El Coyote Boycott? Mormon Manager’s Faith Overrides “Love” For CustomersBy: Lisa Derrick Thursday November 13, 2008 1:40 am |
Despite the staff delivering chips, salsa and drinks to the waiting guests, tensions were high when Arnaldo Archila, a long time manager and bartender, spoke about Ms. Christofferson and her views:
We don’t share her views as the management. They don’t press us to do anything that we don’t want to do, and we never talk about politics or religion. I don’t understand why we got connected to something going on at the top.
Well, El Coyote is involved because 10% of what Marjorie makes from El Coyote goes to the Mormon Church as required tithe, and that $100 she gave to Yes on 8 was in part money paid by gay clientele--and her income was used to strip their rights.
Then Marjorie herself spoke, shaking and barely able to stand, literally supported by her daughters who helped hold her upright as she read from a prepared statement. And it was sickening and saddening to see how her faith had leveraged her salvation and forced her to disconnect her love for her customers, and allowed her, despite that professed love, to deny them a civil right:
I am sick at heart that I have offended anyone in the gay community...you are treasured to me...I’ve been a member of the Mormon Church all my life and I responded to their request. This was a personal donation, not the El Coyote's. In like fashion, any employee can support anything of its choosing...The restaurant does not support any political group...I don't know of another place on earth where such diversity exists in harmony, joy and mutual respect. I know boycotts are planned...It saddens me that my faith will keep you away from the Coyote. I cannot and I will not, no matter what, change my love and respect for you and your views.
Marjorie took only one question, asked by Sam Page, an ex-Mormon: Would she personally make an equal donation to the campaigns to repeal Proposition 8? Before Marjorie could answer, manager Billy Scheoppner announced that El Coyote would make two $5,000 contributions, one to the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and other to the Lambda Legal Defense Fund. Schoeppner, who is openly gay, asked for suggestions to avert a boycott.
Page persevered, asking his question again, and Marjorie replied:
I cannot change a lifetime of faith.
Then one of her daughters added:
It's her personal choice...she loves you guys and she loves this place...The church does not tell you how to vote, they did not say you must vote on Prop 8. They supported and donated to the Yes on 8 situation, campaign...You are not told ever how to vote--very, very rarely.
And then it got really rough when an activist shouted:
Your are not my friend. Friends don't take away the civil rights of other friends and blame it on their church.
4 comments:
Wow, so anyone who doesn't agree with your opinion is a bigot?
They couldn't possibly have a well-thought out opinion that simply differs from yours?
I hesitate to call it arrogance, but it certainly appears arrogant for anyone to try to "teach" civil rights to the African-American community. Arrogant, bordering on racist.
Gays are able to sit anywhere on a bus they please, work anywhere they please, live out their sexuality without recrimination, and so on. There are no separate drinking fountains, no lynchings.
I am no representative of the liberal illuminati, simply someone who is appalled that the experience of racial minorities in the United States is taken so lightly by a group of people who wish to use the same terminology for their own ends.
Name-calling is the last thing that will lend credence to a cause.
Reagan:
IF anyone should have appreciated the unfairness in denying gays the right to marry the one they love, it is THE BLACK COMMUNITY...instead of doing the right thing, they continued to embrace their own homophobic bigotry that they conveniently WRAP in sanctimonious religious pontifications about God Ordaining marriage as only between a man and a woman.
Both the Black Community and the Mormons NEED TO OWN THEIR SHIT, and the fact that you are offended by this psot speaks VOLUMES...sorry, but there is no justification for denying ANYONE their civil rights, which are determined by law, not by LAW. The religious right really needs to stop trying to LEGISLATE their version of morality onto the rest of America...even God gives we humans FREEDOM OF CHOICE, in who we marry, and in deciding to have an abortion, or not.
Mr.Penstinger.I have read your entire page.I must say I agree with you on nearly every point.you would have my vote if you care to run for any office. However; On the civil rights of gays we differ slighty. What people do in the privacy of their homes is certainly their own business. And none should be discriminated against because of sexual orientation. But when I hear such terms as (Gay Rights) this has me a little concerned. What we call (Human Rights)should be all encompassing, not divided into subgroups. It occurs to me that gays are after special rights under that pretext and have gained considerable clout in the economic and political arena,threatening boycotts,damaging property,and even threatening peoples lives to achieve their agenda. Anyone in the public spotlight is scared to death to say anything derogatory of the gay community for fear of such a backlash despite thier personal views. Children as young as 6 years of age will be taught in school about alternate life styles in the name of tolerance. Parents objecting to this practice are labeled (Homophobic)and counsilling is prescribed.I forsee a day when DCF will be enabled to remove children from such homes. Will there be a subgroup for (parents rights)Will we have the right to think as we please in the future? Can we not raise our children as we see fit ?Futhermore; you must admit the laws concerning hate crimes and discrimination are getting way out of hand. Crime is crime but we have yet another subgroup. This seems to be yet an additional appeasement in lieu of reparations since it seems to apply solely whites. These days the mere accusation of racism is a career ender. surely hate crimes against gays will be spotlighted moreso in the future. Were we to create the subgroup (Traditional Marriage) The backlash would be enormous! We are of a like mind that the country is going down the toilet..Nothing short of revolution or extraterrestrial intervention can save us now. I enjoyed reading your column on my Chinese computer,now I'm off to watch the news on my Japanese Tv.Perhaps you can post all of companies who sell American made products..They are becoming increasingly difficult to find..Keep up the good fight...Regards...Larry
Sorry I forgot to sign in for this last comment...Larry
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