Finally, someone is standing up to the mayor and city council of Oakland, Calif., for reconsidering the appointment of an LDS member of the board of directors of the city's Paramount Theater because he contributed a large sum of money to the Proposition 8 campaign.
Lorenzo Hoopes, 96, and others were scheduled for reappointment to the Paramount Theatre board, but before a vote could be taken in recent City Council meeting, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums had the nominations pulled for "further consideration" Jan. 19. Gay rights activists appeared to want to humiliate Hoopes because he contributed $26,000 to the ballot initiative that reversed gay marriage in California.
The San Francisco Chronicle had earlier reported that the city council was not likely to approve Hoope's nomination anyway. City Council President Jane Brunner told the paper: "A lot of us don't think that he represents our thinking in Oakland."
The San Francisco Chronicle editorialized:
"As far as we know, his personal views on same-sex marriage have never affected his long history of service. But that's irrelevant to the activists who have singled out Hoopes for retribution and public humiliation. Because Hoopes supported an unsupportable ballot measure, their thinking goes, he doesn't deserve a role in public life. This page has long supported marriage equality — and opposed Proposition 8 as a matter of civil rights. In the political arena, it is a battle for hearts and minds. Petty vengeance is no way to win hearts and minds. Those who would seek to exclude Hoopes from a community-service job that has nothing to do with marriage equality would do well to
remember that tolerance goes both ways."
Columnist Byron Williams writes in the San Jose Mercury News the following about the controversy surrounding Hoopes, a former temple president:
"Let me see if I understand, a group of Oakland residents protested the appointment of a 96-year-old individual, who has given at minimum 37 years of public service to the city, because they disagreed with his position on Prop. 8, and the mayor, at least temporarily, capitulated to this? Please tell me there is more to this story. What does serving on the Paramount board have to do with same-sex marriage? Did Hoopes systematically block events he felt were too gay? Holding up Hoopes' reconfirmation based on how he used his First Amendment rights in a matter unrelated to his board responsibilities hardly sounds consistent with the liberal/progressive philosophy for which Oakland
is known."
San Francisco columnist Chip Johnson also wrote:
"Let's take it one step further. Does the appointment to a public board of anyone whose personal views collide with those of same-sex marriage supporters instantly become a local referendum on same-sex marriage? I sure hope not. If during Hoopes' 20 years on the board he had expressed homophobic beliefs that clouded his ability to serve, it would be a different matter entirely. The fact is that Hoopes, a former Safeway executive, has been an active participant in civic affairs for more than 50 years, and that record alone underscores a strong personal conviction and commitment."
Let's hope Mayor Dellums hears these voices. One could only wish those same voices would have been around when others were forced from their jobs during and following the Proposition 8 campaign.