Mormons Back Proposition 8

Alan Greenblatt notes that the LDS and Knights of Columbus are two of the biggest backers of California's Proposition 8. He is puzzled by the massive involvement of the Mormon church since the battles to ban same sex marriage in other states were largely evangelical affairs. Greenblatt thinks that one of the reasons for the involvement is the outreach by San Fransisco's Catholic Archbishop.

In 1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined other churches in California to promote Proposition 22, which also prohibited gay marriage. Mormons canvassed their neighborhoods and completed other assignments in support of the initiative, which passed. The California Supreme Court overturned it in May, however, and the move to up the ante with a constitutional amendment took hold.

At that time, Catholic Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco wrote LDS President Thomas S. Monson enlisting LDS support for the amendment. Niederauer had a good relationship with LDS leaders developed during his 11 years as bishop of Salt Lake City, and Latter-day Saints enthusiastically jumped on board.