L.A. Restaurant Manager Who Donated to Prop. 8 Resigns

The Proposition 8 fallout continues: A beleaguered manager of El Coyote, a Los Angeles restaurant popular with gays and lesbians, has quit after she came under fire for donating $100 to support the proposition.

As of Saturday evening, Marjorie Christoffersen was no longer employed at El Coyote, Frontiers magazine reported Monday on its website. Bill Schoeppner, a fellow manager at El Coyote, told Frontiers that Christoffersen tendered her resignation that night. Christoffersen, described on the El Coyote website as the "matriarch" of the 77-year-old restaurant, will also be resigning from the restaurant's board of directors.

The trouble began last month when local bloggers uncovered Christoffersen's donation. Christoffersen is a Mormon. A November 12 press conference intended to defuse the anger of the restaurant's gay clientele backfired when Christoffersen refused to apologize for the donation and said she would not financially support efforts to repeal Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. It's been reported that gay and lesbian business at the Mexican eatery has dropped precipitously since then.

“Everybody is kind of used to her walking around the restaurant with a water pitcher going from table to table to table,” Schoeppner told Frontiers about Christofferson. “I guess that part is no longer going to exist.” (Neal Broverman, Advocate.com)

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Name: Adrian
Date posted: 12/15/2008 3:47:00 AM
Hometown: Northridge, CA

Comment:
Don't spend your dollar to a place where using your dollar to against you. Gay dollars are for gay friendly businesses, and NOT for the one own by a Mormon. Rsignation doesn't mean that she won't get the profit share from it. I pity those people misled by false prophets in this modern days.
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Name: Timothy
Date posted: 12/9/2008 7:42:00 PM
Hometown: Dana Point

Comment:
Oh...go grow up. Sheeesh.
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Name: christian
Date posted: 12/9/2008 5:08:00 PM
Hometown: Atlanta

Comment:
Good for restaurant patrons. They should do more of this.
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Name: Carol
Date posted: 12/9/2008 2:34:00 PM
Hometown: MO

Comment:
The wrong targets was Shepard that was killed in the Northwest, and othe gay people who have been also killed and beaten up for years, Greg. When CA state's constitution was attacked and systematically struck down by religious people with their money what do you expect them to do? Bigots are bigots and any way you can invalidate them legally is the right way.
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Name: Michael Buchanan
Date posted: 12/9/2008 10:57:00 AM
Hometown: LA

Comment:
If only gays had leveraged their influence during the primaries. Maybe we would have got Hillary and Prop 8 would have failed.
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Name: Dave
Date posted: 12/9/2008 8:14:00 AM
Hometown: Philadelphia

Comment:
Greg, even though a restaurant manager is a pretty small target, there is a cumulative effect throughout California. There have been a lot of resignations under pressure by people who supported Prop 8. We start affecting enough bottom lines, we make a difference.
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Name: Wayne
Date posted: 12/9/2008 7:07:00 AM
Hometown: NYC

Comment:
ANYONE WHO IS EVER TRUSTING ENOUGH TO ALLOW BIGOTS TO PREPARE THEIR FOOD IS A FOOL. DON'T EAT AT COYOTE!
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Name: Daryl
Date posted: 12/9/2008 6:11:00 AM
Hometown: Indy

Comment:
There is a huge difference between owning a business, and working at one. Business owners make their money off the clients, even to pay themselves. Your clients are your money. Can you have personal opinions? Sure, but weigh them against your financial outlook, and watch your wording. To oppose the rights of your customers to be treated equal, but still expect their business? Which waterfountain was I supposed to use again?
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Name: Xavier
Date posted: 12/9/2008 4:35:00 AM
Hometown: Amsterdam, NL

Comment:
It's nice to see all this attention "outinng" Prop 8 donors, but why wasn't this happening before the vote?
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Name: Mark
Date posted: 12/8/2008 10:07:00 PM
Hometown: Santa Fe

Comment:
Three cheers for LA gays using the free market and their dollars to kick a bigot's butt! Ms. Christoffersen did what she wished with her money when she bankrolled bigotry; LA gays did the same with their money--they spent it some place else! Keep tracking those bigots down and make 'em pay, guys.

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