“And when did the LDS Church become the victim? Is this the same church that conducted a national broadcast to Mormon chapels calling on members to organize and write checks to the Prop 8 campaign? The same church that donated more than half of the $40 million behind Prop 8, even though California Mormons represent just two percent of the state’s population? As someone who was raised in the Mormon Church and fulfilled my two-year missionary assignment overseas, I know something about LDS teachings. And I know that God’s view on homosexuality as expressed by Mormon prophets and leaders has changed so many times that the Church has little credibility in this area.” —Bruce Bastian, WordPerfect co-founder, philanthropist, and member of the Human Rights Campaign’s board of directors [HP via HRC]
The Mormon Church Claims to be the Victim of Prop 8. Really?
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adzomelk
as a teacher of religion/religious history with a special attention to the lds ive got to say well said mr bastian your right on
mark
This is why I just focus on BOYCOTTING all of Utah, when queers confront the LDS Church we get cast in the part of the VILLIAN attacking the poor picked on “nice” church folks. Let the Utah Mormons and Non Mormons curb THEIR elders after we CRATER 6 billion in tourism. The UT residents will take those elders somewhere remote and quiet and give them a CIVICS lesson. “Mind your OWN f*ckin BUSINESS 1-001.”
Alan
@mark: I can understand on the surface for boycotting anything Utah, but when you take a step back you’d realize you were boycotting friends and family as well. You wouldn’t just be boycotting the Mormon church. You would instead be boycotting those of the gay community who also live in Utah and condemn them to suffer even more by taking away money from our local economies that many of us rely upon to survive. There has to be other methods of fighting back other than turning your heads away from an entire state. Besides, noone is boycotting Alabama, Florida or Arizona. They all had just as much of a damaging impact as Utah had on gay culture, yet nothing is being done to them. Remember that nearly 50% of our state’s population is NOT LDS and that portion doesn’t need to be hurt too. Take it up with the organizations that causes discrimination.
Leland Frances
Boycotts, by their nature, hurt some innocents, but when done right can ultimately do good FOR THEM, too. E.g., the boycott of South Africa over apartheid that hurt its people of color, too, yet ultimately helped set them free.
The same is true here. Boycotting Utah will ultimately help those gays living there.
As for Bastian, he puts HIS money where his mouth is [UNLIKE Ellen, Rosie, Elton, et al.]. He gave a million dollars to fight Prop H8TE and doesn’t even live in CA where he could have directly benefitted from its defeat.
Cam
Look, as somebody with much experience with Mormons and the church let me tell you all something.
The Mormon Church’s way of deflecting criticism is to ALWAYS claim that they are under attack. They will make up stories about how Joseph Smith was hunted down and killed for being Mormon (They convieniently leave out the part that he was shot by other Mormons for losing all their money in a Banking scam, and that one of them had another cause to hate him since Smith had attempted to rape the man’s 16 year old daughter).
From the time they are young, Mormons are indoctrinated into a status of perpetual victimhood. They are told to have another food and water to last for 6 months in case there is a Pogram against Mormons and for the end of the world etc… I know it sounds like I am joking, but I am really not. So if you EVER comment on ANYTHING related to the Mormon church to a Mormon just be prepared for them to lay out the phony victim card.
The appropriate response is “if you are such victims…how many Elected Mormons are there in State and Federal Goverment compared to how many Elected Gay politicians” That has shut them up every time I’ve used it.
Joel
I can relate to wanting to punish Mormons and boycott Utah, but I wonder if the financial impact of a gay boycott on Utah would really be that devastating, plus I think that instead of avoiding Utah it might be better to take Utah over. How about we organize a national gay pride celebration there next summer. Instead of all going to SF, NY, and LA, we’ll all go to Utah and make out in front of Mormon temples. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were able to convince some of their members that being gay is way more fun than being Mormon. In fact, we should declare Salt Lake City OUR capital. Operation IN YOUR FACE: let’s see how they like someone else’s approach to life imposed on them.
mark
@alan
I would support National LGBT organizations helping LGBT businesses effected by the boycott, as we did in Colorado boycott.
I have HALF my extended family as LDS members in SLC and a few in Vegas. I know Utah ever since before I could remember my parents would take us every year from MN to UTAH, where all my Mom’s family lived. Mormons are not less than half of Utah they are 60%. they also OWN the state. No politician or judge is placed in Utah without their consent. NO business survives in Utah which operates apart from the Mormon business network. They would whither and die.
mark
@joel
Visiting Utah wouldn’t change ANYTHING even in massive numbers. You can do as you choose, BUT I won’t spend a dime there, or buy Utah products.
horus
@alan, i resoundingly reject the old LDS line about how they should not have to suffer a boycott action because the non LDS community in utah will be adversely affected. i lived in SLC and i know there are alot of cool people there. but they choose to live there and they also know how f..ked up LDS is. i think there are plenty of non LDS that would support a boycott of the state. if things get tough financially they should move to a state that is not controlled utterly and completely by the LDS. non LDS in utah know that they are living in a theocracy and if they see that LDS has finally screwed the whole state they will do something about it.
br
Recall Brown; annul exitsting gay marriage; ready National Guard to invade SF for failure to comply to annulments; recall gay judges; separate state for P8 counties; then separate country, west midwest, south, and western Canada; build Bering strait bridge to Russia for energy and new alliances that are not gay marriage states.
bek
listening to some of the mormons in my part of wyoming (western wyoming – lds members make up a very large percentage of my town), they change “God’s view” on everything all the time – they have almost no credibility on any topic whatsoever. i got into an argument with a girl who is rabid lds and she said “oh you’re so wrong, the mormon church didn’t donate ANY money to the anti proposition 8 cause b/c the church believes getting involved in politics is wrong. they merely encouraged their members to donate money.” she actually said that. even if that were true (which it obviously is not) it would be the same fucking thing as writing the check themselves. it’s still “getting involved.”
StephanieInCA
I don’t feel one drop of sympathy for the LDS in general and for whiner-in-chief Margie Christoffersen, the pro-prop8 manager of LA restaurant El Coyote. I guess gay Californians aren’t good enough to marry, but the sure as hell ARE good enough to spend their dollars at Miss Margie’s restaurant. Convenient.