Will Mormons Fund a Victory for Prop. 8?

November is approaching, and both sides of the battle over gay marriage in California are revving up their donation drives. The coalition fighting against Prop. 8, the anti-gay marriage amendment, includes everyone from gay and lesbian activists such as GLAAD to municipal power providers PG & E to Brad Pitt. And the proponents of Prop 8 include, well, people of a more or less religious persuasion, with Baptists, the Knights of Columbus, and even Mormons stepping up to the anti-nuptual coffers in a big way, with the LDS Church perhaps being the strongest proponents of the Amendment at a grassroots level.

According to one Mormon pro-Prop 8 website, around a third of all individual donations in California are coming from Mormons. And in cities such as Carlsbad, 98% of all pro-Prop money is coming from confirmed LDS donors, despite the fact that they make up only 2% of all Californians.

The state of Utah is stepping up as well--one tally shows small donations exceeding $120,000 from that sparsely-populated state, with indivial contributions from small business owners, Army contractors, and even employees of "Brigham Apartments."