John Aravosis is a blogger and gay rights activist who's running the campaign to boycott Utah and Mormon businesses. He writes for Americablog.

This is in response to the Mormons who dumped millions into Proposition 8, which just revoked the marriages of nearly 20,000 gay newlyweds in California, instantly making their children bastards. I think the Mormons, and Utah more generally, have created a massive public relations disaster for themselves.

This is not the first time the Mormons went beyond their borders to promote hate and intolerance of gays and lesbians - it's been happening for years. Enough is enough.. It's time to stop funding those businesses and individuals who promote hate. (...) We could use a little research help. It's been said that as many as 4 out of 5 dollars donated to the anti-gay Prop 8 forces came from Mormons, especially those in Utah. (...)

[For example] Our friend Brent Andrus, who is a lead donor to Prop 8 [he donated $20,000], in fact runs a series of hotels, including (big surprise here), Courtyard Marriott, Fairfield Inn Marriott, Residence Inn Marriott, and Spring Hill Suites Marriott. Never, ever stay at a Marriott again."

Armand Mauss is a Mormon sociologist from Salt Lake City who now lives in California. He supported Proposition 8. (We also spoke to a Mormon who opposed the LDS Church's involvement in Proposition 8, but he refused to have his comment published for fear of excommunication). Armand sent us his comment by email:

As one interest group among many, the LDS Church has simply exercised its right to contend for its vision of "the best interests of the state" in this matter. (...)

Some, but not all, of the LDS Church's interests in this matter are religious, but that does not disqualify the Church from participating, as one interest group among many, in the political process, any more than a labour union's special economic interests would be disqualifying. In other words, there is no "church vs. state" issue. The American tradition of church-state separation has never meant that religious beliefs or interests have no right to be expressed in political behaviour. (...)

We sympathize with the disappointments felt this time by the opponents of Prop. 8, but the Church is not responsible for those disappointments, and they do not justify the hostility and bigotry against the Church that we have seen in the wake of this election.

The 18,000 gay couples married after the narrow ruling of the California Supreme Court against Prop. 22 are the main victims in this election outcome, and we truly commiserate with the frustration that they must feel. However, they are not victims of Prop. 8 (or of the LDS Church) but of an ill-advised action by the Court action by the Court, which had been strenuously petitioned by the Prop. 8 campaign to delay implementation of its 4-3 decision until after the November election. Had the Court agreed to that delay, we would not now have 18,000 couples in a sort of marital limbo."