UCLA Students Take Over Building in Protest of Fee Increase Vote
Jason Segel Sings His Phone Number at the Swell Season Last Night
BART Cop Murder Trial to Move to Downtown L.A., Lawyer Predicts More L.A. Riots
-thumb-110x110-459458.jpg)
Bouchon Amuses Our Bouches
John Kerry's Daughter Arrested in Hollywood for DUI
Apparently the well intentioned free lunch to discuss El Coyote manager Marjorie Chrisoffersen's $100 donation to pass Prop 8, ultimately eliminating gay marriage in California, did not go one bit well.
"A floor manager stood in the middle of the back room where the community conference and stated that 'El Coyote DOES NOT share the same views as Marjorie.' He stated that 89 families were going to be affected by this boycott and one of the community members screamed out '18,000 families already HAVE been affected!'," Micah at the blog Shut I Know wrote. Then:
While the floor manager continued talking, it became more obvious that what this community conference was about, was distancing Marjorie from El Coyote itself.Marjorie walked out with (her two daughters?) on arm and spoke visibly shaken and full of remorse from a prepared statement. This prepared statement was IDENTICAL to the email she send out and that is posted in the comments of the previous posting...which REALLY didn't make people happy.
At all.
[snip]
A gentleman by the same of Sam, who said he was an ex-member of the Mormon Church, asked if she was willing to donate to NO on 8.
She started crying.
A representative of the restaurant stepped in and stated that El Coyote was going to donate to Lambda Legal and the Gay and Lesbian Center and Sam said, I asked HER what SHE was going to do.
Marjorie said: "I will not."
That's when it went "went insane."
Japhy Grant, Edtior at Queerty said it best about today's situation: "Say what you will (and I know you will), but there are no winners here."
A protest planned for outside El Coyote will happen tomorrow evening.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Oh shit. Poor El Coyote. C'mon people...she's just obviously confused about everything probably because of her faith. Can't we be a little bit nicer in helping her see the error's in her ways? Why are we attacking her? She started crying?! Jesus. Lets just let her understand she was wrong for godsakes and forgive her and move on for fuck sake.
Well she apparently doesn't want to be nice to the gays, so I don't see why the gays should be nice to her.
Maybe the gays should be nice to her in order to prove they're better people?
There's no reason to descend to mob-like tactics. May the best man (men... and women) win in this situation.
Don't give prop 8 supporters a reason to justify their vote.
Cant we all get together and settle these differences over a pint? So she donated $100 and I wish she had also donated 100 for the rival team too but that didn't happen. In the end I like this place, and I am not going to boycott it just because one employee made a $100 donation to the Yes on 8 group. It was her choice. She should have donated it for herself and not linked it to her place of work. That way the backlash would not be on the restaurant but rather on her. In any case we should be going after the larger donors.
In the end its not the restaurants fault and they should not lose business over their managers personal decision. We should be targeting the 'larger' donors, especially if they are corporate donors.
There's no reason to hurt their business. Except for the fact that I happend to perfer El Compadre. I voted no on 8. But they can't attack everyone who voted yes. This is getting ugly.
Just to be sure I'm getting the details right, this woman works for El Coyote, but made a donation of her personal funds to the Yes on 8 campaign, correct?
If this is the case, then I frankly don't see how boycotting El Coyote is either appropriate or effective, because she is not the business' owner, her stance on the issue not representative of the business' (at least not in the sense that it has not declared an official stance on the issue, nor is any business expected to), and therefore, aside from it possibly being funds she earned as an employee there, it is ostensibly her own money and not El Coyote's that went to the Yes campaign. She has every right to give her money as she sees fit.
Where I think she went wrong is in continuing to associate her choice with the business, i.e. using the restaurant as a location to "talk about" her donation. That is inappropriate and unprofessional. I would also say that her character is in question--not because she donated to Yes on 8, because that is her right--but because she publicly stated that she did what her church asked her to do. This makes her look foolish and reinforces the belief that her church (the LDS) abused their influence when it came to soliciting donations for a political campaign.
In the comments on the other thread about this topic, things quickly disintegrated into a pissing match and an othering/name calling scenario ("you gays" or "you evil Mormons" or "i did this but i should have done that.") None of this helps take us to a productive place of dialogue on the issue, nor does it help carefully extrapolate the religious from the political, which is admittedly a centuries' old battle. saying things like "good, now since you gays won't be hanging around El Coyote I can safely bring my white, straight, religious family" is absurd, because, seriously, what the hell goes on at El Coyote except people eating and drinking? The last time I went I didn't see any homosexual indoctrination seminars or people having sex in the booths taking place. That kind of attitude is what allowed Yes on 8 to succeed, because it's based on hate, discrimination, and fear.
If people wish to boycott El Coyote, I think that is their absolute right. (Shitty food might be a better reason, but, hey, we all have a right to do with our money what we wish--as does their manager!). I believe in personal boycotts myself, when I disagree with where business owners invest profits or donate in the name of the company, like Domino's and Operation Rescue, and so on. I just don't give them my money.
She was not simply an employee, but also a member of the family that actually owns the restaurant.
I don't see why anyone should feel sorry for her. This is a business that gays have frequented, and its unfortunate that the profits from it were used to strip them of their right to marry. Her attitude reveals the extent of the problem gays face. You can't claim to support and be loving of the gay community, and then give money to strip them of their rights. Religious beliefs are no defense; those are great in personal life, but once you force them on others via the initiative process you become open to criticism.
I think it is insulting to suggest this could be solved "over a pint." People actively campaigned, and used lies and fear, to strip other people of rights. People have every right to be upset, and should organize boycotts to send a message to those that did this to them.
This is completely ridiculous. A business cannot be expected to stand accountable for the PERSONAL beliefs of ONE employee, who has unfortunately been dragged into this overblown sideshow drama. In America, people are free to exercise free speech by supporting/ donating PERSONAL monies to causes as they see fit. This is NOT the way to create healthy change... at all. This is going way off track, and the gay-lesbian community is not winning over any hispanics or african americans with this accusatory, win-at-all costs tone. Didn't we learn anything from the conservative right!? Good grief!
Wow, love that open minded acceptance of different beliefs and religious freedom.
I'm a neutral in the sense that I'm not gay, and I've never been to El Coyote.
Frankly, these people come off to me as blithe and disingenuous. "El Coyote does not share the same views as Marjorie." Really? That's your apology? Give me a break.
This woman wants to restrict the rights of gays, but she doesn't want the gays to hate her for it. If some gays are OK with that and are strong enough to go the Gandhi route, good for them. But I'm not going to chastise people for being incensed by her arrogance.
No empathy from me.
This is over only $100? I mean I know it's about the principal but it's not like she donated $10,000.
$1.00 of hate money is just as powerful as $10,000.00.
Well, somnicide, people like her restricted MY religious freedom by voting for prop 8. The god I was raised to believe in teaches love and acceptance. Not to mention the churches that actually DO accept and perform gay marriages.
Sorry, I won't defend a person's rights when they're trying to take away someone else's.
F*ck!!! gay people areally GAY... Prop 8 already passed! STOP protesting and take it to court! call off the Persuit of happiness(United States Declaration of Independence) Crying over $100... are you serious? "NO on prop 8" collected more than the other guys and had more commercials on TV.
I don't care if gay people get marry or not... I can't wait for Divorce Court gay edition =) J/K
good comment @Tom Andrews
their food is gross anyway
if gay people have to pay taxes they should be able to get married
Awesome awesome awesome. Lets isolate and instill with fear those who are visibly confused about this. Let there be no room to come into the fold. Either in or out. With us or against us... Fucking reactionary idiots, we'll never turn things around this way.
reverse witch hunt.
let me explain something to all the numbskulls who keep accusing prop 8 opponents of being mean and intolerant and so forth, and I'll try to use small words so you won't get confused:
* I own a business that makes a lot of money from people who like green couches
* I on the other hand secretly think green couches are evil and kind of gross. and people who sit in them are hellbound.
* But I'm perfectly happy to take this money and pretend I'm their friend because, you know, as long as I don't have to think about their icky, disgusting couches, I'm cool.
* I could simply keep my goddamned pie hole shut and stay out of politics. Or, I could limit my political participation to simply voting. Which, as we all know, is secret ballot anyway.
* But instead I donate 100 bucks to the drive to make green couches illegal, and penalize people who like to sit in green couches.Oh, and instead of making an anonymous donation, I use my name presumably because it's a tax write off when you do so. Instantly, my name is in the public record.
* Suddenly, my green couch sitting patrons are fracking pissed the hell off.
* So instead of acknowledging my views and choices to them, like a goddamned grownup, and accepting that I'm going to lose their business and endure some bad PR, or, Instead of apologizing sincerely and trying to make it up to them, I split the difference between the two and act like the world's biggest whiny little baby. Which consists mostly of A) blaming it on my church, B) claiming I love my faith and won't apologize for it!, C) but insisting that I was doing my church's bidding, D) using the jobs of my employees as a human shield, and E) crying like a little whiny baby.
Sure it's only 100 bucks. But that doesn't mean the owner isn't acting like a pathetic little crybaby. She's a grownup. She knows what the deal is and she made a choice. But now she wants to have it both ways.
Fuck her and her restaurant's shitty food. Maybe next time she'll figure out that heading into a recession might not be the best time to piss off your patrons.
THANK you, Ross. Brilliant example.
-b
I'll boycott El Coyote, I never liked that place to begin with. I don't care if she gave a dollar or ten thousand dollars, they won't get any of my money. I'm going to make an effort to try and watch what kind of companies are going to be getting my money. My only problem with the whole kerfuffle is, do we really need an actual protest at El Coyote? Aren't there bigger places, more important places to be protesting at?
their service sucks too.
the end.
I'm surprised that everyone thought that legalizing gay marriage was going to be a cakewalk. It sounds like the gay community is trying to make up for lost time. Where was everyone before the vote? Now it's turned into a blame game which will do nothing but divide us further. I voted no on 8, i am not gay, nor am I religious, but this should be a peaceful and embracing movement. Everyone is angry over something that was poorly fought in the first place. Keep fighting but get beyond someone's personal beliefs. She's obviously not right and history tends to favor the ones being discriminated against.
Marriage is a religious term that has been unfortunately ingrained with all levels and verbage of government. Let's amend constitutions to eliminate the exclusive rights of the 'married', recognize ALL contracts between life partners as 'civil unions' (incl. man-woman), and give the rights of the married to all. If you want to get married, and your church doesn't want to marry you, take it up with the church. This cultural change was incorrectly orchestrated on Day One. Seperation of Church and State. It's how its done in most of Europe.
Ross' comment @ 19 is exactly the type of over-stated hyperbole that is quickly elevating the tone of this campaign from helpful discussion to divisive mud-slinging. Accusatory speculation is no good.
Interesting things going on at El Coyote's Yelp page:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-coyote-mexican-cafe-los-angeles.
This isn't about personal beliefs. The is about human rights. Marjorie can believe whatever she wants and no one is arguing otherwise. The fact that she believes that gays are immoral just makes her a hypocrite for making her living off of them. The difference is that as an owner of this restaurant, she not only made public her beliefs but she participated in taking away the right for gays to marry. It is absolutely appropriate that gays boycott this restaurant.
Photo la,
Can you pinpoint a moment in history where fighting for human rights did not involve violence or at the very least heated words?
@ comment 25....
The Yelp page business is really unfortunate. This has all kinds of ironic parallels to blacklisting and McCarthyism - and that's a really BAD thing, opponents of Prop 8. Take a step back, and re-evaluate.
jackjood, I think I accurately described the situation. Yes, I used what is commonly known as "metaphor", but I don't think I actually exaggerated at all.
Can you identify what, precisely, you believe to be hyperbolic?
Also, "Marriage" isn't a religious word. It is a societal instutition that happens to be endorsed by all religions. But that doesn't make it religious anymore than saying grace before eating makes dinnertime a religious instution.
I agree with you BY.
I also feel this woman got caught up in her religious beliefs and is obviously very upset about the situation. Our point is made and
she will think about it.
Let's not give them reasons to believe they
made the right vote.
I don't think she should be hounded out of town. But for her to hide behind her employees and sob and cry in a most coarwardly fashion about the situation, instead of owning up and standing by her beliefs, or apologizing, like an adult would, is just rich.
She's being a big whiny little baby about it. She didn't have to make her participation public. But she did. Now she needs to face up to the aftermath of her decision.
I think she should donate $100 (or more) to the "stop serving lukewarm tomato sauce instead of salsa with chips" campaign. I mean, geez, I've been boycotting this place for years just for that breach of mexican food morality. This is just icing on the cake!
*Sigh*
Ross, I agree with everything you're saying, *in spirit*. And though I normally find your articles on LAist hilarious, the tone of your comments in this situation are less so. No offense man, but I'm relieved you are not the voice of "No on 8."
I further think it's interesting that posts like this one get a huge amount of comments (mine included) but the posts on the legal battles against Prop 8 (where something constructive can *actually* be done) get just a handful.
So much maturity and political acumen in the gay community. So much tolerance and acceptance. It's inspiring, I tell ya.
calgodot,
I love when the intolerant complain that their beliefs aren’t being respected by those they can’t tolerate
Damien, point taken. I should add that I agree that I shouldn't necessarily be the voice of anything. Except for myself of course. I admit my rage at this issue might be quashing the humor gland a bit.
I will say that this level of action we're seeing now would probably have stopped prop 8 from passing. We all really dropped the ball and hopefully this is a wake up call that won't be ignored. And a cliche that won't be unused.
@Ross...
In response to the green chair metaphor, the Proposition in question is not making homosexuality 'illegal'. It is just limiting gay marriage. That is the hyperbole.
Sorry for the delay. I agree with the message of the protest, but feel efforts would be much better spent with outreach & education, rather than pumping fists & flexing pocketbooks. With more outreach & education prior to election day rather than the run-of-the-mill-obfuscation-of-the-truth (much like the green chair metaphor), I think the results last Tuesday would have been different.
calgodot
straight people believe in gay rights, too.
It outlawed gay marriage. I don't know how that is different than making something illegal. Gay marriage was legal one day, the next it wasn't. That's the dictionary definition of illegal. I think.
Then perhaps the metaphor would have been better with green loveseats or sofas, not single chairs.
A lot of people here make good points, but I know from arguments with friends, it is very hard to reconcile a lifetime of religious teachings with what they might know in your heart.
Yes, separation of church and state would be ideal but we all know how integrated they are so that's farther off than legalizing gay marriage unfortunately. I agree with jackjood that it would do a lot to separate the religious "marriage" from legal "marriage" - then you can have a belief about religious marriage (for your church) and a DIFFERENT belief about legal marrage for other people/religions.
Personally, I think we need to help educate and offer guidance in finding ways that people who might belong to a religion that doesn't support gay marriage can come to terms with how their religious beliefs can coexist with the idea of gay marriage. For example, say an LDS (or Catholic or Christian) goes to a church that is against gay marriage - you could perhaps use the fact that their bible also says that God loves ALL people and that although the church doesn't believe in gay marriage - it's not their job to judge those that get married by other institutions. It's about giving them a way that they can stay true to their faith but interpret it differently.
Ripping apart what people have believed in for their entire lives takes alot of effort but giving them a way to have their beliefs and support yours might be easier to accmomplish.
Sorry, typo at the end of that first paragraph- what they might know in THEIR heart. :)
Oh, and I'm a straight and catholic but an avid no on prop 8 supporter...and there are lots of us out there. :)
Tom Andrews, you're totally right. I was feeling generous...
I can't believe some of the comments here!
Only $100? In for a penny, in for a pound. She's no better than the people who gave tens of thousands of dollars--only poorer.
Is she remorseful? Not at all! She could have apologized for her donation, and apologized for her vote. She could have made ammends by donating to Lambda Legal. But she did none of those, and rather turned on the waterworks and claimed that that gays are her friends. Friends do NOT destroy each others' marriages. She ain't a friend to gays. And if she did it simply because her church elders told her to, she deserves even more scorn for lacking moral backbone.
It sucks that she put this restaurant in this position, but she didn't have to.
Stop apologizing for Prop 8 supporters--they deserver all our scorn.
I don't know why everyone is so concerned about how the "no on 8" side might appear to others. I have news for you all: They hate us. They will find any reason to hate us. So stop trying to impress them. We tried that before November 4th, and we failed.
hate breeds hate.
Who wants to impress them? I dont give a damn about what ANYONE ELSE thinks about who I personally care about, sleep with, or give my money too. And as an American citizen and a patriot, I understand & respect the fact that everybody else is free to do as he/she chooses.
Quit yelling at everyone, show those haters that we can rise above this, and make the Christian / Catholics / Mormon's heads spin with the amount of hypocrisy their actions demonstrate.
By jackjoodQuit yelling at everyone, show those haters that we can rise above this, and make the Christian / Catholics / Mormon's heads spin with the amount of hypocrisy their actions demonstrate.
Too late. Way too late.
The street people of West Hollywood have demonstrated to the world their hate, vileness, and have assured us all that the No on 8 campaign had nothing to do with civil rights. How insane, sending white powder to churches and desecrating their walls. HATE.
Boycott who you wish, but if your boycotts are a form of relgious persecution, then you get no protection from the law when the backlash comes.
The HYPCRISY OF HATE is so evident that it bleeds of insanity.
RIGHTS: There is not one No on Prop 8 person, who can express what civil right they are being denied. .......Try again, you have that right under the domestic partnership laws. The use of the Sacrid Writ of ordained Matrimonial rights passed down through divine decree from the Lord God Himself as far back as the book of Genessis 2:24 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be unitedd to HIS WIFE, and they will become one Flesh." 25- And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
But you get it, It is like the WOMAN who is pregnant again, obviously not by her lesbian lover, she has a mustache, and SHE and the idiot
media calls her a PREGNANT MAN. That is simply hating on heterosexuality and women, which she is doing out of self hate.
If we were to believe her lie, then she would be a man and therefore not lesbian, and would be in a straight relationship. So, why the LGBT, when the T-transgender bY this definition
would be straight.
By rdm24: "I don't know why everyone is so concerned about how the "no on 8" side might appear to others. I have news for you all: They hate us. They will find any reason to hate us. So stop trying to impress them. We tried that before November 4th, and we failed."
No, we are selfish just like you, and do not really think or care about you.
We voted to define our marriage as being 'Only between one man and one woman and only that being valid on the state of California.
We don't hate people under 18 either, but we don't let them get married. We don't hate illegal aliens but they can't get married in California. We do no hate our brothers, sisters, and parents but they can't get married to one another either. We also do not hate pedophiles but they can't marry children either. To the biggest No on 8 donaters, the polygamist, we don't hate them either, but they can not marry multiple partners. So, no we do not hate you, we just love our God who says
Genesis 2:24 "For this reason a MAN will leave HIS father and mother and be united to his WIFE, and they will become ONE FLESH.
Yes, we love our Lord and Saviour, and we do not wish you the demise of Sodom and Gomarrah, when God says-
Roman 1:26
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature.
27-And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another, men with men, working that which is unseemly (not good or suitable but perverted), and receiving in themselves that compense of their error was meet.
28- And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
29- Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers,
30 -Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.
WE ACTUALLY PRAY FOR YOU, EVEN THOUGH YOU PROTEST IT. GOD IS LOVE, DON'T HATE.
By roseskier:For example, say an LDS (or Catholic or Christian) goes to a church that is against gay marriage - you could perhaps use the fact that their bible also says that God loves ALL people
Obviously, a lot of straight people voted No on 8, since there are only 2-3% gays in California.
But what does God really say-
"Thou Shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. It is sin."
"The wages of Sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Separation of Church and State you say, but Marriage is a Sacred Writ. At the start of the human race, at the outset of Sacred Writ, is ordained the divine origin and Sanctity of marriage, One Man and One Woman, One Flesh.
Why not just change the criteria and meaning of MD and let any one profess that as a right, and then let all be known as such, as part of a so-called civil right. Imagine taking your child to a doctor and having to explain that he might not be a real doctor but under the law he really is.
Or why not change the defintion of "Pregnant", so any fat guy can claim to be pregnant and take maternity leave whenever he wants. Gosh, that sounds nuts, but it feels right in place.
What is this a witch hunt? We're not in Salem anymore, Dorothys.
Give some respect to Marjorie for standing up for her long-time beliefs. She doesn't hate gays neither does her chuch. It's evident from her words and her actions. She just doesn't think it's necessary to redefine "marriage." Call it something else. New union- New term. (Atleast Marjorie didn't throw her long-time church under the bus- like our new and improved President Elect Obama did and promised he would Not!) We Love You Marjorie!!