Into the West

I had to try really hard to resist the temptation to name this post the 100 Hour Bigot Board. I don't want to lump everyone who disagrees with gay marriage into such a broad category. That said, it doesn't matter how much you say you love someone if at the same time you're attempting to sabotage their marriages and families.

This is in reference to proposition 8, which reared its ugly head over at BYU again. Just as a warning, it's the type of post that trots out all of the same tired arguments we have heard over and over again for the past year. As writer after writer trolls out the standard faith line, "once the prophet speaks, it's over" your frustration level is sure to rise. Combine that with Elder Hafen's Saturday address and the last few days have not been good ones for gay Mormons.

I am really amazed that any of the writers can claim that BYU is a friendly place for gay people, devoid of homophobia and hateful comments. We all know that using the gay word as a pejorative in Mormon culture is extremely common. People use it all over campus all the time. In fact, in one of my apartments all the guys were extremely proud of the fact that we only had one apartment rule. It was proudly written on our white board, and explained to any friends or newcomers who happened to stop by. What was the rule? "Don't be gay." Homophobic comments aside, the other real problem on campus is that "advocacy of homosexual behavior" is an honor code violation. Students can't even speak up for the rights of their gay loved ones (or themselves) without risking probation or expulsion.

The most laughable statement in the article was, "We're not anti-gay, we're pro-family." I'm sorry... but no. The church just spent at least $200,000 to ensure that gay relationships remain stigmatized, have inferior rights, and are seen as a "threat to the basic building blocks of society" (not to mention the other $20 million that church members kicked in). How much did the church donate to stop domestic violence last year? How much to prevent the pain & damage that abuse & divorce so often cause? According to church leaders our world is entering a time period of increased wickedness, darkness, and danger. All these problems. So much wickedness. And all the church can do is launch the largest political campaign in its history which does nothing more than prevent two people who love each other from calling their union a marriage. It is such a freaking load of garbage.