A conservative non-profit based in Salt
Lake City has told supporters that gay marriage in Utah “hurts
freedom and ordered liberty.”
More than 1,000 gay and lesbian couples
have married in the state since a district court judge on December 20
declared the state's ban on such unions invalid.
In a fundraising letter to supporters,
Paul T. Mero, president of Sutherland Institute, vowed to fight
against the ruling.
“Changing the definition of marriage
and allowing same-sex marriages hurts freedom and ordered liberty,”
Mero wrote. “That's awful enough. But compound 'gay marriage'
with a proposed statewide 'nondiscrimination' law, and real people
will receive real harm as this unholy alliance pits sexual politics
against your religious freedom. It's coming, folks – unless we
stop it. And Sutherland Institute will do everything in its power to
stop it!”
“But this struggle isn't simply
legal. It's cultural. It's about the hearts and minds of Utahans.
The real conflict is coming when 'gay rights' slam against your first
freedoms – the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, the
freedom of association, the freedom of religion, and the right to
make a living. All of your first freedoms will soon be under attack
in Utah.”
(Related: Utah
gay marriage plaintiffs have until Friday to respond to Supreme
Court.)