Jeff Kent opens his checkbook and takes a stand against gay marriage

Jeff Kent, who played second base for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, has stepped into the emotional world of same-sex marriage, giving $15,000 to backers of the California proposition on Tuesday's ballot that would ban it.

In a disclosure filed with the California secretary of state, Kent listed his occupation as professional baseball player for the Dodgers and his address as Austin, Texas. He gave the $15,000 in a transaction dated Monday but which only now is public.

Proposition 8 would ban same-sex marriage by imposing a California constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

With both sides spending upward of $30 million each, the measure has become the most costly ballot measure ever dealing with a social issue, and the spending is by far the most for any proposition anywhere in the country this year.

Kent, a free agent who is considering retiring, is a potential Hall of Famer who is best known for his years with the San Francisco Giants. A Bellflower native, Kent also played baseball at University of California, Berkeley.

A review of campaign records shows no other donations to federal or California state campaigns by Kent.

Frank Schubert, managing the Yes-on-8 campaign, said he was unaware that Kent had weighed in.

"He has had a stellar career and will no doubt one day be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame," Schubert said. "I wish the Giants had kept Kent and traded [Barry] Bonds."

--Dan Morain

Comments

[Adam Amel Rogers]

Dear Mr. Kent,

I am a dedicated Dodgers fan and I have admired your career.

I am also engaged to marry my fiancé and I am hoping and praying that California voters will defeat this awful discriminatory amendment, so we can enjoy the rights and responsibilities that come with marriage.

Your donation is a direct slap in the face to the thousands of LGBT Dodgers fans who support you each season. I am deeply saddened that you have chosen to spend so much money to make sure that my family will never enjoy equality.

[Reed R. Heustis, Jr.]

Homosexuals already have the right to marry per the proper definition. The definition of marriage is opposite-sex unions (one man and one woman).

Under this definition, a homosexual male, like a heterosexual male, already has the right to marry a member of the opposite sex. Similarly, a homosexual woman, like a heterosexual woman, already has the right to marry a member of the opposite sex.

No homosexual will ever be denied a marriage license for marrying a member of the opposite sex. Therefore, there is no denial of a fundamental right to marry.

The disingenuous claim that homosexuals are being denied a fundamental right to marry is a bait-and-switch tactic. First, they argue (rightly) that marriage is a fundamental right. Second, they silently rely upon their own wrongful presupposition, namely that the definition of marriage already includes same-sex unions. Thirdly, and finally, they (incorrectly) conclude that they are denied the fundamental right to marry, but they never state explicitly what the definition of marriage actually is!

The bottom line here is that the homosexual lobby is attempting to CHANGE THE DEFINITION of marriage to include same-sex criteria. It knows that without the definition being changed, it cannot logically claim that it is being denied the fundamental right to marry.

It is the homosexual who should change his tune rather than imposing his perverted definition of "marriage" on the rest of Californians.

[kyle]

Dear Reed,

Your ignorance of sexual oreintation is severly misguided. If you could understand the concept that being gay is not a choice but a genetic predisposition you might think differently.

Many gay people have chosen to marry people of the opposite sex (usually out of fear and confusion) with often disasterous results that rip apart families. But if that is what you truly believe and wish that gay people should marry people of the opposit sex, I hope your daughter,grandaughter or son,grandson find a lovely gay person to settle down with. Wishing you all the best!

[VOTE NO on PROP 8]

VOTE NO on PROP 8

Regardless of what Prop 8 supporters say it does in fact take away rights like:
1. Pension plan survivor benefits
2. Guaranteed leave when a family member is ill
3. Long-term care insurance for public employees
4. Tax exemption of inheritance
5. Spousal veteran benefits
6. Ability to not testify against spouse
7. Property tax and home value can be reassessed after death of spouse (meaning taxes can skyrocket)
8. Tax exemption of assets over $11,000 between spouses
9. Shared property
10. Marriage

[carlos]

great donation jeff kent

i admired you alot as a player and now standing in and been a man of your ideas is a good thing to see you make this donation and make your donation that they can stop this marraiges.

great to see that you had a good concept of the word on marriage keep on the good work kent and please come back for another season with the dodgers alot of us are very happy and proud to see one of our players step in, in this issue and been in the right side in this thing

god bless you jeff kent

[Barry Bonds]

Prop 8 does not disavow homosexuals of any rights. Domestic partners are granted equal right to married couples in california. It does define marriage as between man and woman and that is the issue. The definition of marriage. If the definition of Marriage is M/F then there is no right being denied. If the definition is MM or FF, then there is a right being denied, only one right, the right to Marry.

[Rick Knee in San Francisco]

It's ironic that religious fundamentalists oppose premarital sex and cohabitation among heterosexuals while insisting that same-sex relationships take place outside marriage.

Anyway, hetero couples need not fear: they'll still be able to marry if Prop. 8 fails. My wife, Carolyn, and I are voting against it.

[Shane Miller]

I am friends with another Dodger player...he lives next to my brother in Manhattan Beach....My brother was a fan of Jeff Kent until he heard this last night. My bro, supports me and now thinks, Jeff Kent is an a-hole..he talked to his neighbor, name I will not mention and he and other players or not happy with him doing this....and I am personally pissed and will not go to anymore Dodger Games...period...my bro and his company have a box...he is the owner of company and will cancel box ...unless the Dodgers and or he changes his bad decision and gives 15K or more to in Support of NO on 8....how in the world could be spend his $ on such a hateful way....Guess, I will become a Lakers Fan!! No on 8!

[Sarah Beth]

Good for Jeff Kent. I wish more public figures in this area were less intimidated by "Hollywood" and its radical ideas and would support traditional marriage and family. Proposition 8 does not excluded same-sex couples from any rights they had under domestic partnership laws in California. Proposition 8 does only one thing--it keeps the meaning of marriage from being redefined.

[aaron]

Good job Jeff.
Support the cause.
Vote YES on 8.

[david Knopp]

so much ignorance and stupidity here, so little time. Who says marriage is only valid if between a man and woman. Your church? If that's the case then get out of here-keep your religion out of my rights, like you want me to keep my libeeral ideas away from you. States have no business in sanctioning marriage-they have no business deciding who can marry. States should only promote civil unions, for all, and let churches, synagogues, mosques decide if they want to limit marriage to man/woman. And hey, you straight married people, wtf are you afraidof? how does this demean your scared committment. not one bit, y'all are just a bunc of insecure fraidy cats. Boo!

[Sportin' Life]

Jeff Kent is unAmerican. Doesn't understand what freedom is. Doesn't get "liberty and justice for all." Clueless when it comes to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Completely ignorant, apparently, of the First Amendment freedoms of religion and association--which apply to ALL Americans. Unaware, it seems, of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law for ALL citizens.

Jeff Kent is unAmerican.

[swami]

another cool move from the self proclaimed "leader" of the dodgers. jeff kent is baseball's biggest hero since john rocker. vote against prop #12!

[Erin]

Jeff Kent has inspired me to give to the No on 8 campaign, and to encourage all my friends to do the same. If someone who lives in Texas thinks he's going to help institutionalize discrimination against my fellow Californians just because he's scared of married gay people, he's dead wrong. Many of us have friends, family members, co-workers, hell, even enemies, who are homosexual. They're all just as human as me and my boyfriend, and they deserve to choose the rights that come along with a state-sanctioned marriage, just like we do. So thanks for the kick in the pants, Jeff.

[bwunderlick]

Kent wrote a check, he didn't take a courageous stand. Because of disclosure laws we know he gave money, even the Yes on 8 people had no idea!

Kent suggests Vin Scully (Vin Scully!) isn't a real Dodger and financially supports a bigoted cause. Last year he acted like a jerk to his teammates, and then at the end of the season attacked them for some reason. Way to stay classy!

[bryson]

The way he played this year, Kent should donate all his money. And for those of you who haven't noticed, Hollywood's "radical ideas", like supporting gay marriage, only seem radical now, much like allowing women to vote, allowing marriage between the races and voting in a black president seemed ages ago.

[straightbutnotnarrow]

a bigot is a bigot is a bigot. no way to warm-and-fuzzy it, people.

[HardHittin25]

I am a big Dodgers fan and I think it is great that Jeff Kent did this. Jeff is a future Hall of Famer and a true professional on and off the field. Despite what others have written on this blog, who probably have no idea how to play the game, anyone who actually watched him play would know that despite it not being his best season, Jeff made as much good, consistent contact with the ball than any other Dodger except for Manny and maybe Ethier. The guy can just flat out hit when healthy.

Anyway, it seems like everyone in the spotlight these days wants to be Politically Correct. It is nice to see guys like Jeff who are willing to stand by their convictions.

Good Luck, Jeff, no matter what you decide to do next season.

[Eric]

Dear Rick Knee,
"It's ironic that religious fundamentalists oppose premarital sex and cohabitation among heterosexuals while insisting that same-sex relationships take place outside marriage."

Where do you get the Idea that fundamentalists insist that same-sex relationships take place outside marriage. Same sex relations should never happen. Just because something feels good does not mean it is ok. God ordained marriage between a man and a women. Even if you don't beleive in God the when you look at the natural order of things, the fundamentals of a society begins with the family. How else would society prosper if it not for a strong family, which begins with a strong bond, or marriage between a man and a women. If you change the true definition of marriage to include man and man or women and women, does that mean you need to include a mother and a son, or father and son, or man and his 5 wives, or man and his dog. Where does it end? Domestic partners get the same benefits in california as married couples do. And if you change the definition of marriage to include same sex couples, then they will force their view on those that know that homosexuality is a sin. I know that will happen because they already do. If somestands up and says homosexuality is wrong and is a sin, they protest and try to force an apology. People are not born homosexual, that is a lie, it is a decision they make to follow their feelings. There is no homosexual gene. Who started it all by saying people are born homosexual, them. A society is destroyed when the core fundamentals of it are destroyed, which begins with the family, which begins with the marriage between a man and a women. And this nation was built on strong family values and Biblical views. Thats why this country has prospered. But since this nation been moving away from that strong foundation, it has been in decline.

[RD]

Eric, you painfully forget to mention the thousands of same-sex FAMILIES in this state. There are thousands of same-sex couples raising children in California. Denying them the right to marry seems to be in direct opposition to your desires to create strong family bonds.

Where does it end? It ends with the simple proposition that marriage shall be between two consenting people. Proposition 8 doesn't allow marriages between three people. It doesn't allow marriages between men and animals. It's simply changing one rule, just as we did when we allowed mixed-race couples to get married. Nothing "fundamental" is changed.

If nobody is born a homosexual, it's frightening why anyone would choose to become one, given the bigotry gays and lesbians face every day.

Vote No on 8.

[ThanktheMakerILiveinaBlueState]

The argument that denying same-sex couples the right to marry protects "traditional" marriage is simply asinine. Marriage has throughout history changed within the context of social mores. For hundreds of years, "traditional" marriage meant that women were property of their husbands (ask any lawyer). Women could not hold jobs without their husband's permission, could not own property, could not gain custody of children, nor could they refuse in bed. But thankfully, around 1850, that view of "traditional" marriage began to change. Anyone who votes Yes on 8 to protect "traditional" marriage is really voting to once again make women property of their husbands. But maybe that is what the ignorant misogynists really want.

[Derek]

Discrimination hid behind a book of fairy tales is still discrimination nonetheless. NO on 8!

[Robert Fouhy]

I don't live in California, but have been a Dodger fan for as long as I can remember, and have always admired Jeff Kent as one of the stellar players contributing to the Dodger success of late.

The news of this contribution deeply saddens me as I am one of the many Dodger fans who are also part of the GLBT community. Proposition 8 is pure discrimination. Why should Jeff Kent care about my ability to marry the person I love? I'm not against his right to marry, so why should he be against mine?

I don't fault Mr. Kent for his personal views and believe he is entitled to those, but I am dismayed at how he clearly has no regard for a significant fan base. I'll think twice about the next Dodger ticket I buy, and I hope the Dodger organization recognizes that this is very negative PR.

[Rob in MA]

Another homophobic bigot in the sports world. Is anyone really suprised?

Vote NO on 8!

[cynthia t.]

Jeff's homophobic attitudes are way out of date.

He's insecure, superior-acting, brittle, angry and arrogant. I, for one, am glad the Dodgers are done with him. As far as I'm concerned, the state of Texas can have him.

Go Blue in 09! Come back, Manny!