Protests against Proposition 8 supporters

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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

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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.
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