Fuck The Mormons...

Yep, you read that right: Fuck The Mormons.

I really don't care if anybody ever reads my blog again. I've maintained civility for a long time in the face of extraordinary bigotry and I've finally run out of cheeks to turn. If the Mormons had stuck to their word and to the law of the land that separates religion from political matters then Prop 8 would have been dead before it got off the ground.

So congratulations to my twin brother Steve. You won the battle and lost your brother. I hope it was worth it and that your mormon friends are an adequate substitute for the brother who truly loved you and was always willing to set aside your eccentric beliefs so that we could have a relationship.

Oh, and while I'm at it, thanks to all of you black folks who got Barack into office and sent us gay folks to the back of the bus while you were at it. Thanks so very fucking much for the grotesque hypocrisy of rising up from some of the worst racism in the history of humanity and then turning around and voting against your gay brothers and sisters. How dare you. How fucking dare you.

The fucking chickens get to run around on free ranges in California but for CHRIST'S sake let's not let the fags and the dykes marry the people they love. For GOD'S sake, let's not protect their ill-begotten families. Oh no chicken little, don't you worry cause you ain't never gonna be in a cage again. Poor chickens, they finally got their due. Maybe some day the gays will get theirs too.

Fucking hypocrites. Our families are as valuable as yours, even though you think your Jesus is telling you otherwise. You know what I think black christians and mormon christian-wannabees? You don't have a fucking clue what the word Jesus even means anymore. You think Jesus means wearing fancy hats and flowered polyester dresses to church on Sunday or making lots of babies and baptizing dead people. Well, you're wrong.

And you were wrong to take away my civil rights. Fucking hypocrites.

And don't you even dare think of calling me a racist. Don't let that word touch your tongue because Jesus will burn that lying little fucker right out of your mouth if you do. You wanna say something truthful? Go stand in front of the mirror and say bigot real loud lots of times. There's where you're gonna find some truth finally.

Fucking unbelievable - from the people who brought us polygamy and the people who used to hang by their necks from the magnolia trees, comes a modern day bigotry sans pareil. You're shocking, if for no other reason than the enormity of your hypocrisy.

Comments

[Sideon]

Well said.

Gays and lesbians have played nice for far too long.

It's time to call out bigotry, period. If black christians want to hide behind the bible - so be it - but they're hiding behind a document that enslaved them for centuries. I knew the christian god was bullshit as a child. This complete lack of moral courage to ANYONE who voted for Proposition 8 killed any idea of a christian god for me.

Fuck them all, but fuck Mormons the hardest.

[Jim]

What can you expect from people who think that secret handshakes and funny underwear are going to make them gods? But this is only one battle, not the war. Since May, 18,000 same-sex marriages have been contracted legally. Any ammendment would not be retroactive, thereby creating a legal dilemma that is going to have to be adjudicated by the State Supreme Court, if not the US Supreme Court. There are already three legal challenges pending, and, as we all know, there's nothing more vociferous than a riled-up lesbian. The backlash against THE CHURCH(tm) is going to be huge.

[Tom Clark]

I chickened out once and took the post down and then put it back up. This time I'm not chickening out. Fuck that. I'm tired of playing nice with people who just have no desire in their fucking black hearts to play nice back.

I agree 100% with both of you guys, Jim and Don. I'm so angry I'm over the moon with it. I just cannot believe that a single black person in this country would vote to take away someone else's civil rights.

You know what's really pissing me off is that now the blacks are reading rants like mine and screaming racism. Oh no, oh fucking no. You don't get to do that anymore. Not with me. I have dated black, fucked black, loved black, played the piano for black, danced with black, laughed and cried with black, photographd black, worked for black and defended black against the kids who used to knock her down in the hallways at school and call her names.

Oh fucking no. You don't get to fucking call me a racist.I'm pissed off at you for betraying me. You voted in mass (70% apparently) to take away my civil rights and that my dearest black friends, means you no longer get to shout racist at me. Oh no no no no no. You can wipe that fucking word right off of your tongues because I don't accept it anymore.

I have given you, my adored black friends, the best of everything I have in my heart & soul and have honored you my entire life, not having a clue why other people had issues with you. I have even endured you calling me racist simply because my skin is white. I have loved you while acknowledging the differences between us and I have adored you through my camera lenses thousands upon thousands of times.

And this is how you respond?

Nope. You don't getta pull the racist shit with me anymore because I absolutely refuse it. The trust is gone, no more get out of jail free cards.

[Tom Clark]

I know that many are going to interpret my words here as being the rantings of a guy who's a sore loser. So be it. The reality is, I've been dealing with some form of bigotry or another since I moved to the US from Italy in my mid teens. Sometimes I rue the day I ever stepped foot in this country. But that's what happened and I've had to deal with mormon and american prejudices against homosexuality ever since. It really does get tiring being on this end of the bigotry stick.

My stories are not as horrifying as some; I was never subjected to electroshock therapy that was designed to shock the homosexuality out of homos. Those guys are the ones who got hurt the worse. But my stories are more ones of utter humiliation as I kept trying to toe the line and be a good mormon boy.

Ultimately I've come out of mormonism intact. But many don't and many don't make it at all. Mormonism is a poison. So much harm done in the name of Jesus. When will this insanity ever stop.

[Paula D.]

Tom, I don't blame you one bit for being angry. I'm angry too that the moral majority pedaled their fear mongering and people bought into it. It absolutely blows me away that otherwise rational people would actually take away rights from a whole segment of the population on the premise that gay marriage would be taught in schools or what ever fear they want to conjure up.

I hope it gets over thrown in court. It should. It would be the right thing for the Calif. State court to do. Unfortunately, changing the attitudes that allowed Prop 8 to pass will take longer.

[MoHoHawaii]

I'm angry, too.

Churchgoers of all stripes voted heavily in favor of Prop. 8. It's also true that blacks have high rates of church participation. So I'm wondering if we're really seeing the general propensity of churchgoers to vote anti-gay or whether there's something unique about the pattern of the black vote.

Republicans supported Prop 8 at higher rates than blacks.

I'm actually angriest at the LDS Church over this issue. Their involvement was extreme, and their campaign was "untrue, misleading, divisive and destructive." The Church acted with dishonor.

[Tom Clark]

Thanks Paula. To deny rights is one thing but to work so hard to take them away once they've been given and the write that into the constitution? It's not right and the backlash from all of this is only getting started.

You know, at least now we know for sure who the enemy is and we can fight out battles more effectively.

I feel badly for my black friends who are getting lumped into the basket with all of those pious church ladies who voted in favor of discrimination being written into the constitution. A lot of good people are going to get mud thrown on them.

As far as the mormons are concerned though, they can all go to hell. Every last fucking one of them.

[Tom Clark]

As I mentioned on yout blog MoHo, I'm pleased to see that at least some of us are maintaining composure because it's sure not me. I feel an amazing amount of rage inside of me - and it's a good rage because this one isn't poisoning me like some others have over the years. This time I have a feeling of righteous indignation. Hopefully I will find the kind of calmness you're experiencing right now and be able to put all of my feelings and thoughts together and use them for some good purpose.

[MoHoHawaii]

I totally get the anger. My feelings of respect for the LDS Church are at an all time low right now. They brazenly lied during the campaign. All of their statements are on record. It is time for us to hold them accountable for the arguments they gave and the way they conducted their campaign.

[Erica]

Hi Papa Tom,
Just actually packing my stuff - I'm heading downtown to the protest against Prop 8 at temple square with Odum and Dale and Jessica. I'm trying to get a hold of your daughter to see if she wants to go. Know that I'm going down there first for YOU, Odum & Dale - and then for everybody else! I love you! Talk to you soon!
Tata

[Tom Clark]

Hey Ta,
I just talked to Auri and she said she wishes she could be down there with you. I told her to bundle up the kids, throw the Che Guevera t-shirt on Taryn and go protest! She is angry and finally gets what I've been so angry about for so many years. (We're talking about my daughter.)

I've had calls from lots of my straight friends and they're as angry as I am, In fact my buddy Lisa was through the roof. For the first fifteen minutes I couldn't get a word in edgewise. And for those of you who know me you know that's almost an impossibility. She was shouting that the chickens get to run around on free ranges now but the gays can't marry??????

And it escalated from there. For once in my life I'm relieved that I'm not the only one in the room angry.

Thanks for going down to the protest Ta. Wish I could be with you. Wish i could be in LA protesting there. I always seem to be a million miles away from the protests when they happen. How am I ever going to get arrested this way?

There is work to do. This is Stonewall 2008.

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!

[Yarn Hungry Hog]

When I first read this post, I was thinking to myself that you had passionately overreacted and I should not even leave any comment as it might make you even madder.
You see, I didn't know anything about Prop 8 then and so didn't want to look dumb leaving a comment. Now, I have learned alot more about it and about why you were so raged about the Mormon Church.
After much thought figuring out about California's way of thinking, especially SanFran being well-known for accepting gays in its communities, I realized that the passing of Proposition 8 is so uncharacteristic of California.
Now I can understand why. Now I can understand your intense feeling about all this. I still cannot comment so much as knowing all about what's going on in California and such; (since we, in Oregon, have our own problems) I was concentrating more of local issues here. However, I can only comment that I do understand your feelings.
I just hope that the CA court system will find that Prop 8 passing was done illegally and throw it all out and never ever bring it up again.
Take care Tom.

[Tom Clark]

Hi Yarn Hungry...
Thanks for weighing in. I too thought I'd overreacted at first. And then I knew in my heart that my response to all of this was real and it was honest. This is what I'm feeling - and though my feelings will probably temper over time, this is what I'm feeling right now.

I've been guilty most of the time of not laying it out the way I'm feeling it. I keep editing myself down so that people won't take offense. This time I chose not to edit. The warrior is awake.

[rebecca]

I actually had someone tell me (today) that my disrespect and anger over her opinions made her MORE opposed to gay marriage. So I told her to fuck herself. *sigh* No I didn't. I wish. I apologized for being rude, BUT - I told her that I did not apologize for not respecting her, because respect has to be earned, and those that oppose equality are automatically starting off in the negatives. And then I told her that if she was going to be more opposed to gay marriage because I'm angry that rights are being violated, rather than actually looking at the merits of the arguments, then that says more about her than it does about me. And then I told her to fuck herself. No I didn't. Dammit.

You are so not overreacting.

In case you're interested, here's the link to a petition for the IRS to review the tax exempt status of the Mormon church, based on the scope of their political involvement. I don't know if it has any merit, but I figured it can't hurt so I'm passing it along:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/review-the-501c3-status-of-the-church-of-latter-day-saints-the-mormons

[Tom Clark]

Hi Rebecca,
Nice to hear from you. It's taken an act of sheer willpower to keep this post up but I feel like I've got to stop chickening out when it comes to saying how I feel. I know how tough it is to actually say fuck you to people - I don't say it very often in seriousness. But sometimes you just have to say it Rebecca - so warrior on and one of these times just say it.

The mormons aren't wrong (arguably) for their attitudes and beliefs. They're wrong for getting involved in a political matter when they're a tax-exempt organization.

[Odum]

Tom we agree with u. We are tired of the bigotry! It is time for it to stop! The Mormons can have there beliefs they can choose not to accept gay marriage(freedom of religion). However they have NO right to force there doctrine on me, or on the government! We have Obama and I think that is a big step to equality, Dale and I was at the protest on friday night. It was an amazing feeling to stand up for what u believe. We will have gay marriage in my lifetime.
I hope all is well with u.

[JoeInVegas]

There are some Mormons in California, but I thought it was the full backing of the Catholics that really pushed enough votes over. Those first time Hispanic voters for a black that agreed with their priest and just stone those gays.
It's still wrong. And other states passed laws even outlawing civil unions for gays? Too much of something going around.

[rebecca]

Agreed - they are free to believe whatever they want. They just shouldn't force it on everyone else, which is why I think it's a good idea for their tax exempt status to be looked at (an action that, for the record, I supported YEARS before I ever thought of leaving the church, based on their previous political entanglements).

Maybe it would make them think twice before trying to legislate based on their personal religious beliefs.

[Tom Clark]

Odum, Joe, Rebecca, all of you guys...
Thanks for weighing in and digging through the fuck bombs long enough to understand what I was trying to say. Emotions are running high, as they should be, and the eventual outcome will be one of social transformation.

You know how you can sometimes tease a cat and they swipe at you and pretend chew on you and then all of a sudden something kicks in and they bite! That's what I'm talking about here. The mormons have prodded and beaten and abused the gays amongst them for a long time (it didn't used to be so) and finally the cat struck back and bit. And I don't think the biting is over - if anything it's just getting started as people are getting wound up.

What a terrible miscalculation the mormons made this time. They just totally thought they could get away with this same shit they've pulled before. But it stands to reason that the old farts running the mormon church would be so out of touch with reality that they would have no way of knowing how powerful the internet has become.

Fuck 'em. No more Mr. Nice Gay

[rebecca]

When I first heard about the stats on prop 8 and black voters, I felt much the same as you. But a friend of mine posted this article on facebook, and it gives another perspective, which seems more in-keeping with at least the people I know. I thought you might be interested:

http://socialistworker.org/2008/11/11/myth-of-the-black-gay-divide