Thousands protest LDS stance on same-sex marriage - Salt Lake Tribune

Opponents of a measure that banned gay marriage in California took their outrage to the spiritual hub of Mormonism on Friday.

More than 3,000 people swarmed downtown Salt Lake City to march past the LDS temple and church headquarters, protesting Mormon involvement in the campaign for California’s Proposition 8. The measure, which defined marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman, passed this week.

A sea of signs in City Creek Park, where the march began, screamed out messages including, “I didn’t vote on your marriage,” “Mormons once persecuted . . . Now persecutors,” and “Jesus said love everyone.” Others read, “Proud of my two moms” and “Protect traditional marriage. Ban divorce.”

Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and three openly gay state legislators, Sen. Scott McCoy and Reps. Jackie Biskupski and Christine Johnson, spoke out in support. At one point, the crowd took up the mantra made famous by the country’s new president-elect: “Yes, we can!”

Then, the masses headed west, weaving between cars, waving at those who watched from windows in the LDS Church Office Building and shouting chants such as: “What do we want? Equality! When do we want it? Now!”

The comments after the article can be very telling. One commenter asked:

What’s wrong with calling marriage and civil unions just that ?? Why do we have to use the word marriage in both cases when most feel that marriage is between husband and wife ??

Simplistic yes — but that’s the way that I want it and most of the Calif. voters feel the same way — there is a differance.

The problem with maintaining the fiction of “marriage” and “civil unions” comes down to the segregationist concept of “separate but equal”; which as was proven time and time again during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s was never equal.

I can understand people having moral/religious qualms against marriage between two people of the same sex, but for me personally it’s about NOT legislating and especially not Constitutionalizing morality. Morality comes from within. It should not be imposed on others.

No one has ever been able to give me a rational non-religious reason for why gay marriage should be banned; no one has been able to tell me how allowing two men or two women to get married to each other damages their own marriage to the point that it needs to be “protected” by law.

If someone can give me a coherent argument on that side, maybe I’ll reconsider; but until then, personally, I must choose to support equal rights for everyone, regardless of race, creed, religion or sexual orientation.

Other people are calling for the revocation of the Church’s tax-exempt status.

The problem there is that the LDS Church is well within its rights to speak out on socio-political issues.

501(c)(3) prohibitions state that a church may not make statements that directly support or oppose a candidate or slate of candidates in a “sermon, church bulletin, on a church website or in an editorial in a church publication.” The bottom line is that § 501(c)(3) prohibits charities—including houses of worship—from endorsing or opposing candidates “either expressly or by implication.”

However, this does not mean that church leaders are not permitted to voice their opinions regarding important socio-political matters that could have profound impact on their congregations. Church leaders have always been free to speak out on moral and ethical issues at stake in pending legislation or public referenda. They may take stands on political issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun control, and health care, to name a few.

Taking away the Church’s tax-exempt status could have a profoundly negative impact on other tax-exempt organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), and a host of other organizations’ ability to lobby Congress or support ballot initiatives to increase funding for research.

The Church’s position will never be changed by direct attacks; this will only bolster their opinions. What needs to happen is for active members who disagree with the Church’s position to speak up, rationally and calmly and over and over and over again. Challenge the Church to change from within.

Elsewhere, the focus should be on challenging the legality of Proposition 8 itself in the Courts. Does it constitute a Constitutional revision (which requires approval of both houses of the California State Legislature) rather than an amendment? Does it put the California Constitution into direct conflict itself, by banning same sex marriage, when the Courts have ruled that bans on same sex marriage violate the equal protection clause?

There have also been calls to boycott Utah … I need to think about this one a bit more, but part of me says that rather than boycotting Utah, gay rights activists should start organizing trips to Utah. Most Utahns are isolationists already. Boycotting may just give them a sense of relief. Instead more gay people should travel to Utah, move to Utah, and keep the issue front-and-center in Utah.

And to think I was worried about how I’d spend my post-election blog time.

News from Doctor ‘Cross!

Sugarhouse Cyclocross Clinic

No Onsite Registration - 50 Riders Total

Location: NW Corner of Sugarhouse Park, Salt Lake City. 1400 East 2100 South. See map.

Schedule: Thursdays, beginning Sept 18, 5:30-7:30 pm, until Nov. 20 (10 weeks total). November clinics start at 4:00 pm

All-inclusive Fees for the entire 10 weeks:

• USA Cycling License Holders: $5
• Non-licensed Riders: $25

Registration online at Sportsbaseonline.com ONLY. You must register!

Goals: Learn something about cyclocross techniques; how to go over barriers, run up hills, and ride a skinny-tired bike off the pavement. Self-professed expert ‘crossers will conduct the clinics and distribute nuggets of wisdom. Cyclocross and/or Mountain Bikes are welcome.

Be cool, sell your capri pants and your fixed-gear, and go buy a ‘cross bike.

Rules: Bikes are absolutely prohibited off-pavement anytime except during the clinic! Violation will result in us losing use of the Park. This is a promise. Do not ride on the grass except for Thursdays, during the clinic.

Clinic participants are expected to police themselves and their colleagues.

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time

“If you look at folks of color, even women, they’re more successful in the Democratic Party than they are in the white, uh, excuse me, in the Republican Party,” Dean said Friday in an appearance on NPR’s “Tell Me More” program.

Unreal.

I’m a 42-year-old white man, lifelong Democrat, raised in the South, lived most of my adult life in Northern California, and now live in the Republican bastion of Salt Lake City, Utah.

I cannot believe that Howard Dean (whom I supported in the 2004 campaign) would stoop to this level. I am offended and ashamed that a member of my Party would utter such a snarky, racially-motivated comment to denigrate our opponents.

It’s the 21st Century! Race should play a very small role (if it should play any role at all) in modern politics.

Another frightening thing is the recent mom-spam I received, entitled “Proud to Be White”, which I won’t dignify by quoting here, but if you really want to read it, just do a Google search for “proud to be white” (in quotes), and you’ll get an ample number of results. This from my mother, who is also a life-long Democrat, and who taught me to be colorblind.

Here was my response:

Perhaps if white people hadn’t treated everyone else in North America like complete shit for the past 400 years, there’d be no need for any of those groups that Mr. White Pride listed in his diatribe.

We don’t need an NAAWP, because white people already control the United States; whites don’t need to be advanced, because we are already “on top”; and anyone who doesn’t see that is a complete and utter idiot.

The NAACP and other similar groups are not about advancing their demographic at the detriment of white people; it’s not about blacks or Hispanics or Asians on top while white people get pushed down the ladder to some sort of second-class status.

White students are not prevented from attending historically black colleges; however, blacks were excluded from attending many universities for many, many years.

It’s about equality.

Think of it this way. Who is more likely to agree with this tripe? Someone who thinks like me? Or someone whose views tend to coincide with those of David Duke and Tom Metzger?

Whose company would you rather keep?

I’m not proud of being white. Sometimes I’m guilty about it. What I am proud of is being an American; an American who can think for himself, and who accepts or rejects people based on their actions and not their skin color.

I don’t know … perhaps similar feelings were what Howard Dean had in mind when he made his rather idiotic comments about the Republican Party, but there’s no reason to put a label on it … it’s just as bad as labeling people of color with any of the various epithets they’ve had to deal with for the past 4 centuries.

This crossed my email inbox today:

CONTENDER BICYCLES TO HOST IN-STORE SIGNING WITH CYCLING STARS TYLER HAMILTON AND FREDDIE RODRIGUEZ OF ROCK RACING

Contender Bicycles will be hosting an in-store signing with Tyler Hamilton and Fred Rodriguez of Rock Racing on Saturday, August 16 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to meet and receive autographs from two of the most famous names in cycling today. There will also be official Rock Racing apparel for sale.

Founded by Rock & Republic fashion mogul Michael Ball in 2007, Rock Racing has made a name for themselves both from incredible success on the bike and from their flamboyant flair. The team has rapidly become a fan favorite after signing some of the sport’s most established names including 2004 Olympic gold time trial medalist and Tour de France stage winner Tyler Hamilton and three-time USPRO road race champion and Giro d’Italia stage winner Freddie Rodriguez. Rock Racing has redefined the look of the pro cycling team uniform and in April 2008, the squad was voted the most popular team in professional cycling in an on-line poll by Bicycling Magazine.

WHEN:

Saturday, August 16 from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

WHERE:

Contender Bicycles
875 East 900 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
801.364.0344

Come meet the riders, check out the cars and experience the flair!

1. It’s an event at a bike shop, during the Tour of Utah. Why the fuck would I want to “check out the cars?”
2. Shouldn’t Tyler and Freddie be resting up to prepare for the next day’s time trial, instead of schmoozing a bunch of fanboys?
3. What does it do for Contender’s image to associate themselves with a team that seems to have a lax (or at least very forgiving) view on doping?
4. Flair? Do they have all 15 pieces?

Some of the amazing cloud formations in the sky over Holladay after an amazing microburst storm blew over Salt Lake County this afternoon.

I’ve got a lot of causes that I support … perhaps too many, because I find I’m always getting solicitations in the mail (and email) asking for more and more of my money.

To some extent, it’s hard for me to even remember everything I’ve given money too, until I go back through my finances every spring to file my taxes.

In the past year, I’ve given money to:

• the Salt Lake City Bike Collective (ongoing monthly donations)
• the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (one-off donation)
• the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (one-off donation)
• KUER (ongoing monthly donations)
• KRCL (ongoing monthly donations)
• the San Francisco Zen Center (ongoing quarterly donations)
• the San Francisco AIDS Foundation
• the American Civil Liberties Union (one-off membership, not tax-deductible)
• the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (one-off donation)
• Barack Obama’s presidential campaign (not tax-deductible)
• Christine’s Fountain (to honor Fastgrrrl’s best training pal, as far as I know, not tax-deductible)
• Susan Nelson’s WIN Fund (Fatty’s wife, who has been battling cancer for years now, not tax-deductible)

There are doubtless other organizations to whom I’ve written a check that I can’t think of right off hand. Altogether, I think I’m going to give away about $2,000 this year. I know it’s going to be well over $1,000.00.

Now lest anyone think I’m bragging, let me get to the point. All I give of myself is my money … I can’t think of the last time I volunteered my time to work with an organization because it was the right thing to do, and it was a cause I believed in.

I find it quite ironic that I’m generous with my money (which I don’t have nearly enough of), yet stingy with my time (which I have more than enough of).

So with that in mind, one of my goals for the summer is to find a suitable organization to which I can donate at least 4 hours of my time, and hopefully I’ll find something inspiring enough to give even more my time and myself to.

For time is truly the most valuable commodity which you can give to any organization.

Ride your bike and come see what is selling out 16 cities across the planet!

What: 5th Annual Pedal Pusher Film Festival

Where: The Depot (a private club for members)

When: May 10th, 2008 doors open at 7:30pm

Cost: $10 online or $12 day of

Activities: One time only showing of hand picked films from the Bicycle Film Festival, as well as Salt City Sprints, a Track Stand Competition, Silent Auction and music by the Vile Blue Shades. Ride your bike! There will be Valet Bike Parking.

Sponsors: The Depot, Baxters, SLUG Magazine, Chrome, backcountry.com, streamline industries, James Frames