for Church Elder L. Whitney Clayton’s travel expenses for one trip to California. Was there only one trip? Were no other Church officials traveling to California for such an important campaign?

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The Mormon Church made the Yes on Prop 8 campaign a national priority beginning on June 20, 2008 when Church President David S. Monson sent his now famous letter to be read in every church building, where he said, "We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment (Prop 8) by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman." http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/california-and-same-sex-marriage This was their call to action, and was undoubtedly designed to get members to begin the outreach to nonmembers.

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Two other organizations that were also involved in the Yes on Prop 8 campaign, reported substantial non monetary contributions. The National Organization for Marriage of Princeton, New Jersey reported 49 separate non monetary contributions between 02/01/08 and 4/16/08 totaling $210,634,75. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family of Colorado Springs, Colorado reported non monetary contributions between 12/7/07 and 10/15/08 of $83,790.00.

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Phone Banks

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On October 8, 2008 the Associated Press reported that "Mormons Recruit Out-of-State for Gay Marriage Ban. Mormons living outside California have been asked to volunteer for a telephone campaign to help pass a ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in the state."

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The Mormon Church announced one week before the November 4, 2008 election that it was canceling its phone centers in Utah established to call California voters. Were these in operation before they were canceled? What were the costs of these phone centers? How many calls were made to California voters from these massive call centers?

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News reports said that students at BYU – Idaho in Rexford, Idaho were using a call center in that town every Thursday evening to call voters in California. This type of interstate phone network requires a lot of setup, supervision, voter sheets, scripts, training and the price of the calls. Call centers are used to communicate with nonmembers. Phone centers in place to contact nonmembers would constitute a contribution. No contribution was reported.

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Gary Lawrence – State LDS Grassroots Director

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Veteran political operative Gary Lawrence

http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/CompanyDetail.aspx?CompanyID=55969576&cs=QHDVgcoxQ was based in Orange County, California. His title was State LDS Grassroots Director. Lawrence’s mission was to direct all Mormon activities in California (attached). He had a web site set up expressly for this purpose: http://yesonprop8.blogspot.com/2008/08/gary-lawrence-grass-roots-coordinator.html

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Gary Lawrence’s operation had a timeline beginning on August 16, 2008 though election day of 12 Saturday precinct walks. All walkers were to be Mormons leading up to the election day surge of 100,000 Mormon volunteers and they went door-to-door to canvass nonmember voters. Was the Church actively involved in this massive recruitment? Here is a copy of the Mormon Organizational memo: http://wikileaks.org/leak/lds-proposition8-notes-2008.pdf

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This directive from Church Elders Ballard, Christopheron & Clayton detail Church plans for yard signs, schedule, volunteers, out of state calling teams, speakers bureau and voter registration. More internet communications are available on this site: http://www.p8california.com/Job.html Did the Church participate financially in this massive voter outreach? If so, all of these voter communication activities to nonmembers constitute a contribution. No contribution was reported.

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Saturday Rallies

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These took place throughout California on the 3 Saturdays prior to the election. Thousands of yellow T-shirt clad Yes on 8 supporters were lined up for miles with signs in targeted areas of the state yelling, chanting and screaming at passing motorists. There were reports that these demonstrators were mostly Mormons, and that many were bussed in from Utah and surrounding states. We have heard that some of the busses had out of state license plates. Who paid for the buses, travel costs, meals and other expenses of all the Mormon participants? No contributions were reported.

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Satellite Broadcasts

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It appears that the first satellite simulcast was on October 8, 2008 and was beamed to 5 Western states. Apostle Robert D. Hales led this broadcast on various aspects of the campaign, including how to deal with the issues and how to conduct yourself. http://www.meridianmagazine.com/churchupdate/081010prop8.htmlAnother satellite broadcast took place at a later date, and was led by Church Elders M. Russell Ballard, Quentin L. Cook and L. Whitney Clayton. It addressed the Church's doctrine of marriage and participation in the Protect Marriage Coalition. Then the Newsroom of the Mormon Church issued a Press Release (attached) about this broadcast making it available to California voters and anyone with internet access. This video was not password protected and was promoted by the Church and available to nonmembers. Here is the press release about it as well as other Mormon activities: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/same-sex-marriage-and-proposition-8 Satellite broadcasts to hundreds of locations are very expensive, and by making it available to nonmembers, it is a contribution. No contribution was reported.

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Multimedia Program

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appeared to have done a tremendous amount of work in this area. A very slick web site (attached) http://www.preservingmarriage.org/ was developed specifically for the Yes on Prop 8 campaign. The title is "Preserving the Divine Institution of Marriage." This web site states that it is "An Official Web site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" c 2008 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

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PreservingMarriage.com is primarily a showcase for 9 separate Yes on Prop 8 commercials that are very professionally produced. They feature mostly young people talking about why same-sex marriage is wrong. There is an email update request box, and another to send feedback. The viewer is encouraged to share this site and "spread the word." Site visits are not limited to just Mormons, and everyone is "invited to share these videos with others." There is even a very prominent "Vote Yes on Prop 8, Support Traditional Marriage" banner on the home page. Certainly this web site was put in place to reach California voters. It is on the internet, and therefore available to all.

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This web page on PreservingMarriage.com has 13 very professionally made commercials and videos: http://www.preservingmarriage.org/videos.html .

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All of these commercials as well as their web site were clearly designed to communicate with the public. No contribution was reported.

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Church Denial

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On November 9, 2008 Don Eaton a spokesman for the Mormon Church was quoted on ABC – KGO Television stating, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints put zero money in this (election)." When I personally spoke with him Monday, November 10, 2008 and asked him if the PreservingMarriage.com web site was sponsored by the Church, he quickly said that it was not, but was "a part of the campaign."

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In 1998, the Mormon Church directly contributed $1.1 million to ban same-sex marriages in Alaska and Hawaii, and received widespread criticism for that. So this year in California it appears that the Mormon Church was trying to avoid any direct contributions to Yes on Prop 8, and instead raised millions from its member families. That is legal, but all the money spent to communicate with nonmembers must be reported if it exceed $100. Clearly the Mormon Church has vastly exceeded that threshold.

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We ask that the Fair Political Practices Commission and the Attorneys General of California and Utah immediately begin a full and thorough investigation of all campaign related activities undertaken by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah to determine if there were any reporting violations.

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Thank you very much for your prompt attention to this very important matter.

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Sincerely,Fred Karger

Founder / Campaign Manager

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Californians Against Hate

http://californiansagainsthate.com/

619-592-2008

Will Proposition 8 Supporters Meet Anita Bryant's Fate?

In the new movie Milk and a number of gay theme movies the issue of Anita Bryant and her vicious anti-gay campaign in the late 1970's is addressed. While Bryant's efforts lead to the temporary repeal of the Dade County, Florida ordinance that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Subsequently, Bryant's group championed California's Prop 6 (also known as the Briggs Initiative), which sought to ban gays and lesbian from teaching in public schools and went down to defeat by a two-to-one margin. As for Bryant, as a result of anti-gay bigotry she ultimately ended up losing her very lucrative contract with the Florida citrus growers and her singing career tanked. She now runs a "ministry" in her native Oklahoma. Hopefully, many others who have taken anti-gay positions supporting Proposition 8 will see a similar demise to their careers and prosperity just like Anita Bryant. Bigotry and hatred need to carry a cost. Here are highlights from a Huffington Post article that looks at Bryant's brief, high profile anti-gay jihad:

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Bryant led a now infamous antigay crusade in 1977 that successfully overturned Dade County, Fla.'s ordinance that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Archival news footage of Ms. Bryant is used throughout the Gus Van Sant-directed movie, which follows the rise of Harvey Milk (Penn) from camera-store owner to the day in 1978 he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were murdered by city supervisor Dan White.

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Most famous for being the celebrity face of the orange-juice industry, Bryant was also a former Miss America runner-up and pop vocalist. But she became the gay community's public enemy No. 1 for leading a nationwide movement to overturn antidiscrimination laws. In 1978, Milk went head-to-head with Bryant's handiwork when she championed California's Prop 6 (also known as the Briggs Initiative), which sought to ban gays and lesbian from teaching in public schools. Unlike Prop 8, the measure was voted down by a two-to-one margin.

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Now 68, Bryant runs her own ministry in her native Oklahoma. I called Bryant's office the other day after seeing the movie for E! Online to find out what she thinks about the upcoming movie. A man who identified himself as Bryant's second husband, Charlie Dry, said she wasn't interested in talking. . . . . I asked about conflicting reports that suggested Bryant once expressed remorse for her antigay work. Dry replied, "She never apologized, because it's wrong."

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In the wake of Bryant's 1970s crusade, however, she lost her orange-juice gig, unsuccessfully tried to revive her singing career and reportedly filed for bankruptcy twice. After divorcing her first husband, she was reportedly shunned by the churches that once idolized her. "It's in the past, man," Dry said. "That's not in our life anymore. She's not out there doing that crap anymore--hasn't done it in 25 years."

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Note how Bible literalist Bryant conveniently ignored the prohibition against divorce - it's so, so typical of our enemies. Apply the Bible literally against us, but ignore it when it comes to themselves. Hmm, why does the word hypocrite spring to mind?

Thursday Male Beauty

Dedicated to wingnut, Bob Martin

NYC Protest Against Proposition 8

It looks like there was a large turnout at the protest at the Mormon Temple in New York City last night and hopefully the number and size of protests will continue to grow. Would that gays and our supporters had been as visible during the campaign to stop Proposition 8. I hope we have learned the lesson that cowering out of sight and "playing nice" do not win over our enemies, particularly since our Christianist and Mormon enemies will lie, cheat and steal to impose their warped form of religion on all. Here are some highlights from Rex Wockner's blog:
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An estimated 7,500 to 15,000 people marched through Manhattan tonight protesting California's Proposition 8, the voter-passed initiative that amended the state constitution Nov. 4 to end same-sex marriage, which was legalized by the state Supreme Court in a ruling that took effect June 16.

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The march began at the Mormon Temple on Columbus Avenue, went down Broadway, turned east on 61st Street, then south on Central Park West to Columbus Circle. Gay activists have claimed that more than half of the money that funded the ubiquitous TV ads that convinced Californians to vote for Prop 8 was donated by Mormon families at the church's urging.

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Crowd estimates varied. Journalist and radio personality Michelangelo Signorile reported 15,000; lead organizer Corey Johnson estimated 12,000; blogger and participant Joe Jervis (JoeMyGod) said 10,000 to 15,000; former New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Normal Siegel said he was comfortable with a figure of 7,500; and longtime gay activist Bill Dobbs, who opposes same-sex marriage, favoring civil unions instead, said 5,000 to 7,000.

Response to a Wingnut

As you might imagine, I receive a significant number of attacks from the Christianist sheeple set taking me to task for not blindly and slavishly conforming to their literal - and as is always the case, very selective - application of the Bible. As long as their ox isn't being gored, literalism is great. But when the issue of divorce, not bearing false witness, etc., arise, their literalism goes out the window. In short, I hear from many, many modern day Pharisees as I call them. Most - as a post yesterday indicates - do not have the guts to identify themselves and stand behind their intolerant and often down right hateful statements.

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Without fail, these folks seem incapable of grasping the concept of separation of church and state and are Hell bent to impose their religious beliefs on all citizens. Freedom of religion for them is very much a one way street. Likewise, they have no concept of minority rights - majority mob rule is what they are all about. Last night, I received a lengthy e-mail from one of these (in my opinion) loons which was full of the usual Bible thumping and majority rule rants. What was unusual is that this writer - one Robert Martin who by the way is most unhappy with the 23 San Jose area churches I wrote about that opposed Proposition 8 - used what I assume was real his name and used what appears to be a real e-mail address ( bobmartin30@gmail.com). I will not belabor readers with his long screed, but he is my reply to him:

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Mr. Martin,

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I have heard all of your arguments before - in essence they come down to (1) the support of majority mob rule and (2) a mindless following of the Bible as the inerrant word of God - which I am sorry to say it is not. On the latter point, you might consider reading John Shelby Spong's "Saving the Bible from Fundamentalism" as well as some other works by Biblical scholars. To me, it's pretty clear that only those who are ignorant or have a fearful need to put God in a box so as to avoid the need for serious thought cling to your approach to the Bible. On the former issue, the founding fathers specifically wanted to insure that a majority could not terrorize and run rough shod over a minority group, the courts being the main bulwark to protect minority groups. Under your theory, if I could round up a majority vote, we could amend the state and national constitutions to deprive Catholics of voting rights and other civil rights, Per your argument, that would be just fine and dandy. I suspect you'd be less of an advocate for mob majority rule were that to occur.

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Also, I would think as a Catholic, you'd be more careful to not be so damn sure that your views are right. The Roman Catholic Church - I am a former Catholic by the way - has a very long history of being wrong on the issues when it comes to refusing to accept scientific and other advances in knowledge (e.g., formerly supporting slavery, believing the universe revolves around the earth - the list goes on and on). All of the legitimate medical and mental health experts agree that sexual orientation is not a choice and that same sex attraction and love is "normal" for some of us. God I'm sure knows this too - and will judge modern day Pharisees such as yourself very harshly for your persecution of gays.

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Oh and as for the anger, the hostility, I see the lives of LGBT citizens damaged every day by the ignorance and intolerance of those like you. Suicide, years of self-hate and self-loathing and loss of jobs, etc., are the handiwork that comes from Christianists and Bible thumpers like yourself. What makes it worse is that it all derives from those with a fragile faith in God who seek to impose their very fallible judgments on others so that they can feel secure and self-satisfied. You bet it makes me angry. I will pray that God will open your eyes and heal your intolerant hate filled heart.

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Michelinnorfolk

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I'm sure that a number of you have thoughts you could share with Mr. Martin as well.

Final Wednesday Male Beauty

Memo Shows Long Term Mormon Plat Against Gays

As the crocodile tears of Mormons who got caught over their contributions to support "Yes on 8" continue to fall - these not so bright folks apparently though their contributions would not be public record - more evidence has surfaced that shows that the Mormon Church leadership has long been plotting to make sure LGBT Americans would be blocked from equal CIVIL marriage rights. Specifically, a new internal LDS Church document from a LDS General Authority (pictured at left) has surfaced showing the Church's involvement and strategy against gays going back more than a decade. Thus, Proposition 8 was not initiated as a reaction to the May 15, 2008, decision of the California Supreme Court. This new documentation also underscores why a boycott against all things Mormon by gays and their allies is justified. Both ABC News and 365gay.com have stories on the memo and what it reveals. Here are highlights from 365gay.com:

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The Church of Latter Day Saints began putting together a game plan 10 years ago to ensure same-sex marriage would not become legal, a internal church memo shows. The document, obtained by Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX, was sent by a member of the LDS General Authority to a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, the church’s governing body.

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Dated March 4, 1997, the memo mentions a meeting with Gordon B. Hinckley, who was then President of the Church, and quotes Hinckley as saying the Mormons need to “move ahead” with the church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. Hinckley, according to the 11-year old document, suggests joining forces with the Roman Catholic Church. “The public image of the Catholic Church is higher than our Church. In other words, if we get into this, they are the ones with which to join,” the memo quotes him as saying.

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The Mormon Church was one of the leaders, with the Catholic Church and evangelical Protestant churches, in the passage of Proposition 8, the amendment to the California constitution that limits marriage to opposite-sex couples. The Church put an estimated $25 million into the battle to end gay marriage in California and has become a prime target of LGBT civil rights groups.

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The ABC News story adds: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could not say for sure, but believes this recently surfaced 1997 memo is authentic.And those who opposed Proposition 8 are claiming that more documents like this do exist.

Pay Backs Are Hell

Over the last two days I have posted about the saga of Scott Eckern, the Mormon artistic director of the California Musical Theatre, who less than brilliantly gave $1,000 in support of Proposition 8, thereby causing a firestorm for the Theatre and putting it at risk of a boycott and loss of the right to use certain works. Today Eckern resigned his position after yesterday giving a less than convincing statement/apology to the gay community. Needless to say, the Christianists and Mormons will be wailing that Eckern is the victim of religious discrimination - of course their religious based discrimination against gays their interference with the CIVIL law rights of gays is just fine.

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As is typical, the Christianists and Mormons (including a number of those who posted comments on the Sacramento Bee story) always want discrimination to be a one way street where they can discriminate and foster hate, but they are suppose to be treated with kid gloves and exempt from any consequences for their discriminatory actions. As for Eckern, WTF was he thinking when he made the contribution? Did he seriously think gays would not be upset and take it personally or is he simply an idiot? Personally, having been basically forced out of a law firm in the past since some of the "godly Christians" in the firm did not want a gay partner, it is nice to see the persecutors experience some blow back. Here are highlights from the Sacramento Bee:

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California Musical Theatre's artistic director, Scott Eckern, resigned from his post today amid controversy over a donation he made to the Proposition 8 campaign to ban gay marriage. Eckern gave $1,000 in support of Proposition 8, a donation that sparked criticism from theater workers and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. "We have released a statement that Scott resigned," said Chris McSwain, community affairs director for the theater company. He declined to comment further.

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Eckern also released a statement today saying that he quit "after prayerful consideration to protect the organization and to help the healing in the local theatre-going and creative community." Eckern said that he "honestly had no idea" that the contribution would spark such outrage and made the donation to act on his belief as the traditional definition of marriage be preserved. "I support each individual to have rights and access, and I understand that in California domestic partnerships come with the same rights that come with marriage," he said.

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Hopefully, Eckern will be the first of many to learn that discriminating against others due to one's intolerant religious beliefs can come back to bite one in the ass.