Two things:

If they had called for a boycott focused on specifically Mormon-owned businesses, that would not have looked good.

The state of Utah is pretty much synonymous with Mormonism, as far as outsiders are concerned. (I know that Utah is a little more diverse than that and that quite a few Mormons, both in the state and out, found the campaign objectionable.) But if you asked the general public what they associated with the state of Utah, the majority would mention the LDS.

So boycotting Utah is an easier boycott to implement for people whose political commitments aren't that deep. You can do your winter skiing vacation somewhere else and feel very righteous about it. You don't have to do a whole lot of homework about which specific businesses or individuals donated which amount of money to the anti-marriage campaign.

I don't think it's likely to be effective, and I don't think it's going to solve the problem, and the issue is obviously the Mormon church, which is not synonymous with Utah -- but I don't have a huge issue with it.

All boycotts have some collateral damage. The boycott against South Carolina for the whole confederate flag thing -- that affected lots of people who had nothing to do with slavery or its legacies. The boycott against Disney by the Christian right -- that quite likely affected good Christian people who worked for Disney because of the paycheck, not because of its tolerance of gayness.

All boycotts, to the extent that they're effective, affect people who would probably support the boycott's principles.

I'm not a huge fan of boycotts (in practice, anyway; in theory, I like them a lot). But I understand that they make people feel better, make them feel like they're effecting change in the only immediate way they can. So I'm okay with it.

This may be where Utah has to decide just how separate church and state really are.

This is such a tangle that I'm just going to wait to see what happens. I support peoples' right to free speech, which was certainly exercised by the church, but I sure don't approve of what they've accomplished.

I likewise support any organized boycott. It's at least more civilized than an invasion.

In the longer view, this is the flame of intolerance sparking up just before it's blown out for good. I'm confident my kids and their kids will think this was as wrong headed and weird that I think the fire hoses and "separate but equal" are now.

I support peoples' right to free speech, which was certainly exercised by the church

The problem is that tax-exempt churches actually *don't* have the right to free political speech. They're not supposed to advocate during elections. And the church supposedly directed its members to contribute to the Pro-8 cause. Individuals have the right to free speech, but tax-exempt churches have certain rules to follow.

I think that the FEC and IRS ought to be investigating whether the church overstepped (and from where I sit, it sure as hell looked like they did). An organization with as much property and income as the Mormon church -- can you imagine the taxes they'd be paying if they weren't exempt? They start getting involved in elections on a large scale, like they did for this one, and they won't be exempt for long.

All that Mormon tax money could be used for better things. Like, you know, "teaching gay marriage" in schools.

I'm for it - if the Mormon Church was publicly involved in defeating this Proposition, who are they to bitch and moan when the people whose lives they messed up take action into their hands?

The LDS folks jumped right into this one from another state - don't expect that there won't be a backlash.

I don't think it would be a bad thing to make them non exempt. I'm pretty sure, though, that they have at least one lawyer working for them, and they probably kept themselves in line.

I'd sure as heck wouldn't mind an investigation, but it would serve the persecution complex that it already has in abundance. Better to hit them where they live in this world - economically.

Like I said, there's a whole lot of threads getting tangled up in here, and I want to encourage everyone to get involved. Boycott, investigate, fumigate, whatever it takes to clear the air.

if the mormon church gives up its tax-exempt status, *maybe* i'll consider giving the rest of mormonland utah some of my money and business, otherwise, they can go fuck themselves. hard.

It's not gonna hurt the Church of Latter Day Saints nearly as much as it will hurt people marginally getting by there. Who are probably not members of that church.

So all the damage would be collateral. I would favor a boycott on Mormon-owned businesses, which would also have some collateral damage, but not as much.

I would also take a hard look at the tax exempt status of the LDS. Not likely though.

I think confronting the Mormon Church is really really important. Historically the church does not like attention and criticism from the outside, so let's dish it out, maybe they'll back the fuck up. So the boycott is ay-okay in my book. Lots of boycotts have collateral damage, this one seems as well tailored as any. Would be happy to have it more Mormon-centric but not sure how that would be organized. Maybe cities with Mormon control. This is easier (Utah generically).

To hurt the mormon church financially, we would have to stop eating and elininate farm subsidies.

Fuck them. And I mean that in the best way possible. They spread the hate, they deserve all the hurt they get. Bankrupt the state and salt the (already salty) earth.

Given the impressive length of the religion section of the Utah ACLU's webpage, I'm inclined to think the countless stories I've heard about what a hostile environment it is for a non-Mormon, and how much control the LDS church has over the government, aren't too far from the truth.

I'd cheerfully join in any boycott since I don't go in for that "religious freedom" banner people hide behind when they want to be openly hateful against another group. Too much shitty stuff has been done in the guise of religion.

But, that would mean there was a chance in hell I'd ever go to Utah, and, well, I've got snow here at home, and mine doesn't come in a package deal with fanatical religious bigots.

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