I got a letter from Melissa Etheridge last week. I don’t know how she got my address. I suspect she got it from Anne Heche’s Christmas card list. In an effort to avoid being stalked by celebrities with a political ax to grind I’ve taken to using a P.O. box, but I guess I’ll have to get another one now.

Melissa was writing to ask my support (financial support that is) opposing California’s proposition 22. For those of you out of the loop, proposition 22 (a.k.a. the “Knight Initiative”) is a piece of legislation currently on the March ballot in California. Should it pass, the state of California would be able to legally ignore any same sex marriages performed in the United States. As no states in the U.S. presently recognize same sex marriages, this is the equivalent of a law denying the existence of leprechauns.

Do not take this to mean I oppose same sex marriages. I do not. I am, however, opposed to sending my hard-earned money across the country to stop passage of a law that in itself is unconstitutional, and therefore unenforceable.

This brings us to an amusing question: Who is sending their hard-earned money across the country to get this law passed? The answer: Mormons. Yes folks, the kin of wholesome Donny and Marie are shelling out bug bucks to pass a law to keep gay leprechauns from marrying in California.

Seriously: Bishops of the Mormon church mailed out 750,000 letters to church members requesting funds to push this initiative through. Each “Stake” was required to raise $4000. In addition to this, church leaders used the bully pulpit to threaten that anyone choosing not to support the initiative would be “removed from the church membership rolls”. Sounds like a clear-cut case for conversion to this fag.

The Knight initiative was named after California State Senator William “Pete” Knight, who introduced the bill. Sorry folks, but my gaydar goes off when an adult man asks to be called “Pete”, but I digress. The Senator claims that this bill is intended to protect family values. Ironically, Senator Knight’s son David is an openly gay partnered man, and working against his father’s bill. One could imagine Senator Knight could do more to promote family values by attending a few sessions with a good family councilor then by pushing passage of this ridiculous bill.

And Melissa, if you’re reading this, The check is in the mail.