Tag Archives: LDS church

Marriage Equality

Utah Think Tank Challenges “Common Ground” with “Sacred Ground”

As a response to post Prop 8 comments from local LDS Church leaders and a supportive poll of Utah voters on an openness to equal rights for the LGBT community, several Utah legislators — working with Equality Utah — put together the Common Ground Initiative, in an attempt to create a dialog, and encourage Mormon leaders (who have undoubtedly large influence over legislative policy in the state) to make good on their statements.

In response, The Sutherland Institute, Utah’s leading (only) think tank and Heritage Foundation offspring — infamous here for holding an “Earth Day” event hosted by Roy Innis and other energy industry hacks — has pieced together their own campaign to counter the adult discussions with petty divisiveness titled Sacred Ground. (pdf)  They’ve scheduled several “State of the Union – Stand Up for Marriage” events here locally (targeting bloggers, legislators, and local media) hosted by Utah’s worst Wing-nut (and believe me that’s saying a lot) LaVar Christensen (Direct Quote: “Tolerance is the religion of people who no longer believe in anything.”) , and completing the campaign with a published book and YouTube campaign.

What is notable about this vindictive effort to oppose a rational dialog between Utah legislators and religious leaders before it even begins is not the content, or the fact that Sutherland is aggressively campaigning against equality. Their fear of change is to be expected.  What stands out is the creativity and thoroughness of their campaign, which involves complete media outreach — which I’ve been subjected to almost daily as a local radio host and blogger — and a full (and also first time, for the state) embrace of “new media.”  Their efforts to target bloggers glares especially, as it surpasses the outreach seen so far from either the minority Democratic Party, or the near super-majority state Republican Party.

Sutherland’s campaign not only poses a threat to any meaningful discussion and inclusive legislation here in Utah, but it also stands to circumvent the (admittedly tepid) efforts of the Utah Democratic Party and other activist groups to build online outreach and a coalition behind the “Common Ground” Senators and other progressive policies.

In essence, despite recent polling that shows Utahn’s are open to equality based legislation, Sutherland stands a real chance of winning this one within the state simply by getting their irresponsible message out further and faster.

Watch Sutherland’s “Sacred Ground” video here

UPDATE: We’ll host an on air discussion today with Michael Mueller of Utahns for Marriage Equality. Live stream/chat begins at 4pm (MST).  Click to join in. Podcast will also be available after the show.

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DEVASTATING memo from LDS church exposed re: Prop 8

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I have received an internal memo from the Mormon Church dated March 4, 1997.  This memo discusses strategies for what the memo calls “HLM” (gay marriage) in Hawaii and California (I assume that HLM refers to “homosexual legal marriage” but if you have your own preferred acronym, feel free to use it).

Like I said–this memo is devastating.  And it demonstrates that they have been planning this Proposition 8 referendum for more than a decade.

I’m in Seattle right now campaigning for Darcy, so this will be a quick post.  See more below.

Above is the first page of this memo.  It indicates, as you see, that the Mormon Church had been planning to coordinate with the Catholic Church to defeat “HLM” in Hawaii and California.  Below are images of devastating quotes from this memo.

This memo overtly discusses strategy for making sure that “HLM” doesn’t make any more progress than it absolutely has to:

Please note especially the last paragraph.  “There may have to be certain legal rights recognized for unmarried people…”  Take a look at what that implies.  The Mormon Church, if it had its way, wouldn’t even want to see gay couples have hospital visitation rights.  It’s not just about marriage–for them, it’s about making gays into second-class citizens.  Even hospital rights are a “concession” that have to be made to prevent full marriage equality.

The memo goes on to extensively discuss the fight that was taking place at that time for marriage equality in Hawaii, but comes back to California…

Yep, you got that right.  They were thinking of this in California way back in 1997.  They were saying, “referendum is expensive.  We have the money, but we don’t have the public face.  So let’s join with the Catholics, because they have a better reputation.”

The memo ends by describing a “cordial” visit with the Chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference:

Like I said: there’s more where this comes from, according to my source.  But keep this in mind: as early as 1997, the Mormon Church was planning a referendum in California–using their money, but the public face of the Catholics.

So why am I going after the LDS church so much on this?  Because they’re trying to hide their money behind the Catholics to pass this constitutional amendment–and they deserve to be exposed.

Help defeat Proposition 8.  TAKE ACTION!

And in case you haven’t seen it:

This is a ad against Prop 8 that I and my brother thereisnospoon wrote, and a friend of mine edited, with a lot of help from our friends at Courage Campaign.  It has already made news in local Salt Lake City media–for good reason.

And speaking of the Courage Campaign:  here’s a video of one of their actions.  They delivered over 17,000 signatures opposing LDS Church involvement in California government to the LDS offices.

UPDATE 2:  Darcy Burner just wanted to chime in.  She says, “good luck in preventing the state of California from institutionalizing horrible, awful discrimination.”

Darcy Burner stands with us.  Stand with her.  I’m sure there’s a way to phonebank from remote.