Dang Mormons

Although I am not a fan of the Mormon Church, I do not view them much differently than any other. There are many reasons for me dislike this church including their long history of intense discrimination against blacks and the current crusade against gay marriage in California.

But in spite of all of this I like to give credit where credit is due. The Mormon Church recently supported a bill giving gays protection against discrimination in housing and employment. One might interpret this as a tactical move on their part to counter the criticism they received after the California ballot initiative, but I'm skeptical. It seems to me that the bill actually has too much meaning to be just symbolic.

I've stated in the past about how I couldn't possibly trust a Republican on health care, race and gay issues because they've never done anything proactively in those areas. They only throw stones at Democratic attempts to move the ball forward. If they think that current gay legislation goes too far or is somehow flawed, then I want to see them put forward a bill that guarantees the dignity of gay people in what they see as the "right" way. And I don't want to see it as a response to water-down a Democratic initiative. I want to see it originate from them as something they believe in. If they say that they think health care should be affordable for all and that gay people should be able to visit each other in hospitals, then let them do something to show it rather than just say it as they vote "no".

Well, kudos to the Mormon Church because at least they took a step in that direction. Tomorrow something may happen that will change my mind, but at least today I'll take their word at face value.