The mormons tipped scale in ban on gay marriage, gave 50% of total Prop 8 budget

The NYT confirms it. The mormons gave half of the total $40m donations that the bigots at Yes on 8 received.

First off, we learn that the mormon involvement in Prop 8 was unusually large, even for them:

“We’ve spoken out on other issues, we’ve spoken out on abortion, we’ve spoken out on those other kinds of things,” said Michael R. Otterson, the managing director of public affairs for the Cult of jesus christ of latter-day saints, as the mormons are formally called, in Salt Lake City. “But we don’t get involved to the degree we did on this.”

The California measure, Proposition 8, was to many Mormons a kind of firewall to be held at all costs.

Then we find out that mormons were 80% to 90% of early volunteers:

Shortly after receiving the invitation from the San Francisco archdiocese, the mormon leadership in Salt Lake City issued a four-paragraph decree to be read to congregations, saying “the formation of families is central to the creator’s plan,” and urging members to become involved with the cause.

“And they sure did,” Mr. Schubert said.

Jeff Flint, another strategist with Protect Marriage, estimated that mormons made up 80 percent to 90 percent of the early volunteers who walked door-to-door in election precincts.

One lead mormon gave $1m:

On Oct. 28, Mr. Ashton, the grandson of the former mormon president David O. McKay, donated $1 million. Mr. Ashton, who made his fortune as co-founder of the WordPerfect Corporation, said he was following his personal beliefs and the direction of the cult....

In the end, Protect Marriage estimates, as much as half of the nearly $40 million raised on behalf of the measure was contributed by Mormons.

And then to finally throw in a slur, the top mormon donor, and son of a former mormon leader, refers to homosexuals as "fruit":

[T]he extent of the protests has taken many mormons by surprise. On Friday, the cult’s leadership took the unusual step of issuing a statement calling for “respect” and “civility” in the aftermath of the vote.

“Attacks on cults and intimidation of people of faith have no place in civil discourse over controversial issues,” the statement said. “People of faith have a democratic right to express their views in the public square without fear of reprisal.”

Mr. Ashton described the protests by same-sex marriage advocates as off-putting. “I think that shows colors,” Mr. Ashton said. “By their fruit, ye shall know them.”