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Punishing Utah for Prop. 8
By Kelly
Brinkerhoff
November 10, 2008 | Voting for it you are against it,
and voting against it you are for it. That is how the
sunshiny state of California had to vote Nov. 5 when
deciding if Proposition 8 was the right thing to do.
Sad news, the proposition passed. Times have changed
in America, so what's the big deal about same-sex marriage?
Apparently it is a big deal to the churchgoing voters
in California and to organized religions in America.
Because the proposition passed, does it give gay marriage
supporters the right to threaten others with hate and
violence?
Out of 500,000 votes, 52.5 percent said yes to the
proposition and 47.5 percent said no. This decision
has banned the right of gay and lesbian couples to legally
marry in California. Marriage is now defined as a heterosexual
act, which has overruled the state Supreme Court's decision
that allowed same-sex marriage to briefly exist.
18,000 gay and lesbian couples who married last spring
are now waiting for the courts to decide if their marriage
will soon be non-existent. The ones who were legally
married shouldn't have it taken away from them. After
all, it was legal when they got hitched.
Next to the presidential election this year, Proposition
8 was the most expensive and controversial campaign
in America. Supporters for and against same sex marriage
combined spent more than $75 million on the campaign.
Spending that amount of money on this cause seems a
little absurd considering the state at which our economy
is in right now.
Some of the supporters for Proposition 8 were evangelical
Christians, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints, and the Roman Catholic Church. These churches
put forth massive amounts of money and encouraged their
members to spread the word to vote for the proposition
by knocking on doors and passing out pamphlets to the
community. In fact, the LDS Church threw down a whopping
$22 million plus in effort to pass it. The Catholic
Church doesn't endorse a particular candidate, but they
do give the church's perspective on issues in America.
The LDS and Catholic churches don't agree on everything,
but Proposition 8 is one thing they do agree on.
Many people are attacking the churches for getting
involved and lobbying their position on the proposition.
People are protesting outside of LDS temples, threatening
to burn down the churches in response to the success
of Proposition 8. Is it fair for the gay rights supporters
or anyone else to have a problem with Christian churches
to voice their opinion on what they preach?
Not only are people lashing out at the LDS Church,
gay rights activists are deliberately trying
to punish Utah for the LDS Church's involvement.
"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. Aravosis
is asking that Hollywood directors and actors refrain
from the Sundance Film Festival, which is held in Park
City, Utah once a year. He is also telling skiers to
choose any other place to ski than Utah. Aravosis states,
"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."
Salt Lake City is the headquarters for the LDS Church
with about 62 percent of Utah residents being members;
only 2 percent of California residents are members of
the church. Just because of the location of the LDS
headquarters, Aravosis is deliberately trying to ruin
the tourism industry in Utah.
70 percent of African American voters in California,
who once felt victims of discrimination, voted to discriminate
against gays and lesbians who want to marry. Yes that
is true, but religion has a greater impact on people,
especially in the African American Community, which
accounts for 6 percent of the California state population
and 12 percent of the national population.
I am heterosexual and I am all about couples expressing
their love for each other and wanting to marry that
person, whether you are gay, lesbian, or straight. However,
violent threats should never be made towards people
or organizations who are lobbying for what they believe
in whether it be for or against Proposition 8.
NW
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