Mormons Working to Overturn Maryland Gay Marriage Law

Like the Catholic bishops, many in the Mormon Church hold contempt for the concept of religious liberty for others. They - like the child rapist protecting bishops - are only happy when they are forcing others to live their lives in accordance with Mormon religious beliefs. Now, as the Washington Blade reports, the members of the Mormon Church are seeking to mobilize Mormons in Maryland to push to overturn the recently enacted same sex marriage laws in that state. One can only wish we could start a referendum to wipe out the civil rights of Mormons to let them experience the type of bigotry they so willingly inflict on others. I hope that this effort to write religion into Maryland's laws will remind voters that Mitt Romney is a loyal Mormon who gave $10,000 to take away the rights of same sex couples in California. Here are highlights from the Blade story:

Members of the Mormon Church in Maryland are working to overturn the state’s recently passed marriage equality law, according to an email obtained by the Washington Blade. In the message dated March 29 sent to D.C. and Southern Maryland-area church members, the writer states that a coalition of inter-denominational Maryland churches has joined to place a referendum before voters in November on the marriage law before it goes into effect.

“We need to collect approximately 200,000 signatures by the end of May,” the email states. “We are looking for people to gather signatures within the LDS community.” LDS refers to the church’s formal name, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Those involved with the effort have told the Blade the message isn’t an official message from church leadership either at the local level or from its headquarters in Salt Lake City, but is rather part of a local ad hoc effort to challenge Maryland’s marriage law.

An informed source said the email was sent to the entire congregation in D.C. and Southern Maryland, which consists of between 500 and 1,500 church members and former members. According to the source, the author is Wallace, one of the named organizers in the email and wife of one of the junior pastors of the congregation.

The LDS member named in the email as leading the effort, Schaerr, who failed in her bid to win a seat in 2010 on the Montgomery County School Board, isn’t a stranger to anti-gay activism. In 2007, Schaerr was reportedly a board member of the Fairfax, Va.-based Family Leader Network, an organization that — along with Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum and Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays — led the effort against a Montgomery County law instituting lessons for 8th through 10th grade students on safe-sex practices that included gays.

Wallace, the other named person in the email, was also involved in the fight against the curriculum. According to an LDS publication called Meridian Magazine, Wallace objected to the gay-inclusive Montgomery County sex ed curriculum, and attended a school board meeting while holding a sign expressing her opinion. The article is no longer on the magazine’s website, but has been reposted on a Mormon online forum.

The Mormon Church is disavowing any involvement in the organizational effort proposed in the email. Dale Jones, an LDS spokesperson, said the church has no direct involvement in the effort to overturn the marriage law in Maryland.

Note the wording of the denial: "No direct involvement." Does that mean the Mormon Church supports the effort but is merely denying support with a wink and a nod to Mormon Church members?