For the Mormon haters:
Update: Signs for "No on Prop. 8" outside of Steve Young's home
Reported by: Cristina Flores
Last Update: 3:13 pm
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Steve Young and his wife Barbara have signs at their home in California against a proposed ban on same-sex marriage in the state. (
San Francisco Bay Area — News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Classifieds: SFGate) Former 49’ers football star and prominent Mormon Steve Young has some surprising signs in the windows of his house and on his front yard.
CBS Television Station KPIX, shot video of two official “No on Prop. 8” signs in windows of the Young family home in Palo Alto, California. The video also shows three Halloween themed signs displayed on the lawn. Those signs urge people to vote against Proposition 8, which seeks to ban gay marriage in California.
In addition, the television station reports that Young’s wife Barbara, made a $50,000 donation to the “No on Proposition 8” campaign. It is also reported that in an e-mail to the gay advocacy group Equality California, Barbara Young made the following statement: "We believe all families matter, and we do not believe in discrimination, therefore, our family will vote against Prop. 8"
A spokesman representing Steve Young contacted 2News after this story originally aired. Kirk Reynolds says Young has not and will not endorse the campaign against Proposition 8. Reynolds explained that Barbara Young has a brother who is gay and that is why she does not support Proposition 8.
In a follow up statement forwarded by Reynolds, Mrs. Young says, "To expand on my earlier email, I am very passionate about this issue and Steve is completely supportive of me and my work for equality.
We both love our Church and are grateful that our Church encourages us to vote our conscience. Steve prefers not to get involved politically on any issue no matter what the cause and therefore makes no endorsement."
Reynolds said Steve Young would not disclose how he planned to vote on the proposition.
Will Carlson, with Equality Utah, called the Young family’s actions a “Pleasant surprise”, given that the LDS Church urged its members to do whatever they could to help the passage of Proposition 8 on Election Day.
Carlson says, “What you see with the members of the LDS Church coming out on both sides of this issue, not just for Prop.8, but against Prop. 8, is that it’s a complex issue and there’s not one clear side.”
Carlson says the advocacy group here in Utah has not taken an official position on Proposition 8 and did not intend to get involved. But, since so many Utahns have given so much money to the campaign, Equality Utah’s head Mike Thompson, is in California right now volunteering for the “No on 8” campaign.
Recently, a group of Mormons marched to the LDS Church headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City, to urge church leadership to stop their involvement with the issue. On Sunday November 2nd, a group of Mormon mothers will hold a candlelight vigil at the plaza at the Salt Lake City Library in support of gay people and civil rights. The event starts at 6pm.