This just up on the Sacramento Bee:
California Musical Theatre's artistic director, Scott Eckern, resigned from his post today amid controversy over a donation he made to the Proposition 8 campaign to ban gay marriage.
Eckern gave $1,000 in support of Proposition 8, a donation that sparked criticism from theater workers and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
A diary yesterday discussed Eckern's donation, his lame apology, and the whole issue of making donations a public issue.
At the very least, it appears if you work in an industry that relies upon the talents of and is supported by members of a minority community, you best not support those who would oppress them.
As I noted in my comments to yesterday's diary (quoting from the California Musical Theatre staff page):
Scott Eckern (Artistic Director) ... An actor, musician, director and playwright in his own right with a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts from University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from Brigham Young University. ... He served as the producer of the Sacramento Temple Youth Cultural Celebration, More Precious Than Gold, at Arco Arena and is the recipient of BYU’s College of Fine Arts and Communications Honored Alumni award....
UPDATE 1 ... text of Scott Eckern's Resignation Letter:
"I understand that my choice of supporting Proposition 8 has been the cause of many hurt feelings, maybe even betrayal. It was not my intent. I honestly had no idea that this would be the reaction. I chose to act upon my belief that the traditional definition of marriage should be preserved. I support each individual to have rights and access and I understood that in California domestic partnerships come with the same rights that come with marriage. My sister is a lesbian and in a committed domestic partnership relationship. I am loving and supportive of her and her family, and she is loving and supportive of me and my family. I definitely do not support any message or treatment of others that is hateful or instills fear. This is a highly emotional issue and the accusations that have been made against me are simply not true. I have now had many conversations with friends and colleagues,and I am deeply saddened thatmy personal beliefs and convictions have offended others. My choice to support the Proposition was personal, and does not represent the views and opinions of California Musical Theatre or the many people associated with the organization. I was required by law to identify my employer and occupation at the time of my donation.
...
I chose to express my views through the democratic process, and I am deeply sorry for any harm or injury I have caused in doing so. I want to support not only my friends and loved ones, but everyone in their efforts to receive equal rights so I will be making a comparable donation ($1000) to the Human Rights Campaign. I hope that through future conversations bridges may be built and healing can occur that will allow us to arrive at a better place of understanding for all involved.
... I am disappointed that my personal convictions have cost me the opportunity to do what I love the most which is to continue enriching the Sacramento arts and theatre community."
Sincerely,
Scott Eckern