Is being organized by a Mormon.

Kyler Powell, 21, was raised as a non-denominational Christian in Boise, Idaho. But at the age of 16, after his parents divorced, he voluntarily converted to Mormonism and got baptized. “The Mormon Church’s stance on abstinence, dating, and the clothes you wear resonate with my personal morals,” says Powell.

kyler_powell.jpg

But as a gay man, having lived in Seattle for three years, he’s protesting the actions of his own moral institution. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints led the charge to pass California’s Proposition 8, which stripped nearly 20,000 same-sex couples of their marriage recognition last week. “I was kind of outraged with Prop 8, which inspired me to start a protest,” Powell says.

A rally will begin in Volunteer Park at noon on Saturday as part of a national day of action. Dave mentioned it here. (The national protest site, Jointheimpact.com, has been overwhelmed with traffic, Powell says, so another sister web site was launched to handle the overflow.) Marchers in Seattle will leave Volunteer Park at about 1 p.m. and hoof it down to Westlake Park for another rally. Powell is trying to recruit local elected officials, including state Rep. Jamie Pedersen and Congressman Jim McDermott, to speak at the event. (We’re told that another event, previously scheduled at city hall, has been combined with this march and rally.)

Mormons turning on the LDS church for supporting Prop 8 isn’t just a local phenomenon. MormonsForMarriage.com makes the case for gays getting married, these Mormons say that Prop 8 is contrary to scripture,” and this high priest risks excommunication for opposing Prop 8.

But the church’s local leadership is in denial about its role in passing the measure—even after yesterday’s protest outside a Mormon chapel in the University District.

“The Catholic Church was also involved in it, so I don’t know how they can single out the LDS church,” says Thomas Olson, president of the Mormon’s Seattle North Stake.

However, national church leaders sent this memo to members of the church this summer, stating, “We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman.” Members of the church contributed an estimated $22 million to the campaign, making up two-thirds of the money for the pro-Prop-8 campaign. Seattle-area donors contributed huge sums.

“I’m not sure what [the protest] accomplishes, based on they are targeting our places of worship based on a vote taken in the State of California,” says Olson. “We certainly don’t condone bigotry or targeting gays or lesbians,” he says. “I guess people would say … that we have done that, but that is not out intent.”

When repeatedly pressed for an example of the harm that same-sex marriages would cause Mormons, Olson couldn’t name one. Instead, he cited the church’s own morality. “It gets back to this basic view about God’s intent for his children,” he says. “I don’t know I can give you any more clarity without sitting down and talking to you about this.” (I declined)

Powell’s commitment to the LDS, meanwhile, is waning. “After putting in so much time and effort [to the church], it is hard to accept them because they are saying that—for what I have been born with—they would excommunicate me, ” He says the church doesn’t know he’s gay (well, they might know now), so he hasn’t been excommunicated.

“I honestly am ready to write my resignation letter to the church,” Powell says.

71 replies on “Seattle’s Anti-Prop 8 March This Saturday”

  2. Exactly.

    Mormons are pretty black/white about their theology. The church will tell you every time that if you don’t believe homosexuality is a sin, you don’t believe scripture and therefore are -=NOT=- a Mormon. PERIOD.

    “If you’re not with us, you’re against us.”

    Lame.

  3. You’re saying noon at Volunteer Park. Schmader and the website say 10:30 at City Council. The overflow site says both, but not in conjunction with each other. This could get confusing.

  5. What Powell has said is the plan from the two organizing groups working together -not confusing at all – one event, one starting point, one ending point.

    Be there, Sat. Good signs are important. Dress warm, suit and tie not required. Nice to see 5,000/10,000 people.

    I think info sites will soon be updated. Permits are processing from the city, will be approved on Wed.

    Eric

  9. I wrote my resignation from the LDS church last week and I am filing a 503C tax exemption complaint. Fuck them and their hater politics. They need to focus on keeping LDS marriages intact and stop worrying about gays and lesbians getting married.

  10. There is a great deal of misinformation out there leading many to conclude that Mormons have some sort of vendetta against gays.

    Fortunately, this is not the case. Even church leaders have officially stated that they have no opposition for domestic partnerships which will afford gays the rights they deserve.

    I respect the right of gay marriage supporters to peacefully protest, but they should do so with an accurate understanding of the LDS church’s position on gay rights.

  12. “for what I have been born with”

    Does anyone find that phrasing a bit odd in context? Whenever I hear someone talk about something they’re “born with”, it’s always something bad, like a heart defect or partial deafness.

  14. I think I’ve got to agree with the Mormons a little bit. They were the main movers behind getting Prop H8 (& 102) passed BUT they are not the only religious institution who backed this. All religious wing-nuts that engage in legislating theology deserve to be boycotted, picketed, and stripped of their tax-exempt status. What about them? Where is the outrage about them? Has anyone started a Baptists-Stole-Our-Rights website for the Arkansas amendment? Has anyone gone after the Catholics (and the Knights of Columbus)?

    No?

    All the outrage seems to be focused on the Mormons, who’re relative lightweights compared to Anglicans and Catholics, “main stream” Christo-fascists.

  15. I am also confused. I want to participate but there needs to be a coherent plan. Where do we start? When? What route do we march? When? Before or after what?

    I hear the 10:30 thing because of time zones but why is marching exactly at the same time so important? Why do East Coast queers get to sleep in and do brunch then march at 1:30 and not us?

  16. I’ve only been in a Mormon church a few times in the past dozen or so years since I admitted to blowjobs and smoking weed, but I definitely remember them being very careful to maintain a safe distance from politics. It was always a “decide for yourself based on what you believe” type thing. For the First Presidency to put out an official position on a bill targeting people who couldn’t even be members of their church is amazing.

  17. It seems like a million years ago but I recall that the LDS church fought hard against the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) back in the late 70s.

  20. Wow all this zeal and energy AFTER THE FACT of Prop 8. I just hope you all come to the phone banks, door belling efforts, letter writing efforts and all the other Must do things when we face the Radical Religious Extremists push to deny civil equality to the GLBT Citizens of Washington. Consider this your practice and warm up moves for the serious work coming down the pipe line.

  21. I keep hearing from LDS, “Why us? Lots of people supported Prop. 8.”

    I don’t think many would dispute this. Something can have multiple causes. I’m not forgiving Catholic organizations like Knights of Columbus, or bigoted whites, blacks, hispanics, or anyone else who supported Prop. 8. We simply need to pick our battles, and focus on who did the most harm. We can address the various bigots, but I want to start first by addressing the biggest bigots. That’s you, Mormons.

    When Olson says LDS doesn’t condone bigotry, he’s equivocating on “bigotry” to mean something other than discrimination for sexual-orientation. No get out of jail card on that one, bigot.

    “It gets back to God’s intent for his children.” Stop hiding behind your religion. We see what you did there.

    I have to confess, protesting next to someone who shares the “Mormon Church’s stance on abstinence, dating, and the clothes you wear” doesn’t sit well with me. However again–biggest targets. Powell is talking about doing exactly what I require from Mormons to redeem themselves–divorcing themselves from the bigoted Church. No more funding, no more supporting the name (assuming he carries through with his words). He and I obviously have a lot of difference, but I can overlook that for the moment, I think.

  22. California voted. Not the Mormon church. Blame it on democracy if you want, but protesting against another belief system that is opposed to yours is hypocritical.

  25. @22: Cool, I’m gonna spend my fake $billions$ to pay for misleading TV commercials and flyers and church organization to pass a constitutional amendment to get Logan sent to Guantanamo Bay. Blame democracy amirite?

  27. Nice choice for an LDS poster child.

    The Mormon Church’s stance on abstinence, dating, and the clothes you wear resonate with my personal morals,” says Powell.

    BWAAAHAHAHAHA! Yeah right. Wolves who wear fleece are still wolves.

  32. @10, if the Mormons have so little problem with gay rights/civil unions, why did they invest so much money in a law designed to deny gay people the civil union rights? Because of the word marriage?

    If that is the case, then the LDS are completely, totally, and horribly stupid. Since they’re rich as all get out, I’m going to assume it has a lot more to do with them wanting to deny gay people equal rights.

  33. Rally Times in Seattle:

    Festivities start at 10:30am
    WITH THE RALLY AND KEYNOTE SPEAKERS AT 12:00 PM, NOON, at Volunteer Park.

    A March to Westlake will commence directly after rally, approx 1pm.

  34. mormon views on clothing resonate with him? Last i checked mormons weren’t too keen on wanting to have your photo taken nude and put up for the public. He’s been photographed (and very well i might add) by the same photographer who has pictures of myself as well.

    I mean to each his own….but call it like it is.

  37. Dom, sitting down with him for 20 minutes, you could have written down everything he said to strengthen your position. Gotta be Sun Tzu in these battles, man.

  38. While I consider the protests outside of the LDS centers completely appropriate (as is an investigation on their tax-exempt status), at this point I think it’s more important to move forward.

    I’ll be marching on Saturday FOR marriage equality, not against the LDS or

    Granted, if anyone wants to start organizing sit ins on the lawn of every married couple in Arkansas that voted to strip adoption/foster rights from perfectly good families…I’m all about it. We’ll agree to leave when every one of the thousands of children in the AK foster system (and the nearly 3000 in Utah’s) is adopted by those loving, loving married couples.

  39. Jamie Pederson was listed in Advocate Magazine a couple of months ago as a potential contender for 1st openly gay President of the United States in 20 years or so.

    Go Girl!

  41. @31 @35
    Isn’t it possible that his views changed exactly because of that?

    Your personal morals are built as much or more on the mistakes you make as on your correct choices. Most people have done things they are not proud of (unfortunately especially young gay men), lord knows I’ve made plenty of mistakes. That’s how you grow.

    I don’t know the situation, but do either of you really know all of it either? So why judge, why exclude the possibility of someone’s morals evolving?

  42. Request for a story, blog entry, something…

    How many times have civil rights for other minority groups actually been put to a popular vote? WHY are the civil rights for this minority group being put to a popular vote???? If the constitution says that all are created equal, and our interpretation of that is to give all individuals equal protection under the law, WHY is this even a QUESTION?

    And how can I translate that whole idea into a succinct and clear protest sign?

  43. I viewed the pics before the link and profile came down and wow are they amazing. Very well done, very simple and classy and he has nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t think they discredit anything that was said in this post about him. Now let’s move on.

  50. I’m glad they got rid of the city hall protest. It seemed silly to have a thing on Saturday when the mayor and council wouldn’t even be there, and Westlake Center seems much more visible for political activities than Pioneer Square.

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