Mormons (Again) Reveal Their Ignorance Of Civil Rights

Dallin H. Oaks, member of the
Quorum of the Twelve of the Mormon Church

Another day, another verbal eruption from an influential Mormon revealing their ignorance and opposition to civil rights, the concept that all people are treated equally by their government. Last time it was the Mormon Governor of a predominantly Mormon state of Utah, this time it is one of the most powerful leaders in the rigidly hierarchical church, Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Oaks said the free exercise of religion is threatened by those who believe it conflicts with "the newly alleged 'civil right' of same-gender couples to enjoy the privileges of marriage."

"Those who seek to change the foundation of marriage should not be allowed to pretend that those who defend the ancient order are trampling on civil rights," Oaks said. "The supporters of Proposition 8 were exercising their constitutional right to defend the institution of marriage ..."

Oaks said that while "aggressive intimidation" connected to Proposition 8 was primarily directed at religious people and symbols, "it was not anti-religious as such." He called the incidents "expressions of outrage against those who disagreed with the gay-rights position and had prevailed in a public contest."

"As such, these incidents of 'violence and intimidation' are not so much anti-religious as anti-democratic," he said. "In their effect they are like well-known and widely condemned voter-intimidation of blacks in the South that produced corrective federal civil-rights legislation."

Wow! Where to begin with refuting these statements when there is so much misinformation and ignorance displayed? Earlier I blogged about the white-hot homophobia and misogyny of the Catholic Church and now comes this insanity from a spokesperson a certifiably racist and misogynistic institution.

Happily, there were responses from two gay people included in the article about Oaks' speech, which the author claims Mormon church officials told them would be a "significant commentary on current threats to religious freedom."

Marc Solomon of Equality California:

"Blacks were lynched and beaten and denied the right to vote by their government," said Marc Solomon, marriage director for Equality California, which spearheaded the No on 8 campaign. "To compare that to criticism of Mormon leaders for encouraging people to give vast amounts of money to take away rights of a small minority group is illogical and deeply offensive."

Fred Karger of Californians Against Hate:

Fred Karger, founder of the gay rights group Californians Against Hate, said Oaks' speech is part of a public relations offensive to "try to turn the tables on what has been a complete disaster for the Mormon church ... They are trying to be the victim here. They're not. They're the perpetrators."

Pretty good responses, but both comments fail to address the key issue that Oaks speech reveals: he fundamentally does not believe in full equality for LGBT people and he either doesn't know or doesn't care to find out about the extent of the persecution of African-Americans in the civil rights era of the 1960s, but he still wishes to overlay his own bigotry with the mantle of civil rights. This from a lawyer who clerked at the United Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren!

Hopefully, more people will follow Fred and Marc's lead and call out Elder Oaks statements for the affront they are to all fair-minded Americans who understand and believe in civil rights for all people.