On May 16, 2008, the California Supreme Court affirmed that the state constitution, AS IT WAS WRITTEN BY THE FOUNDERS OF THIS STATE MORE THAN 150 YEARS PRIOR, provided official government recognition of all marriages between all couples, regardless of gender.
On November 4, 2008, Proposition 8 amended this constitution to explicitly deny this right to same-sex couples. Nowhere else in either California's constitution or the Federal Constitution are a specific class of rights restricted, to any minority group, for any reason.
Why did this proposition pass? Was it because Californians genuinely believed that granting rights to a minority group undermine the fabric of society? No.
Was it because Californians failed to recognize the similarity of Proposition 8 with the bans on interracial marriage last century, once considered "controversial" but now universally recognized as wrong? No.
Was it because Californians no longer saw their constitution as a foundational document that is amended carefully, but a document as pliable as putty and subject to the whims of a narrow majority? No.
How, then, did Proposition 8 become law?
THE MORMON CHURCH.
This measure was losing resoundingly just before the election.
Yet for the past decade, the Mormon Church has been planning to outlaw marriage equality. The church hoped to conceal its efforts in a broad-based coalition.
For the past six months, Mormon volunteers, directed by the Church, misled Californians about the effects of the Supreme Court ruling by tapping into a war chest of Mormon cash and contributing up to 70% of Prop 8 financing, in spite of being a mere 4% of the voting population.
Mormon votes did not steal our rights. Mormon money did.
They told us we would lose the right to participate in our children's education. Lies.
They told us the California state public school curriculum would be modified to teach sex education to kindergarteners. Lies.
They told us churches would lose the right to free speech. Lies.
In an article on November 14, 2008, entitled "Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage," the New York Times confirms
"the extraordinary role Mormons played in helping to pass [Prop 8] with money, institutional support and dedicated volunteers"
If this is the way Mormons treat gays and lesbians of California, let us ask:
The Mormon church began in 1830 in New York. The first Mormons were persecuted by the American majority, and were compelled to emigrate to Utah where they could live unmolested, much like gays and lesbians who lived in the urban ghettos last century. Mormons had alternative views of what family meant, and were excluded and marginalized from the political process. In their arguments against the majority, Mormon Prophet Brigham Young wrote:
Marriage is a civil contract. You might as well make a law to say how many children a man shall have, as to make a law to say how many wives he shall have. (Journal of Discourses, 11:268-9)Much has improved for the Mormon people since then. Today, Mormons have powerful representation in the Senate, and ran a nationally viable candidate for the United States Presidency in 2008.
The Mormon story is possible because our country is a tolerant and forgiving place. America believes in the rights of its citizens to determine their own fates, and grants rights to individual communities to determine their own norms and values. The Mormon people have been able to flourish because of this country's generous spirit.
But now, history has reversed, and it is the Mormons who have become the oppressor.
The Mormons began with the Boy Scouts of America, originally a children's club meant to introduce boys and girls to the natural beauty of America. Mormons took financial control of the Boy Scouts by sponsoring 28% of national scout troops. Gays and lesbians are barred from participating in this group not just in Mormon troops, but nationwide, thereby turning our children into a political football.
Some Mormons send their own gay teenage children to "conversion camps," where these children are forced to endure shock therapy and given psychotropic drugs. The emotional stress of such experience drives many to contemplate suicide. The Mormon Church has yet to repudiate these activities. Brigham Young University itself pioneered the use of these cruel and horrific techniques to "treat" homosexuality in the 1970s. BYU has yet to apologize for or repudiate this work.
Now the Mormon Church has set its target on gay and lesbian adults of California. They have started by amending our constitution to deny equal protection to gays and lesbians.
Ask the Jews about how freedoms are lost. The concentration camps were not built in a national referendum. They were the product of a systemic reduction of freedoms, year after year, one at a time.
We as citizens of California, Americans, and persons of various beliefs and faiths will not allow this to happen.
Absolutely not. The Mormon Church and its allies cynically told California voters that they supported domestic partner benefits themselves, they simply didn't want to "redefine" marriage.
Bald-faced lies. Now the enemies of marriage equality have targeted basic domestic partner benefits in Florida.
"We're going to use the momentum from the marriage amendment to speak to the fact that most people in this state don't want a recognition of that type of relationship," Caton said. "At this time of economic stress, our government should not be providing benefits to nonemployees on the basis of their sexual relationships."
- David Caton, executive director of the Florida Family Association, in an interview with the Miami Herald, November 21, 2008
This is what they were telling their followers. They believe 9/11 happened because of God punshing America for homosexuality. They call for "warfare" against California.
The Mormon Church and its allies will stop at nothing to strip away every right we have fought so fiercely to affirm.
Many people have commented that minorities voted overwhelmingly for Prop 8. This was especially disappointing given the history of bigotry and discrimination these groups have faced. This vote serves as evidence of the degree to which minority groups can be pitted against each other with misinformation and fear. Californians were 60-40 against Prop 8 prior to the Mormon tidal wave of money in September, 2008. Prop 8 demonstrates how readily money moves elections.
Absolutely not. So far, 300 Mormons in a letter, 600 mormons in a protest, and 1 Mormon celebrity have stood up against their church to support gay rights. We respect the challenge of standing up to a majority, especially when those 901 stand in the face of more than 13.1M Mormons worldwide. You can see stories of these courageous Mormons at Mormons for Marriage.
To the rest of those silent Mormon protesters, one can offer the words of Elie Wiesel:
"I swore to never be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides, Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim, silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented."
To restore the right stolen from us, we must correct the amendment to California's constitution. To do this requires another statewide proposition. Yet how will we avoid another election season of deception, when the Mormon Church can use vast tax-free money into advancing their platform?
Strip the Mormon church of its status as a religious organization.
According to IRS law,
Section 501(c)(3) describes corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literacy, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in section (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.
From IRS Publication 1828 Page 5,
Substantial Lobbying Activity
In general, no organization, including a church, may qualify for IRC section 501(c)(3) status if a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying). An IRC section 501(c)(3) organization may engage in some lobbying, but too much lobbying activity risks loss of tax-exempt status.
We have spoken with experts on this matter, and the answer is unclear. The Mormon Church is not only a 501(c)(3), it is also a church, which grants them special rights. They are still prohibited from direct involvement in campaigns for a specific political office as well direct lobbying of legislators.
That said, it does not appear the Mormon Church complied with even the minimal reporting requirements. According to a sworn statement, the Mormon Church failed to report its donations of phone banks, tv studios, and transportation services to non-members of the Mormon Church who worked for Yes on 8.
Yes, absolutely.
Read this email from a mormon church coordinator:
...As mentioned in the broadcast, the coalition approached the Church about getting involved. With a mere difference of 400,000 votes, I am certain had the Church not been involved this proposition would not have passed...
Because it is already illegal for churches to support candidates or lobby and remain tax-exempt, we must close this loophole and make it illegal for churches to support propsitions at such disproportionate levels without classifying themselves as a Political Action Committee.
We must clarify our tax law to prohibit this behavior.
The United Kingdom has taken preliminary steps to strip the church of its tax-exempt status.
Through Prop 8, the Mormon Church has shown its true colors as a political group with specific social ends. Political speech is fair and legal here; such speech under the guise of religion is not. The playing field must be leveled. Though many religious groups were involved in Prop 8, the Mormon Church made this a far more substantial part of its activities than any other.
Californians will vote on future propositions to correct this flawed amendment next year, and every year, until we achieve our rights under the state constitution. We must be assured that our advocacy organizations are on an equal legal and financial playing field as those of our opponents.
Ultimately all religious groups are subject to the same laws - Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc. The Mormon church, however, has shown itself to be most egregious in pressing a political agenda while registered as a church. We are starting with the biggest to effect the most change.
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- Across U.S., Big Rallies for Same-Sex Marriage (NYTimes, November 16)
- Same-sex marriage rallies stretch across nation (CNN, November 15)
- Prop. 8 opponents rally in Los Angeles to protest gay-marriage ban (LATimes, November 15)
- Prop. 8 protests could become national movement (SFGate, November 15)
- Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage (NYTimes, November 14)
- LDS Church didn't report Prop 8 aid, group says (Salt Lake Tribune, November 14)
- Same-sex marriage protestors surround LDS temple in New York City (abc4, November 12)
- Angrier response to Prop. 8 steps up (LA Times, November 12)
- Mormon comments give gays hope for new Utah laws (AP, November 11)
- At least 400 protest outside Mormon Church, thousands more in Sacramento (SFGate, November 10)
- Thousands in Salt Lake City protest LDS stance on same-sex marriage (Salt Lake Tribune, November 8)
- Mormon Church Draws Protest Over Marriage Act (NYTimes, November 8)
- Prop. 8 protesters target Mormon temple in Westwood (LA Times, November 7)
- Mormons face flak for backing Prop. 8 (SFGate, October 27)
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- Freedom from Religion Foundation - Separation of Church & State
If you are a Mormon: Mass Resignation Planned
The website Signing for Something will be collecting names of people resigning from the Mormon Church over Marriage Equality and/or Prop 8 related issues.
Visit http://signingforsomething.org/blog/ to find resources and information about resigning and to post your letter of resignation.
