SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Mormons who support same-sex marriage delivered ribbon-tied packets of protest letters and bundles of carnations to church headquarters Friday in an appeal to end the faith’s support of a California ballot proposition that would ban same-sex marriage.

The group signingforsomething.org disagrees with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ opposition to same-sex marriage and its political activism as part of a coalition working to pass Proposition 8.

The Nov. 4 ballot proposition would overturn a California court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.

Led by Andrew Callahan of Hastings, Neb., and Peter Danzig of Salt Lake City, more than 40 people of all ages sang hymns as they made the delivery, which was accepted by a church spokeswoman. Included in the packets is a petition signed by more than 400 people, including church members from around the world.

The petition asks the church to “stop political organizing efforts and financial support of attempts to use government to restrict the secular and religious rights of gay and lesbian individuals.’”

Callahan says many Mormons with gay and lesbian loved ones are suffering a crisis of consciousness over the same-sex marriage issue and want very much to be heard by leadership.

“They feel like (the loved ones) should be treated fairly and evenly and equally, just like you and me, but their church tells them, ‘No, they can’t be,’” he said before handing over the letters. “A lot of people have a problem with that.”

Lifetime Mormons Steve and Linda Stay drove more than 300 miles from St. George in southern Utah to be among the protesters. Two of the nine children in the Stays’ blended family are gay. Their son, Tyler Barrick, married his partner, Spencer Jones, in San Francisco on June 17, Linda Stay said.

“This is a huge issue for us. For us, it’s a civil rights issue, not just a religious issue,” said Linda Stay, showing off a wedding picture. “It’s taking away their right to have the same benefits that I do.”

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah says the church understands that some members disagree.

“It also understands that this issue affects people in very private, individual ways,” Farah said. “However the church does have a moral obligation to speak out on issues that affect the moral fabric of society as it has in this case.”

Officially, the Mormon church maintains a position of political neutrality and does not endorse political candidates or parties. But the church does weigh in on issues considered morally important, including gambling, alcohol laws and marriage. Since the 1990s, the church has been active in working to defeat marriage equality legislation nationwide and joined other faiths in seeking a federal marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 2006.

In June, a letter from church President Thomas S. Monson asked the faith’s 770,000 California members to give their time and money to the campaign to approve Proposition 8. Mormons have been both vigorous volunteers and generous donors, giving an estimated 47 percent – or about $9.3 million – of the $19.9 million raised through contributions of $1,000 or more.

Latter-day Saints are taught that gay sex is a sin. Gays can continue to hold church callings if they remain celibate, however. Those who act on what the church calls “same-gender attraction” have sometimes been excommunicated.

Farah also said Friday the church is grateful for the enthusiastic response of its “hundreds of thousands of members,” but said it’s not just Mormons who are working to defend traditional marriage.

“This is an issue that is of immense importance to the wide spectrum of faiths who belong to the coalition,” she said.