Gay anchor fired in retaliation
Gay anchor fired in retaliation
Backers Of Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Face Backlash
Since California voters passed a ban on gay marriage, some supporters of the measure have found themselves squarely in the bull’s-eye of angry gay rights activists.
It’s no secret who gave money for and against the controversial amendment to the state’s constitution, known as Proposition 8. California’s secretary of state publicized the lists of contributors, which were picked up by local media and Web sites.
And in the aftermath of a contentious campaign, protests followed. In Los Angeles, would-be patrons of a popular Tex-Mex restaurant were greeted by furious protestors like John Dennison.
“El Coyote — millions in gay margarita money funding hatred,” Dennison yelled during the protest. “Boycott El Coyote!”
The restaurant owner’s daughter, Margie Christofferson, a faithful Mormon, had made a modest $100 contribution to the “Yes on 8″ campaign — and the restaurant’s gay patrons, like Edward Stanley, felt betrayed.
“I won’t be eating here,” Stanley said.
Business dipped about 30 percent at the height of the protest, and it still hasn’t returned to pre-protest levels. Several members of the restaurant’s staff — including many of its gay employees — have seen their hours cut back in response. And Christofferson, who managed the restaurant, has resigned.
Others Feel The Heat
In Sacramento, the owners of Leatherby’s Family Creamery found themselves part of the backlash when The Sacramento Bee printed the list of contributors. Dave Leatherby, a devout Roman Catholic father of 10, says he was responding to a direct request from his bishop to give generously.
“We gave $20,000 for Yes on Proposition 8,” he says.
And once that was known, retaliation was swift. “We soon started getting very nasty e-mails and letters and phone calls by the hundreds,” he says.
Leatherby says he was mystified, because the Creamery had always enjoyed good relations with the gay and lesbian community.
And he says something interesting happened when demonstrators arrived outside his shop: Business went up, instead of down. “The day they picketed us, there were about 15 picketers, and that day we had people waiting two hours to get into our restaurant for four or five hours,” he says.
Not every backlash story ends that way.
Richard Raddon, director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, and Scott Eckern, director of the California Musical Theater in Sacramento, are devout Mormons. Both made contributions to Yes on 8, and both got demands for their resignations from gay rights protestors. They quit so their organizations wouldn’t face further controversy. Ironically, the film festival has been instrumental in introducing works by gay and lesbian filmmakers to a broader audience — and the musical theater included works by gay playwrights and composers.
See Backers Of Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Face Backlash
NPR
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/03/backers-of-ca…
Gay group boycotts Ken Garff dealerships
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
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/02/gay-group-boy…
Gay group boycotts Ken Garff dealerships
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
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/02/gay-group-boy…
