Supporting Gay Marriage Through Your Gas Bills

It's not unusual for major utilities to give campaign donations to ballot propositions that have an impact on the energy business, but many Californians are outraged to find that some of the money they've been sending to Pacific Gas and Electric every month is being used to promote gay marriage and defeat Proposition 8 in November's election:

A California-based legal defense organization has expressed outrage that one of the nation's largest natural gas and electric utility companies has donated $250,000 to squash the state's voter-led drive to constitutionally define marriage as between one man and one woman, known as Proposition 8.

The Pacific Justice Institute, which specializes in the defense of religious freedom and civil liberties, has filed a complaint against Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which provides utilities to approximately 15 million Californians.

"Proposition 8 has no relevance to supply and distribution of energy services to its customers," states the complaint filed with the California Public Utilities Commission. "As a corporation which has been given near monopoly status, (PG&E's) use of money extracted from customers to influence an item appearing on the ballot that does not promote the welfare of customers relative to energy is an abuse of trust."

The Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) is also advocating through the website NOtoPGE.com that customers switch utility providers in protest of PG&E's action.

"There is no reason why pro-marriage homes, small businesses, corporations, apartment owners, schools or churches should continue to support a company like PG&E that is so opposed to the preservation of marriage," said PJI President Brad Dacus in a press release.

According to a Los Angeles Times report, PG&E donated $250,000 in July to the No on Proposition 8 campaign, a coalition of people and organizations working to stop California voters from making homosexual marriage unconstitutional.

Geoff Kors, president of Equality California, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lobbyist group, announced at the time, "We are thrilled to partner with PG&E."

Unfortunately, gas companies are monopolies in their respective areas so I'm not sure it's possible to change providers unless you want to switch to propane. It's up to gas company customers to protest this inappropriate campaign donation to the company's board of directors and threaten action against them and the company if it's not reversed.