The Mormons may regret the day they decided to take on the gays.

Anybody watching the news knows that gays aren’t taking the victory of Proposition 8 in California … ummmm … laying down.

One of the more interesting stories about it is the money struggle between Bruce Bastian and Alan Ashton. These two heirs to the Word Perfect fortune are on opposite sides of the struggle. Bastian is gay, Ashton is Mormon. Both dumped a million dollars into the fight. Who knew back in the 70’s that our local software miracle would lead to this?

If you’re interested in exploring more about in this strange story of money and conflicting cultures, I highly recommend the tell-all book by the third partner in Word Perfect, Pete Peterson: Almost Perfect!.

It’s also interesting that the New York Times article about Ashton’s last minute contribution totally missed this connection. But our local paper, the Salt Lake Tribune, has a great piece on it!

I have a prediction about how all this is going to turn out.

First, let me state my point of view up front.

• I think gays are born that way due to genetics. It’s not that unusual in nature. There is homosexual behavior in lots of animal species. There’s no reason to think we’re any different.

• If homosexuality is genetic as I think it is, then it’s likely to be linked to other genetic features. One that seems to stand out in my experience is creative ability. Gays seem to excel at anything that requires artistic talent. Bruce Bastian is a good example. Peterson’s book makes it clear that Bastian was the creative side of Word Perfect.

And gays are just learning how to be really organized as a cultural type.

What they have lacked in the past has been a specific target. Yes, gays have their celebrations and protest marches. (One is held yearly right here: Celebrating Gay Pride in Color Country.) But their efforts have been unfocused and general. The New York Times story makes it very clear that the Mormons, much more than evangelicals or Catholics or any other group, made the difference in Proposition 8.

Other religions have taken on the Mormons in the past. (And vice-versa. The official defining book of Mormon doctrine, the D&C, refers to the Catholic Church as the “great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth”.) But as long as it doesn’t break out into gunfire, these kinds of disputes can be expected and pretty much ignored. They’re both fighting with the same weapon: “I know my church is true. God told me!” Today, they’re not really fighting each other anymore and they’re all trying hard to play down embarrassing facts in their histories.

The gays are something different. Not since Johnston’s army invaded Utah in 1957 have the Mormons faced such an enemy.

I can hardly wait.