Mormons Absorb SCOTUS Prop 8 Ruling [View all]

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http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/joannabrooks/7173/mormons_absorb_scotus_prop_8_ruling/


June 26, 2013 1:07pm
Post by JOANNA BROOKS

U.S. Supreme Court decisions striking down DOMA and California’s Proposition 8 mean a reflective morning for Mormon people. No religious group invested more heavily in the fight against marriage equality in California than members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who make up 2% of California’s population but who are estimated to have contributed between 50%–70% of the $40 million raised by the Yes on 8 campaign and the majority of its on-the-ground volunteer labor force.

Today, a vocal minority of Mormon progressives are celebrating the Court rulings. Said Spencer Clark, the head of Mormons for Marriage Equality, “We heartily applaud the decision of the US Supreme Court to strike down Section 3 of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. This is a victory for hundreds of thousands of families across the country and in California, including many Mormons, who have sought to marry the same-sex partners they love and care for their children.” Another celebratory gesture came from bloggers at Feminist Mormon Housewives who changed the long-running blog’s background to rainbow colors, honoring Mormon feminists’ longtime commitment to marriage equality.


Meanwhile, Mormon conservatives seem to be accepting the news quietly, with some staking out a defensive position in defense of religious freedom. (Read the official LDS Church reaction here.) In one Washington, D.C., area stake, LDS Church leaders sent an email message to members requesting their attendance at a National Day of Prayer on religious freedom convened by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this Thursday in Arlington, Virginia. “We have been encouraged to have 20 members from our stake attend this event,” the message from local leaders read.

As initial reactions continue to arrive, today is a thoughtful day for Mormon people. With the support of the U.S. Supreme Court, LGBT families and their allies now take a great step beyond the prejudices of history and the hurt of the Proposition 8 campaign. But for Mormon families and congregations, however, the damage from Proposition 8 remains, and will remain—largely unaddressed and unremediated.

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