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Loading ...Utah faces gay boycott over Mormon support for Prop 8
11.10.2008 9:33am EST
(Salt Lake City, Utah) Utah’s growing tourism industry and the star-studded Sundance Film Festival are being targeted for a boycott by bloggers, gay rights activists and others seeking to punish the Mormon church for its aggressive promotion of California’s ban on gay marriage.
It could be a heavy price to pay. Tourism brings in $6 billion a year to Utah, with world-class skiing, a spectacular red rock country and the film festival founded by Robert Redford, among other popular tourist draws.“At a fundamental level, the Utah Mormons crossed the line on this one,” said gay rights activist John Aravosis, an influential blogger in Washington, D.C.
“They just took marriage away from 20,000 couples and made their children bastards,” he said. “You don’t do that and get away with it.”
Salt Lake City is the world headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which counts about 62 percent of Utah residents as members.
The church encouraged its members to work to pass California’s Proposition 8 by volunteering their time and money for the campaign. Thousands of Mormons worked as grassroots volunteers and gave tens of millions of dollars to the campaign.
The ballot measure passed Tuesday. It amends the California Constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual act, overriding a state Supreme Court ruling that briefly gave same-sex couples the right to wed.
The backlash against the church – and by extension Utah – has been immediate. Protests erupted outside Mormon temples, Facebook groups formed telling people to boycott Utah, and Web sites such as mormonsstoleourrights.com began popping up, calling for an end to the church’s tax-exempt status.
Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said in a statement about the temple protests Friday that it is “disturbing” that the church is being singled out for exercising its right to speak up in a free election.
“While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process,” Farah said.
The church had said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote that “no one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information.”
Aravosis is the editor of the popular americablog.com, which has about 900,000 unique monthly visitors.
He is calling for skiers to choose any state but Utah and for Hollywood actors and directors to pull out of the Sundance Film Festival. Other bloggers and readers have responded to his call.
“There’s a movement afoot and large donors are involved who are very interested in organizing a campaign, because I do not believe in frivolous boycotts,” said Aravosis, who has helped organize boycotts against “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger’s television show, Microsoft and Ford over gay rights issues.
“The main focus is going to be going after the Utah brand,” he said. “At this point, honestly, we’re going to destroy the Utah brand. It is a hate state.”
Gay rights groups did not immediately weigh in on calls for a boycott. Jim Key, spokesman for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, said he had heard little about such an effort.
“It’s not something that we have called for, but we do think it is important to send a message to the Mormon church,” Key said. He noted an effort run by the center to overturn Proposition 8 that sends a postcard to the Mormon church president with each contribution made.
A Sundance spokeswoman didn’t return messages. Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism, said that she’s aware there’s been discussion of a boycott, but that her office hadn’t received any calls about it Thursday. State offices are closed Friday.
“We’re respectful of both sides of the equation and realize it’s an emotional issue, but we are here promoting what we think is the best state in the country,” she said.
What kind of economic, religious or political impact, if any, a boycott might have is unclear. The Mormon church has members all over the world and no plans to change its stance on gay marriage.
Aravosis is not calling for a boycott of California, though that state’s voters actually approved the ban.
“At this point, the Californians are the victims and the Mormons are the persecutors,” he said. “We had won this until they swept in. … We need to send a message to Utah that they need to stop trying to inflict their way of life on every other state.”
Bob Malone, CEO and president of the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, said it is unfair to try to punish certain industries or parts of the state over an issue it had nothing to do with.
“It’s really not a Park City thing, and I don’t see it as a state thing. That was more of a religious issue,” he said. “To sweep people in who really have nothing to do with that issue and have no influence over religious issues – it’s sad that people kind of think that and say, ‘We’re going to bury you.’ It’s sad to hear people talk like that.”
Boycott the haters. Is Utah any different that Germany under the Nazi’s? Germans sat impassively as Hitler rose to power, went to war, and exterminated millions under his hate programs – including jews AND gays. What is the difference in Utah. Punish the whole goddamn thing. Those who say dont boycott Utah are the ones who are too damn lazy and impassive to stop the hatred. THEY TOO ARE GUILTY. Maybe a boycott of their precious businesses would wake them the hell up
gay marriage is not forcing anything on anyone cassandra. during the short period that gays were allowed to marry in california, what exactly was forced on you? did you marriage suddenly suffer? did your world come tumbling down? no. Why is it always about what you anti-gay-marriage folks want? Yes acceptnace of others is going to be taught in schools, but that will happen with or without gay marriage, and rightly so. Why on earth should gays and lesbians be treated as second class citizens when it comes to marriage just because you don’t want them to get married? Who on earth died and made you god?
We are in the dawn of a new era, one in which the subversive home-grown terrorism that is the Mormon cult and other taliban-style organizations, bent on fomenting internecine strife in this country and therefore weakening us on the global stage will have to end.
I’m fine with commenting when people are reasonable. I tried to explain to you what my beliefs are.
Dave W – no we do not have threesomes. I am very happy with my life and I have 3 happy children. No, I don’t have to tell others how to live. Everyone has their own free agency. There is a difference between tolerance and forcing acceptance. You are trying to force the rest of society to accept same sex marriage. This means it will be taught in our schools. It also means that relgious adoption agencies such as Catholic charities will be sued if they don’t adopt to a same sex couple even though the church views it as immoral. It will become a crime to not accept gay marriage. We are tolerant of your civil unions.
Marriage is being taught in California schools. I personally feel that marriage and sex education should be up to the parents. I don’t think the schools have any business teaching my kids anything about marriage.
Part of the reason that the USA is a great country is that we have the freedom of religion. Most religions view homosexuality as a sin. We don’t want to be forced to perform marriages in our churches if it is against our beliefs.
I am in perfect agreement with one thing, we do disagree on the whole issue.
I don’t want to be forced to accept your lifestyle. Good for you having fun with you man.
As for allowing dominion over my body I have no idea what you are talking about. My husband and I have a very healthy relationship. We are also highly educated and are involved in our community in San Diego. We contribute a lot to our community as I’m sure you do as well.
I just wanted you all to know that before you label my religion, you should really do some of your own research, not just listen to hearsay.
Its obvious that we don’t agree on gay sex being a sin. Of course you wouldn’t agree with me on that! If I’m sinning, I try to tell myself that its really just a little thing which is why I renew my baptismal covenants each week at church. That is something you don’t understand because you call God an imaginary friend.
I was celibate until I got married and if I were still single, I’d still be celibate because its something I believe. Many gays and lesbians in our church are celibate, the ones that share the same beliefs as I do. I didn’t mean to tell you that YOU have to live a life of celibacy. You can do what you want but when you force it on those of us who have always believed it unacceptable – that is wrong.
Do it in private, hold hands in public, kiss whatever but I don’t really want to know what happens in the bedroom.
I don’t like to see heterosexual couples doing too much of the PDA’s either.
I was just trying to explain to you our side of the story. I understand your side. People like me are being labeled as bigots. Have you ever thought that you are being a bigot? Judging us when you don’t even know anything about is? Thats why I asked you to go to your website and see what we really believe. Not only that but what do you say about places like Compton? How about the Evangelical and Catholic churches who also raised as much money? what do you think of them?
ok, sorry to rant on here but I missed something, Cassandra: “all the church wants is for you to be celibate if you are gay/lesbian”.
Can you please explain how a church has any directive over my life? Why would I care what your church wants? That’s the problem with you people. You can’t live your life and be happy. (as sick as it is…something about your marriage being between you, your husband, and his imaginary friend???do you have threesomes????) You have to tell others how to live theirs? Where does this hubris come from?
I say you are brainwashed to be a bigot, but do you hear me saying leave the church, or stop allowing dominion over your body (what a sick concept).
Live you sad pathetic life. Have fun, we don’t care. Why aren’t you capable of that and we are? We simply do not care what you do, why does it bother you so much.
Brainwashed.
Cassandra said: “Wow, you guys are so ignorant.”
Before you call us ignorant, listen to your own ignorance. I’m sorry for your gay “friends” and relatives. You obviously have little respect for them.
Cassandra, who made you the spokesperson for the gay community? We ARE NOT happy with civil unions.
You are most uncivil I might add. We should be happy with “our” civil unions..how condescending.
And you say this is really about the word marriage. YES IT IS. Marriage is a CIVIL not religious word. You go to whatever web site you choose and YOU read the history. I’m not going to your cult’s hate site. We DO NOT get the rights and priveleges of marriage with civil unions, the laws specifically say “marriage”.
As a mormon bigot, if we try to enact TWELVE HUNDRED new laws to change the word marriage to civil unions, am I to believe from your post that you would welcome that?
A religious nut bag recently asked me what I celebrate at Thanksgiving. You nuts think you can take our holidays too! (its not religious, I told him)
And I don’t want your church or you to love me! and I certainly don’t care if you do but hate the “sin”. Your definition of sin is wrong.
Sin is an act against the peaceful coexistence of all the animals on this planet. Polluting is a sin, killing is a sin, animal abuse is a sin. Two men having sex is SEX not sin.
And please don’t get me going on your missionaries. I see them every time I walk through your airport in salt lake. What a pathetic bunch they are. And they always “find” me with their eyes. I can see the look “look at that little heathen over there”. You people judge too much. You send out your evil “missionaries” to brainwash people and grow your business/church. I just love walking by them and commenting on the bunch of uneducated brain dead bigots to my HUSBAND.
Yes, we do get it. You are brainwashed. You sad little shriveled mind is so useless all it can do is make you spit out this church rhetoric and tell you to shut up and lie on your back while your precious man rules lord over you.
How pathetic you are. You say we are ignorant????? Wow. Religious belief IS THE DEFINITION of ignorance. I don’t think I can even do this to Plato but here goes: you are ignorant of your ignorance! You spout out these comments like they are true, you are proud of your missionaries being celibate..that is UNHEALTHY.
Watch out, here comes that Jones nut in a spaceship…better spit out some hate or he’ll smite you down.
Oh, ooops…you’re a woman. They don’t tell you anything about the real beliefs of your church. Sorry to have scared you.
Wow, you guys are so ignorant. Go to the Church’s website http://www.lds.org and read the articles about homosexuality. Love the people, hate the sin. Don’t you get it? There are ton of Mormons in California. the election was not bought by the church! Each vote was determined by each person who did the voting. Probably the reason that Mormons raised so much money was because most of them are full tithe payers and are used to giving 10% of their incomes. Another few hundred dollars is pretty easy to give when you give regularly.
I am an active mormon and made a covenant in a temple with my husband. My marriage is sacred to me, my husband and to God. I have gay friends and I love them. They are good people and not filled with hate. Most of them respect that a marriage is between a man and a woman and are happy with having a domestic partnership. I also have a gay relative. He is a wonderful person and his partner is as well.
If you look around in the places that you work and live, you will probably find that there are lots of Mormons. All that the church expects is to lead a celibate life if you are a gay or lesbian. The missionaries are all celibate as well as those who are not married (straight as well as homosexual). Please learn more about my church before you slam it. Also, how do you explain areas like Compton and East L.A. with the high numbers of people who voted yes on 8? In Compton it was 80%! The city of Compton is definately not 80% Mormon. Maybe you should look at the real issue. We want to keep marriage between a man and a woman as it has been for thousands of years. We are fine with you having you domestic partnerships and civil unions. This really is just about the word marriage. You already get the rights as partners. Why don’t you figure out what you’d like to be called instead of married? I’m sure you could coin your own phrase and then have that taken to a ballot.
I also think its hilarious that a previous poster wants to boycott starbucks because you think its packaged in Utah. Mormons don’t drink coffe. Believe it or not, half of the population is not Mormon and there are gays and lesbians who do live there.
In Utah there are a lot of supplements companies (vitamins etc.) and other muscle building shake powders. I recommend that when you want to buy some vitamins, you carefully look at the companys address on the back. But knowing how sneaky the Mormons are, they may quickly create a bogus antenna address in a “normal” state… At least until they change their packages you can make a serious difference and tell thsoe companies to move to “normal states”.
The church had said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote that “no one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information.” Why not?! Your Church villified us with those hideous “Little Princess” Commercials and all those filthy lies. This is the same church that wouldn’t admit Blacks into their preiesthood until the 70s. BOYCOTT UTAH- The State where Blacks and Gays need not apply!
I agree with the Utah boycott. What there bigoted money and lies did to prop 8 should be punished.
Come to Reno /Lake Tahoe we have great skiing, wonderful theaters for the Sundance film festivals open minded gay friendly and very nice gay community! People were closer to California further away from Utah! We have no state income taxes lots of resorts and hotels!
PLEAS come to RENO NIRVANA!
We’ll treat you right!