prop 8 stay 2010 8 12

A car flies the gay pride flag in protest past the Mormon Conference center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The 2008 campaign that successfully got the voter initiative known as Prop 8 passed — thereby overturning a California Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage — not only held huge interest in Utah but, according to campaign disclosures, members of the Latter Day Saints Church — which is headquarted in Salt Lake City — raised approximately $3.8 million to block gay marriage. Utah is a state that you have to fight tooth and nail for them to recognize you as a human being," said Eric Ethington of PrideinUtah.com who organized the march, "Thank goodness in this instance common decency and law triumphed over religious opinion." Ethington called the Proposition 8 a "travesty of justice" and said that Walker's decision left the gay community in Utah feeling both elated and validated as human beings. Bill Duncan, director of the Marriage Law Foundation, based in Lehi city, Utah, said that the Walker decision was a disappointing one, but not entirely surprising. Utah's Republican Senator Orrin Hatch criticized Walker's decision saying "...one federal judge trumped seven million voters by making up a right that is not in the Constitution. Although the gay and lesbian community in Utah has been unable to challenge the amendment, it has managed to obtain protections for gay and lesbian couples in the state. According to Equality Utah, a group that advocates for gay rights, Salt Lake City, Taylorsville and Salt Lake County have all integrated these protections into their policies. Upon hearing that gay marriages in the Golden State could start taking place by the end of next week, Brandie Balken the Executive Director of Equality Utah, said she and her organziation were "thrilled that constitutional freedom has been restored to all residents" of California — vicarious pleasure given the situation in her own state. prop 8 stay 2010 8 12 prop 8 stay 2010 8 12