Gay-marriage debate roils, unites Mormons
Fallout over California vote
This has been a stormy year for Mormons in the United States. First, there was the candidacy of Mitt Romney for president, which brought to the surface a deep strain of anti-Mormonism in American culture. Then, there was the raid on a group of schismatic polygamists in Texas, which reminded America of Mormonism's uncomfortable history. And now, there is a wave of protest, rolling across the country from west to east, in which some gay rights advocates have targeted Mormons because of their church's support for a successful California referendum to overturn same-sex marriage.
Ironically, the protests appear to be helping repair a rift within Mormonism caused by the election. The church's outspoken support for Proposition 8 exposed an unusual level of disagreement in the ordinarily harmonious Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as the Internet facilitated grass-roots organizing by the minority of Mormons who support same-sex marriage. But a smattering of anti-Mormon acts since Election Day - the burning of a Book of Mormon, a mailing of packets of white powder to Mormon sites, and some anti-Mormon invective expressed on signs and in sloganeering - has helped rally a denomination with a long history of persecution.
"I would not have voted in support of Prop. 8, but it does grieve me to see anybody being called bigoted for voting in an election and expressing their viewpoints," said Julie Berry, 34, of Maynard. "I support the right to protest, but vandalism and damage to church buildings - that hurts . . . and I wish we could see a little more defense of Mormons' right to exist as citizens and vote how they wish to vote. I'm sad to think that some of the social and political good will we've gained in the last 15 years may be set back."
Mormons in Massachusetts say they feel simultaneously distant from and connected to the goings-on in California. Some say the Mormon community here is more politically diverse than the church nationwide, influenced by the state's overwhelming liberalism and by the fact that same-sex marriage has been legal for five years. But Mormonism is a tight-knit faith group with extraordinary communication among members, and many are monitoring the backlash closely.
"It's been heartbreaking," said Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a history professor at Harvard University. "A lot of people have felt really torn, because they were upset that the church had taken the role that it did, but then it does seem like Mormons were an easy target because people don't like us anyway."
Scholars and church members say this is an extraordinarily complicated moment for Mormonism in the United States and, in this history-minded faith, many are reaching to the 1970s, to the church's role as a vocal opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment, for comparison.
"Church leaders are more than surprised - they are flabbergasted by the extent of this," said Philip L. Barlow, a religious studies professor at Utah State University. "With Romney, followed by the fundamentalist Texas thing, and now Prop. 8, there's a real constellation of consternation."
Several websites have been created by Mormons supporting same-sex marriage, and some Mormons have resigned from the church over its advocacy on this issue. Among them are several people from Massachusetts, like 37-year-old Ray Jones of Arlington, who had been inactive in the church since he left Utah at age 20, but who formally asked the church to remove his name from its rolls because of its support of Proposition 8.
"This is an attack on people that are in love with one another that are trying to build a life together, and if that's not something worth speaking out about, I don't know what is," Jones said. Adam Garriga, 32, of Boston also resigned after years as an inactive Mormon; Garriga is gay, and said, "For me this was the final straw. I would love to get married, and I'm happy that I live in a state where I'm able to do that, but it's easy for me to put myself in someone's shoes in California."
Doe Daughtrey, who teaches religious studies at Arizona State University, said that the emergence of Mormons opposed to Proposition 8 marks "the most concentrated example of Mormon dissent in the last 20 years."
But some Mormon officials have questioned the scope of internal disagreement.
"All the reports we have received indicate that the vast majority of members solidly support the church position," said church spokesman Michael Otterson. "A few may not, and that's their choice. But you could never describe it as a movement. You can only describe it as a ripple."
Otterson said the protests as counterproductive. "If gay activists want serious discussion, they have to reach out to religious people, and right now all they're doing is alienating them. Nobody likes to see protesters, their buildings vandalized, their members intimidated or forced from their jobs," he said. "But there's no sense of second thoughts on the part of church members. We can't take any other position and be consistent with our deeply held beliefs."
The concept of family is at the heart of Mormon theology and culture, and Mormon images of family are highly gendered, with a heavy emphasis on children.
"The importance of marriage to the LDS church can not be overstated," said Melissa Proctor, a visiting instructor at the College of the Holy Cross.
Top Mormon leaders in June urged their California members to "do all you can" to support Proposition 8, and individual Mormons contributed millions of dollars and significant volunteer hours. The measure, which was also supported by Catholic, evangelical, and other conservative religious denominations, was approved by 52 percent of California voters, and is now being challenged in the California courts.
By contrast, in Massachusetts five years ago, Mormon officials did not ask church members to get involved in the fight against same-sex marriage, although it is not clear what would have happened if the issue had appeared on the ballot.
"The church was not involved in Massachusetts," said Grant Bennett, a longtime leader in the church's Cambridge stake and, like most local Mormons interviewed, an opponent of same-sex marriage. "The local church leadership did not elect to take any action, and there was absolutely no instruction from Salt Lake City directly to church members or to the leadership."
Local Mormons, even those who oppose same-sex marriage, say they see diversity of opinion on the subject here. But many say they are frustrated about the reaction to their faith's role in the California election.
"This has seemed like a natural step of escalation from the Romney campaign, when I think it became OK to dis Mormons and make pretty blanket statements," said Jennifer Thomas, 40, of Belmont. "You're either a nitwit bigot, or you're for gay marriage - no one has left people of faith an alternative place to stand - and if you reduce people to bigots, you give yourself license to treat them vilely."
Michael Paulson blogs about religion at www.boston.com/religion and can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com. 