Prop 8 Opponents Boycott Utah

Too much of the post Prop 8 drama has been emotion driven.

One of the most misdirected attempts of vengeance against Prop 8 supporters, is the call to boycott the State of Utah, headquarters of the LDS Church whose members donated millions of dollars to help pass Prop 8 in California last year.

This boycott situation needs to be viewed in perspective, detached from the kind of emotionalism that can disable rational thinking.

There are lots of folks jumping on the boycott bandwagon, but will a boycott of Utah really hurt the LDS Church?

There are approximately twelve million Mormons worldwide, with only about a million of them living in Utah. Most Mormons don't even live in Utah, and believe it or not, Spanish is the most common language in Mormondom, yet the LDS are almost always stereotyped as short-haired, pasty white males wearing the familiar cultic uniform - white shirt and tie. Utah is simply where the LDS Church headquarters resides, while the majority of Mormons live outside of the Beehive State.

It is a big mistake to assume that Utah is an all-Mormon state. There are many areas in Utah where less than half of the population is practicing Mormonism, and not everyone in Utah is in favor of Proposition 8 either. Many Utahans opposed Prop 8, and financially supported the "No On 8" lobby. Yes, out of state money influencing a California election... ironically the same thing the NO on 8 people are angry about.

It also may come as a surprise that Salt Lake City is home to the oldest established gay bar west of the Mississippi River. Sorry SFO, like Brigham said, SLC is the place. The homosexual community thrives there and has been part of Salt Lake society for more than a century. The tour and service industry in Utah, especially in Salt Lake, is among the best, thanks to the professionalism of talented hard workers, and yes, many of them are gay. A boycott of Utah would likely hurt the tour and service industries most because they are dependent on out of state money.

So, who does the boycott really hurt?

A boycott would end up hurting individuals opposed to Prop 8 and wouldn't significantly effect the Mormon Church, their intended target.

A boycott directed at one twelfth of the Mormon Church's population is primarily symbolic. The church won't even notice. "The caravan rolls on."

A boycott of Utah is misdirected and will hurt some of the homosexuals who live behind the Zion Curtain.

Ski Utah!
or
Have a nice boycott!