An anti-Prop 8 group on Wednesday announced it has targeted the Salt Lake City-based Ken Garff automotive dealerships in retaliation for $100,000 donated by the CEO’s wife to supporters of a California ballot proposition eliminating same-sex couples’ right to marry.

Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate, said the boycott will use an Internet campaign to ask people to boycott the automotive’s 40 dealerships in Utah, California, Texas and Iowa.

Karger accused CEO Bob Garff of “hiding behind his wife’s skirts” by claiming the $100,000 donation was a personal gesture. At a news conference in Salt Lake City, Karger also said the cash was “a family contribution” that was derived from dealership revenues.

 See Gay group boycotts Ken Garff dealerships
Salt Lake Tribune, United States 

An anti-Prop 8 group on Wednesday announced it has targeted the Salt Lake City-based Ken Garff automotive dealerships in retaliation for $100,000 donated by the CEO’s wife to supporters of a California ballot proposition eliminating same-sex couples’ right to marry.

Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate, said the boycott will use an Internet campaign to ask people to boycott the automotive’s 40 dealerships in Utah, California, Texas and Iowa.

Karger accused CEO Bob Garff of “hiding behind his wife’s skirts” by claiming the $100,000 donation was a personal gesture. At a news conference in Salt Lake City, Karger also said the cash was “a family contribution” that was derived from dealership revenues.

 See Gay group boycotts Ken Garff dealerships
Salt Lake Tribune, United States 

PHOENIX – Weeks after voters approved amending Arizona’s Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, gay-rights activists are looking toward 2010.

A man who champions equality for gays in the United Kingdom has traveled to Arizona to begin a drive for a ballot initiative that would establish civil partnerships, which since 2005 have allowed same-sex couples to legally register their relationships. “We’re not fighting for marriage; we’re fighting for equal rights,” said Gino Meriano, whose UK business, Pink Weddings, arranges commitment ceremonies and provides free legal advice for gay couples wishing to establish civil partnerships.

Steen Lawson, co-founder of Marriage Equality USA’s new Arizona chapter, said civil unions don’t go far enough. His group wants same-sex couples to have the same rights as heterosexual couples who wish to marry.

“Since government uses the word marriage, we must fight for marriage,” Lawson said.

Meriano, Lawson and others are looking for a next step in response to Proposition 102, which Arizona voters approved Nov. 4. Given that the initiative amended Arizona’s Constitution, making a legal challenge difficult, opponents of 102 say any next step likely would be a ballot proposition.

 See After Prop 102, advocates evaluate push for same-sex marriage …
Tucson Citizen – Tucson,AZ,USA