Proponents of California Proposition 8

Surprisingly, there are a lot of proponents for Proposition 8. What is even more surprising though is that a lot of these proponents are churches.ProtectMarriage.com

This organization sponsored the initiative to place Proposition 8 on the ballot in the first place. They continue to support this measure even today. There were also numerous political figures and religious organizations who supported Proposition 8 as well. Some of them were actually a bit surprising.

The Roman Catholic Church

Many people were surprised to find that both the Roman Catholic Church and its lay fraternal organization, The Knights of Columbus, were loyal supporters of this measure. Many members of the church, including members of the clergy, offered up mixed reactions whenever the bishops of the California Catholic Conference released a statement in support of Proposition 8. The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints

The Mormons publicly supported Proposition 8. In fact, the First Presidency of the church announced this support in a letter that was to be read in every congregation within California. The letter encouraged the members of the Mormon Church to "do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time." Local LDS leaders created both organizational and monetary goals for their members, some of which were actually quite specific, in order to fulfill this letter's calling.

Mormons were very supportive of these appeals. In fact, there was even money being raised within the Mormon Church, outside of California. It is quite interesting to note that 45% of these out of state contributions actually came from Utah. They actually donated three times more money than any other state did. Protect Marriage, which is the official proponents of Proposition 8, estimated that half of their donations came from LDS sources and 80% to 90% of their door-to-door volunteers were Mormons.

The LDS church also produced and broadcast a program for its congregation. In this program support for the proposition was described, as was the timeline that it would take. Grassroots efforts were also encouraged herein.

Other Religious Organizations

Other religious organizations that supported Proposition 8 included The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; The Eastern Orthodox Church; A group of Evangelical Christians that was led by Jim Garlow and Miles McPherson; The American Family Association; Focus on the Family; The National Organization for Marriage; and Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church.

The Grossmont Union High School District

The Grossmont Union High School in San Diego County, California publicly endorsed Proposition 8. Their governing board voted 4-0 to do so.

The Asian Heritage Coalition

The Asian Heritage Coalition, in support of Proposition 8, held a rally. It took place on October 19, 2008 in downtown San Diego.Porterville's City Council

Porterville's City Council was the only City Council to pass a resolution in favor of Proposition 8. This was done in November 2008 and followed by a "Whether You Like It or Not" advertisement.