I have a confession. I really like Mormons. I can't help it, most of them are just really nice people. And if you know the history of the LDS in the United States, you know they have been--historically--some of the most oppressed people in the country. They were fired on by federal troops and basically chased West to territory no one else wanted. They were polygamists (I know, I know, the LDS Church has a strong official stance against polygamy now) and were hated and condemned for their non-mainstream sexuality and "lifestyle choices." This makes me feel they are queer kin, in an odd way.
I am not now and have never been a Mormon myself, but I have had several LDS friends over the years. I always have a big disconnect when confronted by the face-to-face super niceness of Mormon individuals in spite of the institutional nastiness of the official church's positions on thing I care very much about. Imagine my delight at finding the Feminist Mormon Housewives, a group blog by, well, a bunch of feminist Mormon housewives. Lately, they've been on about the election, of course. Most of them were big Obama supporters and they had some dissident things to say about the big LDS push to pass Proposition 8 in California. (As does, Mormons for Marriage, an unrelated, but also terrific site.)
Even if the Mormons have been historically oppressed in the United States, they sure as heck are not the underdogs anymore. In fact, they are a huge, monied, powerful organization with a strong top-down organizational style which yes indeed, contributed mightily to Proposition 8's passing. It's good to know that there are women in this church who are not only thinking, but speaking for themselves in eloquent and intelligent ways rather than toeing a party--or religious--line.
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Hey White Queers, Don't Get All Sarah Palin, Now
Adoption Ban Passes; Fails to Eliminate Queers and their Spawn from the Earth
Separation of Church and State=Same-Sex Marriage
