In the wake of the passage of Proposition 8 in California, I join the many who lament the prospect that equal marriage rights for LGBT people will be delayed once again. I am appalled by the narrow and shallow theological assumptions about marriage and family that the anti-marriage religious folks espouse. Mostly, I am outraged that God has been co-opted as a means of denying equal, civil rights to my queer friends and family in California and elsewhere.
Nonetheless, the anti-Mormon backlash is unwarranted. I understand that people are angry – I’m angry – and I am particularly angry at the Catholic, Mormon, and other church leaders who have mounted this vigorous and discriminatory campaign. However, efforts like this, to single-out and scapegoat Mormons in particular, based on their support of Prop. 8, are unfair – and, I believe, rooted in the oppression that Mormons have historically faced.
More on this soon. In the meantime, let’s not cede the high road, nor the opportunity to build bridges and coalitions, for the sake of our cause.
Reflections of Ryberg 