LDS Tries to Heal Post Prop 8 Rifts
February 7, 2010 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
Diane Oviatt held her sobbing gay son in a darkened kitchen as he poured out years of grief at the secret he had been carrying for 18 years and wondered how he would get to heaven without marrying.
These were among the anguished stories several Mormons shared during emotional church services Oakland LDS Stake held last summer to heal rifts caused by the faith’s activism in the Golden State on behalf of traditional marriage.
In June 2008, the LDS First Presidency asked all California Mormons to give their time and money to Proposition 8, a ballot measure striking down gay marriage. Many members did so with gusto, circulating petitions, raising money, sending e-mails to church lists and putting up lawn signs.
That left other Bay Area Mormons, particularly those with gay friends and relatives, feeling embattled and alienated. Some stepped away temporarily from church; others left for good. Those who remained often felt at odds with fellow believers.
‘What’s the point of going on?’
“I assured [Ross] of our love and understanding, our unwavering support and loyalty, but when, in absolute despair, he said, ‘What’s the point of going on? I can’t ever marry in the temple and have a family. How do I get to the celestial kingdom? What happens to me?’ I had no answers. I still don’t.
“I could not advise him to keep coming to church, to hope for peace in the next life. There are graveyards full of young Latter-day Saints who have tried.
“I choose life for my child. I would rather have him alive, living an authentic life, true to who he is, than to live a stalwart steadfast lie that backs him into a suicidal corner.”
Diane Oviatt
Do Mormons Fear Possible Taxation?
February 2, 2010 by James Hipps · 2 Comments
So, if you read my post, chances are you’re familiar with the fact that in 1978 former President Jimmy Carter threatened the LDS church with taxation if they didn’t stop preaching segregation, and low and behold, within a matter of weeks the leaders of the church had revelations that being Black was no longer a punishment from God and Black people should be treated as equals.
Well, there’s been a lot of news as of late about how attitudes around LGBT issues have been changing in the eyes of the Mormon church…generally stating they’re gradually becoming more accepting…yet not completely, of LGBT equality.
The latest…on a post at GayPolitics:
A new statewide poll finds Utahans dramatically more open to gay rights measures than they were a year ago, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, with two-thirds of respondents saying they support employment non-discrimination laws for their LGBT fellow citizens. The findings come on the heels of the Mormon Church’s official support for a Salt Lake City non-discrimination ordinance last fall:
“This isn’t a gradual change of attitudes. This is a fairly dramatic jump,” says Matthew Burbank, chairman of the University of Utah’s political science department. “Clearly, the fact that the LDS Church was officially endorsing this position had an impact on people.”
A similar number of respondents, 66 percent, also say they support expanding Salt Lake City’s anti-discrimination policy — the first of its kind in Utah and already mimicked in Salt Lake County — throughout the state.“This isn’t a gradual change of attitudes. This is a fairly dramatic jump,” says Matthew Burbank, chairman of the University of Utah’s political science department. “Clearly, the fact that the LDS Church was officially endorsing this position had an impact on people.”
A similar number of respondents, 66 percent, also say they support expanding Salt Lake City’s anti-discrimination policy — the first of its kind in Utah and already mimicked in Salt Lake County — throughout the state.
Now one may ask, and in case no one does I will. Why the sudden changes in attitude? Could it be the younger more progressive Mormon congregation in Utah is has seen the light and their visions are having an impact on the entire LDS community? Possibly, but probably not.
As I’ve said in other post, as ignorant as many Republicans and conservatives are, they’re not stupid…and neither are the Mormons. I believe they really do see the future, and not in the vision from God sort of way, but rather in the LGBT rights are inevitable sort of way, and I think that unlike most other American citizens who live in the United States of Amnesia, they remember 1978 all too well, and with President Obama in the White House, perhaps this change of attitude is more of a preventative measure than a broadening of acceptance.
Talking About “Pacts With the Devil”
February 1, 2010 by James Hipps · 2 Comments
I’m sure by now you’ve heard about how Pat Robertson blamed the recent earthquake in Haiti on their so-called ‘pact with the Devil’.
Well, now I’m going to turn this one around a bit. This time instead of a religious right nut talking about pacts with the Devil, I’m going to say I’ve found a real pact with the Devil, perhaps between to Devils, or probably the closet thing you could get to such.
According to an AP post on the New York Times:
Utah lawmakers will not consider a law that would ban discrimination against gay men and lesbians in the workplace and in housing, and will instead spend the next year studying the issue, key lawmakers said Friday.
In exchange, opponents of gay-rights legislation will drop any effort to prevent local governments from passing their own nondiscrimination laws this legislative session.
And…
In Utah, few law changes occur if the church disapproves. More than 80 percent of state lawmakers are Mormon, including Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican.
Mr. Herbert has said he disapproves of discriminating against gay men and lesbians, but that he does not think it should be illegal.
So as comforting as it is to know the Governor of Utah wouldn’t himself discriminate against LGBT citizens, he doesn’t think it should be against the law to do so? How is this in any way, shape or form right? It’s not! And the state’s lawmakers are going to drop thinking about making it illegal to discriminate, so individual municipalities can decide whether or not they want to allow discrimination?
Don’t state laws trump local ordinances or did I miss something in 5th grade Civics? There are so many things wrong with this I won’t even attempt to cover it as I’m sure you’re not ready to read a thesis length post, but I will say, this is exactly why anti-discrimination MUST be mandated by the top level of government…yes, the federal government. This is exactly why Civil Rights were not left up to individual states…if they were, some people would still not be allowed to vote in the country.
This is an outrage, and how the federal government can even permit legalized discrimination is beyond me. And no, this is not the fault of President Obama. I do NOT expect him to wave a magic wand and make it all go away. This is up to the lawmakers! This is up to our congress to take on!
Sundance Film Draws Small Protest Crowd
January 25, 2010 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
Despite rumored anti-gay protests, a Sundance Film Festival documentary about the Mormon church’s role in a 2008 California political battle over gay marriage played to a friendly audience on Sunday in Park City.
Only about two dozen gay marriage activists chanted — “Separate, church from 8″ — in a parking lot outside the premiere of “8: The Mormon Proposition.”
The film by Reed Cowan, a former Utah Mormon, contends that the locally based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the driving force behind Proposition 8. The ballot initiative reversed an earlier court decision that legalized gay marriage.
Before the screening, festival director John Cooper had said he expected a small, but loud, group of “haters,” might picket the film, but doubted that Mormon church members would be among them.
“It’s not really the Mormon style,” said Cooper, who is gay and married his partner of 20 years last year during the window between the court ruling and election day.
A Utah-based anti-gay equality group, America Forever, sent out 80,000 faxes on Friday denouncing the movie, its makers and the festival on Friday. Internet chatter among other anti-gay groups had also hinted they might come to Sundance, activist Eric Ethington said.
“They must be in church today,” said Emily Pearson, one of the movie’s producers.
Film Focuses on Mormon Role in Gay Marriage Ban
January 24, 2010 by Gay Agenda News Team · Leave a Comment
Miami-area filmmaker Reed Cowan’s “8: The Mormon Proposition,” premieres Sunday at the Park City festival.
The film contends that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built on decades of anti-gay teachings to justify its political activism and tried to hide its role as the driving force behind the coalition of conservatives that helped pass Proposition 8. The proposition reversed an earlier court ruling legalizing gay marriage.
The film debuts just as a California federal trial over the constitutionality of the ban enters its third week.
“Karma,” said Cowan of the timing and the film’s inaugural screening in a theater roughly 25 miles from the Mormon church’s headquarters.
“There was no other place on the planet where this could premiere,” he said. “This is where the lies came from, this is where the money came from. The sharpest karma that could be leveled on the Mormon church … it has to be leveled in their own backyard.”
