update 4:30 p.m. 3/8/10: This has been revealed as a hoax. Read more here: Punk a Bull, You Get the Horns
I'm most interested to see how gay-rights critics respond to a--joke?--draft initiative sent to the media this morning that, if approved by voters and the courts, would give homosexual Utahns three options: move out-of-state on your own, take state-provided transportation out of state, or enter homo-rehab.
---Nothing snarky I could write would be better than the actual thing. Download the whole document here, or the intent language is below. If you take them at their word, they're going to gather signatures and try to place this on the 2010 ballot in November.
I know it's usually hyperbole--and bad taste--to compare proposed policies to the Nazis, but when a group uses a phrase like "final solution" and calls for forced relocation of peaceful citizens, it's not hyperbole anymore, is it?
Behold, Patriots for a Moral Utah:
It is the intent of the People in enacting this initiative to heal the divides in this state currently afflicted on us by the homosexual population and give them the compassionate choice to either leave the state or conform to the moral standards of society and uphold the values of family and traditional marriage. No scientific evidence has ever proven that sexual preference is genetic, and as such, even should the rest of society tolerate these deviants, we can no longer allow them to wander unchecked infecting the minds of helpless children. This altruistic compromise allows Utah freedom from the blight of homosexuals and allows those who chose to do so the ability to reintegrate into a society based on traditional values.
In 2004, the People of Utah passed Amendment 3 by 65% of the popular vote to limit marriage to its traditional definition. Since that time, the homosexual community in Utah has continued to grow and exhibit offensive behavior while relentlessly bombarding our children with carefully placed messages in the media. This statute, if enacted, would offer a final solution to afford our children protection from the expanding influence of homosexuals and strengthen our cultural mores at a time when society’s moral anchors are being displaced with reckless abandon.
The People intend to send a message with this initiative that the traditional family is the bedrock of society and that we will not be silent in protecting our families and our religious freedoms. In past campaigns, such as the 2008 Proposition 8 Campaign in California, the homosexual community has sought to denigrate and disparage religious communities and others who support the natural family in an attempt to do irreparable harm to the moral fabric of society. They have attacked our sacred institutions and any attempts to reconcile with the deviants are followed by thuggish and brutish behavior including vandalism, defamation, trespassing and violence. Even now, the homosexuals are mounting a federal lawsuit that attempts to override state’s rights regarding traditional marriage. In order to maintain the natural order of society and prevent homosexuals from subverting our cultural institutions, we recommend the adoption of this initiative.