Hello world!
Utah’s growing tourism industry and the star-studded Sundance Film Festival are being targeted for a boycott by bloggers, gay rights activists and others seeking to punish the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its aggressive promotion of California’s ban on gay marriage.
It could be a heavy price to pay. Tourism brings in $6 billion a year to Utah, with world-class skiing, spectacular red-rock country and the film festival founded by Robert Redford among popular tourist draws.
Gay rights activist John Aravosis, whose well-trafficked AmericaBlog.com is urging the boycott, is unapologetic about targeting Utah. The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City, encouraged members to work for passage of the ballot measure. Thousands of Mormons worked as grass-roots volunteers and gave tens of millions of dollars to the campaign.
Utah, Aravosis said, “is a hate state,” and on this issue, “at a fundamental level, the Utah Mormons crossed the line. . . . They just took marriage away from 20,000 couples and made their children bastards. You don’t do that and get away with it.”
The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City, encouraged members to work for passage of the ballot measure. Thousands of Mormons worked as grass-roots volunteers and gave tens of millions of dollars to the campaign.
Proposition 8, the measure passed Tuesday, overrode a state Supreme Court ruling that briefly gave same-sex couples the right to wed.
The backlash against the church was immediate. Protests erupted outside Mormon temples, online groups formed telling people to boycott Utah — where more than 60 percent of residents are Mormons, the church says — and Web sites began popping up, calling for an end to the church’s tax-exempt status.
Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said in a statement Friday that it is “disturbing” that the church is being singled out for exercising its right to speak out in a free election.
“While those who disagree with our position on Proposition 8 have the right to make their feelings known, it is wrong to target the Church and its sacred places of worship for being part of the democratic process,” the statement said.
The church had said in a separate statement after Tuesday’s vote that “no one on any side of the question should be vilified, intimidated, harassed or subject to erroneous information.”
If the Mormon Church wants to stick its big fat nose into other people’s lives, then they need to live with the consequences.
Everyone must boycott Utah.
November 20th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
It is easy, 62% of Utah mormons, those people live off the state. Punish the state punish those that attacked gay families in California. Those Mormons financed the attacks on California through jobs they have in Utah, those jobs are created by Taxes, and skiing, Sundance, etc all bring revenue for the state. How many state and local employees are Mormons, they get paid with taxes. How many businesses live off those people.. These are hate driven people. They are the hight of hypocrites, anyone that knows anything about Mormons knows that. Boycott Utah and anyone that goes there!
Don´t buy that we would punish people who believe otherwise, as they say “if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem”. If the people of Utah will tolerate their tax dollars to finance hate attacks in other states, they deserve everything. The people of Utah have the solution in their hands, move the Mormons out!
November 28th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Your whole premise is un-american. Our country was founded on religious freedom. There are people in the world that believe different than you, and sometimes they organize and vote as a block to prevent something from happening that they oppose. More black people voted against prop 8 than Mormons, but you are not identifying prominent black people and threatening their economic future. WTF? Would you come out and boycott black people? Single out a group and threaten their financial well being, because a subject came up for vote and you lost. Get over it. The idea of targeting a protected class (mormon) for persecution is sickening and blatently wrong.
California is not ready to call Gay and Lesbian relationships “marriage” Try again next time
Tad.
November 28th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Fuck you Tad,
Mormons are evil and un-American. Blacks only make up 6% of California voters. You Mormons can have your evil and hatefull religion but keep it to yourself. Keep America free. Get religion out of government. Oh, and fuck your John Smith right in his ass.