Thank you for the comment and thank you even more for what you are doing.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/54256114-82/love-parade-group-groups.html.csp

And, a thanks to Sara Long for commenting here.

Though you don’t know me from Adam, I’ll assure you anyway that our movement is totally grassroots, totally sincere, and totally nervous-making because we weren’t sure if there was going to be fallout from our church leaders coming down on us, as happened to Peter Danzig.* There hasn’t been so far, but we’ve only done one specifically Mormons for Marriage Equality march and that was yesterday in DC. Our next is in my city, Portland Oregon, this coming Sunday.

Mormons for Marriage (now with Equality appended for clarity) originated in 2008 in California during the awful Prop 8 ordeal. And though I was in no way involved, and neither were any of my fellows, I’ll say right now I am very sorry for that. We who are involved feel we cannot stay silent any longer and we must speak as Mormons to affirm equality for all citizens. Too many suicides, too much unchecked bullying and treatment of LGBT people as lesser, too much deprivation of civil rights from the minority by the majority.

Marching for marriage equality was my idea – at that time, it was a Washington State thing and Catholics for Marriage Equality WA mentioned us in an article where it also said they’d be marching in Seattle Pride. I said why don’t we march in Seattle Pride? That’ll send a message. It grew from there and now we’ll be in as many cities as we can. Four states have same-sex marriage measures on the ballot this November and we’re marching in three so far. If I can find a parade in Maine and some Mormons to march in it, we’ll cover that state too.

* – We’re “acting in open opposition” and “publicly advocating positions contrary to those of the Church;” however, L. Whitney Clayton of the Seventy said later on that year in the throes of Prop 8 that regarding Mormons for equality, “We love them and bear them no ill will,” and in the linked WaPo article, church spokesman Michael Otterson says the church does not direct members on public policy or how to vote, which must be a new development since 2008.

“. . . comes with an asterisk” is exactly right.

I have an asterisk of my own. I’ll welcome them, but only when they convince me that they truly accept and understand my point of view. For starters.

The church has been on a PR offensive since Prop 8 and I don’t trust this.