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Loading ...Backlash: How the LGBT struck back after Prop 8
Sadness over Proposition 8 was quickly channeled into action.
In the days following the election, GLBT people and their supporters spilled into the streets to rally against Proposition 8 as well as the anti-gay measures voters adopted in Florida, Arizona and Arkansas.
Then on Nov. 15, a massive nationwide grassroots demonstration organized over the Web by jointheimpact.com brought out tens of thousands of people in cities from Boston to Dallas to Seattle in a display of activism that gay journalist Rex Wockner dubbed “Stonewall 2.0.”Activists also took aim via the Internet at Proposition 8’s supporters—the organizations and individuals who contributed a total of more than $30 million to deny same-sex couples in California the right to wed.
Californians Against Hate posts what organizers call a “dishonor roll” listing over 800 contributors to Yes on 8 who gave a minimum of $5,000. The Web site antigayblacklist.com also lists individuals, businesses and ministries that supported Proposition 8 along with their locations and the amounts of money that each donated.
In addition, Proposition 8 contributors have been outed on such sites as facebook.com and craigslist.com. Even the restaurant review site yelp.com has been brought into the foray, with visitors posting appallingly bad reviews of eateries whose owners’ support for Proposition 8 left a bad taste in their mouths.
With so many names being named, could boycotts be far behind?
Even before the votes on Proposition 8 had been tallied, bloggers had begun calling for a boycott of Utah businesses in retaliation for the Mormon Church’s support for the measure.
Mormons reportedly contributed between one-fourth and two-thirds of every dollar spent to ban same-sex marriage in California (an exact number is difficult to tease out of the financial filings). The Mormon Church is headquartered in Utah and owns roughly two-thirds of the state.
Utah would seem to be vulnerable to an economic boycott. Tourism is one of the state’s largest industries, delivering about $6 billion annually to its economy by way of ski resorts, national parks, the Sundance Film Festival and other attractions.
So far, however, no cohesive boycott effort appears to have coalesced. Still, the Mormon Church is reeling from a flood of criticism and nationwide protests targeting its temples. A demonstrator reportedly burned a Book of Mormons in front of a temple near Denver. Church officials have reacted with outrage, issuing a statement Nov. 14 decrying the public’s reaction.
“People of faith have been intimidated for simply exercising their democratic rights,” the statement said. “These are not actions that are worthy of the democratic ideals of our nation. The end of a free and fair election should not be the beginning of a hostile response in America.”
Fred Karger, who organized Californians Against Hate, filed a formal complaint against the Mormon Church Nov. 20 with California elections officials. Karger alleges the church violated the state’s Political Reform Act by failing to detail and report “non-monetary contributions” to the campaign.
Californians Against Hate has called for boycotts of Manchester Hotels and A-1 Self Storage, both of whose owners gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Yes on 8 campaign. Manchester Hotels’ properties include the Manchester Grand Hyatt and Grand del Mar Resort in San Diego along with the Whitetail Club and Resort in McCall, Idaho.
Other individuals and groups have called for boycotting the Texas-based Cinemark theater chain. Cinemark CEO Alan Stock, a Utah Mormon, donated $9,999 to the Yes on 8 campaign. Ironically, Cinemark operates theatres that will screen Gus Van Sant’s biopic “Milk,” about martyred gay San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, which opens nationally Dec. 5.
Bob Shimmin, Cinemark’s openly gay vice president of food and beverage, says the proposed boycott is unfair, noting the corporation’s commitment to workplace diversity. “Cinemark did not make this donation,” he wrote on afterelton.com.
“It creates a dangerous precedent when corporations are held responsible for the individual religious or political beliefs of an employee. … If Cinemark were boycotted from the right for my views as an officer of the corporation should I be fired? Should our 15,000 employees be impacted? … Right or wrong, individuals must have the right to express their beliefs.” (Read Shimmin’s full opinion piece on Cinemark and Prop 8.)
In the coming days and months, GLBT people and their allies will find themselves pondering such issues as the anger over Proposition 8 continues. For a listing of upcoming protests, go to jointheimpact.com.
As someone from Utah and currently living there again, I have to tell you that most of the people here would welcome a gay-boycott. While there would be some financial loss, most Utahns would find it worth the loss to keep more of us “Sickos and sinners” out of the state. If you want to bother the conservatives here, come in en masse! Stay w/ local LGBT ppl to cut down on any financial gain, but bring your Queer bodies and voices HERE. While Prop 8 was in Cali and not Utah, the headquarters of the LDS (Mormon) church are here in Salt Lake City.
-T
Tone, I would agree with you and am surprised that more people do not take that stance.
Those American Family folk have proved over and over again that boycotts are silly. The way to make real change is for an onslaught of gay families to descend upon Utah. It will work towards two means. One, it will show the moderate folk that there is nothing to fear. And as Tone said, it will just drive the anti gay folk nuts!
The Mormons want nothing more than to interject their views and judgements unto the lives of gay Americans. I say it’s high time we start interjecting our views unto their freak show private lives! Anybody got pictures of Mormons getting their freak on while working their “magic underwear”? Who has the goods on any Mormons who continue illegal polygamy? Which of these Mormons who funded bigotry by supporting Prop 8 is also practicing weirdo Mormon rituals that baptize the dead?! Who’s got any juicy dirty little secrets about Mormon leaders and Prop 8 supporters? Let’s put it out there. Let’s show America exactly who the Mormons are, and ask by what right do these freaks have to judge us or anyone else?
When I take a look at these lists and see how much money was donated, I can’t help thinking about how many hungry and homeless people could have been helped. I find it disgusting that these people can call themselves Christians.
I won’t read Bob’s opinion piece because he lost the argument already when he chose to disingenuously refer to the CEO of Cinemark as “an employee”. Please.
How would you feel if you got married, you had your wedding day, with friends and family? Now how would you feel if after all that unforgettable beautiful event, the document that validates legally that day you find out it has no meaning now? It has a red stamp that reads VOID. That’s going to be pretty hard for me and 18,000 couples. I cried a lot lately and I hate looking for revenge, not my thing, but it hurts and it hurts a lot. I went to the rallies, and I’m boycotting wherever I can. That’s all I can do. Praying that those idiots get their tax exemption removed. WE pay taxes, and double at a federal level, they don’t. How in the hell are we able to compete with that? This is not fair in any way.
Wayne, Sorry to disappoint you. The Mormons gave up polygamy a while back and polygamy is illegal anyway.
I see y’all are still on the warpath against the gorgons{mormons duh?}. They are in my opinion about the lowest example of christians immaginable. Polygamy, choirs and homophobia are their trademarks. Thank God there really aren’t too much interest in them as a religion{of hate and intolerance}. Where did all this involvement in national issues start for them? Why do they seem to feel in the 21st century that anything gay is so bad? I love the lawsuits and boycots being called for. I just wish they had done something personal to me so I could get a money settlement. I live on my ssi and could really use the bucks. Peace to you all and love is the key to happiness, Doug
Sometimes you have to express it in pictures…
http://www.joey-aristophanes.com/af.jpg
I guess to attack the States that stand out the most against gay rights wowuld be suffing it in their faces. This state would not know how to act with hundreds of thousands of protesters on the coast. Someday soon they will be faced with that prospect. Lets hope they act accordingly. I still wouldn’t spend a dime here. I would have to buy everything I need to get by from Louisiana The have some nice casino’s there too.
Jennifer I have to say in fairness to Mormons they are a generous christian group that tithes 10 percent of their incomes to support poor families in their congregation. I saw first hand what they did for a friend when she was with out money because she left an abusive husband. The church dropped off groceries very week, at Christmas they brought her a tree and some presents for her son.
I think we need to rise above the fray here folks. To try and convince mormons, right wing Christians, or any other religious group that believes homosexuality is a sin, that we are not bad, is just not going to accomplish anything. The on going religious argument can never be won, it always comes back to “God Says We Are Bad, evil, sinners, and an abomination” …the bible tells me so. Now if you can get some more open minded people to see the movie of the same title; ( The Bible Tells Me So) you might create an opening with them. However the less independent thinkers are just never going to get it. They are vested in us being evil.
My approach has been to not try and ram anything down anyone’s throat, (figuratively speaking)…but to be myself, behave in the manner of a respectable and responsible citizen.
I happen to spend several months in Salt Lake City on business years ago. Two of my business partners were born and raised Mormons. They had been raised to believe I was the devil. See, they believe that procreation is Gods will to bring souls to physical bodies. Homosexuals can’t do that so we must be from the devil. After several months working with these people, they had to re think their churches position. One of them actually told me that knowing me had made her have to rethink everything she had been taught about Homosexuals. This was a very tough situation, she loved her church. Those people ended up moving with our company to San Francisco and we had well over 30% of our companies employees who were gay. She had affection for everyone in our company.
I have changed a lot of peoples perceptions of homosexuality with just being myself, stating my position, clearly and simply. Educating those who can be and letting those who can not be, think what they want to think. Actually, it is none of my business what someone thinks about me, they are entitle to their beliefs just as I am mine. I just need to let them know, their beliefs do not trump my rights as an American citizen.
I take the stand that the issue of “gay rights” is really about the guaranteed rights of every American in the US Constitution, “the right to the pursuit of happiness” and that applies to every American, and to deny any rights guaranteed in the constitution affects EVERY American.
I understand the desire to want to storm in and make a statement, but all that really does is feed the perception that is promoted by the far right, that we are, self focused to the point of disrespectful, unruly, and dangerous. To behave in such a way supports those perceptions.
Make it about what this country stands for, liberty and freedom for all, that no individual should be able to vote on the rights of another individual, and then you may gain support by the patriotic Americans that put our countries principle before personalities.
I am a patriotic American first, I also happen to be homosexual.
Rick
There’s no convincing them as there’s no common ground upon which to do it. You can’t convince someone who already has an answer that is supported by dogmatic faith. That has meaning, and it’s unquestioned belief. It’s a waste of time, and just sidetracks us from the goal. And besides, the burden isn’t on US to convince THEM that we’re okay. That’s offensive.
THere are no purely evil people and purely good people. Even Hitler had his moments of doing the right thing… There are people out there who think they’re good because they follow religious tenets, etc. That their good deeds in the case of religion happen to be good is coincidental if they’d not do what they did in the absence of those religious beliefs COMPELLING them to act not out of recognizing that it’s the right thing to do, but as a religious command with the incentive of punishments visited upon THEM if they don’t.
I’m not saying that all mormons are bad people, but to explain why some are good people has nothing to do with their mormon faith.
OZZY,
May I first say for what it is worth, you are not alone, as you so artfully stated, their are 18000 of you. I can only imagine what that is like to have a celebration with those closest to you sharing it, and then to have it taken away. We are not able to marry here in Maine, but there is some domestic partner benefit here in the state.
I have thought long and hard and gone up and down the emotional roller coaster with this issue. The fact is it is not fair, but more importantly, I believe it is not legal. I recommend that you get a pocket size copy of the US Constitution, read it. The 14th Amendment is particularly informative. What reading the constitution has done for me is not only help to educate me but, refocus. I no longer see this battle as “gay rights”, but as constitutional right, guaranteed to every American citizen. I have found that when I talk to people about the constitutional, and that it states every one has the “God given right to freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” AND that it is guaranteed, I see people responding very differently to the issue. I think the issue of “gay rights” creates conflict in the hearts and minds of many, however, start talking about something patriotic that is being endangered, like the guaranteed rights of Americans, and how a precedent of denying one group the rights that are granted to others, and now you have a whole different conversation. More Americans can get behind the Constitution than can get behind “gay rights”.
It is all about marketing, something I have experience in. I have been trying to convince our community “activist” that this approach will have more substance to it for more Americans than the “gay rights and the “gay marriage” conversation. I believe you especially will have the added benefit of having been married to argue the point. Now it is not just about not letting you get married, it is about letting you and taking it away.
God Bless you and yours,
Rick In Maine
It’s going to take less effort to take away the negative associations of “gay marriage” than it would to rebrand the name of the debate. Polling data suggests that gay or same sex marriage is less and less controversial and is gaining more support with each successive year.
Tank I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. I am simply stating an opinion. Regarding your comment;
“the burden isn’t on US to convince THEM that we’re okay. That’s offensive”.
That is one way of looking at what I said, again this is all about perception.If you perceive bring awarness about homosexuality offensive, you are entitled to that opinion.
My point was not to convince ‘them’ of anything, but that actions speak so much louder than words, and let us not forget, as we each struggled with our own acceptance, it is no different for others. We had the advantage of knowing what it is like to have the feelings, they can only intellectualize what that is like. It was not about “convincing” anyone about anything, from my experience, a lot people who do not support “gay rights”, do not understand homosexuality. My point is, being who I am and allowing those people to get to know me as a person, has changed their perception about homosexuality.
Regarding your other comment:
“You can’t convince someone who already has an answer that is supported by dogmatic faith. That has meaning, and it’s unquestioned belief. It’s a waste of time, and just sidetracks us from the goal.”
You may be right generally, however I have changed the perception of some who fit that criteria, not by demanding anything, or reacting, but by being, and responding with simple facts. Again it is not my business what someone thinks, until their thoughts trump my constitutional rights.
My question for you Tank is;
What is “the goal”? If it is to fight for “gay rights” I would argue that we HAVE been side tracked, from what we are guaranteed in the constitution, and it is not “gay rights”, but the right to “the pursuit of happiness” .
Tank we can make this about who is right who is wrong, us verse them, or fight for the laws that exist and are protected in the document known as the US Constitution. They may not protect not just gay people, but all Americans. We can make this just about gays, but we only have a minority fighting for that battle, or we can call it what it is, and assault on the American way of life, liberty, and freedom for all. This engages ALL Americans, because then it jeopardizes their rights and freedoms too.