Adventures in Entrepreneurship with Jeremy Hanks

I have no idea what Proposition 8 read, being that I don't live in California and had only a passing interest in it. But I did vote against Utah's proposed amendment to ban gay marriage.

I'm with you. I'm Mormon, and might have been against prop. 8 if I knew it's full text. Despite that, as an American (not as a Mormon), I completely support the Mormon Church's right to support its passing. Especially considering their history with the American government forcing and leaning on the church to constantly change their beliefs and doctrine because a few people don't like it. The Church leans back and it's suddenly this big, horrible, hateful thing?

Mormons make up about 2 percent of California's population. It'd be more appropriate to boycott California.

Couldn't agree more. The only thing worse than hateful action is misguided hateful action and the Prop 8 aftermath seems to have it in spades. As I recently twittered its like boycotting Wisconsin because you've got a beef with cheese. Or disavowing music because you take issue with American Idol.

I recall working for a Colorado-based nonprofit in the early 1990s. One of our Board members--who, like so many of our Board members, lived out of state--refused to attend Board or committee meetings held inside the state (because of Colorado's recent passage of Amendment 2, an anti-gay rights measure that put an end to legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation).

While I personally agreed with this Board member, I wish she could have seen the chaos her decision caused at our national office the first time this issue surfaced. A very important and pressing meeting had to be rescheduled and relocated, which caused existing business relations (with local hotels and vendors) to weaken. Unforeseen travel expenses (from airline tickets and ground transportation costs to cart staff and equipment to and from airports, to expensive last minute hotel accommodations, etc.) nearly broke our bank for the year in question.

I agree with you, Jeremy; don't toss the baby out with the bath water... punishing the state of Utah and the many wonderful recreational-based businesses (or other businesses that happen to be based there) just because you do not agree with the Church's stance on something that happened in another state is misguided.

More thoughts:

1. If people do not like the law that allows out-of-state monies to pour in-state during election and proposition season, then move to change the laws (a change, mind you, that I would wholeheartedly support).

2. Last time I checked, there were 1.7 Millions LDS-affiliated citizens in Utah, and none of them voted in California.

3. Also the last time I checked, there were 700,000+ LDS members living in California... like you said, Jeremy, protest in front of their churches because these 700,000 or so folks are the only LDS members who could have voted in the recent California election.

4. An overwhelming percentage -- some say as high as 70% -- of black voters in California voted in favor of Proposition 8 (according to exit polling conducted by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International). Are protesters supporting a ban on black-owned businesses in California and elsewhere as result of the vote? Not in so far as I can tell.

Point being, the LDS Church is a convenient target -- in part because of its own actions, and in part because of people's ignorance and willingness to gross generalize.

In 30 years or so (or sooner, I would hope) we would look back on the California measure and pontificate about how foolish the majority of voters were, just as those who protest against Utah are today.

Equal rights for all!