Anti-Gay LDS Activities     

Overwhelming passage of constitutional amendments in Alaska and Hawaii outlawing same-sex marriages won praise Wednesday from the LDS Church, which ponied up $1.1 million to help push the measures to victory.

In both states, amendments aimed at legally defining marriages as involving one man and one woman garnered 69 percent of the vote in Tuesday's general election.

"We are, of course, grateful that the majority of the citizens in Alaska and Hawaii have chosen to recognize the benefits to society in preserving traditional marriage," Mormon Church spokesman Don LeFevre said.

Campaign-finance reports released last month showed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had given $500,000 to the Alaska Family Coalition, an amount that was five times more than the group had previously raised for Ballot Measure 2.

The measure specifically declares that, "in this state, a marriage may exist only between one man and one woman."

Hawaii's constitutional amendment, which gives the state's Legislature "the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples," was propelled to victory with the help of a $600,000 LDS Church donation.

Last year, Hawaii lawmakers passed a law giving gay and lesbian couples some of the benefits of married heterosexuals, a then-unsuccessful effort to undercut civil-rights arguments put forward by gay-rights advocates.

Utah, where an estimated 70 percent of the population is Mormon, is one of 26 states which has passed laws refusing to recognize any out-of-state same-sex unions.

Karsten Rodvik, campaign manager for the Alaska Family Coalition, said there was no doubt the church's money was pivotal.

"We're deeply grateful for the support of the LDS Church," he said. "Their generosity enabled us to more effectively communicate one simple message to Alaska voters: that marriage is one man and one woman."

Allison Mendel, spokeswoman for the "No on 2" campaign, decried the Utah-based church's involvement in Alaskan affairs. Before the donation in late September, both sides had raised about $100,000 and polls showed the issue a dead heat, she said.

"[The donation] was absolutely critical," Mendel said. "It came early enough in the campaign that they [the coalition] could buy up most of the available media outreach. We couldn't even compete."

Mendel, who had represented the Alaska Civil Liberties Union in its earlier attempts to remove the measure from the ballot, said it was likely the amendment will be challenged in court.

The lopsided nature of Hawaii's vote had been expected. An August poll by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin showed Hawaii voters opposed to same-sex marriages by a 2 1/2-to-1 margin.

Still, the Hawaii Family Forum, which backed the measure, said there was no underestimating the importance of the church's support.

"It was vitally important," said forum spokeswoman Kelly Rosati. "All those who support traditional marriage owe a big 'mahalo' to the LDS Church — that means 'thank you.' "

While gay-rights advocates in Alaska and Hawaii criticized the church's massive donations as outside interference, Mormon officials defended their contributions as being made on behalf of church members.

LeFevre said there are 24,000 Mormons in Alaska, 50,000 in Hawaii.

What is more, the church — which was joined by several other denominations in supporting the Alaska and Hawaii measures — stands ready to enter future frays involving what it sees as crucial family issues.

"We reaffirm the church's position that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and we are firmly committed to defending the legal preservation of that principle," he said.