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.

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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."

PG&E's website announces that it's the company's goal "to be the leading corporate citizen in the diverse communities we serve" and boasts of $18.3 million given to charitable organizations in 2007 with a goal of $18.7 million in giving in 2008.

The website also states, "Our goal is that 75 percent of our total grant-making dollars assist underserved communities. In general, this includes: Persons with low incomes, people of color, seniors, the disabled and the LGBT community."

Proposition 8, as WND reported earlier, is a voter-led ballot initiative seeking to legally define marriage as only between one man and one woman in the state's constitution, following a 4-3 California Supreme Court ruling in May that declared the state's law excluding homosexual marriage to be unconstitutional.

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