Letter: Gays Snubbed
Salt Lake Tribune,
January 14, 2001
P. O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT 84110
Fax: 801-257-8950
Email: letters@sltrib.com
http://www.sltrib.com/2002/jan/01142002/public_f/167205.htm
Like Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson’s Alliance for Unity, The
Tribune’s special report "The Unspoken Divide" glaringly omits gay
people. Anderson’s uncharacteristic slight is puzzling and The Tribune’s
alleged intent on bridging the divide between practicing Mormons and the rest
of Utah is nothing more than pretense. You cannot have an honest and fruitful
debate about cultural divisions in Utah without broaching the subject of gay
people and how they are treated here. The Tribune only deepens the chasm by
further disenfranchising gay people by ignoring them in the report.
The divide between Mormons and "non-Mormons" has much more to do
with politics than religion. Mormon beliefs alone are not causing the divide.
It is the LDS Church’s action of petitioning and strong influence in making
state policies to force lay citizens to follow their doctrine that is
troubling.
Many of the contributors to the report made suggestions of trying to put
yourself in the other person’s position as a way of learning empathy. OK,
how would you feel if gay people and their supporters introduced legislation
that would make it illegal for Mormons to get married or adopt children, and
gave no protection to Mormons from being fired from their jobs or evicted from
their homes just because they were Mormon?
It is true that Mormons are not the only people who are anti-gay, nor are
all Mormons homophobes. However, it is a fact that the LDS Church supports and
finances an anti-gay agenda. Furthermore, LDS Church leaders tell LDS faithful
to participate in anti-gay causes. There is an encouraging trend where more
states are including gay people in civil protections and hate crime bills.
Slowly but inevitably states also continue to abolish unjust anti-gay sodomy
laws. Utah, however, lags woefully behind due in no small part to the
dominating influence of the LDS Church.
To Shelley Thomas who does not think that the LDS Church should be
criticized on issues of personal faith, or lambasted for their doctrine, shame
on you. If that personal faith is hateful and bigoted, if it is used by the
religious institutions to justify evil actions, then, certainly, it should be
harshly criticized.
To Rob Warner, who cannot understand why there are bitter protests against
the LDS Church, get real. Your church might teach you to be "kind and
accepting," but actions speak louder than words.
You cannot support malicious laws toward gay people then expect a friendly
response even if you have an amiable smile and loving words.
— Lore Gonzales, West Valley City
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