Protests against Proposition 8 supporters

Last updated
Opponents of Proposition 8 protest the LDS Church's support of the proposition in front of the Newport Beach California Temple. Prop8templeProtest.jpg
Opponents of Proposition 8 protest the LDS Church's support of the proposition in front of the Newport Beach California Temple.

Protests against Proposition 8 supporters in California took place starting in November 2008. These included prominent protests against the Roman Catholic church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), which supported California's Proposition 8. [1] The proposition was a voter referendum that amended the state constitution to recognize marriage only as being between one man and one woman, thus banning same-sex marriage, which was legal in the state following a May 2008 California Supreme Court case. [2]

Contents

The highly emotional, closely contested nature of the voter referendum created a political maelstrom that was unusual in intensity for its time. After closely passing, the backlash from those who opposed Proposition 8 was widely covered by news media and was controversial. Anti-Proposition 8 activists looked up supporters in state-government-required donation documentation, then posted their names and personal information, and organized protests at their places of work. [3] Several religious buildings were vandalized, and several Proposition 8 supporters received death threats, were mailed envelopes of white powder resembling anthrax, or lost their jobs. This method of shaming and forcing out Proposition 8 supporters was called a "mob veto" in a full-page advertisement in The New York Times , which was signed by law professors, diplomats, civil rights activists, and heads of religious organizations, while others cited concerns about bigotry against those with religious beliefs.

The ballot

Proposition 8 added "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" to the California Constitution. [4] Proposition 8 was the most expensive proposition in United States history and sharply divided social conservatives and social liberals, as part of the ongoing American culture wars. The ballot initiative was approved by a majority (52%) of voters. Immediately same-sex marriages were halted and the legal status of the 18,000 same-sex couples was thrown into question. Supporters of the proposition included a coalition of religious and social conservatives that felt the court ruling had redefined marriage.

Those opposed to Proposition 8 argued that same-sex couples deserved the same public recognition and marriage rights that other couples are afforded, and that equality could not be achieved without state recognition in the form of marriage. On November 19, 2008, the California Supreme Court accepted three lawsuits challenging Proposition 8 but denied the requests to stay its enforcement. [5]

Candlelight vigils and pickets

As a result of the proposition's passage, there were organized autonomous protests directed against supporters of the proposition including marches, actions, vigils, boycotts, intimidation, and vandalism. The actions brought awareness to marriage rights issues for LGBT people and the role of tax-exempt churches in this political campaign. There has also been renewed debate in LGBT communities whether boycotting companies or organizations is an appropriate and effective response toward the proposition's supporters. [6] [7] [8]

Many anti-Proposition 8 protests, particularly those targeting specific groups that supported Proposition 8, took the form of pickets or candlelight vigils. [9] A candlelight vigil by about 600 mothers of LGBT children was held at the LDS Church's Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, shortly following the passage of Proposition 8. [10] [11] A protest was also held outside of the Los Angeles California Temple. [12]

Protests were held outside of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. [13]

Boycotts

Following the passage of the proposition, opponents obtained lists of those who had donated to the "Yes on 8" campaign, published the list, organized an activism group, and called for boycotts of supporters' places of work. [3] [6] [7] [14] Boycott targets included:

Claims of religious bigotry

Some public figures, writers, media commentators, and individuals expressed concern over the actions and the implications of targeting supporters of the proposition. [6] [8] Supporters of the measure, such as Kathryn Jean Lopez, editor of the National Review Online , and Jonah Goldberg, a Los Angeles Times columnist, have referred to some of the backlash as religious bigotry, especially since many of those targeted are members of the LDS Church. [6] [26] [27] [28] Gregg Araki, an independent filmmaker who is gay, Jeff McDonald and John Marelius of the San Diego Union-Tribune , and others have articulated arguments depicting this characterization as misleading and provided possible justification of such actions. [8] [28]

Various individuals and groups have decried actions by those opposed to Proposition 8:

Death threats and vandalism

Before the vote, Alan Autry (the mayor of Fresno) received an email containing death threats against both himself and Cornerstone Church pastor Jim Franklin. This caused police to assign the pastor officers for his protection and motivated the mayor to obtain a bodyguard. According to Fresno's Police Chief Jerry Dyer, the email "did state as to why that threat was made and it was stemming from prop 8." Both Autry and Franklin were prominent Proposition 8 supporters. As of August 12, 2009, no arrests had been made. [36] [37]

In the ten days following the November 4 election, seven houses of worship in Utah and ten LDS Church buildings in the Sacramento area were vandalized, including graffiti and meetinghouse glass doors shattered. According to the LDS Church's spokesperson for the Sacramento area, the vandalism that they were victims of in the ten days after the election was more than they usually get in an entire year. [6] [38] [39] [40] A copy of the Book of Mormon , a Latter-day Saint religious text, was found burning at the front of one of the church's meetinghouses. [38] [40] The FBI investigated these events to determine whether a violation of civil rights had occurred. [39]

Most Holy Reedemer Church, a Catholic parish church in The Castro was vandalized in protest of the Catholic Church's position on the proposition. [41]

The windows on the Sundstrom family vehicle parked at their home in San Jose were painted "Bigots Live Here", "Stop Bigots", and "God Hates Haters". They had a "Protect Marriage Yes on 8” banner. [42] Several people had homes damaged: bricks thrown through house windows, graffiti, and cars damaged. [43]

An affiliate group of the radical trans/queer organization Bash Back! claims credit for pouring glue into the locks of an LDS Church meetinghouse and spray painting its walls. A Web posting signed by Bash Back!'s Olympia chapter said, "The Mormon church (just like most churches) is a cesspool of filth. It is a breeding ground for oppression of all sorts and needs to be confronted, attacked, subverted and destroyed." [44] According to the Chicago Tribune , the acts of vandalism against the Latter-day Saint meetinghouse appeared to be in retaliation for support of Proposition 8. [44]

The Anti-Defamation League released a statement condemning the "defacement and destruction of property." [45]

Anthrax hoax

In November 2008, the United States Postal Service delivered envelopes containing white powder to the LDS Church's temples in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City and to the national headquarters of the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, Connecticut, prompting a hazardous materials response and a federal domestic terrorism investigation. [40] [46] [47] The envelope to the Knights of Columbus had a postmark from California. [48] Both organizations were heavy backers of Proposition 8. The FBI has determined the substances were not biological agents, and FBI spokesman Special Agent Juan Becerra stated, "We've got to follow the evidence, and at this point we have not received anything that would lead us to believe the opponents of Prop. 8 are behind any kind of terroristic activity. It would be irresponsible to say that at this point." [46] [49] [50] (Anthrax toxin was used in the 2001 anthrax attacks against lawmakers and media members, killing five people. Since then, the FBI has investigated more than 1,000 anthrax hoaxes modeled on the mailings, which usually turn out to be harmless. [51] [52] )

The LDS Church blamed opponents of the marriage ban for sending the hoax mailings. [51] LGBT rights groups, such as Equality Utah and Equality California, have spoken out against the use of violence in protests, and note that the source of the "white powder" mailings has not been determined. [51] [53]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, & Friends</span>

Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families, & Friends is an international organization for individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer, intersex, or same-sex attracted, and their family members, friends, and church leaders who are members or former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Mormonism</span> Hostility towards the Latter Day Saint movement

Anti-Mormonism is often used to describe people or literature that are critical of their adherents, institutions, or beliefs, or involve physical attacks against specific Mormons, or the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole. It can take the form of discrimination, persecution, hostility, or prejudice directed against the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homosexuality and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</span> Non-heterosexual sexuality and the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints

All homosexual sexual activity is condemned as sinful by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its law of chastity, and the church teaches that God does not approve of same-sex marriage. Adherents who participate in same-sex sexual behavior may face church discipline. Members of the church who experience homosexual attractions, including those who self-identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual remain in good standing in the church if they abstain from same-sex marriage and any homosexual sexual activity or sexual relationships outside an opposite-sex marriage. However, all people, including those in same-sex relationships and marriages, are permitted to attend the weekly Sunday meetings.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been subject to criticism and sometimes discrimination since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 California Proposition 8</span> Successful referendum on banning same-sex marriage

Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage; it passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned in court. The proposition was created by opponents of same-sex marriage in advance of the California Supreme Court's May 2008 appeal ruling, In re Marriage Cases, which followed the short-lived 2004 same-sex weddings controversy and found the previous ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Proposition 8 was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in 2010, although the court decision did not go into effect until June 26, 2013, following the conclusion of proponents' appeals.

Strauss v. Horton, 46 Cal. 4th 364, 93 Cal. Rptr. 3d 591, 207 P.3d 48 (2009), was a decision of the Supreme Court of California, the state's highest court. It resulted from lawsuits that challenged the voters' adoption of Proposition 8 on November 4, 2008, which amended the Constitution of California to outlaw same-sex marriage. Several gay couples and governmental entities filed the lawsuits in California state trial courts. The Supreme Court of California agreed to hear appeals in three of the cases and consolidated them so they would be considered and decided. The supreme court heard oral argument in the cases in San Francisco on March 5, 2009. Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar stated that the cases will set precedent in California because "no previous case had presented the question of whether [a ballot] initiative could be used to take away fundamental rights".

Darrin Reed Cowan is an American journalist.

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is an American non-profit political organization established to work against the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States. It was formed in 2007 specifically to pass California Proposition 8, a state prohibition of same-sex marriage. The group has opposed civil union legislation and gay adoption, and has fought against allowing transgender individuals to use bathrooms that accord with their gender identity. Brian S. Brown has served as the group's president since 2010.

Queer Liberaction (QL) is a Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas-based grassroots organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. The group was founded in November 2008 following the international attention surrounding California's Proposition 8, which changed that state's Constitution to deny marriage rights to any LGBT couples who are not defined as "a man and a woman", passed by a slight majority. The organization is a proponent of same-sex marriage rights for LGBT couples, considering civil unions and domestic partnerships as less than full equality.

Nadine Hansen is an American lawyer from Cedar City, Utah notable for founding the website Mormonsfor8.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Californians Against Hate</span> American non-profit organization

Californians Against Hate (CAH) is an American non-profit organization public-benefit corporation which works as a political watchdog organization. It was founded in 2008 to draw attention to the major donors to qualify and pass California’s Proposition 8. As the organization has grown, Californians Against Hate has evolved into leading boycotts of companies whose owners gave large contributions to Proposition 8. They have also filed complaints with two state ethics commissions that have led to investigations of the LDS Church in California and the National Organization for Marriage in Maine. Californians Against Hate has repeatedly called for a Congressional Investigation of the National Organization for Marriage due to its late and non reporting of its federal 990 income tax returns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Karger</span> American political consultant and activist

Fred S. Karger is an American political consultant, gay rights activist and watchdog, and former actor. His unsuccessful candidacy for the Republican nomination for the 2012 US presidential election made him the first openly gay presidential candidate in a major political party in American history. Karger has worked on nine presidential campaigns and served as a senior consultant to the campaigns of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

<i>8: The Mormon Proposition</i> 2010 American film

8: The Mormon Proposition is an American documentary that examines the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its support of California Proposition 8, stating that the church has been actively involved in the denial of LGBT human rights. The film was written by Reed Cowan, directed by Cowan and Steven Greenstreet, and narrated by Dustin Lance Black. It was released on June 18, 2010, by Red Flag Releasing.

Steven Greenstreet is an American documentary filmmaker and journalist, known for the controversial film, 8: The Mormon Proposition, which was selected to premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Currently residing in New York City, he has also worked as a video investigative journalist for The Huffington Post Investigative Fund and a video producer for the US State Department. Since 2014 he has been a senior video producer at the New York Post.

Mormon Tips is a project of the non-profit organization Rights Equal Rights (RER)—formerly called Californians Against Hate. Mormon Tips was started in January 2017 by RER founder Fred Karger as a way to collect evidence of tax fraud by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints submitted from anonymous sources. The organization will then use the gathered information to file a complaint with the IRS in order to revoke the LDS Church's tax-exempt status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</span>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been involved with many pieces of legislation relating to LGBT people and their rights. These include playing an important role in defeating same-sex marriage legalization in Hawaii, Alaska, Nebraska, Nevada, California, and Utah. The topic of same-sex marriage has been one of the church's foremost public concerns since 1993. Leaders have stated that it will become involved in political matters if it perceives that there is a moral issue at stake and wields considerable influence on a national level. Over a dozen members of the US congress had membership in the church in the early 2000s. About 80% of Utah state lawmakers identied as Mormon at that time as well. The church's political involvement around LGBT rights has long been a source of controversy both within and outside the church. It's also been a significant cause of disagreement and disaffection by members.

This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 1990s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although the historical record is often scarce, evidence points to queer individuals having existed in the Mormon community since its beginnings. However, top LDS leaders only started regularly addressing queer topics in public in the late 1950s. Since 1970, the LDS Church has had at least one official publication or speech from a high-ranking leader referencing LGBT topics every year, and a greater number of LGBT Mormon and former Mormon individuals have received media coverage.

This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the first decade of the 2000s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

This is a timeline of LGBT Mormon history in the 2010s, part of a series of timelines consisting of events, publications, and speeches about LGBTQ+ individuals, topics around sexual orientation and gender minorities, and the community of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

References

  1. Kuruvila, Matthai (2008-11-10). "Catholics, Mormons allied to pass Prop. 8". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  2. Dolan, Maura (May 27, 2009). "California high court upholds Prop. 8". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Prop 8 Donor Web Site Shows Disclosure Law Is 2-Edged Sword". New York Times . February 7, 2009.
  4. "Text of Proposed Laws" (PDF). California Secretary of State. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-06.
  5. "California Supreme Court Takes Action on Proposition 8" (PDF). Judicial Council of California. 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Ostrom, Mary Anne (2008-11-13). "Protests, boycotts erupt in the wake of Prop. 8's passage". The Mercury News.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Abramowitz, Rachel (2008-11-23). "Liberal Hollywood ponders next step in fight for same-sex marriage". Los Angeles Times .
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Weinstein, Steve (2008-11-25). "Are We Being Bullies? Debate Rages Over Boycotts". Edge. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  9. Maher, Sean (2008-11-10). "Anti-Prop 8 demonstrators protest near Mormon temple". Oakland Tribune. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  10. Eskridge Jr., William N. (Sep 2016). "Latter-Day Constitutionalism: Sexuality, Gender, and Mormons" (PDF). Illinois Law Review. 4: 1269.
  11. Blankenfeld, Budy (2008-11-02). "LDS moms hold vigil against Prop. 8". ABC4. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  12. Garrison, Jessica; Lin, Joanna (7 November 2008). "Prop. 8 protesters target Mormon temple in Westwood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 July 2019.

  13. Rothfeld, Michael; Barboza, Tony (10 November 2008). "Governor backs gay marriage". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Hofler, Robert (2008-11-17). "Same-Sex Activists Target Sundance". Variety.
  15. "Scott Eckern Releases Statement and Announces Resignation as Artistic Director for California Musical Theatre". CMT Press Release. 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  16. Abramowitz, Rachel (2008-11-25). "L.A. Film Festival director Richard Raddon resigns". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2010-05-22.
  17. "El Coyote Boycott? Mormon Manager's Faith Overrides "Love" For Customers". Shadowproof. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  18. "Gay News - FrontiersLA - Breaking Gay News | Anti-Gay Groups Playing the 'Victim' in Court". www.frontiersla.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06.
  19. Carlton, Jim (2008-12-27). "Gay Activists Boycott Backers of Prop 8". The Wall Street Journal.
  20. "Utah money helped push Prop 8 spending to historic levels". The Salt Lake Tribune. 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  21. "State officials to investigate Mormon church's Prop. 8 campaign activities". The Mercury News. 2008-11-25. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
  22. Ainsworth, Bill (2008-07-10). "Gay rights groups to boycott Manchester Grand Hyatt". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  23. Karger, Fred (2009-07-18). "First Anniversary of Boycott Against Doug Manchester". The Huffington Post.
  24. "Carrot firm's olive branch". Los Angeles Times . October 9, 2008.
  25. Bates, Karen Grisgsby (5 March 2009). "Backers Of Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Face Backlash". NPR. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
    "Targeted Proposition 8 supporter urges Catholics to 'stand up' despite critics". Catholic News Agency. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  26. Lopez, Kathryn (2008-11-30). "Mormons in the crosshairs". The Register-Mail.
  27. Goldberg, Jonah (2008-12-02). "An ugly attack on Mormons". Los Angeles Times .
  28. 1 2 McDonald, Jeff (2008-11-15). "Prop. 8 result energizes gay-rights supporters". San Diego Union-Tribune.
  29. "Gay groups cry foul on New York Times 'No Mob Veto' ad claims - The Colorado Independent" . Retrieved 2019-03-21.
  30. "Web Archive capture of ad text from official website, NoMobVeto.org". Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
  31. "Demand the Truth". 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  32. "Lies". Truth Wins Out . Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  33. "Editorial: Protest and civility in a democracy". Dallas Morning News. 2008-11-19.
  34. Colson, Chuck (2008-11-15). "So Much for Tolerance".
  35. Reynolds, John Mark. "California and Thank-A-Mormon Day". Biola University.
  36. "Prop 8 Death Threats". ABC Local Fresno News TV30. Archived from the original on 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
  37. "Death threats against pastor in wake of Prop. 8 vote". 2008-11-09. Archived from the original on November 12, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
  38. 1 2 Gehrke, Steve (2008-11-24). "More than mischief: Are recent acts of church vandalism tied to bigotry?". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  39. 1 2 Gehrke, Steve (2008-11-22). "Wall tagged outside Farmington LDS building". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  40. 1 2 3 Garza, Jennifer (2008-11-14). "Feds investigate vandalism at Mormon sites". The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009.
  41. "Vandals target SF church". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
    May, Meredith (6 January 2009). "Vandals desecrate pro-gay Catholic church". Deseret News. Utah. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
    "Prop 8 protestors vandalize church". KGO. San Francisco. 4 January 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
    "Anti-Prop 8 Vandals Strike a Gay-Friendly Church". Queerty . 5 January 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  42. "Same-sex marriage debate growing ugly in San Jose and beyond". Mercury News. October 21, 2008.
  43. "The Price of Proposition 8". The Heritage Foundation. October 22, 2009.
  44. 1 2 "Radical Gay Activist Group Plans More Disruptions". Chicago Tribune. November 20, 2008. Archived from the original on November 16, 2009.
  45. "ADL Condemns Criminal Activity Targeting Religious Institutions That Supported Proposition 8". Anti-Defamation League. 2008-11-10.
  46. 1 2 Winslow, Ben (2008-12-10). "FBI to run more tests on mystery substance mailed to LDS Church". Deseret News.
  47. Winslow, Ben (2009-11-17). "FBI sending suspicious powder to headquarters". Deseret News.
  48. "Suspicious White Powder sent to Catholic Organization". ABC channel 4 (KTVX).
  49. "Powder scares at 2 LDS temples, Catholic Plant". Deseret News. November 14, 2008. Retrieved November 14, 2008.
  50. "White powder sent to Mormon temples in Utah, LA". USA Today. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
  51. 1 2 3 "Mormon church blames powder hoax on gays: Leaders say opponents of marriage ban are behind the mailings". Associated Press. 15 November 2008. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  52. Anthrax hoaxes pile up, as does their cost By Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, March 8, 2009.
  53. Ziegler, Elizabeth (2008-11-14). "GLBT Advocates Condemn Attacks on LDS Church". KCPW. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008.