Broke.
A
fitting coda to my
last post noting tough times for bigots:
Foes of same-sex marriage are laboring to pay the tab for an epic legal case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, as the movement suffers from fundraising shortfalls that could sap its strength in future battles.
In short, donors have either evolved along with public opinion, or they're too afraid to be overtly associated with hate and bigotry, like the Mormon Church:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was one of the most visible Prop 8 supporters. The Prop 8 campaign garnered over 1,000 donations from the Mormon-dominated state of Utah, and the initiative passed by nearly five percentage points.
But the image-conscious Mormon church came under fierce attack from gay rights supporters nationwide. Now, Mormon leaders speak about the need to respect all individuals and established a website, www.mormonsandgays.org, to help gays stay in the church.
Mormon fundraising to oppose gay marriage has plummeted. In Washington state, for example, gay marriage opponents netted just four donations from Utah, for $197.50. Utahns donated $2.7 million to back California's Prop 8 four years earlier.
It's a dramatic shift, no doubt. And even if the Supreme Court kicks marriage equality back down to the states, the haters will be hard pressed to finance their continued efforts to keep their bigotry enshrined law.