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Timeshare, proposition 8 and threats
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Proposition 8, amending the California constitution to make same sex marriage illegal, passed on Election Day.
The money poured in to advertising from both sides made it one of the most expensive proposition campaigns ever run in the United States.
Many feel the ads run by the Yes on 8 side were deceptive, inflammatory and designed to create red herring issues, while at the same time assigning an entire class of citizens second class status.
Much of the money on for the Yes on 8 side came from the Mormon church. Many are very resentful of actions they consider meddlesome – angry enough to boycott all things associated with the Mormons.
One of the most visible targets is the state of Utah, where travel is said to be an annual $6Billion dollar industry.
Including internationally known ski havens like Snowbird and Park City, Utah is home to more than two dozen timeshare resorts. Developers with resorts in Utah include Marriott, Worldmark and Westgate, along with a number of others.
Is it fair to punish companies that may have had nothing to do with the measure, one way or the other, simply for doing business in the region ? Or is it a matter of guilt by association? Mind you, I have no vested interest in the issue. Except a strong sense that it is wrong to assign some of our neighbors to second-class status.
Those favoring Proposition 8 said their goal is to protect marriage. Their website is www.protectmarriage.com.
I asked, and not one of their spokesmen could tell me in what way the marriage of my friends Cathy and Marie was in any way a threat to my 20-year marriage to the lovely Rhodora.
Maybe targeting a state where almost two of every three people are members of the LDS Church is the way to go.
After all, it is said, the gay community spends a ton of money on travel.
And Park City is also home to the respected Sundance Film Festival.
A boycott may just be an effective way to send the message. If voting at the ballot box wasn’t effective, vote with your pocket book.
On the other hand, if you think writing legal discrimination into another state’s constitution is the right thing to do, perhaps you want to show your support by going out of your way to support a bastion of family values. Even if those values, historically, have included families with many, many wives. Some of them older than teenagers.
Kettle-pot, pot-kettle.
