Proposition 8
Since November of last year, when the church announced a policy that mandates church discipline (the process that leads to excommunication) for LGBT individuals in same-sex marriages and bars their children from baptism, church leadership has engaged in a consistent drumbeat of bigoted messages aimed at the LGBT community.
In a sense, Donald Trump is correct that women who have abortions if the procedure is banned should face "some sort of punishment." Before you misconstrue my opinion, please note that I have always been an advocate of pro-choice.
With this June's historic Supreme Court ruling -- Obergefell v. Hodge -- that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states many white LGBTQ organizations nationwide have been questioning what to do next.
News Flash: There is a critical difference between feeling excluded because you're disagreed with and being excluded because of who you are.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
WHAT'S HAPPENING
Sometimes, social changes require a little nudge from the law. But when it comes to marriage for same-sex couples, Americans have managed to open their hearts to equality without any help from the Supreme Court.
The wrestling match now unfolding in California over a proposed ballot measure aimed at exterminating gay people is actually a teachable moment, and not only about religious extremism and violent hate. It calls attention to the value of a simple screen test for the subjects of initiatives and constitutional amendments. In this area, California might take a lesson from New Mexico.
The Mormon Church wants laws on the books that would allow a Mormon apartment building owner who doesn't want to rent a unit to a gay couple, the "religious freedom" not to do so. Or a Mormon business owner the right to fire a lesbian worker simply because of whom she is, not because of the quality of her work.
Support marriage equality not just for the LGBT community, but for the awkwardly pubescent girls having their hearts broken by well-dressed, closeted young men.